A Day in Paris

"

Friday, October 29, 2004

The Poncho is Back

About 5 years ago my sister started knitting me a poncho because I asked her to. I was pregnant with my second child and thought that a poncho would be very versatile with my growing belly. Well, my sister gave me the poncho ...Shortly after my daughter was born. It's a wonderfully big poncho that I wear every Fall. Never before have I felt so "in" with my wardrobe. I now get compliments all the time. Poncho's can be seen all over Paris. This past weekend I even saw a mother and daughter in poncho's (not matching!) -- very cute. Who knew a poncho could be stylish? Today my daughter had a playdate. The well-dressed little French girl came over in a poncho skirt! Take a look...

-- said Auntie M in Paris
4:04 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Music Outside My Window

I was reminded today in my bedroom one of the reasons I think Paris is a beautiful city ... the music. I had the radio on, but it was drowned out by the sound of a small band of three musicians playing Glen Miller's In The Mood song. My kids are the first to ask for change to race downstairs, open the door and run down the street (not crossing!) to give the men some change for their music playing. It's one of the wonders of life in Paris and I'll miss it. My family and friends tells me it will be a big change when I move back to the US because you never let your children out of your sight there. Is the US that unsafe anymore? No worries about testing this since, in my 30-something years in the US, I never had anyone play music outside of my window.

-- said Auntie M in Paris
1:53 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Thursday, October 28, 2004

Date Night on Montmartre

Last night, my son came down with a high fever. Today he was still feeling ill in the morning, so I gave him some pain reliever and he felt great. He decided he felt so good he'd go to his afternoon soccer/football camp that we signed him up for every day this week. I was really relieved that he felt better. I was also glad because we've spent a lot of time home during the school vacation for Toussaint and I thought it might put me over the edge to stay in the apartment all day today -- especially since it was another nice day. I went early to pick up (it's three hours long) to make sure my son wasn't on the sidelines screaming in pain. If you think I'm exaggerating, you don't know my son. But low and behold, he was playing and having a great time. I thought it might be the medicine, but he wanted to go to the park after soccer with his friends and was quite happy. When my husband and I asked how he was feeling he said "I told you I'm fine, quit asking. " I've got to work on his manners!
Every Thursday night is my "date night" with my husband. When he asked me what I'd like to do this week, I told him "the same thing we did last year at this time." Last year we drove up to Montmartre and parked right in front of Sacre Coeur and ate dinner at one of the many brasseries next to the basilica. Since it's the holiday week, many people who live in Paris and drive have left town. Many tourists, without cars, have replaced the residents. So there are many parking spots. Once again, tonight we drove right next to Sacre Coeur and were amazed at how grand it looked. It was a chilly but clear night and the lights from the basilica made it majestic. Here's a poor replica of what we saw from our parking spot. The circle at the bottom right is the full moon out tonight.

-- said Auntie M in Paris
10:05 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

A Long Way from Home on Election Day

We moved over to France a couple of months before the last US election. Thinking back to that time, I can’t remember much of an interest here in the election. We had been residing in Washington D.C. previously and were pretty much living and breathing politics. Since I left DC I haven’t thought too much about US politics, but that has all changed with the upcoming US Presidential election. It seems like the only thing people want to talk about. My experience here has been, the longer you are away from the US, the less you understand its policies, and therefore, the less you support the current leadership. Now, I’ve pretty much only been here during the Bush years, so my experience may be very skewed. But, for example, my husband went to a census survey (how to reach out and grab the most expats for the next census) a couple of months ago and we were shocked by some of the comments people made…. “I don’t want to see the American Flag on the census brochure.” So many Americans are against America. I heard one American last week telling a British friend that it is ridiculous that only Americans can elect the President when the rest of the world has to deal with him.
When my US friends ask me if the French treat me badly, I say “not at all!” In fact, the French (generally) think Bush is a crazy lunatic, but they like Americans and have always treated me well. However, Americans don’t seem to separate the French from their leaders. They talk of how the French didn’t support us against the terrorists. They rename French fries. It’s really too bad.
Anyway, I am feeling anxious about this election. It’s everywhere. It’s the lead story in the French papers, on the radio, when I talk to my friends (did you send in your absentee ballot?), and even my sisters. This became very clear to me today when my US sister told me that Paul Newman, the actor, had called her (and everyone in her neighborhood) about the upcoming election.
On a completely different subject (as my friend always told me, segues are for kids) my daughter just handed me a paper with her name correctly written on it. For months now she’s been writing her name with some of the correct letters all in the wrong order. I’ve been asking her if I could help her to write her name, but she’s declined my offer. She handed me a paper with a drawing (she draws for hours on end) and her name. It was so nice I thought her father had written it. But no! It is a beautiful thing.

