Five Months Until Paris ...

Au revoir

2011-09-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

Thank you, all my followers and visitors, for going on this blog journey with me. It's time for me to bid you all ado ... as I turn my time, energy and passions to the "next big thing" or two or three.

I plan to keep this blog "alive" in cyberspace and not delete it, but this will be my last post.

I also plan to periodically visit other blogs that focus on Paris and France, because the City of Light and my experiences there will always be near and dear to my heart, as well as all the wonderful things I've learned from my friends here at Five Months Until Paris.

Until we meet again ...

Cynthia

In Front of The Louvre, Part Deux

2011-09-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

I've repeated this scene more than once on my cards; maybe it's because I love it so. It's based on a photo I took in front of the Louvre last September.

The Louvre is so immense and filled with so many treasures, it would be difficult to take them all in on one afternoon's visit to the Paris museum. And since I am in Pennsylvania and the Louvre is thousands of miles away, I keep up with the museum's exhibits on Facebook ... and you can, too.

"Like" the Louvre on Facebook by clicking here.

You can follow the Musee du Louvre in French or English - or both.

Of course, there must be an Eiffel Tower ...

2011-09-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to announce that I've finally have some Paris-inspired cards available at my Honeygo Beasley Cards shop on Etsy, and more are to come.

This one features a photo I took outside the Louvre.

And of course, there must be an Eiffel Tower card.

This is a small, stylized Eiffel Tower card. I'd like to make some more that are a little more realistic and some that are even more jeweled up!

Here's another rendition of my French Croquembouche wedding cake card.

It is sooooo poofy and creamy with billows of white fabric, I want to eat it.

It even has a tiny Eiffel Tower on top!

More of my designs to come ... this is just a start. Tell me ... how do you like them? Is there anything special you'd like to see?

Finished Paris Wedding Card

2011-09-05T11:47:00.000-07:00

Honeygo Beasley Cards

How do you like it?

Next, I am going to make some jeweled Eiffel Towers, Marie Antoinette shoes, and other pretty Paris-inspired card designs. Can't wait to share them with you!

A Paris Wedding

2011-09-02T11:37:00.000-07:00

Work in progress, Honeygo Beasley Cards by Cynthia Maniglia - Paris Wedding

Getting married in Paris ... to me, that would be the ultimate in romantic destination weddings. For a real life Paris wedding, take a look at the parisian party blog.

Honeygo Beasley Cards

Mon amour pour toi est aussi grand que le monde.

(My love for you is as grand as the world.)

Honeygo Beasley Cards

Always ... the kiss. Kisses are the unspoken words of love.
Que mes baisers soient les mots d'amour que je ne te dis pas.

Honeygo Beasley Cards

Eiffel Tower & Lightning - An Electrifying Paris Skyline Shot

2011-09-01T13:40:00.001-07:00

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Practice French With Cute Kitty Cats

2011-08-30T05:25:00.000-07:00

How Prosperous Parisians in the 18th Century Woke Up

2011-08-05T05:36:00.000-07:00

Wall clock (pendule d'alcove), movement by Charles Voisin, clockmaker; clock case made at the Chantilly Porcelain Manufactory, about 1740. The J. Paul Getty Museum, 81.DB.81

Wake up to the sound of beautiful chimes from gorgeous clocks like this, now on display at The Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California. You can read all about it AND get a free ringtone for your Smartphone on The Getty's blog in an article by Jessica Portner. I higly recommend. You will be transported in time, literally, to the enchanted world of 18th century Paris. Enjoy!

P.S. How do you like that snake at the top of the clock? : )

A Visit to a French Country Estate in the Normandy Region

2011-07-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

In September, it will be a year since I first visited Paris, and I realized I haven't even told you about **EVERYTHING** I saw and did there. My recent conversation with M-T of The French Touch reminded me of this. And so ... here I am, to show and tell you more about my trip to Paris.

One rainy and chilly September morning, we took a train outside of Paris, to a country village in the Normandy region. We were going to visit friends of our tour guide at a country estate. Before walking to their estate, we strolled along the village streets in the early morning; it was just as the village was preparing itself for a weekend outdoor market.

The village was beautiful even with the morning rain!

We walked with our umbrellas past very old buildings ...

And we paused to admire the architecture and go inside a church that dated back to the 11th century.

Before visiting our hosts' home, we picked up baked goods at a local shop in the village. This is where I bought my first package of macarons!

Notice one of the baked goods is named "Le Normand" - after the region. Wonder what it tastes like? I didn't get to find out. But I loved the macarons~

Within a short distance, we approached the country estate ...

There, we were greeted by the horses who stood regally amid the apple trees.

Once inside the estate, our guests treated us like long-lost family. This was a personal and private experience one cannot get by booking a trip on Expedia.com - simply priceless.

Our hosts' were somewhat celebrities in their village, having generations of family history rooted in its soil. Politics, hunting, and international pursuits were akin to this family, who treated us with generosity of spirit and were so kind to open their home to us.

We learned about the French hunting tradition - which differs from the English in many ways, such as the French horses don't jump over water as the English do, they go through it. We heard the different bugle horn calls for the chase ... what each set of notes was meant to convey to fellow hunters and to sound off commands to the dogs who assisted them. One of the woman in our group played the piano in the hall and we stood around to sing some songs. It felt like being with family at the holiday! How nice to have that feeling so far away from home, in another country, with people I had only recently met.

"All for the horses," the woman of the house said to us as she and I walked by these boots.

A giant pumpkin that the woman of the house harvested right before our visit sits on a stoop overlooking the back of their property.

After spending time having a lovely cocktail hour with champagne in the sitting room, we were treated to a delicious yet simple veal stew meal.

A side table with a pretty, colorful arrangement catches the eye!

Dessert was our baked goods from the village and fromage - a trio of local cheeses from the region that were so fresh, you could taste what the cow grazed on before it was milked; in one case, my taste buds detected cabbage! With a pallet like that, I knew I'd be good at the wine tasting event in Paris, which we were going to attend on our next jaunt.

I hope you enjoyed revisiting this country estate with me. Until next time, bonjour!

My hat is a Featured Design on the Henri Bendel website!

2011-06-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

Click to see my hat design on the Henri Bendel website - and if you like it, click the like button. The winner's design will be created and sold by Henri Bendel stores.

Henri Bendel is a women's specialty store based in the Big Apple and established in 1895. They have locations in Miami, Detroit, Dallas, King of Prussia, LA and more other cities throughout the US.

The retail store's founder, Henri Bendel, was a milliner (hat maker) by trade and the first retailer to bring the designs of Coco Chanel over to the United States from Paris.

That's why I designed a hat for this contest!

Above is just a cropped shot of my design. Click to see the larger sketch online at the Henri Bendel site. And thanks in advance for your vote!

French Crown Jewels & Royal Tiara Cards

2011-05-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

The surviving French Crown Jewels, principally a set of historic crowns now set with decorated glass, are on display in the Galerie d'Apollon of the Louvre, France's premier museum and former royal palace, together with the Regent Diamond, the Sancy Diamond and the 105-carat (21 g) Côte-de-Bretagne red spinel, carved into the form of a dragon. In addition, some gemstones and jewels (including the Emerald of Saint Louis, the 'Ruspoli' sapphire and the diamond pins of Queen Marie Antoinette) are on display in the Treasury vault of the Mineralogy gallery in the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle.

Do you love royal jewelry? The recent wedding in Britain put the world in a royal state of mind.

Honeygo Beasley Cards by Cynthia Maniglia

I've been making cards! Here are the royal tiara cards, based on actual Royal Wedding Tiaras from around the world.

Hope you had a royal kind of weekend!

What's your royal wedding guest name?

2011-04-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Start with either Lord or Lady. Your first name is one of your grandparents' names. Your surname is the name of your first pet, double-barreled with the name of the street you grew up on.

Yours most sincerely, Lady Beatrice Shotsie-Bartlett

Talbots and Paris

2011-04-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

Ah, how nice that I can extend my 50th birthday celebratory trip to Paris in the fall with Paris-inspired fashions in the spring! I am love, love, lovin' the Talbots line for spring. You can view/shop Talbots' April 2011 online catalog here.

Some things I bought:

The Sorbonne Tweed Sheath Dress

This tee in this color - I am wearing it right now!

And I love this color - plum - I bought this top with a matching flyaway cardi.

Can't wait to wear it!

For My Friend, Pat

2011-04-05T14:37:00.000-07:00

Pat is a wonderfully sweet lady who was part of my tour group when I went to Paris in September. She is an artist, a special kind of artist - she does her work in IRON! Think Rosie the Riveter with a delicate peaches and cream complexion, curly hair and a southern accent. While we were in Paris, Pat was hellbent on seeing all things Monet. How wonderful then that there was an exclusive Monet exhibit during our stay at the Grand Palais! Plus we visited Monet's home and garden in Giverny, and of course, Pat went off on her own to stand on the street where Monet lived as a child and see his childhood home.

Since we left Paris at the end of September, Pat has been working diligently on an iron gate work of art for a charitable organization. So when I went to the Philadelphia Flower Show last month, where the theme was Springtime in Paris and I saw this fabulous display, I thought of Pat.

This was a Monet inspired display that feature an interpretation of the artist's "Water Lilies" painting. It was designed by Michael Petrie's Handmade Gardens. It featured a formal layout of crossed paths and boxwood-lined beds that acted as a frame for large painted canvases that lay on the ground like ponds of reflective water.

And here is the beautiful sculptural ironwork gate by Greg and Camille Leavitt, which my friend Pat would admire, I am sure ...

Leaves and flowers adorn the gate.

Look at the detail ...

Isn't it simply marvelous?

Recreating Paris

2011-03-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Every effort went into recreating Paris at the Philadelphia Flower Show, which ended on March 13th. In my last post I told you had more photos to share. Here are just some of them. I tried to pick out ones to show you how the exhibits throughout the show tried to recreate different aspects of the City of Light. From the Eiffel Tower ... to the shops ... and even "underground" Paris.

Here you can see the base of the Eiffel Tower structure at the center of the exhibit floor, where the exhibit creators used "trompe l'oeil" to make it appear as if the tower went up and through the Convention Center's ceiling. Notice the pretty cherry blossom tree...

More detail of the base of the tower

Even Paris' underground catacombs were represented at the show. It must have been a challenge to try to figure what kind of flowers to put in this display!

An art gallery such as you might find in Montmartre.

All kinds of food was available at kiosks along the outskirts of the exhibit floor. We had a wrap like this. Ours was called "The Parisian."

These hanging flower displays remind me of kites.

Here's a very lush outdoor bistro where you must stop to have a glass of wine and perhaps some fromage?

Isn't Paris grand?

Pretty pink azalea, one of my favorites.

This pastry shop needs more sweets in the window, don't you think? But it's all about the flowers at the flower show.

This reminds me of the kind of floral arrangements you might find in the lobby of a five-star hotel.

More flowers as you might find along a walk in the park

Another piece of stage setting like the pastry shop - this time a parfumerie. While at the flower show I had the pleasure to try on some vintage French perfume at one of the vendor booths.

