Local lady writes book of Paris travel tips

Sandra Sheridan’s hands don’t stay in her lap for more than a few seconds before she begins another animated tale. The Winter Park native and Rollins graduate is fired up, in this case, “Fired Up for France.” That’s the very fitting name of her new series of stories about her travels to Paris.

Sheridan’s coffee table is covered with some of her favorite cheeses, like Boursin, juicy red grapes, apples, slices of French baguettes, and a glass of white wine, all complemented by Eiffel Tower napkins. But for Sheridan, a Parisian at heart, this elaborate afternoon spread is typical. She shares her passion for the City of Lights with her husband, Leo, who she met in St. Petersburg in 2000.

“Not only is he wonderful, but he loves France. So I mean what more can you ask for in life?” she said.

The walls of their cozy apartment are covered with pictures and paintings of countless meals at “Au Lys D’Argent,” the little restaurant, not more than 18 tables wide, that called her name, their finest memories, and dearest friends. And Sheridan won’t hesitate to pull down a wall decor and allow her guests to inspect it, if it adds to her storytelling.

Sheridan describes the rhythm of life in Paris to be more laidback than what she is used to back home. Leo said Sheridan frowns upon canned, guided tours of Paris, which eliminate any opportunity to spontaneously strike up a conversation with a local, something Sheridan often does once she got past her shyness due to the language barrier.

On one Sunday excursion, they were driving past vineyards in Bordeaux, and felt the urge to turn into one. They knocked on the door, only to interrupt an elderly couple sitting down for their lunch. Just as Sheridan and Leo started apologizing, the couple’s daughter Sylvie, who ran the fifth generation winery, insisted they stay and partake in the bread, cheese, and wine. That was the start of a long friendship.

“We are still in touch, and that was 10 years ago. We’ve written each other ever since,” Sheridan said.

Sheridan’s love for all things French sparked from her grandparents living in Paris for seven years before World War II. Sheridan longed to experience it for herself and jumped at the opportunity to visit her best friend, Sandy, there in the fall of 1997. Stepping into a cab, outside the Charles De Gaulle airport on that crisp, September day, with David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” playing on the radio, she knew her dream was coming true. Enchanted with the culture and people’s everyday life, she fell for the romantic atmosphere of Paris, watching older couples dressed in cashmere coats and berets, linking arms as they walked their dogs by the Eiffel Tower.

Since then Sheridan has worked hard to share her passion for French culture. She and Leo planned “Paris on Park,” a cultural exchange that showcased French art, cuisine, and music, and they had the city of Winter Park backing them up. And then the recession hit, and they lost all their sponsors. That hardly slowed Sheridan, though, who’s “France Fanatics” Facebook group, which is only a year old, has well over 600 members, including people from all over the globe who share their Paris experiences.

Page after page, Sheridan invites readers to stroll by the Seine river, meander down the Rue Mouffetard with its quaint cafes and tempting crepes and rotisserie chicken stands, and share countless picnics of cheese and wine. Sprinkled in, she shares practical advice: how to navigate the Paris metro, shop at open-air markets, and make the most of day-trips. She advises her readers to just take the plunge and discover the magic of Paris.

“Plan, think about what you want in life. If travel means something to you, build your life around something that enables you to do it,” Sheridan said; joking that it would have been handy if one of her children was a travel agent.

It’s been five years since she and Leo have been back to Paris. The couple admitted that what’s keeping them from relocating there are a 5-year-old and an 8-year-old. Their grandsons are “the apples of their eyes” and they just couldn’t go without seeing them every week. Sheridan can already feel the sequel coming, maybe about Lyon, or maybe she’ll wander down memory lane in some other breathtaking town in France.