-- said Auntie M in Paris
11:29 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

The Cave Key

When we first moved to Paris we learned about the key situation pretty quickly. It's really difficult to make copies of your keys. We received three sets of keys from our landlord. One for me, one for my husband and an extra set we give to the person who comes to clean once a week. This was all good and well until we had our first set of guests. People want to go do the tourist stuff which I wasn't able or didn't want to always do with my infant. So they'd go do their thing while I took the kids to the park. Since they didn't have a key I'd always worry about making sure I was home early for the guests. This got old quickly, so I went to the key shop to make a new set of keys. Well, apparently, for my set of keys at least, you need to get a permission slip from the landlord. Our landlord is the nicest 80 year old you'd like to meet. He's owned the apartment forever. In fact, he told us recently, that he was arrested in the apartment by the Gestapo as part of the French resistance. My husband and I can't bring ourselves to ask for permission for an extra set. So we always give our guests my husband's keys and hope that they don't fly to the US with them.
I was reminded of this recently because my husband lost our key to the Cave/cellar. It's big key by most standards, and he could not find it. Anywhere. We tore the apartment up this summer looking for it to no avail. The cave held our bikes and I wanted to go biking so we decided, on our own, to get the locks changed. When the locksmith came, I showed him the cave door and went back upstairs to watch the kids. He was done in a short time and asked me if I'd like to see. I was shocked. He knocked out the cellar stone wall around the door. There was a big hole in the stone. Well, the door opened now. I had to give him that. He told me that the cost of opening the door is 75 euro. If I wanted him to replace the lock it would cost another 150 euro. I asked if that included plastering up the stone wall... Yes that was included in the price. I told him I'd have to talk to my husband... Maybe another day. Well the landlord lives down the street and often checks up on the apartment building... Is the concierge around? Are the garbage cans out on the street? Well I guess he also checks the cave. So one day he knocks on the door and asks if I know where the key to the cave is. He thinks there is a problem. I pretend to not understand him (which isn't too difficult) and say my husband will call him after work. When my husband gathers the courage to call the landlord and tell him that he lost this old cave key and needed to get it replaced he said "you should have asked me, I have an extra key." Our landlord felt so bad he got someone to plaster up the wall and gave us a new key. How could my husband have lost this huge key??

-- said Auntie M in Paris
3:44 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Monday, October 25, 2004

The Pumpkin Pinata

Yesterday afternoon I decided to throw my annual Halloween party afterall. I kept thinking I didn't have to this year because the kids were invited to two Halloween parties. But, my sister and her daughter, who live in the south of France near Montpellier, were in town. My sister has no American friends in her small town, so her daughter rarely attends parties with American themes. SO... at the last minute I called up 5 friends.. four of which were in town. SO... within twenty four hours, I had 11 kids to my place for a party. I woke up early to bake cookies. I went to the grocery store and bought pizzas for the kids lunch. I made a quiche for the moms. Then I frantically cleaned for an hour. After that is a blur. I go into party mode. The statue game when the kids stop when the music stops... the home-made pinata (my sister asked what it was... a pumpkin, thank you very much)... the treasure hunt and then some crafts. I never take pictures... who has the time. I hope the kids have a good memory because I won't be able to prove I did this stuff without pictures. After 5 hours, the last guest left. My sister was kind enough to get take-out Lebanese.. delivered for free. It was wonderful.
Yesterday we took the kids to the Trocadero park. It is one of our favorites because the kids play while we enjoy the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower. It was a lovely day. Someone mentioned the other day that leaves changing in Paris are beautiful, but they don't have the reds you find in the Northeast of the US. Maybe not, but the view is still wonderful.

-- said Auntie M in Paris
7:13 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Sunday, October 24, 2004

The Dinner Party

Last night we were invited to my husband's co-workers house for dinner. The dinner was in honor of a friend from the US who is interviewing for a job in the same office. The wife, who was preparing the meal, is French. We were invited to come over at 8:30pm. We brought over the mutual friend/potential co-worker and showed up at 8:20pm, a big faux pas. You never show up early to a dinner. To be fair, we walked over there and weren't sure how long it would take. I apologized when we arrived and handed over the champagne we brought. She told us that when she was worried about getting everything done before the guests arrived, her husband (who is European) assured her that no one would get to the apartment on time. She responded that Americans were coming and they always arrive early or on time. She had invited a French couple as well and they arrived "on time," meaning the perfect 20 minutes late. I don't think I could live here long enough to get used to sitting down for a meal at 10pm. It was a delicious meal and the company was stimulating, but I have no idea how she cleaned up. We were the first to leave a little after midnight. Do the French just leave the dishes for the next morning?
The potential new co-worker of my husband is looking for housing in Paris. My husband drove him around yesterday to different parts of Paris. He's in his 50s and would be coming over with his wife -- no children. They want a quiet neighborhood that has plenty of shops. The wife mentioned the Montmarte area as a place she really likes (to visit, she has no idea about living there). We suggested the 7th, 15th, (Dupleix) 16th (Auteuil) and 17th (Courcelles.) What would you recommend?

-- said Auntie M in Paris
10:41 AM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Friday, October 22, 2004