Isn't this beautiful?

Happy Spring!

Like Going To Paris A Second Time

2011-03-12T16:55:00.000-08:00

Just like the flowers sold outside the metro

It's now been over five months since my first trip to Paris. But this weekend, I got to go a second time - without even boarding a plane - with a trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show where the theme this year was Springtime in Paris. The displays were so breathtakingly beautiful, they brought tears to my eyes! I was so happy to be there.

First, we bought our tickets ...

Then we hopped in the car and drove to Philadelphia, which is less than a half hour from where I live.

Even before you enter the Convention Center where the show is, one of the first things you will see are people leaving the building and out on the streets holding large tissue paper flowers - nearly a foot in circumference - on long wooden sticks. They hold the flowers up high like a parasol - and they're so bright and delightful, you must have one - the way you must have an ice cream cone after you pass by someone eating it on the boardwalk at the beach.

What is your favorite color or favorite flower? When you see it, you will want to take pictures of it.

This was a very creative/innovative display - one in a series

Another silhouette in the series - a woman walking her poodle

In the boudoir

Can you recreate this for my next fête?

Very French inspired with their hats ...

And isn't the star on her check a nice touch?

Mod elegance

A peacock made of flowers - for the carousel

The Eiffel Tower in Philly!

Complete with antique lamps - and flower arrangements to die for!

An Eiffel Tower made of moss. You can do this, too.


Like Monet's Garden ...

What did I buy at the show? Well, I had to have one of those big paper flowers, of course. It was so bright outside when we left the building at about 4pm - the big flower "umbrella" shaded my eyes from the glaring sun. I also bought a little bunny rabbit figurine for my mom because she asked for it. And this bottle of 25-year aged balsamic vinegar (at $30 plus tax). Because Paris is about the food, too ...

The balsamic vinegar on our little Niçoise salad - a lovely way to end a delightful day!

I have more photos to share with you in another post. Hope you're enjoying your weekend.

French Croquembouche

2011-03-06T10:57:00.000-08:00

Handmade, one of a kind -
Honeygo Beasley Cards by Cynthia Maniglia

From Wikipedia: "One of the earliest forms of the wedding cake is the French Croquembouche. The legend of this cake says that a pastry chef, visiting medieval England, witnessed their tradition of piling sweet rolls between the bride and groom which they would attempt to kiss over without knocking them all down. The pastry chef then went back to France and piled sweet rolls up into a tower to make the first Croquembouche."

Handmade, one of a kind -
Honeygo Beasley Cards by Cynthia Maniglia

Springtime in Paris 2011 Philadelphia International Flower Show

2011-03-06T07:51:00.000-08:00

Going next Saturday, can't wait to tell you all about it!

The Perfect Picture Book

2011-02-26T18:54:00.000-08:00

The perfect picture book, I think we'd all agree, is one about a trip to Paris - because isn't that why we're all sharing this space in blogland, because we love going to Paris and experiencing all of its wonders? The perfect picture book would depict all of the delights in the City of Light, by day and night ... the liveliness and romance, the history and now-ness, from Bonaparte to Techno, and everything in between. The perfect picture book would preferably be all about YOUR own personal trip to Paris. Well, here is my perfect picture book. If you recall, the photo on the cover is the first macaron I ever had in Paris. And inside are pages filled with photos from my trip - where we went to dinner the first night I was there ... me standing in front of the hotel's large, green door ...

... at the market, a view to the Eiffel Tower ...

... enjoying gelato in the Latin Quarter ...

... taking a walking tour along the Champs-Elysees ...

And it dawns on me that I have so many more memories and photos to share with YOU from my trip. And that is why this blog continues. So I need to hop on that! But for now, just wanted to share with you this neat picture book I put together in iPhoto, which arrived earlier this week.

Remember all the complaining I did about not having time to shop for suitable souvenirs? Well, this makes up for that, big time! It cost a little over $35 and is well worth it. The Apple Store/iPhoto folks do a great job with the production of this "print on demand" book. Imagine what you can do with one! I wanted to put more writing into my book, but instead kept it to just photos and a little wordage here and there. What spurred it on was a little computer mishap where I was worried about losing my photos which I haven't yet transferred to a back up storage unit/disk. What if I lost my Paris photos? I think this is a better way to "back up" my Paris photos - in a book. A good old fashioned book, made a new way via my Mac and iPhoto. Isn't that just perfect?

PS The perfect picture book would not have a typo - and mine does! I was showing the book to my brother and he pointed out "Lourve" was misspelled. I could just kick myself in the butt!!!

Valentine Papillon

2011-02-10T10:37:00.000-08:00

HONEYGO BEASLEY CARDS by Cynthia Maniglia
Valentine Papillon, special order - one of a kind

My darling Mark is of French/Canadian descent, and his mother Theresa grew up in Vermont, within a large French/Canadian residential community. When Theresa went to school, she often gazed out the window, daydreaming. This is how, Theresa told me, her teachers gave her the nickname "Papillon" - French for "butterfly."

Macarons or Pandora?

2011-02-08T05:43:00.000-08:00

Macarons are lovely. And so hard to find in the states. I mean - the real thing. MAD MAC offers a wonderful way to get your Macaron fix. So, how about some Macarons for Valentine's Day? I get their emails so I thought I'd share this with whoever may be interested. You only have until the 9th to order if you want them for Valentine's Day...but you can order anytime.

OR would you rather have a Pandora bracelet for Valentine's Day? It's not French or Parisian but it is lovely ...

I am on a Pandora addiction. Here's my bracelet with beads from Christmas and my new Valentine's Teddy Bear and fuchsia heart. I wish Pandora made an Eiffel Tower charm!

Macarons or Pandora? I say ... both are nice.

Yes, You CAN Make Crème Fraîche

2011-02-01T12:40:00.000-08:00

Waltzing around Paris, there are so many interesting places to eat - after all, didn't the Parisians invent the restaurant? So I've heard it said. So what's to eat? I promised my next post wouldn't be about my handmade cards - it would be food-related. Since I am a woman of my word, here goes.

When I was in Paris last September with my group tour, one of our daytime activities was a trip to a suburb outside of the city where we attended a cooking demonstration and wine tasting in a private home. One of the recipes that was prepared for us before our eyes was a delicious puff pastry filled with veggies and cheese, and it called for crème fraîche (fresh cream) - which is essentially (per Wikipedia) and I think Julia Child would attest, "... a soured creamcontaining about 28% butterfat and with a pH of around 4.5 .... soured with bacterial culture, but is thicker, and less sour than sour cream." During the cooking demonstration, this ingredient was whipped out of a jar that was, we were told, purchased at a market. I asked, "Isn't there a recipe for crème fraîche?" (I seemed to remember seeing it in a cookbook once.)
"Oh, noooooo ..."

Oh, yeeeessss! For Christmas, my brother gifted me with this little gem:

And lo and behold, here is the recipe ...

Now, my only problem: where to get that not ultra-pasteurized cream - the health food store?

Question to French-inspired cooks here: Have you ever made this? Would you make it? I am planning to do this in the Spring. Want to try it with me?

Amour: 2011 Valentines

2011-01-26T20:00:00.000-08:00

My Paris-loving friends! You will be so proud of me. I kept the Italian French poodle card that said "Amore" and made a special "Amour" heart card.

Here is the completed set of 10 Valentines for Valerie's Diamond Lady in Washington state. I decided to keep the purple Louvre Valentine for myself, and made another Louvre card for this order with a photo I took while walking through one of the museum's many rooms.

You may recognize the statue of the lady from my previous post about my trip to the Louvre.

It's been very cold and snowy here in Pennsylvania where I live, and these "warm and fuzzy" cards have added some magic and sparkle to toast the cockles of my soul - along with several cups of piping hot tea.

Restez au chaud mon amour!

And now ... here are the wedding cards. Because what comes first? First comes love, then comes marriage!

No more card posts for a while. I have a delightful cooking related post to share with you next time. Until then ... have a wonderful rest of the week!

The Louvre Valentine

2011-01-21T12:43:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love the Louvre? How about a Louvre Valentine's Day card? It's one of my latest creations for an upcoming special order. This card features a photograph I took when I visited the Louvre with my tour group in September of 2010.

During my visit at the world-renowned museum, we were treated to a private tour by an astute gentleman who had worked there for 12 years and then started his own business. How wonderful to experience the Louvre with an expert by your side to make the visit more "interactive."

As we walked through the grand halls and exhibits, I was remembering things from Art History and Art Appreciation classes and was able to ask questions. For instance, I asked, "What does the name 'Louvre' mean?" I was told it might have evolved from a slang/colloquial way of referring to the area that was used before the museum was in place, when it may have been more fortress than castle, and people would say, "Let's go down to the 'lower.'" Lower/Louvre - think how words evolve from Latin and break down, build up. Which brings me to the photo below.

In this photo, look closely at stone blocks. They are on exhibit when you first enter the museum and were unearthed when builders were working on the land where the exhibit stands. Do you see the hearts engraved on the stone (upper right side of the photo and bottom center)? That's a "brand" mark. Back in olden times, the suppliers of the block bricks would carve a simple symbol - in this case, a heart - into the stone, as a way of identifying their business.

I loved being able to take photos in the Louvre...

I wish I could have taken more!

One of the most interesting things was not just seeing the Mona Lisa on exhibit at the Louvre, but also see all the people trying to take a photograph of that great painting!

So I took a picture of people taking a picture of the Mona Lisa! This was when I officially got separated from my group and almost began to cry like a five-year-old! Thankfully, my tour guide came back and found me.

But what if I were left behind at the Louvre? I wouldn't have minded sleeping under the Mona Lisa and staying another day ...

J'aime Caniches Français

2011-01-18T05:55:00.000-08:00

Caniches Français is French Poodle. And if you read my earlier post, you know - I'm back to making handmade cards. Just for a special order. And so I had to show you the new French Poodle card I made last night ...

My Bichon Frise, Chloe Honeygo Beasley thinks they're divine (of, course - they're her kind) but not exactly. So she's asking, "Where's mine?"

P.S. As you'll see, the poodle may be French, but the heart ornament has the word "Love" in Italian - "Amore" (in French it's "Amour"). I got my romance languages confused! I am going to fix it ... right now. Or do you think it's okay to have a French poodle that speaks Italian? : )

Card Couture

2011-01-17T12:10:00.000-08:00

My Bichon Frise, Chloe Honeygo Beasley now has a line of handmade cards named after her. As some of you may know, I used to make handmade cards that sold on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, CA. At that time, the line was simply called "Card Art by Cynthia." When a previous client contacted me to "come out of retirement" and make some cards for an upcoming Valentine/Wedding event, I decided to rename the cards. Viola - here they are! These are just the first few of the work in progress - a sneak peak for my blog friends. Of course, I had to include a little Paris charm into the whole business.

Travel+Leisure+Paris=Ahhhhhh!

