Love in Paris, and the Pont des Arts

Bonjour tout le monde!
If you have been in Paris within the past six years or so, you might have found yourself on the Pont des Arts, which links the Louvre with the 6th arrondissment on the other side of the Seine.  This pedestrian bridge originally dates back to 1804 but was rebuilt in 1985 in steel rather than the weaker cast iron.  Sometime around 2008, lovers and visitors to Paris started "locking in their love" by leaving a lock on the bridge. Bouquinistes lining the sides of the Seine near the bridge started selling locks and providing Sharpie pens for the lovers to inscribe their initials.  Similar love lock bridges exist in New York, Seoul, and London.
Now, it seems, that all this love is negatively affecting the structure of the Pont des Arts bridge.  The bridge is actually buckling under the weight of all those "love locks" that have been attached to the railings.  Now, tourists in love are asked to send  a virtual lock to http://www.lovemasterlock.eu/.  After all, once it's on the Internet, it's really forever!
I must confess that Michael and I have been tempted, but we have never done the lock thing.  What about you?  Have you ever left a lock on a bridge to commemorate your love?  Where?  When?  And, most importantly, are you still together?
Here is the original article:  http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20140421-paris-to-tourists-stop-locking-down-love

Love locks on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence

Sur la Table

Bonjour tout le monde!
I love to cook.  For me, being in the kitchen is a sort of therapy.  I find the perfect recipe, which for me usually means not to many steps, go to the grocery store for the ingredients, and then I cook.  I'm pretty good at following directions, which makes recipes great for me.  I have, though, honed the craft of adding little bits of this or that to see how it tastes (no complaints yet).
I think that the process of cutting, boiling, or baking is what I enjoy.  It's just me, the words on the paper (and more commonly now, the computer) and the ingredients on the counter.  I don't have to think about much more, except making sure that whatever I am doing comes out right.  That is the therapy part. And, we eat.
Then, it is on to making my table look beautiful.  When I travel, I love to buy tablecloths and the matching napkins.  They are not only a cool souvenir, they are useful, too.  I use cloth napkins because they are pretty, and because I am not putting more stuff in landfills.  Naturally, after a dinner, I throw everything into the washing machine, the dryer, and then I iron them.  Yeah, I'm anal...
This morning I came across this blog titled "5 Things That Will Make Your Kitchen More Parisian", and I was intrigued.  Would I pass the test?  Do I have it, the Parisian kitchen?
Almost.  I got #1, there is an almost empty bottle of  #2, but I'm going to have to do the lentils, which is an awesome idea.  The finishing salt will have to wait a little bit, but I'm all over the cloth napkins.  Now, for a new butter bell...
How about you?  What's in your kitchen?  And if you have any finishing salt (fleur de sel), where did you get it?

http://food52.com/blog/10278-5-things-that-will-make-your-kitchen-more-parisian

My table - the cloths are French from Provence and Basque (in background).  I made the bread, too.

Renovating a Chateau

Bonjour tout le monde,
I love to watch HGTV and all the flipping shows that are on television.  I dream of what my kitchen will be; sometimes I recreate my dream house in, well, my dreams.If anyone has seen my Pinterest page, they will see that my perfect house will pretty much consist of just kitchens and bathrooms because that is all I seem to post.  Gotta work on that.
However, in France, an Australian family has bought an abandoned chateau in the south of France, near the village of Chateau Verdun.  The Class 1 Historic Monument-listed building was designed by Parisian architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel, famous for his neoclassical architectural symmetry including the Petit Trianon and the Place de la Concorde.  The couple who bought the chateau have begun restoring this chateau to its former glory.
I started following the restoration a couple of months ago.  Photos of each newly discovered room and architectural treasure are posted on the Chateau's Facebook and Instagram..    
In the process of fixing up the building, they have discovered an internal tower, plus a really cool chapel with stained glass windows.  You have to admire the way the building was planned.  Built before electricity and indoor plumbing, windows have been strategically placed to provide each room, even the below ground cellars, with lots of light.
Those working on the chateau have uncovered the most amazing details: the painted beams of a ceiling, little wooden scrolls on the walls, intricate patterns on the doors.
If you're interested in history, architecture, renovations, and just French stuff in general, you must follow the renovations to see how this Australian couple turn an abandoned chateau back into its former beauty.  
Be inspired - now that kitchen reno looks pretty good!
www.chateaugudanes.com
instagram.com/chateaugudanes