View from the Top

My son has been begging to go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We've been in France 4 years now, and for some reason, he hasn't made it up to the top. He's been to the second floor plenty of times, but no one ever took him further. Tonight, after an exhausting week, and with the prospect of 10 days of "vacation" (for the kids, not the parents), my husband suggests we climb the Eiffel Tower tonight. It's true... it was an absolutely beautiful day in Paris and the evening was perfect, but it was 9pm. Well, we did it. The lines were non-existent and we made the whole trip... walking to the ET, taking the elevator up to the top, and then walking down and walking home took a total of 1 hour and 45 minutes. Not bad! Bonus: my daughter fell asleep in the stroller on the way home.
Today for my walking tour we went to Pere Lachaise cemetery. I'd been there once before with my friend visiting from the US. Too bad he couldn't come on the tour. There is so much interesting history in the cemetery. Additionally, it was a perfect day for walking around because the trees had multi-colored leaves and the air was crisp. Anyway, the cemetery was designed in 1804 but was a failure of sorts at the time -- no one seemed to want to be buried there. Under Napoleon, in 1817, a decision was made to move some famous bodies into the cemetery: Moliere and La Fountain, two of France's cultural icons. After that, it was a very popular place and today some 70,000 people are buried there. Pere La Chaise, who lived in a convent in the park before it was turned into a cemetery, was the confessor of Louis XIV. Now there are many famous people buried there: Sarah Bernhardt, Colette, Edith Piaf, Balzac, Chopin, and Jim Morrison to name a few. Our tour guide said he read that Cher just bought a plot at the cemetery. Other things to note... Napoleon wanted to mix things up in the cemetery and so anyone who lived in Paris could be buried in the cemetery -- Christians, Atheists, Jews, Arabs, and people who committed suicide are all neighbors in this large plot of land. There are also sad, beautiful, horrifying monuments to those who died in the Nazi concentration camps, executed resistance fighters and those who weren't located in WWII. We spent more than two hours there, but you could easily spend the day.... Especially if you have a good tour guide!

Two lovers from the crematory section of the cemetary.

-- said Auntie M in Paris
10:58 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Thursday, October 21, 2004

English is Coming!?

English is coming back to France according to Le Monde today, although I'd argue it's already here. A new report recommends that, starting in grade 3/CE2, English should be obligatory for all children in French schools because it is currently the language of international communication. If this is the case, then it will be impossible to speak French in Paris. You all better come to visit now if you want to practice your French!
Last night, Halloween came to Paris for a handful of families. My friend organized her 5th annual trick-or-treat party. She knows how to throw a good party and this year was no different. She invited 65 kids, including my children and my son's best friend. We arrived promptly at 4:00pm expecting to start trick-or-treating around 20 minutes later. Well, as soon as we got to her building foyer, the sky opened up and it poured for the next 2 hours. We waited for the lightening to stop and the rain to subside a bit and then headed out to the 15 stores lining one side of Ave Victor Hugo. The store clerks couldn't see the outfits because most of the kids were covered in raincoats and umbrellas, but I have a picture of some of the group.

Most of the stores we entered were made for 3 or 4 customers at a time. Small, high-end stores where you could buy a 150 euro baby onesie or 5000 euro fur coat. Imagine 65 kids with wet sneakers walking in to a store. Now to be fair, only 20 or so could squeeze in at once (believe me, more tried... they were getting candy after all), but these clerks didn't really understand to give each child one candy and send them on their way. The French love the deguise/dress-up and many clerks wanted to see the outfits. In the end, all the kids were happy, if wet, and couldn't wait to dump their candy on the floor of their apartment and start eating. A little slice of Americana.
Today was the Halloween party at the school. Have I mentioned before that there is a line between school and parents? Parents are discouraged from participating in French schools. One mother returning to the US was scared to get her child a recommendation from the French school because one of the questions was "how much does the mother participate in school activities?" In France, it would be high praise to say "she doesn't participate at all." The mother was worried that the US school would think she is a very bad mother.
Anyway, to get back to the point, my son was in a Halloween play today. No parents were allowed to come to school to watch the play. No pictures were taken. That's just too weird to think about. He told me he said his lines well and about the kid who was too shy to say his lines. More than this I do not know.
Other than that, the older kids, like my son, handed out candy to the maternelle children (3-5 years old). Both kids came home with lots of candy to add to the booty from last night. It's only a little bit of the feeling of Halloween in the US, but it will have to do.

-- said Auntie M in Paris
1:41 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Don't Walk on the Grass

One of the first things I bought when I moved to town was a fun watch. When I was working, before moving to Paris, I had a serious watch. When I got to town I bought an Eiffel Tower watch. I love it and have worn it nearly every day for the last four years. It broke on Tuesday. I didn't realize how much I relied on my watch and I've been anxious to replace it. I finally went to the store this morning and bought the exact same watch. It's so pretty.

You can only buy this one in Paris, or so a previous Swatch salesman told me. The saleswoman today started speaking English to me. "You can return it within 2 years anywhere in the world." I chuckled, because I was thinking that as soon as a person hears my American accent, they speak English. I think she thought I laughed because I was offended and she said, "oh, do you speak French?" (yes, that is what I was trying to speak when I walked in.....) and then she spoke only French. My French class was cancelled today, so I needed some practice.

I took some pictures at the Jardin D'Acclimatation today. The Jardin is a wonderful amusement park for kids. So it always takes my American sensibility by surprise to see signs like these....

"The grass is fragile, don't crush it" and "Games with balls are forbidden"

-- said Auntie M in Paris
10:18 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

The Cowboy Mystique

The other day I was in the store next to my son's school buying him new sneakers. I noticed that a woman in the store was trying on cowboy boots. It's France's little secret..... they love American cowboys.... usually said like "kuhbo-ee." They love cowboys. My son has been to a few cowboy parties. People smile whenever you mention the US and cowboys in the same sentence. In the kids stores, when they have a book on the US they always mention the cowboys. I was thinking about this today because one French family was telling me how they took a trip to the US this summer to go to Montana. Wow, I thought. I've probably been to 40 of the 50 states, but Montana isn't one of them. If you had one trip to the US, would it be Montana? But they went to a ranch, you know, the kind with cowboys. So I thought I'd share a picture of the cowboy boots at the store.