2011-01-15T18:09:00.000-08:00

Take me away, Calgon! Today, the latest issue of Travel+Leisure arrived, featuring "25 Romantic Dream Trips." The woman on the cover is standing on a private balcony of a room at the Shangri-La Hotel in Paris, France - where half of the rooms have Eiffel Tower views.

Chloe - my Bichon Frise - is wondering if I'm thinking - or rather day-dreaming - about going to Paris again. (It's only been four months since my first trip there.)

"Of course! Once," I say to Chloe, "is definitely NOT enough!"

Paris is the City of Light, and I enjoy reading my Travel+Leisure magazine next to a dish filled with glittery and glimmering Christmas tree ornaments. I'm reluctant to put them away just yet; I like the way they look.

Is it me or do the colors just meld into Valentine's Day? xoxoxoxox

Who Wants To Go To Paris This April?

2011-01-13T09:50:00.000-08:00

Doris Day did it.

Now you can too!

More to come from my friend, Cheryl - an expert tour guide who specializes in small group tours for women to Paris.

My Jorgina Bracelet From Paris

2010-12-13T08:54:00.000-08:00

Here is the bracelet I bought for myself in Paris. I bought it at a little jewelry shop in the Latin Quarter. It is made by "Jorgina."

I'm modeling it alongside a beautiful Christmas postcard from my Paris Tour Guide illustrating a boat riding on the Seine.

This postcard reminds me of our dinner cruise on the Bateaux Parisiens.

Close-up of my bracelet.

Bonnes fêtes!

Buy "Made in France"

2010-12-12T16:33:00.000-08:00

When I was sixteen, I had a pen pal in England, and when I went to visit her and her family, my mother sent me off with a specially selected gift. According to my mother, who is the consummate gift-giver, it had to be something wonderful, beautiful, for my pen pal's family's home (as a house guest never goes empty-handed), and it had to be "made in the U.S." She chose a hand painted mantel style clock, which was purchased from local artisans in an artsy-fartsy section of Bucks County, PA. Likewise, when my pen pal came to stay with my family, she came bearing a wonderful silver gift, "made in England."

Fast-forward 34 years. I am in Paris, and one of the hardest things to do is shop for gifts to take home.

You may be wondering, "How could that be? Paris is full of wonderful shops ..."

Visiting those shops was, I am sad to say, not part of our 8-day itinerary. Because I stuck so squarely to the group itinerary, I never ventured off on my own to get to the really really wonderful boutiques or flagship shops of the great French designers and crafts people. Instead, my shopping experiences were relegated to:

1) Chintzy souvenir shops where everything is made in China (no offense, China - but I am in France ...)

2) Shops of questionable quality goods within the Latin Quarter, which was close to my hotel. For instance, one shop had Vivienne Westwood boots - but which season or YEAR were they from? And again, she's a British designer. I'm looking for something made in France. Another shop had the type of stuff you'd find on sale at an outdoor flea market in the US. I'm not a big fan of flea markets.

3) Gift shops at the many points of interest we visited as part of the group itinerary.

While others in my group were happily buying sequined change purses that screamed "Paris" and polyester boxer briefs emblazoned with Eiffel Tower graphics at the souvenir stands, I seemed to be walking around in circles.

But all was not lost.

One place where I WAS able to find the coveted made in France label was in Giverny, at Monet's House & Garden gift shop. I found this lovely barrette. There were an assortment of barrettes depicting different designs taken from Monet's artwork. The price - extremely reasonable.

Another great item I found at the Giverny gift shop was a made in France mouse pad - also with a scene from a Monet painting.

These made wonderful gifts to take back home!

And then there were the pastry shops. I did buy a box of mini macarons to take home. I wish I had bought more! I remember setting the macacrons out and Mark ate them like gumdrops, popping one after the other in his mouth. "These are awesome! What are they again?"

"Like $2.00 a cookie! Save a few for when my parents come over, I'd like them to try them too!" was my reply.

On the last night of my trip, at the last minute, sort of desperate but not senselessly so, I did get myself a silver-toned, modern style charm bracelet, with pretty pink mother-of-pearl shells and pink and gray (Austrian?!) crystals - supposedly made by a French designer who lives near the ocean - at least, that's what the shop owner at the far end of the Latin Quarter told me. It wasn't cheap. I showed it to one of the ladies in my tour group who sported a Prada handbag and HAD gone to the flagship shops on her own. She said it was lovely and worth what I paid. I'll show you that in another post.

And I broke down and did get my neighbor a sequined Paris keychain and Eiffel Tower charmed zipper pulls from a Latin Quarter souvenir shop that possibly sensed my desperation and possibly overcharged me ...

Hermes? Louis Vutton? Chanel? For now, I'll have to buy that online. Or in NYC. But oh, how wonderful it WOULD HAVE BEEN to have bought them in Paris. At least I have something I must do when I go to Paris again. Shop!

Dinner Cruise on the Bateaux Parisiens

2010-12-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

When I heard my tour group was going on a dinner cruise on the Seine, I imagined something sort of "campy" - not in the whimsical campy sort of way ... more like life-preservers, splashing water, windy gusts and oh, yes, a glass of wine. I didn't do any online research about the cruise before going. So I was pleasantly surprised at HOW ELEGANT the affair was.

Shown above: The Bateaux Parisiens dinner cruise menu.

What I had: For the first course, I tried the green and white cream soup served cappuccino style, with lobster bits and slow-cooked morels. Delish!

The duck foie gras - always a good choice.

For our next course, I chose the beef tournedos, with a reduction of Bordelaise wine sauce. My pick for dessert was the Crepes Suzette, orrange butter and Grand Marnier.

Unfortunately, due to where I was sitting (you know, one of those places where you have to disrupt everyone else to get away from the table), I never made it onto the deck. I did catch glimpses out of the windows as we passed by these famous landmarks ...

A little map of the boat's course along the Seine

A nice touch: During our cruise along the Seine, we were serenaded by the musicians, and even an operatic rendition of "Ava Maria" as we passed Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres.

Needless to say, with the delicious food, lovely company, and enchanting ambiance, I was "a happy camper"!

Here's the video, for your viewing pleasure ...

Cloudy With a Chance of Romance: A Cloudy, Fall Sky in Paris

2010-11-08T05:26:00.000-08:00

Along the Seine

"A cloudy day in Paris beats a sunny day almost anywhere." - Moi

On my recent trip, we walked along the Seine many times. I took the photo of the boats on the Seine while we walked along the path where I thought Gene Kelly danced with Leslie Caron in "An American in Paris."

Turns out, the movie wasn't even shot in France! Practically the entire film (except for just a handful of shots) was done on a back-lot at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio in Hollywood, California. !! (To read more, visit http://geneius.webs.com/thisstarcalledparis.htm.)

Hemmingway: Revisited (This is for those of you who like to read)

2010-11-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

When I was in Paris the last week of September, I stayed at a hotel which was only steps away from where the famous writer Ernest Hemmingway lived and wrote.

'The Hemingways arrived in Paris on December 22, 1921 and a few weeks later moved into their first apartment at 74 rue Cardinal Lemoine. It was a miserable apartment with no running water and a bathroom that was basically a closet with a slop bucket inside." - http://www.lostgeneration.com/paris.htm

As a Creative Writing/English Literature major in college, you bet I read Hemmingway. And the 1920's happens to be one of my all-time favorite periods of history (along with the 1970's!). Anyway ...

After over two decades of writing "junk" mail as a direct marketing creative director/writer, I think it's fair to say I have drifted far from my beloved Eng Lit heroes and heroines. I could feel the bookbinding strings pulling me in ... as I daydreamed and stood under Hem's apartment on rue Cardinal Lemoine.

On my last day in Paris, I went into a charming bookstore on that very same street and bought my personal copy of Hemmingway's "A Moveable Feast" which chronicles his time in Paris when he lived on rue Cardinal Lemoine. I read most of it on the plane ride back to the states and finished it shortly after arriving home. The book's title refers back to the writer's famous quote to a friend in 1950, in which he said:

"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."

Yes, Hem was lucky enough to have done just that. But I must add that you can do the same as a femme d'un certain age and it too will stay with you. Thank gawd!

Just today, a friend who's about my age came over for lunch, and we shared our Paris photos with each other. She brought her photo albums from her 2004 trip to Paris with her husband and two-year-old son to share with me. And I showed her my digital photos on my computer. It was fun to relive our travels and tales with each other.

Back in Paris, one of the women on my tour had borrowed a book to read from the hotel lobby's bookcase. It was the aforementioned "A Moveable Feast." This was before I had bought the book, and maybe it was because she mentioned she was reading it and asked me about the writer that I purchased my own copy to take home with me. This woman said she was reading the book but wanted to know what made Hemmingway such a great writer. She couldn't understand. Did I know? I guess if you just have the memoir, which is what "A Moveable Feast" essentially is, without reading his actual work (fiction), you miss the boat.

So to while away my days now that I am no longer in Paris, I read a book I never finished that's been on my bookshelf for quite some time - The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway: The Finca Vigia Edition. I read the stories languorously, some of them again and some of them for the very first time, and feel closer to this writer than ever before. And I understand what made him such a great writer.

Thanks to Paris.

Blues on the Seine

2010-10-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

http://www.blues-sur-seine.com

Here's one of the artists who will be playing there:

FULL SCREEN powered by playlive.fm

Crepes & Gelato in The Latin Quarter

2010-10-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

From a purely consumerist point of view (not historical or literary, because there certainly are those realms to talk about here), the Latin Quarter is to Paris what South Street is to Philly - the perfect place to get a bite to eat while walking down the cobbled streets, people watching, then popping in and out of shops or bars.

It's the perfect place to get a crepe - the kind they make in a little hole-in-the-wall place where you can stand on the sidewalk, watch your crepe being made, pay for it, and take it away while you continue walking down the street.

My street-side crepe was delicious - made with fresh eggs, cheese and ham. The eggs were so fresh that the yolks were bright orange! We didn't eat them while walking on the street though. We sat inside where the place setting was beyond humble ...

... it was downright makeshift!

And in total contrast to this platter of champagne filled flutes that we had back at the hotel!

But what fun we had going to the shops and then having gelato in a cone, with the scooped icy delight served to us shaped like a flower ...

Of course, I had to try the "Rose D'Orient" flavor - which was outstanding.

The Paris Diaries

2010-10-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

(Remind me to tell you the story about the "guilt" sausage!)

Bold, Modern Art ... at Montmartre

2010-10-13T07:03:00.000-07:00

About 300 artists hold licenses to work on the Place du Tertre in Montmartre. The waiting list to get a license is long. The artists' quarter at the plaza once attracted artists such as Renoir, van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Picasso. Today you can go there and see works such as this ...

"Quais de Seine" - Acrylique sur toile, 2010

by NICOlas POULET

7, rue gaston Auguet 75018 PARIS | tel: 00 33 (0)6 60 67 45 99

nicopoulet@aol.com

You'll find many styles of artwork if you visit the Montmartre artists' quarter. You can even have your portrait done on the spot!

If art isn't your thing, you can always get fresh macarons! I recommend this place for cookies and macarons:

This is where we had lunch ...

Here's a look at the menu ...

