Paris was on the brink of widespread flooding, which did occur in one part of the city and in several places in France. Despite this catastrophic menace, the French seemed more concerned about keeping up their resistance to the new labor law by multiple strikes and continued protests. Besides the rising Seine and other rivers …
I just celebrated Mother’s Day weekend, because in France it is commemorated at the end of May. The celebration started Friday, with a surprise bouquet of very perfumed acacia blossoms picked by my daughter Aimée. I can tell when they are blooming from the delicate sweet honey like perfume that starts to waft in the …
Acacia Blossom Beignets, Men In TuTus And Kumquat Ginger Cake Read More »
I started out at full throttle, full of inspiration to see the free jazz concerts to celebrate Jazz Saint Germain and two museums opened at night for Nuit de Musées European. By late Saturday, the rain started and it became evident that my museum choices were a bust. It was one of those weekends …
Lord knows they have tried once again to make up for the sacrilege destruction of the revered stomach of Paris, Les Halles de Baltard, that proudly stood in the center of Paris for over a hundred years till 1971. But sadly this second extremely expensive renovation attempt it is nothing more but a blasphemous architectural …
Les Halles Of Paris Renovation, Another Architectural Flop? Read More »
I love seeing all the different cows, goats, and sheep at the Salon de L’Agriculture and I thought that I would introduce you to some who are behind a few of the famous French cheeses. Since there is close to 1200 French cheeses, choosing which ones to present is a daunting and almost impossible task. …
Behind Every Famous French Cheese Is A Cow, Goat, Or Lamb Read More »
There I was in front of a neatly stacked pyramid of coconuts. Parts of them appeared to have been sprinkled with turmeric water and there were tiny yellow chrysanthemums tucked here and there. Behind me was a small altar, carefully arranged with offerings of rice, lemons and bananas with incense burning and more coconuts awaiting Lord …
Ahhhh, nothing like stewing in the hot Paris sun! Yes indeed, that same sun that just loves to play hide and seek most of the time here, is making me feel right back home! As droplets of sweat slowly trickle down my neck, arms, and legs, I have been holding up my pompous southern girl …
Last week, without any advance notice, the Eiffel Tower, the world’s most visited tourist attraction in the world, besides Notre Dame, locked its tower to the throngs of starry eyes tourists. Mutiny on the tower! Why? Pure and simple, the employees were fed up(ras le bol) by constant onslaught of pickpockets day and night non …
The Paris fair is not like any fair that we are used too in America. Zero resemblance! There aren’t any rides, nor freak shows, nor corn dogs, and thank goodness that awful smell of rancid cooking oil that always nauseated me is nowhere to be sniffed. Think instead of a huge and very vast market …
Paris has many wonderful hidden sites and one of these is a pleasure boat marina tucked beyond view from the Seine, where a contemporary art show is hosted twice a year. It’s a fairly big event bringing over 500 French and foreign artists together, with their individual stands on both sides of the port. Le …
I really debated if I should even write about this topic, frankly because it was so minuscule in comparison to the Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans that I grew up knowing and attending since childhood. I hate to make a comparison here, and there really can’t be, because it sounds down right uppity, and …
Seems like the whole country goes to crêpes on February the 2nd ! Chandeleur (Fêtes des Chandelles) is what they call it and the tradition goes way back. The French consume crêpes quite often as a snack or for a complete meal, but even more so today! The history of Chandeleur or festival of lights …