When I was taking a picture of the boots, a French mother from the school didn't see the camera and asked if the cowboy boots were authentic. Are they like the ones in the US? What to say? The ones in the picture, in my humble NY raised opinion, look pretty fashionable. Not quite the ones I think of when I visit Texas, but I told her they look the same, maybe a little prettier. She was very pleased.

-- said Auntie M in Paris
11:48 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Monday, October 18, 2004

The Lunch

Often in my daily life in Paris I have "little victories." They usually outnumber the little setbacks I have during a week. When friends back home ask me why, since nothing is forcing us to stay or leave, would I ever want to leave the Paradise known as Paris, it is the little setbacks. Little things, like the fact that the French don't believe in waiting on lines. I had this happen again yesterday. I guess I wasn't standing close enough to the register (the cashier was not there) and a woman came up and put her stuff down by the register. Thankfully, I had my stuff on the counter so I didn't have to deal with her. But I was prepared! I may not know French in a fluent manner, but I know enough to say "c'est a moi," if someone cuts and the salesclerk starts helping the other person first (I've had a lot of practice with this). How I digress! Today, however, was a little victory. I am in the process of having a French friend. My son's former maitresse/teacher asked me to go for a walk with her. The first time, two weeks ago, we jogged together. I really couldn't speak much while jogging because I could barely take in air fast enough since I was so out of shape. I thought it was a one time only thing. But today we walked for an hour during the lunch break. She spoke English and I spoke French. It was really nice! Another small victory occurred when I went to the Gap to buy pants for my son. I made it through the whole experience without speaking English! Truly a victory at the Gap! I don't know about other people's experiences in France, although another blogger has mentioned this.... but it's really difficult to speak French in Paris. Everyone, and I really do feel like I'm talking about 90% of the population, speaks English. I will always remember one guy last year who heard me speaking my barely passable French to a person who didn't understand what I was saying (in my defense, it was a very loud place) and told me to speak to him so he could translate. I said "no thank you, I have to learn French because I live here." He said "well I need to practice my English!" I think that's the way many French feel, especially after they hear me killing their language.
I must report that my daughter spent her lunch hour away from me. One of the two friends we invited over two weeks ago had her over for lunch today. She cried last night. She woke up this morning begging us not to send her to school because she didn't want to go to her friend's house for lunch. Finally got her to school and she did the death grip as the teacher pulled her away from me. It nearly killed my husband and me. But of course.......
Maitresse: Elle a eu une bonnee journee/she had a great day
Me (in disbelief): Et le dejeuner/and the lunch?
Maitresse: Elle etait tres heureuse/she was very happy
Nothing is ever easy with kids, at least with my kids. Thank goodness they are cute.
I am happy to report that we sent our absentee ballots in today. Our consciences are clear. We've done all we can.

-- said Auntie M in Paris
9:13 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Sunday, October 17, 2004

Sunday Service

My son's best friend slept over last night. When this was arranged his French mother told me that she'd pick him up at 10:30am so they could go to church today. Since the Church is about 3 buildings down the street from me I thought I'd go with them. So when she arrived I told her my son and I would be joining her. Needless to say, I was completely lost during the service. Our sons left to go with the other children for Sunday school and it was just the two of us. I really like this woman and she wanted me to understand what was going on. She asked if I understood everything and I just nodded. I really didn't want her to feel like she needed to explain everything along the way. So I just sat there and absorbed the whole experience. Later in the day I asked my sister if it counts that I went to Church if I didn't understand anything and she said sure... they used to do it Latin and no one knew what they were saying back then! Good point.

-- said Auntie M in Paris
8:49 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Saturday, October 16, 2004

Princess Magician

The kids had two birthday parties today. The first one, which both kids were invited to, was a Halloween birthday party. It was deguise/costume requested. My son dressed as a skeleton. My daughter, how should I describe what she wore.... well, she decided on navy tights with little faries, barbie pink plastic heel shoes, a purple tiara, and a blue shirt with the American flag. I got her to put on a turquoise poncho thing because she refused to wear a skirt, shorts or pants. What a look! The last party she went as a princess magician (the French LOVE deguise parties!). This time I couldn't even describe the look... She is so stubborn! She has plenty of dresses but just refuses. The French kids always dress in these sleeping beauty and Cinderella dresses, but my girl comes as a princess magician (jeans, hello kitty t-shirt, rainbow cape and a baton with a tiara).
My son stayed at the first party (4 hour party -- 20 kids -- no performer except the parents -- in the child's home -- only an American could take on those odds) and my daughter went (with her father) to her second party, at the Jardin D'Acclimatation (it's very popular because it's close by). The kids went on a few rides at the park. A party like this costs around 20 euro a kid. Does anyone know the going rate for a party in the US?
I spent the day re-covering my dining room chairs. I think I spent 3 months trying to find the perfect fabric. My friend said "you are so lucky because you have all those wonderful French fabrics to choose from." I guess she's right, but she made me think I should really look around. I even spent one morning looking at the BIG fabric place in St. Pierre. But I really couldn't find anything. I ended up going down the street to the local Bouchara and bought some blue fabric with blue velvet stripes. This morning I covered the chairs with my new fabric and used my new staple gun that a friend bought me at BHV, a most wonderful superstore near the Hotel de Ville. The chairs look great. Even my husband said so, and he doesn't notice much.

