Dec 20
This was breakfast in Martinique this morning. Refreshing, authentic and just so thrilled Superman did not chop off his fingertips.
We are loving the Martiniquais and their beautiful island.
Vocabulaire:
petit-déjeuner: breakfast
Dec 17
What I love about these really tacky Christmas trees in France is that the fact that they exist proves that the French do NOT have impeccable taste, and are, after all, human like the rest of us.
These foam sprayed trees don’t just come in white (to mimic snow), but in every color imaginable, and they seem to be selling like hotcakes.
In America we have our National Christmas Tree in Washington D.C., on the Ellipse near the White House.
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
I am wondering if the sapin de Noël at the Galeries Lafayette is the French equivalent of our nation’s tree?
It certainly is enormous (20 meters high), stunning, stylish, and as Paolo de Cesare, Printemps CEO said, “makes a statement for Paris, for France and for the world.”
Perched under the famous cupola in the center of Galeries Lafayette, the tree features a toy village at the base that springs to life on the hour, every hour, and compliments the Christmas window theme: Il était une fois Noël …avant les douze coups de minuit.
The cheerful tree continues the adventures of Lily the doll and Martin the Teddy Bear. As she wakes up their sleepy Christmas village, Monsieur and Madame Wolf, a gang of mischievous mice, a clowder of cats, and a family of snow white owls spring into action to beat the clock and get ready for Noël.
If you can brave the tourists and Christmas shoppers, it’s definitely magical and worth seeing…go early, and get out quickly.
Vocabulaire
Il était une fois Noël …avant les douze coups de minuit: Once upon a time at Christmas…before the clock strikes twelve.
Printemps: one of the largest and fanciest department stores in Paris (literally, spring)
Sapin de Noël: Christmas tree
Dec 16
The French have a very unique brand of humor. Sometimes it annoys the heck out of me, sometimes it makes me stop and say, “What the f**k?!”, but most of the time it makes me smile and be glad to be able to experience absurdity from a different cultural perspective.
Yesterday at the Corrida de Noël was no exception. Humour à la française was out in force.
The bûche de Noël, absolutely the most hilarious déguisement of the day.
French smiley face?
Yikes! I got flashed by Mrs. Clause.
Òu est Charlie?
Dominique Strauss-Kahn??
WTF? Still not quite sure what this was all about.
Vocabulaire
Humour à la française: French humor
We ran across some great holiday cheer outside of Paris yesterday. Or I should say Superman and his best buddy Nigel ran across it, or more accurately, in it.
The Corrida de Noël, is an annual 10k race where the reason to run is the tacky Santa suit that comes with the race registration fee. This is one race where your finish time doesn’t matter, but your tribute to Père Noël makes all the difference in the world.
This year there were over 5,000 runners who ticked the racing box for the course déguisée and ran the race dressed as Old Saint Nick.
And why not? Where else but in France would you get to smoke and drink mulled wine before the race even starts.
What a great way to sprint to Christmas…only 8 more days until Kris Kringle makes his way down your chimney.
Vocabulaire
course déguisée: the disguised/costumed race
Dec 7
Recently I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to tour an atelier of another unique group of artisans, la maison Légeron.
La Maison Légeron is home to a handful of talented craftspeople (mostly women) that skillfully turn silk into flowers and ostrich feather into finery and create intricate accessories seemingly out of thin air. They do this for the prestigious fashion houses of Paris, Dior, Givenchy, Chanel, Courreges, Ungaro, Lacroix, as well as a number of extremely wealthy clients from around the world.
You might say these are the artisans who take care of the details.
Founded in 1727, Légeron’s handiwork has dazzled the ballrooms of the royals, decorated the bridal gowns of heiresses and princesses, walked the red carpet in Hollywood, and graced the catwalks of all major fashion houses this year.
Their work is rooted in tradition and trusted only to highly trained and certified artists. From the dyeing of each individual flower petal to the sewing of every last bead, it is all done by hand. The results are exquisite and delicate, one-of-a-kind creations, lovingly designed and equally as suited for the Museum of Decorative Arts as for a Chanel gown.
I love baring witness to petite moments of pure imagination and creativity.
Perhaps in my next life I’ll come back as one of these gifted artisans and spend my days creating beauty for the sake of beauty, and making sure that the details shine.
Dec 6
artisan: a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand; craftsman, craftswoman, smith, wright, journeyman; one that produces something (such as cheese or wine) in limited quantities often using traditional methods.
I love that France is full of artisans and that the French government only allows craftspeople who have studied, apprenticed and passed all their exams to call themselves artisans.
Yesterday, I was delighted to visit PEP’s Réparation & Vente Parapluies, Ombrelles & Cannes, and meet the only artisan in Paris who will diligently and lovingly repair your broken umbrella, parasol, or cane.
PEP’s
Passage del’Ancre Royal
30 rue de Turbigo
75003 Paris
01 42 78 11 67
365+ Things I Love About France 