The food is so-so. So is the atmosphere. But my Nicoise salad was good.

Souveniers for Sale Outside The Louvre

2010-10-12T17:09:00.000-07:00

What Did Monet's Garden look like at the end of September, 2010?

2010-10-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

A Vineyard Grows In Paris

2010-10-08T06:55:00.000-07:00

The hilltop district of Montmartre was once home to a thriving church-owned vineyard that produced wines for the local cabarets and drinking establishments, before bohemian artist Picasso and his ilk arrived on the scene. With the urbanization of Paris, the district's wine-making legacy would have been lost if not for a group of artists who petitioned the government in the late 1920s to save a plot of land and recreate the original church-owned vineyard. That plot is the one you see above, the Clos de Montmartre vineyard. It's the only vineyard of its kind within Paris city limits, spans 1,556 square meters and produces about 1,700 bottles of wine per year. The bottles are auctioned for charity at the annual autumn Fête des Vendanges (Montmartre Harvest Festival). The Clos de Montmartre vineyard is not open to the public, but we caught a glimpse of it through the fence on our way to the Museé de Montmartre. For more information about Clos de Montmartre, click to visit the Commanderie du Clos Montmartre website.

Photo: Signage being put up for the 2010 Montmartre wine festival

Romantic ... Faith Hill and Tim McGraw in Paris

2010-10-07T16:56:00.000-07:00

Faith Hill - New Music - More Music Videos

I was on the treadmill last night, with the TV on in front of me, and as I was flipping through the channels, this video came on. Of course it caught my eye! Have you ever seen it? It's sooooo romantic. Then again, everything is in Paris. But add the beautiful Faith Hill and handsome Tim McGraw with this song that's perfect to swoon to atop the Eiffel Tower and ... need I say more? (Sorry for the commercial you have to watch first - it's worth it though if you haven't seen the music video.)

Haute Toilet or Where To "Go" In Paris

2010-10-06T14:13:00.000-07:00

Colorful artwork? No - those are rolls of toilet paper. You read that right - toilet paper. Toilet paper in vibrant colors such as one might find when shopping for, say, party napkins. Orange, turquoise, lime green, hot pink, yellow and even black. This is haute toilet paper.

Some of the women in my tour group were surprised to learn that we had to PAY to use the toilet at quite a few locations while on our recent trip to Paris. (This wasn't new to me - as I've had to pay to go in other European countries.) One lady even suggested the U.S. could solve its economic problems if we took on this practice. Others were just miffed about having to search through their handbags for coins when they had to go really bad. Often, we went "two on a euro" just to speed things up.

But how bad can it be to use a pay-to-pee toilet facility that looks like and sounds like a nightclub? The colorful toilet paper lining the walls are like disco lights ... and the cool music they pipe in helps clinch the experience ... not to mention the extremely clean and modern stalls which are continually being wiped down by the young, hip staff.

For a more in-depth view and explanation of what's going on, as well as to learn where you can get this fantastic toilet experience in Paris, follow this link.

Cobblestones can be hell on your feet

2010-10-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

Photo: Leaving the courtyard of our hotel.

Cobblestones can be hell on your feet. Especially if you're wearing high heels. (Remember, all the fashion guides on what to wear in Paris specify "NO white sneakers" - so if you are style-conscious, chances are, you will find yourself in heels at some point in time during your stay in the City of Light.) And in Paris, there are LOTS of cobblestones. So while flipping through a magazine in the doctor's office this afternoon, I found something that may not help your poor little tootsies when walking on cobblestones but will certainly protect your precious high heels and which I just had to share with you:

Behold ... SoleMates!

"High Heel Protector
At last, the sole-ution to wearing high heels in grass, cobblestones, bricks, wooden decks, and over subway grates! A high heel protector that is discreet and easy to use, the SoleMates High Heeler™ attaches easily to most stiletto and high heels." Ships Globally.

Get some for your Manhalo Blahniks!

Where we ate our first night in Paris

2010-10-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

56, bd de Latour-Maubourg, 75007 PARIS

tel 01 45 51 93 08

We had dinner at Le Bistrot du 7 ème. I am not a restaurant critic and it being our first night "in town," I was just happy to have taken a good hot shower and be in clothes other than what I wore to travel in, and was so enamored by the group I was with, that I could not be picky about the meal. Suffice to say, everything I had was delicious - from the herring entree (appetizer) to my duck main course. Our tour guide arranged for us to eat here. I enjoyed the small yet intimate room and soft lighting. The staff was very pleasant. If you want more details, check out the online reviews for this establishment ... you'll find plenty on the web.

Paris September 2010 Techno Parade

2010-10-04T09:25:00.000-07:00

So ... we've finished a little walking tour that ended in front of Notre Dame. Three of us say goodbye to our group to take photos of the garden behind the famed cathedral. We then head back to the hotel, picking and choosing which street to go down based less on a map but more on our newly found sense of direction around the city. After popping in a shop to get stamps, we continue along our way only to notice crowds forming, Paris police on guard, and the pulsing beat of the ensuing Techno Parade. Suddenly, we are in the thick of it, and I bounce and bop to the rhythm. It feels good to shake it loose after a long plane ride, not much sleep and lots of walking.

I'll save the photos from the garden behind Notre Dame for later. Here's some YouTube video from the parade ...

Upon my return here to the states, I learned that there was ethnic violence during this parade, and something similar happened last year when the parade was also held in Paris. While in Paris, the Eiffel Tower was shut down and the US is issuing a warning to Americans (as have the British to their citizens) to be cautious when traveling to Europe right now. I don't wish to write about the negative, but I do want to reiterate that we must all be careful and vigilant, at home and away, for our safety and the safety of others.

Not The Eiffel Tower You Always See in Postcards

2010-10-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

Between the Eiffel Tower and the École Militaire, is The Peace Monument created by Clara Halter and architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, which was inaugurated in 2000. Through the monument's glass panes with the word "peace" etched in 32 languages and 18 alphabets, you can see the Eiffel Tower from a totally different point of view than you're used to seeing on postcards.

You get a modern perspective on a well-known landmark with an eternal message for global peace all at once!

Here's the Eiffel Tower you see in most postcards, along with some additional views of vintage Paris.

I regret to say that I did not walk to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Whenever the opportunity arose, I was too tired from the day's activities to ensure that I could tackle the climb swiftly enough to make it to the next event. Two women from my group did climb it - one climbed to the top twice (not in the same day).

But when you go to Paris, no matter how you experience the Eiffel Tower, from afar or up close, you may still want to buy one of these cute metal keychains sold at souvenir shops all over the city. Buy a dozen or more - they could make cute holiday/party decorations! How about Christmas tree ornaments? (See here for Paris Party Theme decoration ideas using the Eiffel Tower and where you can buy Eiffel Tower keychains and more.)

My First Macaron in Paris

2010-10-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

I'm back! I have returned from Paris, and this is a photo of my first macaron - it was a big one, filled with raspberry sorbet. Delicious! I am trying to get a few things in order to settle back into everyday life - so this is just a quick post to say my first trip to Paris was delightful. More later!

I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane

2010-09-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

I'm packed. I'm ready and raring to go. Thanks for following me over the past five months as I've prepared for this vacation. I've enjoyed your comments and best wishes for a wonderful trip. Thanks for all of your helpful suggestions and to those whose blogs I also follow, I've delighted in all the charms and sights of Paris you've shared.

Catch you post Paris ... over and not for now. I can't wait to tell you all about my trip!

P.S. I leave you with this pretty video from 7 Gypsies that I discovered on Debbi's blog.

Classics - French Style

2010-09-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love Catherine Denueve? She such a timeless beauty, and still looks great today! And how about these CD-inspired fashions? They're timeless, too. (From Lucky magazine)

I recently watched Catherine Denueve in the French film "The Last Metro".

How much of the speech in this trailer can you understand? I need the subtitles!

Mom Came Through

2010-09-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

My mother isn't a rich woman, although she certainly does have "champagne taste." But she definitely is a woman of her word. Even though she's retired and has a very small monthly income, she always manages to find a way to put a little aside so she can give family and friends a special gift, and no matter how small the gift may be, it is always something thoughtful and from the heart. I guess you could say my mother is a good gift-giver. Lord knows we've all met some of the opposite - people who can't give a good gift to save their life.

Anyway, if you recall, from my first post, I told you how I gave my mother $500 when it was her fiftieth birthday. That was back in 1988. My mother used the money to pay for a trip to Mexico with a friend.

Well, a couple of weeks ago, my mom came out of the bank and presented me with an envelope. I immediately knew what it was! Inside the envelope were five crisp one-hundred dollar bills.

I have $100 earmarked for a special dinner we are having on the night of the 28th. And maybe something Hermes? I think something for me and something for my mom would be nice ...

Hermes cashmere shawls | Hermes.com

Until Paris.

You know you want to go...

2010-09-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

Click here to enter!

You know you want to go to Paris. Why not go for FREE?

Yes, I am anal ...* (briefly updated)

2010-09-03T11:21:00.000-07:00


INC Silk Motorcycle Jacket - Macy's

I'm bringing a jacket like this when I go to Paris - but how will it fit in with my overall wardrobe? Let's see...

Whenever I'm packing for a trip, a grid like the one above helps me figure out if I'm bringing enough - or too many - articles of clothing. The goal is to get wear out of every item packed - and more than one wearing is optimal when it comes to packing economies. Packing light means giving each item a thorough evaluation for: versatility, comfort, ease of care (doesn't need ironing, etc.) and very importantly if you feel good wearing it.

So when I had a pair of blue slacks in the mix and saw that I'd only wear them once, I decided to nix them because I already had a pair of grey pants on the list that I was planning to wear only once. Now I can (well, might have to) wear the grey slacks twice. The one-time-wear rule doesn't always have to apply. For instance, the LBD (little black dress) listed for Day 4 free/dinner (free means we don't have a planned activity; we're free to go wherever we want for dinner) is a one-time thing, but I still want to have it with me as an option because it's versatile. And it's good to leave a little leeway in your wardrobe planning for the unexpected (something spills, rips, you just don't feel like wearing again, etc.).

Even though the items I've listed to pack can be mixed several different ways, my list gives me a good overall picture of what should be in my suitcase. While many of you are seasoned travelers who know how to pack light, here are some helpful packing tips for those who are not so experienced ...

1) Create a list/chart like the one I created above and take it with you - pack it right in your suitcase - and this way you will know what you were thinking when you decided to bring each item.
2) Another good idea if you're bringing separates is to try each outfit on so you can see if you're making good pairings. You can also experiment putting different pieces together and see how they look. If you're packing something you haven't worn in a while, by all means do try it on to make sure it still fits AND inspect for missing buttons, etc.
3) Will you be bringing new walking shoes with you on your trip? Be sure to break them in BEFORE you go. You can wear them around the house if you worried about scuffing them up.

P.S. After I posted a photo of the sweater with the ruffles in grey after I bought it in teal, I kept wondering if I should return it to get the grey! But after mapping out my wardrobe with the grid above and trying it on again, I think the teal is lovely and shall remain a keeper!