-- said Auntie M in Paris
7:57 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Friday, October 15, 2004

The Debate

Yesterday I noticed that a truck must have hit the crosswalk sign. I took a picture because I thought it looked funny. Is it ever really safe to cross the road?

Last night I attended a Democrat and Republican Dinner Debate at Joe Allen restaurant in the 1st arrondisement. The dinner was hosted by the American Women's Group and the English Speaking Union. The dinner was scheduled to start at 7:30pm. As we are getting off the metro at 7:50pm, my husband says, "what do you want to bet that we are among the first to arrive?" In France it's fashionable to be late, so it was a good bet. Well, when we walked into the restaurant, we discovered we were nearly the last to arrive and had to move people around to find a seat. Between the two English-speaking groups the room the restaurant had reserved was packed!
I tell you, the French love a debate and they love to hate George Bush. At our table, we sat next to two women, one of whom had a book written by a friend called "Bush on a Couch," which claims to be, according to the author a "psychological case-study and partisan polemic." The other woman next to us brought a deck of Bush playing cards. Among the more obvious people on the playing cards, I was amused to see an old boss of mine, Tom Scully, as the 2 of clubs. The card said something like, when a report said that one of his programs was going to lead to increasing premiums for seniors, Scully said he'd release the report "if I feel like it." It sounded just like him! Of course he has since resigned as the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
Getting back on track... the "debate" wasn't really much of a debate. The chairperson from the Democrats Abroad spoke and then the chairperson from the Republicans Abroad. I kind of felt they've been debating amongst themselves for too long. The Democrat chick talked more about why Bush was bad than Kerry good. The Republican guy talked about /defended Bush's religious side more than I cared about. But having lived in D.C. for 10 years, maybe I'm just spoiled about the quality of debates. Also, to be fair, my husband and I left at 10:45pm and the debate was just in the thick of things. Maybe more important issues were discussed. Of course, we already knew who'd we'd be voting for before the event last night. We'll be filling in our absentee ballot over the weekend.
To my husband.... Happy 10th Anniversary!

-- said Auntie M in Paris
11:20 AM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Thursday, October 14, 2004

Cooking in the 17th

Just got back from a cooking class. It's one of the most popular things to do as an American ex-pat in Paris. There are many cooking classes to choose from ... all taught in English. My two friends and I have decided to try a new class every month. At least that is the plan. Today's class was "La Table de Francoise." Francoise Richard is from the area around Lyon, a well respected food area in France (aren't they all?), known especially for its sauces. Today "we" made terrine de legumes (vegetables), coulis tomatoes; veau (veal) en cocotte aux girolles; and tarte aux pommes (apples). Basically, what happens is Francoise makes the food in front of you, offering advice along the way... use butter at room temperature, don't cut off the ends of the mushrooms (girolles), cook the vegetables only a little for the terrine, cut the blanched tomatoes crosswise to get the seeds out... Then after you watch the preparation it's time to eat (and as you smell the food being prepared you realize you are starving!), so you head out to the living room to a nicely set-up dinner table. Chinon wine, chilled, was served with the dinner. The food was delicious and filling. I even turned down seconds (who knew I had it in me to turn down good food?). Makes me wonder how I'll do when my husband and I go out for dinner tonight (it's date night). Actually, I have no worries, my appetite grows pretty quick. La Table de Francoise does not have a website, but if you are interested in learning more, you can contact Pam Buckner (it's her kitchen in the 17th) at bucknerlevine@compuserve.com. I know Pam and Francoise had a write up in the Wall Street Journal a year or so back, but you have to be a member of the wsj site to get a old story.

My Terrine!

-- said Auntie M in Paris
3:31 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Wine and War

Even though it is still raining, I went out by myself tonight to "an evening with an author" at the American Library in Paris. Tonight Don and Petie Kladstrup came to discuss their book Wine and War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure. Wine and War is one of my favorite books to recommend at the Bloom conference. It's about WWII and how the French tried to hide their best wines... by creating faux walls in their caves, relabelling bad wines, burying bottles on the farm. It's an interesting story based on history and makes a good read.
The authors came to the library and gave the background of their years of research to write the book. They said it was a race against time because the people they interviewed were in their 60's or older... some have died since the book was published. It was all very interesting. To boot, I left the house at 8pm and returned at 10pm, so I got to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle (which it does on the hour for 10 minutes) twice. Now if it would just stop raining....

-- said Auntie M in Paris
11:08 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

The Circus on a rainy day

If it's Wednesday then we must have spent the afternoon at the Jardin D'Acclimatation. Today something strange happened. I got two things free -- on purpose. While this might happen often in the US, with samples, for instance, this does not usual happen in France. The first incident happened while I was eating lunch with my son, his friend and my daughter. My son and his friend play golf at one, so I leave straight from school, find a parking spot, find a bench right outside of the golf school and have a picnic lunch. While we were eating, a man from the circus came by with a paper. Usually it's a phamplet for the show, but today it was to inform people that the new show was for FREE! What a wonderful way to spend 90 minutes. The kids had a great time, and it worked out well because it was raining when while the show was going on. After golf, but before the circus show started I bought 50 new tickets to use on the rides at the Jardin. I took four tickets out to give the man at the trampoline area (two tickets for 7 minutes on the trampoline -- a great deal) and he gave me two tickets back. My son could use the trampoline for free. I figured I probably misunderstood, but he insisted on giving me two tickets back. I was so flustered that I left my debit card, the carte bleu, with the man. He had to come up to the trampline platform (there are twenty trampolines) to give the card back. I think the reason might be that for the last three years my children have shown up every Wednesday after my son's golf lesson to jump on the trampoline. He must have felt like doing something nice today.

