Chartres is most known for it’s gothic cathedral that was built around the same time as the Notre Dame de Paris. The city is located in lower Normandy and evidence of that architecture is found everywhere. There are plenty of open spaces in the town and there are just as many hills and winding alleys. Just above is an example… Read More
Le raclette is a cheese that comes from Switzerland, which is used in making the “dish” called la raclette. Yes, the Swiss differentiate between the cheese and the dish (le raclette versus la raclette) whereas the French don’t. The cheese is made with cow’s milk, aged at least 8 weeks, and has a golden crust with a yellow or white… Read More
The city of Maison Laffitte, with its magnificent chateau, is very close to Paris. The area used to be called Maisons-sur-Seine – the Houses on the Seine – until the chateau (built in the 1600’s) was bought after the French Revolution by the banker Jacques Laffitte. Maison Laffitte is the city of horses and contains the largest hippodrome in the… Read More
I thought it was important to do something special with my daughter, so when we had the opportunity to get reduced-priced tickets to the ballet, Sleeping Beauty, I took the plunge and got two tickets. I promised Juliet I would get her a party dress to wear, but I didn’t have enough time to go to La Defense where there… Read More
I am cheating on my Thursday French post and sharing only one small tidbit that has anything to do with France. It’s about how the French take Vitamin D (and a few other medicines, vitamins and treatments). They don’t take little pills. They take vials. Vials that are sometimes quite vile, by the way, although the D is not so… Read More
Not surprisingly, the architecture in different regions of France varies quite a bit. In the Ile de France where I live – (The “Island of France” denotes the Parisian region and it encompasses quite a bit of the suburbs) – the principal architecture we see nowadays is square houses made of cement. Sure, they’re plastered and painted, but they sort… Read More