P.P.S. See my comment in the comments section - the packing list continues to evolve!
Until Paris ... only 19 days!

Down to Days

2010-09-02T06:55:00.000-07:00

Twenty days until Paris. That's less than three weeks! The time has passed by so quickly. I've spent the past two nights at the mall looking for a few things to fill in my Paris wardrobe. I needed something elegant to wear for a dinner party we're having at a woman's apartment near the Eiffel Tower and luckily found the perfect piece to mix and match with a skirt or slacks with this beautiful white blouse by Jones of New York ...

I'm bringing my black trench coat, but I also got one of these fabulous long, open draped sweaters which are so popular now and versatile. I plan to wear this over a dress or with a sleeveless shell during the day, when the temps in Paris should be hovering around 69 F (according to the weather chart averages for the city).

I also bought a sweater like this ... in teal.

It's hard to avoid ruffles at the department stores these days - they're EVERYWHERE! It think this may be the only ruffled thing I bring.

Hula Hooping in Paris?

2010-08-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

Sure, why not! I've been doing the hula hoop aerobic exercise on my Wii. Not as fun as doing it in the streets of Paris.

Here's how the professionals do it ...

Up, Up and Away

2010-08-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

Lily of France... I've always loved their print ads! And their web site is gorgeous too. But this ad in particular swept me away. It reminded me that I'm flying to Paris in 30 days! I woke up this morning thinking it's only 30 days now. And I can't get this song out of my mind ...

Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

2010-08-19T15:13:00.001-07:00

Double click to enlarge

How yummy does this sound?

You'll find another variation of this recipe with a bourbon twist here.

Dear Bed Bugs: Stay out of Paris! Signed, Cynthia

2010-08-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

Eeeeewwww!

It's in the news everywhere you look (a big segment about bed bugs appeared in today's Good Morning America show).

After researching the tiny pest and measures to control infestation ad nauseum, I wonder why this is such a problem now. Bed bugs have been around for centuries. That's why people beat rugs and mattresses outside with brooms like in some Charles Dickens novel. And I've slept in all kinds of questionable establishments in my time where I'm sure a bed bug has lurked, although I have no memory of getting bitten. I've never had a problem with the critters. Are people becoming more lax with their housecleaning?

Apparently, the traveler must be on guard against bed bugs, even at the best hotels. My strategy is to encase my belongings in Zip Lock bags. My biggest fear is not so much as getting bit by a bed bug in Paris as it is bringing a pregnant one (or a procreating couple) home with me from my trip.

Ugh.

Fortunately, at home I change sheets often, wash and dry on high heat (which kills the buggers). And while on my trip I will have a secret weapon (talcum powder) at my disposal to sprinkle on my body at night (it's supposed to keep the bed bugs away), and of course the previously mentioned Zip Lock bags.

I can't think about this any more.

Until Paris.

Sleep tight!

You're Free To Move About The World

2010-08-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

AT&T is a cell phone carrier that knows how to make a successful promotion. Take a look at these great posters. Using just hands and a phone, American carrier recreates a popular idea of painting hands into the colors of different countries.

A Little Bit Country: Decorating Like a Parisian

2010-08-06T12:55:00.000-07:00

If you were to go by the book, Entre Nous: A Woman’s Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl and author Debra Ollivier's classifications of the different types of French style for decorating around home, I suppose I might be "The Provincial Girl." She is a girl who prefers authentic, natural items to store-bought ones. Her down-home style is peppered with baskets, handmade pottery, and dried flowers just picked from the garden. So when I went to the beach on Wednesday, I picked up little bits of broken shells - along with smooth, tiny ocean-tumbled white stones - and when I got home, I placed them with the petals a rose that I "pinched" from a neighbor's garden.

The white roses are from my garden. It's good to cut a few blooms off a rose bush to encourage the growth of more flowers. I water my neighbor's flowers when she's away, and she waters mine.

I'm a little bit country and a little bit rock-n-roll with my blue nail polish. The color is called THE WORLD'S COOLEST by Essence, a German brand. If you think it's not a color that Paris girls would wear, wrong! I was reading a blog where the writer posted about this robin's egg blue color nail polish. "The fun, bright color will fittingly welcome the warmer temps while offering your nails a unique allure. I snapped the picture above seconds ago on the Paris metro, Beyoncé rocked the color with flair in her Why Don’t You Love Me? video, and Jessica Alba has worn the color on many the red carpet." Rock on, until Paris ...

Stamp Art With French Stamps

2010-08-05T12:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/how-to-make-stamp-art

This photo is from the Martha Stewart online tutorial, which you can view here. If you have any stamps from France, you can make the charming Eiffel Tower collage pictured above.

Until Paris ...

Bague d'orteil

2010-08-03T11:53:00.000-07:00

How am I amusing myself in the interim between here and now and Paris in September?

With my $2 blue rhinestone bague d'orteil (toe ring). Isn't it cute? Hey, my feet aren't too shabby for being 50 years, I must say.

What color nail polish is that on my toes? Revlon nail polish in Plum Seduction.

I am thinking about getting a manicure or pedicure in Paris. Any suggestions where to go? I'd love it if there was one close to where I will be staying at the Grandes Ecoles ...

http://www.hotel-grandes-ecoles.com

This video is great - it talks about the 5th arrondisement, where the hotel I'll be staying at is located. And - voilà* - it shows a great place (The Grande Mosquée de Paris) where I can get some spa treatment! (Watch more Paris videos at tripfilms.com.)

Until Paris - in exactly 50 days!

* VIOLA/voilà

A viola is a flower or a musical instrument. The expression which means “behold!” is voila. It comes from a French expression literally meaning “look there!” In French it is spelled with a grave accent over the A, as voilà, but when it was adopted into English, it lost its accent. Such barbarous misspellings as “vwala” are even worse, caused by the reluctance of English speakers to believe that OI can represent the sound “wah,” as it usually does in French. “Wallah” is a Hindi word for a worker, and “Walla” is half of the name of the Washington State city of Walla Walla.~ from http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors

Le Doulos

2010-07-30T16:37:00.000-07:00

Instead of taking French lessons at a school, online or with the Rosetta Stone, I am taping French movies on my DVR and watching them (usually on a Sunday night). Here was my most recent fare ...

Le Doulos

One of the meanings of the French "le doulos" is "hat," and hats convey an abundance of meaning in this spare, stark Jean-Pierre Melville excursion into film noir, Gallic style. For example, simply offering a hat to a hat-check girl gives Melville the opportunity to linger hesitantly on the object in question, just long enough to cause a slight discomfort. Melville is similarly in love with lights and shadows, with obscuring and revealing, appropriate for a film like Doulos in which the intricate plot keeps the viewer guessing as to what is going on and who is doing what to whom. Nicolas Hayer's brooding black-and-white cinematography aids Melville enormously in creating the tense atmosphere that is all-important to this subtly exciting film of loyalty and betrayal. Special mention must be made of the centerpiece interrogation scene, an eight-and-a-half minute marvel filmed in one take in which the camera and the actors dance around each other with nary a false step. Special credit, too, must go to the marvelous cast, especially Jean-Paul Belmondo's ambiguous Silien and Serge Reggiani's determined yet thoughtful Faugel. Though some fans of American noir may find Le Doulos a trifle too existential, most will appreciate the skill with which it has been made. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

Ladies, you will enjoy Jean-Paul Belmondo...

She's beautiful. She sings. She has POWER. She is ...

2010-07-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

... Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, France's First Lady. See what she is up to now, and with whom!

En venir au fait or I hope this doesn't happen to me ...

2010-07-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

Ooooops ...

(That's a "no battery" sign on the camera!)

I have two cameras that I plan to bring with me on my upcoming trip to Paris. One runs on alkaline batteries - it's my old trusty Nikon camera. The newer camera (a Sony) doesn't - it charges up by plugging into a wall outlet. My plan was to take both cameras fully charged, plus a Flip video camera (fully charged) and snap/film away, getting however many shots/minutes of footage that arsenal of photography equipment would give me. And that would be it. Hopefully, it would be enough to last my whole trip, which is only a week. If I used up everything, I could always buy a disposable old-fashioned camera, right? Why am I thinking of doing this? Well, the thing is I don't plan to bring adapters with me on the trip, so I won't be able to plug in and recharge anything. And I won't be able to download any shots on a computer because I'm not bringing my laptop. I might have to rethink my strategy. But that is the plan anyway. I wasn't planning on using my cell phone in Paris either.

The fact is, very soon I am going to have to get down to brass tacks (en venir au fait) and get my financial stuff together, buy adapters, etc. For now, I've been daydreaming about the trip and doing some minor shopping for clothes, shoes, and so on. Time to get serious and get my euros, get my MAC card ready, get my camera strategy together and decide to bring adapters or not.

Until Paris! Only 56 days. Wow ... the time is really flying by.

What does this look like?

2010-07-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

It's a knitted dish towel, 100% cotton and machine washable. My friend in Australia made it for me.

But when I look at it, I see ...

you guessed it ...

The Eiffel Tower!

And it is actually LESS than two months until my Paris trip. I hope I don't start hallucinating other Paris sites as the days get closer. Because we ARE having a heat wave in Bensalem, PA.

This has been a hot summer in France, too. Why, earlier this month, the world's biggest cake MELTED in Paris.

From Gene To Lucy - In Paris

2010-07-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

So far, my FAVORITE French movie is An American in Paris, starring the incomparable Gene Kelly and beautiful Leslie Caron. The movie captures what Five Months Until Paris blog readers say they love most about The City of Light ...

... its incredibly contagious atmosphere, where hope seems to spring eternal. If you haven't seen this movie, do so immediately and be in for a delight that's even better than a freshly baked macaron

An American in Paris was made in 1951 - and it undoubtedly influenced this next bit of entertainment I'd like to share with you. From the same time period, here's a little humor - I Love Lucy style - about Paris. And as you'll see, should you get in trouble, you'd better be able to speak French! The shenanigans start here in an I Love Lucy Paris at Last episode that aired in 1956. In this episode, Lucy thinks she's discovered an unknown, struggling artist much like Gene Kelly's artist character in An American in Paris. Turns out Lucy's artist find is a fraud, out to take her francs - which by the way are counterfeit!

When Lucy is caught passing counterfeit francs (before there even was such a thing as the euro) at a outdoor cafe, she's whisked off to a Paris jail. In this clip, Ricky comes to her rescue at the jail and tries to help her out.

Until Paris ... only 69 days to go!

Are you bringing your iPhone to Paris?

2010-07-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

Bring The Paris Apartment iPhone app with you, too - it's called The Keys to The Fleas, and it's your guide to finding where all the great flea markets are all around the City of Light.

Description

A lifetime of shopping the Paris markets has given author Claudia Strasser the chance to explore the labyrinth of French flea markets and brocantes. With her new flea market app, Keys to the Fleas, Paris, she shares her passion, years of research and trade secrets with you.

Whether you're planning a shopping trip or just want to daydream, this app will be your best friend and travel companion. You'll have the Keys to the Fleas in the palm of your hand.