-- said Auntie M in Paris
6:11 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Big Step

I'm exhausted. Today was the second and last day of Bloom Where You're Planted and I'm tired. I volunteered to help sell books today at the Brentano's book table. I love selling books, but I think I've stood on my feet for 8 hours straight. I'm not used to this kind of work!
I left the house early to head off to Bloom and my husband took my daughter to school. As you might remember I had two of my daughter's friends over last week. Well, after years of living in France, an invitation was reciprocated promptly. I don't been to sound cold, but this really never happens. I've invited tons of my children's friends over the years and I'm kind of convinced the French just don't do play dates. At least that has been my experience, but who knows, maybe it's just me and my children. Anway, my daughter was invited to her classmates house for lunch today. My daughter NEVER goes anywhere, aside from school, without my husband or me. My husband called me at Bloom to tell me that our daughter cried about going to Paola's house for lunch. She just wasn't going to go. She cried all the way to school. My husband left her in the care of her teacher, but he was worried. I get to school and everyone tells me how happy my daughter looked when she went off to have lunch with her friend. The teacher tells me that she cried a lot in the morning, but was happy to leave for lunch when the time came. So it all works out. You never know. Anyway, I'm basking in this big step. I'm just darn proud.
I've noticed some new people reading my blog. I'd like to read other blogs about life in Paris. My sister, in the South of France, has a knitter's blog. But as far as Parisian blogs, I've only found chocolate and zucchini, but not much else. I'm sure they are out there, so if you have some information, please pass it on.

-- said Auntie M in Paris
6:43 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Sunday, October 10, 2004

The Magician

My nephew took off this morning. It was so nice to have him around. All my girlfriends were very impressed with how responsible he is... they saw him in action at the park on Friday. He's always invited back to visit.
My daughter had a party today at the home of a French classmate. I think there were 20 kids there ranging from 3 to 7. They had two performers, a princess who played games like "Jacques a dit" or simon says and a magician. The magician must really like his job because while the little kids were playing with the princess at the end of the party, the magician was doing card tricks for the adults. He was good! And he speaks English too!
My daughter doesn't leave my side when we go to parties. In fact, she won't go to a party if I don't promise to stay with her -- and she means it. I can not be further than an arm's length away. Other mothers think I'm just over protective, but I got a phone call during the party, walked off for 30 seconds and returned to her crying. Of course, there have been mothers who have suggested counseling, but give me a break. I can't tell you how often counseling has been recommended for my children by people while I've lived here. A few years ago it was suggested that my son go to the doctor because his handwriting wasn't up to par. He was in kindergarten, five years old. Maybe this stuff happens in the US, I just don't know.
Anyway, at the party I opened my big mouth and invited three of my daughter's friends over tomorrow for lunch. Should be interesting...
For those of you, including my father, who told me that the toothfairy is a cheapskate leaving 3 euro, thank you for the update. Who knew?

-- said Auntie M in Paris
6:41 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Saturday, October 09, 2004

Lovely Loire

Well I'm back from my blissful night away. I am happy to report that my nephew survived watching my children for the night.
The Loire Valley was rainy for the last two days but that didn't stop my husband and me from enjoying our time away. We headed out of Paris in the early afternoon and stopped by the Chateau Blois. Usually we just walk around the outside of the French monuments and Chateaux that we visit since we have the kids, but yesterday we leisurely walked around inside the Chateau. It's a nice place to visit, because it has a lot of history, which is described in a pamphlet they give you for the price of admission. There isn't a lot of furniture, but it's a beautiful building in which many interesting people lived, including the famous Catherine de Medici.
After that we drove through Vouvray, on the way to our hotel. The local wine, Vouvray, is a white and generally fruity wine. We had a wine tasting and bought six bottles to enjoy at a later date (and give one to my nephew). It was apt since we went wine tasting on our honeymoon 10 years ago....except that occurred in the Napa Valley in California.
After the wine tasting we headed to our hotel a little ways down the road. It's a hotel built into the mountain. The hotel has "cave" rooms called troglodyte rooms. It was a luxurious, but not charming room. However, the dinner was absolutely wonderful. We ordered the menu, so we ate whatever they brought us and it was all very tasty.... my husband doesn't care for fish, but ate every bite of the white fish they prepared. I generally stay away from lamb, but was licking the plate of my lamb chops.
Today we left the hotel in a rain storm and headed out through Azay-le-Rideau. We'd been to this Chateau just a few years before with my sisters and our families, so we didn't pay the admission. We just took a look and walked around the quaint town.
We drove from there to take a check out Langeais Chateau. Neither of us had ever been there. It's not as famous as some of the other chateaux in the area. We really enjoyed visiting this chateau. It's in another small and very quaint town. It's beautiful, but the tour is not that interesting. It kind of reminded me of walking through Edinburgh Castle earlier this year. You knew a lot of history took place here, but walking through the rooms you didn't get a feel of what went on in the castle. In Langeais the rooms did have some furniture, but the descriptions were like "tapestry on left wall tells story of a saint blessing animals." Personally, I'd much rather hear about how Anne of Brittany had her first fight with her new husband King Charles VIII in the room aptly called the "Argument Room." The room where the secret wedding between Charles and Anne took place does have a nice history page (in English too!) of the event and a kind of re-enactment. The garden is lovely. A wall of the dungeon remains and it provides a beautiful backdrop. It's really worth a visit.... but not before you visit Chenonceau, Chambord, and Amboise.
Before I go, I wanted to let you know that my son received 3 euro from the tooth fairy. He woke up the next morning and found the money and promptly woke me up to tell me that there must have been a mix-up. He informed me that his best friend received 20 euro for his first tooth. Surely, there must have been a mistake... only getting 3 euro. He nearly took his bed apart looking for more money. What is the going rate anymore??

