Freelance journalist Aurelia d’Andrea’s love affair with Paris was first launched by her high school French class, but it really took flight in 2004 when she spent a year in the City of Light, fueled by a steady diet of baguettes, Bordeaux, and cobblestone promenades. Five years later, she packed up her San Francisco apartment for a second time and schlepped her husband, dog, and seven bicycles back to the French capital.

With two moves under her belt, Aurelia no longer dreads the dossier or fears a visit to the préfecture. Instead, she’s learned to embrace the paper trail and accept her perpetually deficient French grammar, which the dogs she walks don’t seem to notice. While scooping poop wasn’t exactly the glamorous Parisian career she initially had in mind, this former magazine editor is happy to work as a professional promeneur de chiens by day and would-be novelist by night—especially since bread, wine, and urban exploration still dominate her daily to-do list.