It's got in-depth information on the Paris markets and brocantes by location & date, along with Métro stops, maps, and beautiful photos. It also includes some of great markets on the outskirts too so you can plan day trips easily.

And for the icing on le gâteau, she reveals where the bargains are stashed and how to ship it all home without hassle the way the pros do!

- From iTunes Preview of The Keys to The Fleas iPhone app

Get it here and visit Claudia's blog here.

Mon Chemisier d'Eté

2010-07-09T10:51:00.000-07:00

I love my mother. I was wearing this new top that I had just bought at Macy's.

It wasn't even on sale, and I couldn't use my Star Rewards discount card for money off on it. I didn't care. I liked it a lot, I told her. She said she liked it too. A lot.

And when I wore it a second time she said, "Oh, you're wearing that nice top I like. It's so pretty. It looks like a Monet painting!"

And then I realized why I really bought it.

Oh, I won't be wearing this top when I go to Paris in September. But I plan to wear it a lot this summer, while I anticipate this wonderful upcoming trip.

Until Paris ... only 75 more days to go!

Laurence de Monaghan in Claire's Knee

2010-07-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

What I want now ... me too!

I don't know about you, but forget Claire's Knee. I wish my I had thighs like that that didn't touch!

To get the whole look ...

Of Passports, Photographs and Memories

2010-07-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

I took a few moments over the holiday weekend to dig up my old passports ... all three of them. The first passport was from when I was 16 years old; I'll spare you the photos. It was for my first trip "abroad" in 1976 to England, to visit my pen pal who lived in the northern city of Hull. We had a grand time backpacking through the Yorkshire Moors and looking off the cliffs to the North Sea and visiting the seaside town of Scarborough.

The second passport was for my trip to Spain with a dear friend from childhood. We visited her old college friends in Madrid, where she studied as an exchange student. We saw David Bowie in concert during his Glass Spider tour with Peter Frampton. It was the summer of 1988.

The third passport was primarily for trips to and from Canada, when my fiance worked there.

The fourth passport is for Paris, France. It's ready and waiting to be stamped. But I wanted to dig up my old passports because a special photograph was tied up with them. It's shown above, a Polaroid that my pen pal from England took and sent me way back when she and I were just teenagers.

I remember receiving it and thinking, "Wow!" Because my friend was only 15 years old when she went to Paris and photographed the Eiffel Tower. How adventurous, how lucky she was to live so close to that metropolitan and cultural center of life. I suppose it's what sparked in my a desire to go there myself.

My pen pal from England and I still keep in touch with birthday and Christmas cards. And I can't wait to send her the photo of the Eiffel Tower that I will take in 2010!

Until Paris ...

PS The price of passports in the US goes up on Tuesday July 13th, fyi!

Life meets TV meets Sorority Life - Again!

2010-07-02T11:48:00.000-07:00

I told you about my obsession with Sorority Life, a Social Network game where we get to go to PARIS and have fun, buy glam, and pick fights. (If not, just click the label below to catch up). Anyway, as part of my get-ready-for-the-big-trip-to-Paris doings, I taped and watched Sex in The City: An American Girl in Paris (Part Une) on Sunday night, which was excellent! I missed that episode and its follow-up (Part Deux) when they originally aired. OK ... so what did Carrie wear to Paris? And did she eat macarons? Well, she arrived "on the scene" at her hotel in Paris wearing an adorable striped dress and hat. Here's the dress on Carrie ...

And here's the dress on my Sorority Life "doll." The dress is new glam that was just added today.
Can you say "Kismet"?! Now ... how do I get a dress like that in real life?

Here's some of the Sex and The City: An American Girl in Paris (Part Une) episode, for your viewing pleasure.

Until Paris ... I'm counting days now, not months.

Paris ... in a Drug Ad

2010-06-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

Paris is everywhere. Even in drug ads ...

This is the top half of an ad that appeared recently in the USA Today newspaper for Crestor(R), a drug to lower high cholesterol.

I notice these things since I'm going to Paris - in less than three months now!

L'émotion continue ...

2010-06-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

I've got a lot to be excited about ...

~ Only 93 days until my trip to Paris (3 months and one day).

~ I lost 2 lbs. last week, only 8 more to go to meet my weight loss goal before my trip. Woo-hoo!

~ The gaming on Sorority Life in Paris is magnificent!! With lots of haute couture "glam" to buy with our fake money and bonus points. My Marsha DeLite character bought a cute Can-Can costume. Check it out!

And the gaming events even "teach" a little about the Paris sights - from a Sorority Sister point of view, that is. A bit sophomoric, yes, but fun.

On the downside, I haven't been keeping up with my French movie "fest" activities. The last French-related movie I watched was ...

Have you seen this? I'm fifty ... going on five.

C'est la vie!

Until Paris ...

Silly Games Part Deux - This just became serious!

2010-06-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, I told you I play this silly game. Well, they've really upped the ante for me and piqued my interest - or rather, addiction - even more with this new addition to the game.

Getting Ready for Paris

2010-06-05T06:26:00.000-07:00

We are going to be doing a lot of walking in Paris. No problem for me! I already do a lot of walking on this metal beast. I have a daily goal of walking at least 10,000 steps a day (I wear a pedometer), and the treadmill helps me meet my quota.

I know, I know, French women don't exercise. They don't have to. They just walk everywhere! Unfortunately, I live in a U.S. suburb, not a city like Paris. And I work from home. My commute in the morning is out of bed, 10 steps to the bathroom, another 10 steps to the kitchen, and 10 steps to my desk. So I need a little help.

I DO walk the dog and take walks in the neighborhood all the time. But the treadmill helps me clock in a quick 10 minutes here and there, when the weather is bad - or a quick jog before my shower.

And I've already got my walking shoes. I'm ready to traipse through the streets of Paris and get my 10,000+ steps a day in one of the most magical and enchanting cities of the world. I can't wait!

Until Paris ...

P.S. It's only three months and 25 days away now!

Using Credit Cards in Paris

2010-06-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

Read this article that appeared in yesterday's USA Today newspaper ... and find out why it may be a problem to use a U.S. bank-issued credit card in a foreign country. (Click on article twice to enlarge.)

My tour guide for my upcoming trip to Paris suggests notifying the bank that issues your credit/debit/ATM cards that you will be traveling to Paris and will be using your cards during the dates of your trip. Sometimes banks require a certain minimum balance in ATM Accounts and you can make sure to fund your account before your departure date to avoid hassles. My tour guide says ATM service is the easiest and usually the cheapest way to obtain money while in Paris/France. And ATMs have limits. You may be able to increase your ATM limit during the time of your trip.

Thanks again to all of your for your birthday wishes.
Being fifty feels fine, especially with a fabulous trip on the horizon!

Until Paris ...

There's the REAL Paris, Paris Hilton & then ...

2010-06-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

There's Barry ...

The next best thing to being there?

Roam Around The World!

2010-05-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

My 50th birthday was yesterday, but I've been celebrating this birthday from the time I booked my trip to Paris, way back in March, and will continue to celebrate straight through September, when the trip will actually happen.

This was my birthday cake, which we had last week ...

And my friend in Australia sent me a whole mess of birthday gifts, one to open any time I feel I need a "lift" OR all at once.

And yesterday I went to see Sex and The City 2 with my friend Kate, who gave me the card with the quote on it "Roam abroad in the world, and take thy fill of its enjoyments," pictured above. Kate also gave me this cute little book ...

Its pages are filled with artwork and impassioned descriptions of the spirit of Paris to be found at many famous sites throughout the city.

I'm getting ready to roam and can't wait - until Paris!

They're EVERYWHERE!

2010-05-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

The power of the internet.

Macarons. At the top of my Facebook page next to a personalized ad for coupons in my [insert name of city].

They know I like them! Well, I think they are pretty.

I have yet to taste one...

"The Last Time I Saw Paris"

2010-05-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

In preparation from my upcoming trip to Paris, and I watched "The Last Time I Saw Paris."

Elizabeth is Taylor is beautiful in this flick! Halfway through the movie, she cuts her hair short and looks so gamine - like these famous gamine girls, one of whom is French ...

Here's a clip from the movie:

You can watch the movie - in full - online by clicking here.

"The Last Time I Saw Paris" is loosely based on the famous F. Scott Fitzgerald short story "Babylon Revisited" and stars Elizabeth Taylor and Van Johnson - along with a very young Roger Moore (who I never knew was so handsome, almost statue/Greek godlike). I enjoyed the snips of French spoken here and there in the movie. It tells the tale of Americans living in Paris, their dalliances and brush with fortune, as well as tragedy. At one point in the movie, Elizabeth Taylor's character, Helen - dressed in a yellow dress - is arrested for swimming in a public fountain and her husband has to go and get her. Later, they stop in a bar where an artist paints a picture of Helen emerging from the fountain in her yellow dress.

I wonder if the Paris bar where Helen is painted on the wall actually exists - does anyone know? Maybe I will have to go and look for it.

Until Paris ...

This Would Be Better To Post in février

2010-05-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

The phrase "Embrasses moi" reminds me of this song ... do you remember it?

Kick off your shoes and sit right down

Loosen off that pretty French gown

Let me pour you a good long drink

Ooh baby don't you hesitate cause

Tonights the night

It's gonna be alright

Cause I love you girl

Ain't nobody gonna stop us now

- Rod Stewart, Tonight's The Night

At the end of this 70's song by the British rocker, his then girlfriend moans and mummers in French what sounds to me like ,"Embrasses moi."

Well, this was my French lesson for today. Until Paris ...

Did you get yours yet?

2010-05-24T10:12:00.000-07:00

C'est la gift - with purchase. At makeup counters near you ... or check it out at macys.com. What a cute tote with the Eiffel Tower on it! After all, it's all about the Eiffel. Leave it to Lancôme ...

Hmmm, might be good for my upcoming trip. The tiny makeup and skin treatment products are just the right size for flight! Birthday gift hint, hint ... : )

Five Paintings We'll Miss In Paris ...

2010-05-20T15:50:00.001-07:00

Here's a portion of one of them! And if you watch the video below, you can learn about the others ...

Sex, The City and The Macarons

2010-05-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

You see them, right?

How can you miss them?

They are the macarons ~ in the Sex and The City 2 movie, coming out next week. They play a starring role of sorts. Women fall for them. They are irresistible!

NPR reported about the trendiness of this French treat back in February, 2010 ... but look - they misspelled "Macaroon"! It's actually - as all of you Paris bloggers and blog readers know - "macaron."

I have never tasted one and vow that I never will ...

ღ♥♥ღ´¯`•.¸¸. Until Paris! ღ♥♥ღ´¯`•.¸¸.

A Monet Moment

2010-05-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

So ... did I tell you? I'm not just going to Paris. As you can probably guess from the name of this post, I'm also going to Giverny ... to visit Monet's garden and home. It's part of our tour itinerary. We'll be travelling by train, along the banks of the Seine, to Vernon in the beautiful region of Normandy.