-- said Auntie M in Paris
6:25 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Friday, October 08, 2004

Alarm Clock

My alarm clock was ready to wake me up at 7:30am this morning. Unfortunately, I was awoken in a very different manner at 5am. At that time precisely, a small bomb exploded at the Indonesian Embassy a block or so away from my apartment. What a sound. My husband and I jumped out of bed and went to the window. Of course, at that moment, we didn't know exactly what had occurred. So, of course, my husband, in typical husband fashion, went out to try to determine what had happened. He reported that there was broken glass in front of the Embassy and since it was precisely at 5am, we put two and two together. It was all rather frightening.
My husband points out that city life has taught us some interesting things like the fact that our children can sleep through car accidents, domestic disputes, garbage trucks, and apparently even through the sound of a bomb a block away.
Interestingly enough life goes on. Paris woke up to one street roped off. More horns blared because of the unusual congestion as people tried to get their kids to school and themselves to work. I'm sure some didn't even realize what happened just a few hours before. After we brought the kids to school I went on a walking tour of the Arc de Triomphe with my nephew. While on top I started getting calls from friends and family who had heard on the news about the bomb so close by to where I live. I have to say I wondered if I was testing fate being on the top of the Arc de Triomphe, but I'm here to report to you that it was a wonderful tour with nothing out of the ordinary occurring.
My husband and I are now off to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We're heading to the Loire Valley for the night while my nephew watches the children. Hopefully nothing more exciting will happen during his stay!

-- said Auntie M in Paris
1:50 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Things That Go Boom in the Night

A few pictures

-- said Auntie M in Paris
1:28 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Wednesday, October 06, 2004

Tooth Fairy

Big news. My son JUST lost his first tooth. He is 7 years old. All his friends have lost many teeth. He has a very, very low pain threshold and this has put him over the edge. He's still crying to my husband about it. Unfortunately, I will forever be blamed. His tooth became loose on Sunday evening while eating dinner. It became loose and bled a little. For the last three days he's tried not to eat. He drinks bottles of yogurt drink to fill him up. Anyway, tonight he was playing with his sister and I said watch out you don't want to hit him in the mouth like this.... the rest is history.
The other exciting piece of my day is that my nephew arrived. He flew here, in part, to watch my kids when my husband and I leave Friday night for the Loire Valley to celebrate our 10th anniversary. He's playing with my daughter right now. She's having a great time with him. These are the times when I wish we had family closer by.
Today is Wednesday, so the kids had a half day. It was another beautiful day in Paris. We went for my son's weekly golf lesson at the Jardin D'Acclimatation. It's so much fun to spend a warm day there. I even went on a ride today with my daughter when my son golfed.
I picked up some Alsacien food for dinner tonight. Smoked ham, bacon, sausage and sauerkraut. Delicious. I had to find some French food for my nephew's dinner. Tomorrow I head out to do some tourist stuff with him. I can't wait.

-- said Auntie M in Paris
8:24 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Tuesday, October 05, 2004

Blooming day in Paris

Today was the 34th annual Bloom Where You're Planted program held at the American Church in Paris. It was a good day and I heard a lot of positive feedback. Nearly 200 people showed up to learn about living in France. The Ambassador's wife, Peter Caine, Dorie Greenspan, and many others were speakers. It was very interesting, but very exhausting for a volunteer like me. I picked up a Martha Stewart Children's magazine while I was there. So many things to make for Halloween!
I left Bloom before it was all over to go pick up the kids at school. It's not often I'm in a dress with heals walking the streets of Paris, not to mention the make-up. I felt like a real grown up, like the days when I would head to work every morning. People asked me where I was going.... did I have an important meeting? It made me feel like maybe I should wear something other than jeans everyday. Would it kill me to put on a little make-up? I'm sure these are fleeting thoughts because when I put on my jeans and comfortable (but not sneakers!) shoes on tomorrow morning and I will remember how good they feel.
Dropped my son off at soccer. It was drizzling out, but that didn't stop the practice. Let my husband pick him up and headed to the boucherie to buy one of the most wonderful poulet roti (roast chicken). It was delicious as always.

