Paris is my ocean

About Jeff Kraft

Under Paris’ surface, as the great writer Honoré de Balzac noted, there are always new discoveries—places, scents, tastes, colors—that captivate and renew all our senses. 

I’ve lived, studied, worked and have taken nearly 40 trips to Paris and, like Mr. Hemingway wrote, was lucky enough to have lived there as a young man. Wherever I’ve gone in my life, Paris has indeed stayed with me. (I currently live in Washington DC with my wife Frances, who enjoys Paris as much as I do: in fact, we were married there.)

I’ve been a college French professor for more than a decade, teaching college students not only the language but also literature, history and culture. I’ve come full circle: my first job after college was teaching English in a Paris lycée on a Fulbright scholarship. That led to earning my Master’s in journalism from the Université de Paris II (Panthéon-Assas) and a long career in international marketing.

For this next chapter, I am committed to teaching and guiding fellow French nerds—OK, Francophiles—along the splendid boulevards, bridges, gardens and narrow passageways that I’ve gotten to know so well (yet still surprise me). What will make your trip so much more than mere travel is that you’ll study French lifestyle, literature and language in mini courses before we travel. Once there, you’ll live and travel like a local, immersed in a central base of the city, and will balance guided explorations along with your own interests and discoveries. I’ll be there as a resource every step of the way.

I’m also the author and photographer of Literary Paris, in which I’ve paired my black-and-white Paris photography with excerpts and inspiring quotes from the great writers who made Paris timeless. I’ll be excited to work with you as a photographer and editor to produce a coffee table book of your journey—one that celebrates why Paris and France are important to you.