This book - "Monet" by Christoph Heinrich (published in 2000), is one I bought - probably on sale in the bargain bin at my local bookstore - years ago. I remember reading it, and as I look back at its pages, I find it exciting to think that in less than five months, I'll be there in PERSON.

This is my mouse pad ~ yep, that's "a Monet." I don't know the name of this painting, and I should. It's been under my hand now for - oh, I dunno - over five years, I'd say.

Using a simple palette, Monet created dreamy worlds with his magnificent strokes. "According to James Heard in his book Paint Like Monet, analysis of Monet's paintings show Monet used these nine colors:

- Lead white (modern equivalent = titanium white)

- Chrome yellow (modern equivalent = cadmium yellow light)

- Madder red (modern equivalent = alizarin crimson)

- Vermilion

- Ivory black (but only if you're copying a Monet from before 1886)"

(Note: Yes, that's one color - "ivory black" - in the list above, not ivory and black. Ivory Black is actually Pigment Black 9, made from charred bones.)

The back of my Monet book shows a black and white photo of the painter in his garden. He looks like a gnome with his hat and long beard, standing amidst the lush leaves and trees all around him.

Too bad I am not going to see Monet's gardens in the spring. That's the best time to see everything in bloom, full of color and life. I'll be there at the end of September. The flowers may not be all in bloom, but at least there will be leaves . And maybe Monet's fantôme!

Not French Vogue but ...

2010-05-13T18:58:00.000-07:00

(From Lucky magazine, May 2010)
Click to enlarge and read "A Chanel lipstick is kind of the ultimate, no?" I agree - it is kind of the ultimate thing to pamper your lips! I remember my first tube ... it smelled like ROSES

@~'@~'@~'

When I was young, everything I knew about Paris I learned from magazines.

I started reading McCall's and Seventeen magazine, then went onto Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Vogue (not French Vogue, I didn't know back then that they even had such a thing). And from there, it just sky-rocketed and I become a magazine junkie, preferring a good magazine over a good book any day.

Back to the subject of what to pack ...

The tour guide for my upcoming escorted group trip recently sent us a letter. I quote, "Helpful packing tips! ... Comfortable shoes are a must! Nice but casual slacks, sweaters/sweater sets/jackets, dressy casual tee shirts will be very appropriate for the itinerary. September is usually a pleasant month and can be comfortable in the day but cool at night, so bring a jacket and/or sweater. You will have lots of opportunities to buy a scarf at markets or shops .... No tennis shoes or black athletic shoes are allowed on the boat. Please do not plan to wear athletic-type jackets or fleece pullovers for the cruise." (We're going on an evening dinner cruise along the Seine.)

Well, to all of that I reply, "But of course!" I'm the kind of person who dresses up to go to a movie or to go out to lunch with a friend.

I like dressing up as much as reading magazines and looking at all of the different ways that I can dress up. Don't you?

Until Paris ... 132 days.

La Faute à Fidel

2010-05-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

Going against the grain of my tour guide who suggested books to read, I've been on a French film kick, with four movies under my belt in oh, what, two weeks. One is awaiting me on my DVD. My trick of late is to search for films to record from cable using the keyword function working with the DVD. I plug in "Paris" or "French" and see what comes up. (Ah, I just realized I haven't searched using the word "France." Must do that.)

Anyway, I just finished watching this film - La Faute à Fidel (Blame It On Fidel) - featuring an enchanting performance by Nina Kervel, who plays young Anna. In this movie, you can see how little Anna's Spanish-born lawyer father and French journalist-turned-writer mother decide to say goodbye to their bourgeois life and work in the name of human rights. The little boy who plays Anna's brother is adorable, too. Has anyone seen this one?

P.S. I also caught a movie called "Before Sunset" playing on cable, which is a film that one of you recommended I should see, and I taped it on my DVD - that's next in the line-up of French films to watch. : )

Until Paris ...

What Kind of Girl Am I? Très Femme!

2010-05-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

Step into my office and your gaze will surely fall on two cork boards that I painted gold and decorated with all sorts of magazine clippings, cards, drawings, and so forth. They are a testament to my love of fashion and "girly-girl" things.

Well, my fiftieth birthday is coming up on Memorial Day weekend (May 30th). As you recall, that's the whole impetus for my upcoming trip to Paris, turning fifty. And if you look on one of my cork boards, you'll see a card that mon pare made me one year. It says, "Love you Cindy" and has a picture of a little girl holding an American flag.

The photo of the little girl sitting on a bench with the sun in her eyes, wearing a heavy jacket, is me as a child.

Of course, my little Bichon Frise is represented with some doggie related bits and pieces.

An idea - perhaps I should take all of the things off the board and put up new things, and make these my Paris inspiration boards? On second thought, that is what this blog is all about. A better idea - when I return from my upcoming trip to Paris, I will put up souvenirs that I bring back with me, so I can remember my trip for years to come. So here are the before shots of my office cork boards - and in less than five months from now, I will have the after shots to share with you, one bit at a time.

Have a lovely weekend ~ here in the States, we will celebrate Mother's Day on May 9th. But in France, Mother's Day is Fête des Mères and often celebrated on June 7th (a French tradition that was inaugurated by Napoleon and made official in 1950). This year it's on a different day - according to a comment by Karin - May 30th, my birthday! Read Karin's comment to this post to learn why ...

A French Song, A National Disaster ...

2010-05-05T16:24:00.001-07:00

... a unique solution.

Paris Planning Activities of Late

2010-05-04T16:41:00.000-07:00

Here's what I've been up to:

1) This morning: Walk the dog listening to a fifteen-minute Coffee Break French iPod podcast that I downloaded from iTunes for free. I listened to Lesson 3 a few times now. Today was the last day, and I am ready now for Lesson 4. The instructor suggested that I go online and do the worksheets offered there to reinforce what I am learning, but I am lazy. I love listening to the two who give the lessons - Mark and Anna - they speak English with Scottish accents and their French is, from what I can tell, quite good! Mark sounds like Gerard Butler. This morning, I wondered what they looked like. I just looked at their photos on the Coffee Break French web site ... now I know! : ) Since I have their web site bookmarked now, I guess I'll be less lazy and try to follow up my podcast lessons with online activities.

2) Last night: Watched a great movie ... "Paris, Je t'aime" (2006). Here's the trailer, from YouTube.

Gosh, this was PERFECT for getting in the mood to visit Paris! Someone wrote a comment on my blog about not worrying about being prepare if it rains in Paris, but be prepared to fall in love. In this movie, one woman is a middle-aged letter carrier from the States who visits Paris by herself and falls in love with ... well, don't want to spoil the movie for you, even though it's just one of the many love stories in this quirky, sentimental and joyous movie that's like a book of short stories - some funny, some very poignant. Who's seen it??? Which was your favorite segment? Hard to pick just one ... they're so well put together, "the sum is great than the parts," as they say.

P.S. Yes, I already saw the movie Amilee, which someone recently said I should see, when it first came out; that was wonderful, too.

Until Paris ... only 141 days!

Silly Games

2010-05-03T10:13:00.000-07:00

Here's my Sorority Life doll - Gaby Doll - dressed in a pink Coco Chanel suit.

Sorority Life is a game on Facebook where you can create a character who organizes events, earn Bonus Points to use for buying cool "glam" like pretty dresses, shoes, and much more. Girls and women - even men - play this game from all over the world. One thing you can do with the game is give your character "lines" to say when she has a showdown with a rival. What should she say when she wins the fight? Or when she loses? Of course, my character now speaks French - in honor of my upcoming trip. She says "Merci!" when she wins, "Au revoir!" when she loses, and her main greeting is the standard "Bon jour." So elementary. I need to work up something wittier...don't you think?

And in the game, you can pick a boyfriend - and of all the boyfriends you can pick, this one looks like a French teen idol!

P.S. Thanks for all of your book suggestions! I am headed to the bookstore and library this week to get started...

Pre-Paris Summer Reading List

2010-04-30T14:39:00.000-07:00

The other day, my Paris Tour Guide sent me - and the others in our group - a suggested reading list of pertinent titles, with the thought that they would make good poolside/beachside/summer reading.

I already have A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemmingway on my list. Now, I have to decide which of these to add. Time to make use of my Master's Degree in English Literature and go back to my voracious reading ways of youth, for today, I admit, I am one lousy book reader, preferring to poke around and search for material that interests me, encyclopedia-style, Googling my way across the Worldwide Web, flitting from topic to topic, sometimes just looking at the pictures and headlines ... much as I do when I read magazines and the newspapers ... only stopping to delve deeper if it's (a) Important or (b) a topic of Obsession - which changes from day to day in both categories.

Nevertheless, here's the list. Could I possibly read them all???? It would be a feat to rival my attempt at trying to learn how to speak French in any which way.

Any input from my dear followers or people passing through this blog re: which of the below book(s) is/are a MUST-read prior to (or even after) a trip to Paris, please, please, do chirp in. Thanks!

Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund - which my Tour Guide says is "a great book about Marie Antoinette, one of my favorites!"

Marie Antoinette- the Last Queen of France by Evelyne Lever (no comment from my Tour Guide)

Almost French by Sarah Turnbull - which my tour Guide says is "an Australian journalist's account of establishing her life in Paris with the man she loves--ooh-la-la!"

Catherine de Medici-the Renaissance Queen of France by Leonie Frieda -my Tour Guide claims to have "learned so much French history from this book."

The Serpent and the Moon by Princess Michael of Kent - "two rivals for the love of a Renaissance king---this will make you want to go to the chateaux of the Loire Valley," says my Tour Guide. I could pass this up since the Loire Valley is not on our immediate itinerary.

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay - "a story about a family during WWll Paris," says my Tour Guide. Mmmmmm, a little boring perhaps?

Gearing up my undergarments for Paris

2010-04-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

Typical French Maid costume, available at brasNthings.com

The bra for my upcoming Paris trip will be a regular, everyday bra, nothing special ... except it may have something attached to it. OR maybe it will be attached to my panties. You will never know.

The "it" I'm talking about is this ...

... a flesh colored "Secret Stash"TM detachable bra pocket. I'm going to try out my new undergarment gear when I get dressed for an evening soiree that I am attending this weekend. I'll stash my driver's license and emergency cash in it.

I've read about the problem with pickpockets in European tourist zones, and decided this would be one plan of attack to ensure the safety of my financial instruments. I'm not inclined to carry some kind of "anti-slash," theft-proof travel purse, and would rather use a nice leather cross-body handbag when I go on my trip. (Hey, I've travelled all over New York City, on the subways and along the crowded streets; I know how to guard my belongings!)

I've searched online and seen the bags that have zipper locks and shoulder straps reinforced with steel cable wires, but I haven't found an attractive one that suits me.

How about you, what have you used/what do you suggest in this regard?

French bra ad - via YouTube

French related bra trivia:
"Bra fashion history truly began with the first bra to be patented. The first bra was patented in 1914 by Mary Phelps-Jacobs an American. It is not thought to be the first bra ever, but it is the first patented record and that gives her the credit. Mary Phelps-Jacobs patented her bra design under the patent name of Caresse Crosby. Some suggest it was her French maid who provided the idea or the stitching help. Two silk handkerchiefs were tied together, baby ribbon sewn on to make straps and a seam set in the centre front."