-- said Auntie M in Paris
7:40 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Monday, October 04, 2004

Bon matin with a cafe creme

Dropped the kids off at school and got invited out for a coffee. Most people I know love to have a coffee at a sidewalk cafe in Paris. Although I liked catching up with my friend, I really hate spending 5 euro that way. But today it was an Indian Summer day and it was wonderful to just relax and have a coffee with a friend.
At the French schools, at least the one I go to, my children go to school every day from 9am until 4:30pm, except Wednesdays, when school ends at noon. The kids have an hour and half for lunch and many parents pick up their children every day (add it up -- up to 4 round trips to the school every day). My son does not want to get picked up. He likes playing with all his friends. My daughter refuses to go to the 'cantine' for lunch. She thinks it's too loud and busy. She's right, but it makes my life a lot more complicated picking her up everyday. It really limits what I might be able to accomplish on a daily basis. Since I have to do it anyway, I invited two of her French friends over today. After dealing with boys and boy play dates for years, it really is a pleasure to have girls over. They played nicely and listened to what I said. Of course, with my bad French, there was a lot of "qu est-ce que elle dit?" What is she saying? My daughter had to translate a lot. The only fight was over who got the pink Barbie glass. Such problems I can deal with.
Tonight we had a parent teacher meeting. If I thought I could ever understand French, I was humbled tonight when the parents started getting going. At one point, there were about 6 conversations going at once. There were only 30 people in a small room, so I pretty much got very little out of the meeting. I think it's ok because the only issues they discussed were: the computers are too old, the children's directory didn't include cell phone numbers, classes are too large, and school books and supplies are too expensive. I could have been at any school anywhere... nothing was resolved.

-- said Auntie M in Paris
8:41 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Sunday, October 03, 2004

Fall in Paris

Every Fall I start reminiscing about my childhood in the Northeast. Fall was a wonderful time of year. The weather was chilly, but not cold. Fresh. I always felt so alive. The leaves were changing colors. The apples were ready to be picked (or picked up... I had a few apple trees on my property). Halloween wasn't far away, so I was picking out pumpkins and choosing outfits that my mother would make. It was just a great time. Of course, I didn't appreciate it back then. But now.... how I miss it and also miss it for my children. I host Halloween parties every year. I have a friend who gives stores candy and asks the sales people to hand the candy out when her "party" shows up. More on that when the party occurs... But another thing I've tried to relive is apple picking. When I was a child I had to pick up the apples and throw them into the orchard behind our property as a weekly chore. Now, 20 years later, I find myself paying to pick another persons apples. Our family went to a farm outside of Paris yesterday. What fun! The kids picked apples (20 euro worth!) and green beans. At the farm store we picked out a wonderful pumpkin. The farm is only 15 minutes outside of Paris and it was packed yesterday.
Today we went to the Bagatelle Park in the Bois de Bologne. I go to the Bois every week, but it's a huge place and this was our first time in the Bagatelle Park. The Park had a special exhibition going on about CABANES -- little shacks. After spending nearly 2 hours in the Park looking at these cabanes I still can't tell you much about them, why they were special or who made them. However, it was another beautiful day here and we rode our bikes there, brought a friend for my son, and had a nice time walking around looking for the cabanes... some in trees, other in water, some made of sticks and others of mud.
This week starts the Bloom Where You're Planted program, an orientation program for newly arrived English-speakers in Paris. I'm very involved in the program and have to move my schedule around to make sure I can stay the whole day for the two Tuesdays it runs. I also have my nephew coming this week. Tomorrow, the week starts and I have a partent teacher meeting. I'll let you know how it goes.

-- said Auntie M in Paris
11:03 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

Friday, October 01, 2004

Les Halles

I love walking tours of Paris. A French historian picks out different parts of Paris to talk about for two hours. I take three tours a month. Today was a tour of Les Halles. According to my tour guide, it is pronounced Lay All. I spend quite a bit of my day trying to repeat what French people tell me regarding pronunciation of words. I try to imagine French people in the US asking me how to pronounce, for instance, the Chrysler convertible. Living an expat life, at least in a country where people speak a different language is very humbling, and I constantly think back to how I treated foreign people in the US.
Back to the tour.... I went to Les Halles, which is the old food market in Paris. The market left Paris in 1969 and moved to a suburb. However, you can still find great restaurants and food stalls all around. The famous rue Montgrueil, known for its Saturday markets, is in the area. So is Saint Eustephe, one of the largest Churches (as opposed to cathedrals) in France. Les Halles, once the markets left, was developed in the 1970s and the consensus of my walking tour members was that it looked 70s. That was not a compliment. I guess other people think something is amiss because the area is not the gathering spot the city planners had hoped and now the city of Paris is going to decide among four options to renovate the area. If you are interested, you can look at this website. They estimate the project will take 10 years.
After the tour my friend and I headed to the famous Au Pied de Cochon. They are famous for their onion soup and that is just what we had. Two great big bowls with lots of soup, onions, bread and cheese. I took a picture, but my husband hasn't yet figured out how to download pictures from the new phone-camera.
After that we walked over to the equally famous, at least among Americans, cuisine store named Dehellerin (dee el a ren). They have pretty much everything you might need for your kitchen.... pots, pans, knives, strainers, whatever. It's a fun way to spend 20 minutes, especially if you want to bring home some copper pots. The website doesn't do it justice, but here it is www.e-dehillerin.fr/

-- said Auntie M in Paris
11:26 PM

BACK TO MAIN PAGE