j'escargote

bonjour tout le monde!
I'm running a little slowly today, but I did have time to check out 10 suggestions for new French words.  They run the gamut of topics, but I like the #1 suggestion: escargoter, which means to take your time over something.  Just imagine yourself in a restaurant in Paris, as you escargotez over dinner with that last digestif. Or you could escargote over that wonderful novel that you're reading.
Check out all of the wonderful ideas here: http://www.thelocal.fr/galleries/culture/new-french-words-that-might-join-the-dictionary-
If you have any ideas of French words that you would like to see in the dictionary, write them in the comments!

Happy birthday, Eiffel Tower!

Bonjour tout le monde!
While doing some reading today, I came across the fact that the Eiffel Tower turned 125 on March 31.  The second highest construction in France (the viaduct Millau is the tallest) is the most visited paid monument in the world.  When I was 19 and just fresh to Paris, my friends and I made the Eiffel Tower one of our first places to visit. It is everything that you hear about and see in the photos, but still awesome and breath taking.  Stand in the center of the square that the feet make, then look up to see how the different levels go together.  Try to avoid all the vendors who flock to the Eiffel Tower to sell toy birds that fly, and the souvenir towers that light up, the small tower key chains, and other tacky but fun stuff.

Michael and me in 2008

  

The Eiffel Tower at night, before sparkles

Now it's easy to visit the Eiffel Tower - well, easy is a relative term - with just a little planning.  If you know when you'll be in Paris, go onto the website (www.toureiffel.fr) and purchase your tickets.  That way you avoid at least one potentially long line.  The website will also tell you how many elevators are running; that gives you an idea of how long you'll be there.  I have found that the evening is better than the daytime, but you might also want to try to be there when it opens.
Built for the Universal World Exposition of 1889 as its main attraction, the Eiffel Tower was to last only 20 years.  Thanks to the then-new radio technology, the Eiffel Tower became a radio tower also, and was saved from destruction.
Now we can't imagine Paris without its iconic tower.

(Shamless plug - there is still time to come with me in September!)   jackiwilliams-jones.grouptoursite.com

Across the river from the Tower

Poisson d'avril - April Fool's Day

Bonjour tout le monde!
Today is April 1 or April Fool's Day.  In France, it is the Poisson d'avril, the time that kids make paper fish and try to stick them on the backs of unsuspecting people.  When I traveled with students, we were often in France on this day, and could see people walking down the street with little fish taped to their backs.  I even saw one attached to the front bumper of a car in Arromanches!
The origins of this day all seem to revolve around the change of calendars way back when.  Historically, April 1 was the start of the new year.  It sort of makes sense; spring is considered the season of renewal, so why not begin the year on this date?  People would celebrate with new clothes, and festivities that celebrated the return of warmth, flowers, and new life.  Charles IX reportedly created New Year's Day on January 1 to unify all the parts of France.  However, there were still those who insisted on celebrating New Year's Day on April 1.  They were called fools, and were the brunt of jokes and pranks on that day.
I am not very good at pulling pranks on folks, since I don't do very well lying (I don't have a poker face).  I do enjoy watching the television to see which jokes worked.
Here are several pranks that happened today:
http://www.thelocal.fr/20140401/april-fool-the-locals-day-in-gags

For more information on the history of le poisson d'avril:
http://curiousrambler.com/2014/03/28/april-fool-or-april-fish/

How about you?  Did you prank anyone today?  Were you the subject of an April Fool's joke?  Do tell!

Politique française

Local elections in France have created an interesting scenario in France, especially for President Hollande.
http://m.thelocal.fr/20140331/national-front