Until Paris ...

Have You See The Duchess of Langeais?

2010-04-25T07:08:00.000-07:00

Moune Jamet/IFC Films

My weekend indulgence was stepping inside the world of nineteenth century Paris via the cinema and watching this mesmerizing film: The Duchess of Langeais, based on a short story by the French writer Balzac.

(French, with English subtitles)

'Duchess of Langeais' - Trailer No. 1 - Moviefone

It is an artsy period movie that is quite the confection, not without an ever-present and haunting gloom that is in the vein of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights.

First, I watched The Duchess of Langeais for the story, the costumes, the drama, and after having been completely swept away, I will watch it a second, and perhaps a third time, for my French language lessons. For now, I can say "Mon frair" (my brother) - a phrase from the movie.

Have you seen this movie? If not, I highly recommend it if you want to go back in time and visit Paris during the Napoleonic/aristocratic era.

Here is the original story by Balzac, translated into English.

Until Paris ...

My Moleskine Journals - Yet to be Filled!

2010-04-23T06:12:00.000-07:00

Moleskine - not to be confused with moleskin - is a maker of notebooks, journals and date books. Their journals have been the legendary choice of artists, writers, intellectuals and travelers worldwide, including the famous American writer, Ernest Hemmingway who wrote a book about his time in Paris that traces his footsteps through the City of Light, called A Moveable Feast.

Anyway, when I was at my local Barnes & Noble bookstore buying une carte de Paris, I also purchased a set of two Moleskine journals. I am a writer by trade - I write advertising copy, and have done this for nearly a quarter of a century - with two degrees in English Literature and Creative writing. A frustrated novelist? Perhaps. I originally thought I would not write about Paris, merely photograph it and enjoy it ... and here I am, writing a blog about it, holding in my possession two empty Moleskine journals, in lovely shades of green.

My promise to you: I will write in them when I get to Paris and share with you my observations, delights and thoughts upon my return! You see, I won't be blogging or online during my trip.

And today is a special day; it is exactly five months to the day until I leave for Paris.

Enjoy YOUR day!

Le Cœur From Limoges

2010-04-21T17:45:00.000-07:00

From the time I was a teenager, and throughout my adult life, my mother has given me gifts in the shape of a heart, often pieces of jewelry. And not too long ago, my mother gave me this Limoges box. It is a heart within a heart.

I keep it on my dresser, and it is a constant reminder ...

... of my mother's love. My mother instilled in me the love of culture and fine things, including a desire to travel. It was she who insisted that I take up my pen pal's invitation and go to England for the first time at age 16. Twenty years later, I took my mother to England for her first time. The French word for heart is cœur. Now when I look at my lovely Limoges keepsake, I am also thinking of my upcoming trip to Paris.

Facts:
- "The Limoges Hinged Box was invented in Paris in the early 1700's, and they were popular among the French aristocracy as snuffboxes."
- Rough distance in miles from Paris to Limoges: 215 miles or 345.94 kilometers

- Number of people I talked to about my upcoming trip to Paris today: five (my neighbor, my mother, my friend and her fiance, my fiance) PLUS all of you, however many of you are reading me today!
- Number of days until my trip to Paris: two ... and five months. I wait patiently, with all of my heart ~ de tout mon cœur.

Les Gateaux on my Decoupage Tray

2010-04-20T06:24:00.000-07:00

My friend and colleague, Joanne, won this decoupage wooden tray at a charity event that our professional association held two Christmas' ago. I wanted it so badly that she gave it to me! You can see why I wanted it so much ...

It has yummy illustrations of French style pastries all over it. I also like the brown and beige striped border.

(Perhaps I will do my daily French lesson off of this tray today. There are many French words on it. Right now, I am proud to say I know that the French word for cake is gateau, a masculine noun that requires "le" or "un" before it. The plural form of gateau is gateaux. I am learning, albeit slowly, the French language ... one bit at a time, sort of how one should enjoy un gateau.)

If you like this tray, you can find it at:
micheldesignworks.com and onecoast.com.

Until Paris ... only five months and three days to go!

Lundi Trivia

2010-04-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

Monday ... Lundi in French. (I confess - I thought it was "Mundi." I had to double-check. Note to self: Practice days of the week in French.) And today, Paris touched my life in an unusual way. Okay, trivial way. I was on the treadmill, watching the biography of silent film star Rudolph Valentino. Did you know that the estranged wife of Rudolph Valentino lived in France? Her name was Natacha Rambova. She studied ballet in Paris.

Image: Book cover, available at Amazon.com

So much for Lundi trivia. Until Paris ... only five months and four days to go. Sigh.

Une Carte de Paris

2010-04-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

What is a trip to Paris without a map? Probably full of adventure and surprise! I probably won't really NEED to have a map of Paris when I get there, as I will be traveling as part of an escorted tour and when I venture away from the group, I don't want to look like a total tourist. But before I get there, I want to know where things are situated. So off I went to Barnes and Noble, to browse ("Je regarde," - I'm just looking!) at the handy, dandy guidebooks in the travel section. You know, the guidebooks that list all the restaurants and hotels in a given city, with however many $$$$s apply, and where one should go to lodge or dine on the cheap, etc. There were so many cumbersome choices - from Fodor's to Rick Steves Europe. I even found a spiral bound tour guide from AAA. Which would be best? What I needed was a map. Not a regular map. The tour group planner already sent me one of those. So boring and full of advertisements, very practical and useful for most travelers. But I wanted a FUN map. One with pictures! Does such a map of Paris exist? I kept looking ...

Viola - I found it! "MapEasy's Guidemap to Paris: A location map and guidebook in one! Waterproof & tear resistant. The unique, easy-to-use guide to Paris." Hand-drawn by an illustrator with an ink pen and colored pencils! Not only that, "MapEasy accepts no advertising or fees." And they offer an interactive index and city information portal online at mapeasy.com

I opened the map to its fullest and within minutes found where the hotel I will be staying at is located. I spread the map out on the carpet floor and poured over it like a kid with a Christmas catalog, imagining how I'd walk here or there, take the Metro to such and such arrondissement, and have no fear - this map is not without a keyed "legend" showing restaurants (and their appropriate $$$$ designations), retail shops, and so forth. It's fun to look at AND informative, this new map of mine.

So until Paris ...

Only five months and five days to go!

My Ballet Flats

2010-04-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

My ballet slippers have been chewed. And here is the chewer! More about that later ...

First a little Paris Fashion "trend spotting" I found in the news. A snippet appeared in USA Today's "Life" section citing Kate Moss in Paris wearing a nautical striped top, red jacket, skinny jeans and ballerina type flats. How many trends is she wearing that you'll also find Carolg writing about on her Paris breakfasts blog? There's the ballerina flatand the red jacket. Two right there!

Well, I must be Paris fashion forward, too. I wear a pair of mock ballet flats around the house. I wear them as slippers because they are good for little more than that. Good for twirling on hardwood or linoleum, bad for walking on cement and asphalt. Not just because they have the thinnest of soles, but more because I don't want to scuff their pale pink, suede tips or ruin their plaid, taffeta uppers. I adore them. I bought them last year at Target and know I'll never find another pair just like them. Chloe, my Bichon Frise dog, started to gnaw on one of the bow ties, and she nearly snipped it into pieces, but I caught her just in time and have since sewn back the part she chewed. Sigh of relief!

Here I am, talking about des chaussures again! Like I said, I have a bit of a shoe fetish. And I guess I am making progress with my French lessons - I was able to write des chaussures without having to look it up to get the correct spelling first, only to check that I spelled it right - and I did.

Until Paris ...

only five months and six days to go!

Five Months Until Paris ...

Au revoir

In Front of The Louvre, Part Deux

Of course, there must be an Eiffel Tower ...

Finished Paris Wedding Card

A Paris Wedding

Eiffel Tower & Lightning - An Electrifying Paris Skyline Shot

Practice French With Cute Kitty Cats

How Prosperous Parisians in the 18th Century Woke Up

A Visit to a French Country Estate in the Normandy Region

My hat is a Featured Design on the Henri Bendel website!

French Crown Jewels & Royal Tiara Cards

What's your royal wedding guest name?

Start with either Lord or Lady. Your first name is one of your grandparents' names. Your surname is the name of your first pet, double-barreled with the name of the street you grew up on. Yours most sincerely, Lady Beatrice Shotsie-Bartlett

Talbots and Paris

For My Friend, Pat

Recreating Paris

Like Going To Paris A Second Time

French Croquembouche

Springtime in Paris 2011 Philadelphia International Flower Show

The Perfect Picture Book

Valentine Papillon

Macarons or Pandora?

Yes, You CAN Make Crème Fraîche

Amour: 2011 Valentines

The Louvre Valentine

J'aime Caniches Français

Card Couture

Travel+Leisure+Paris=Ahhhhhh!

Who Wants To Go To Paris This April?

My Jorgina Bracelet From Paris

Buy "Made in France"

Dinner Cruise on the Bateaux Parisiens

Cloudy With a Chance of Romance: A Cloudy, Fall Sky in Paris

Hemmingway: Revisited (This is for those of you who like to read)

Blues on the Seine

Crepes & Gelato in The Latin Quarter

The Paris Diaries

Bold, Modern Art ... at Montmartre

Souveniers for Sale Outside The Louvre

What Did Monet's Garden look like at the end of September, 2010?

A Vineyard Grows In Paris

Romantic ... Faith Hill and Tim McGraw in Paris

Haute Toilet or Where To "Go" In Paris

Cobblestones can be hell on your feet

Where we ate our first night in Paris

Paris September 2010 Techno Parade

Not The Eiffel Tower You Always See in Postcards

My First Macaron in Paris

I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane

Classics - French Style

Mom Came Through

You know you want to go...

Yes, I am anal ...* (briefly updated)

Down to Days

Hula Hooping in Paris?

Up, Up and Away

Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

Dear Bed Bugs: Stay out of Paris! Signed, Cynthia

You're Free To Move About The World

A Little Bit Country: Decorating Like a Parisian

Stamp Art With French Stamps

Bague d'orteil

Le Doulos

She's beautiful. She sings. She has POWER. She is ...

En venir au fait or I hope this doesn't happen to me ...

What does this look like?

From Gene To Lucy - In Paris

Are you bringing your iPhone to Paris?

Mon Chemisier d'Eté

Laurence de Monaghan in Claire's Knee

Of Passports, Photographs and Memories

Life meets TV meets Sorority Life - Again!

Paris ... in a Drug Ad

L'émotion continue ...

Silly Games Part Deux - This just became serious!

Getting Ready for Paris

Using Credit Cards in Paris

There's the REAL Paris, Paris Hilton & then ...

Roam Around The World!

Start with either Lord or Lady. Your first name is one of your grandparents' names. Your surname is the name of your first pet, double-barreled with the name of the street you grew up on.

Yours most sincerely, Lady Beatrice Shotsie-Bartlett