No. 225: Un Peu de Hollande en France
The windmill in the Bois de Boulogne near the Longchamps racetrack.
The award-winning flowering city of Créteil.
Bordeaux vineyard
Vocabulaire
Un peu de Hollande en France: A little bit of Holland in France
Posts tagged ‘photography’
Apr 29
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No. 224: Under the Dome at Galeries Lafayette
I am only a bargain shopper and I really only buy things at the dernière démarque, and I have never bought anything at the Galeries Lafayette, accept a couple of macarons at the in-store Ladurée. But every now and again, when I’m in the neighborhood of the les grands magasins, I like to pop in, look up, and admire the glorious dome.
Vocabulaire
dernière démarque: final markdown
les grands magasins: big department stores
Apr 28
No. 222-223: Sundays on the Seine (and Marne) and Créteil
One of my very favorite things about living in Paris is spending Sundays on the Seine and Marne.
Every Sunday if we are both in town and the weather is even marginally nice, Superman and I jump on the Vélibs and head down to the Seine. The former mayor of Paris made it a priority to make the Seine accessible to families sharing a Sunday stroll and fitness enthusiasts alike. Since we fall into both of those categories (plus do not own a car), we are huge fans of ex-Mayor Bertrand Delanoë and his progressive policies to improve the quality of life in Paris. We are especially grateful for all he did to make it so easy to jump on the path (and closed roads) along the Seine and explore life beyond Paris.
After almost three years, we have discovered all sorts of chemins, quaint streets and hamlets, and peaceful riverside breaks. We are now very familiar with the point where the Seine and the Marne split, or merge, depending on how you look at it.
We have discovered that the farther you get from the city centre, the more easily the folk smile and dit “Bonjour”. We have come across a few places we would love to live, and admired some striking river front property.
Our latest fascination is the suburb of Créteil (12km southeast of Paris and part of Val-de-Marne). When you arrive by métro it seems like a gray, university suburb with highrises and little character, but when you arrive by bike along the Marne, it is a whole different story. For two decades, Créteil has been one of France’s “four-flower” Villes et Villages Fleuris. The city flowerbeds, particularly at this time of the year, dazzle.
The award winning flowering city of Créteil.
There are over 70 different species of trees in the “town”, numerous fountains, and even a lake. There is some great architecture, including the Château des Mèches, and gorgeous canal and riverside homes. The residents seem pretty focused on outdoor activities. Families dig in community vegetable gardens and race miniature boats on the canals. We checked in with a kayaking club last week learning to roll. We have come across groups rock climbing and canoeing, fisher people, and of course multitudes of cyclists, runners, and strollers.
Sundays may be a day of rest, but for us it is definitely worth the two-wheeling effort to escape from the city and enjoy the Seine and Marne and a little bit of the “country life”.
Vocabulaire
chemins: paths, trails
dit “Bonjour”: say “Hello”
Apr 22
No. 213: The View Out My Window
Notre Dame à Bordeaux
Apr 17
No. 207-209: A Château, Playing Dress up, and the Best Picnic Spot Ever
After living in France for a while, you sometimes begin to take for granted certain things that, to short-term visitors, seem exceptional. Warm crusty baguettes around every corner? Bien sûr! Stunning architecture? Tout à fait. World-class museums? Naturellement. Fairytale châteaux? Toutes sont les mêmes.
En fait, I started this blog to help me avoid becoming one of those jaded expat, and to instead, find the extraordinary every single day.
I was reminded of the crazy wonderfulness of this country yesterday as we got turned around on our drive through Aquitaine and strayed into the Limousin region. In France, one wrong turn, and the next thing you know, you may find yourself standing in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.
Château Rochefoucauld, une petite maison, is easily the most fun and friendly château we have ever stumbled across. As I mentioned, from the outside, it is all Disney, but on the inside, it is like an Italian palazzo with a magnificent courtyard that evokes Renaissance Italy. It is a château that has been in the family for over 1,000 years, and its spiral staircases, elegant rooms, and bursting libraries are still used by the 19th Duke Rochefoucauld and his young family. Not only are there family portraits painted by French masters lining the walls, there are also black and white photographs, glossy Polaroid’s and normal Kodak moment framed and displayed for all to see. It’s like the modern regal family went out for a stroll and left the doors unlocked to (un)wanted guests.
There are lots of things to see and do at Château Rochefoucauld, from snaking through the strange cave in the basement, to touching the real roche, to pretending to cook up a royal feast in the original kitchens, to resting your weary head on the beds in the servants’ chilly rooms. But most fun of all, is an entire room dedicated to dress up clothes for all aspiring royals, the young and the old included. Think medieval kings and queens, wenches and jesters, mad hatters and knights. Once dressed, you are free to roam the entire castle, ramparts and all.
After satisfying your theatrical bent and maybe, say, acting out a scene or two from the new princess movie Frozen, the caretakers are happy to let you picnic on the daisy-filled lawn just beyond the castle doors…with your dog!
C’est bien extraordinaire…even for France.
Vocabulaire
Bien sûr! Of course!
C’est bien extraordinaire: it’s (very) extraordinary
En fait: in fact
Naturellement: Naturally
Tout à fait: quite, absolutely
Toutes sont les mêmes. They’re all the same.
une petite maison: a small house
No 206: Bordeaux’s Saint Mark’s Square
Inspired by the winter flooding on Venice’s St. Mark’s Square, the 3,000 square meters water feature on Bordeaux’s well-designed boardwalk, floods with a thin layer of water followed by an apocalyptic mist effect when the water mysteriously disappears on the hour. (Architects: P. Gagnet and Atelier R. Landscape Architects: Michel and Claire Corajoud)
No. 205: More Tulips and Flowering Things
Continuing on with my non-French cheekiness…I have to share a few more photos of Keukenhof and the tulips from the surrounding villages in Holland. Remember Amsterdam is just over 3 hours from Paris by train, and fares start as low as €70 aller-retour. Another thing to love about living in France.
Vocabulaire:
aller-retour: round trip
365+ Things I Love About France 