Caption: It’s absolutely none of our business but we still demand to know if you are a virgin, unmarried, divorced, a widow, or just a naïve young thing…. Someone sent me this article, from a website called Madame ou Madame. It’s about a new campaign against the word Mademoiselle. Mademoiselle—One box too many Have you ever wondered [...]
One of the highlights of September in Paris is the annual Journées du Patrimoine (heritage days) weekend, where access is given to a wide range of normally closed to the public locations. Popular opinion will tell you that the event can involve nightmare 2-hour queues to visit some places (the Palais de l’Elysée, or President’s [...]
We live in a time when consumption is king when it comes to economic models. Sometimes this leads to overstuffed closets and unecessary collecting of clothes. So when you are doing your belated Spring cleaning, or are finishing a semester abroad and have a few bags of unwanted or unpackable, too-small, or no longer wanted [...]
Les Puces de St. Ouen–ala Clignancourt–is the largest antique and flea market in the world, with more than 2500 vendors, sprawling across 17 acres on the edge of the city. 120,000 to 150,000 people arrive every weekend searching for treasures. The market officially started in 1885 but before that, scrap metal and rag and bone [...]
Daily life in the City of Light holds many challenges, but few are greater than finding the right baguette. When this year’s best baguette in Paris was recently chosen, crowds immediately flooded the winning address (Au Levain d’Antan, 6, rue des Abbesses). They went to check out the loaves of Pascal Barillon, who had entered the competition [...]
A little shop that we often visit is Tumbleweed on the rue de Turenne. As its name suggests, it is owned by an American. The tiny boutique features everything from puzzles to children’s shoes to wonderful bags printed with images of Paris shopfronts. We bought one of the bags as a gift for a friend. The [...]
If you have wandered near the Louvre or Jardin des Tuileries lately, you will notice an exciting addition on the rue du Rivoli wing, and a rather large one at that! La Fête Foraine is the summer carnival implanted by Le Mairie of Paris for those looking for an entertaining night out with the kids. With [...]
The French Foreign Legion is one of the most legendary corps of soldiers in the world. It still accepts men from everywhere, and in the past was known for taking you no questions asked; men were even required to take a new identity. Its motto is Legio Patria Nostra, “the Legion is our country.” After serving [...]
Unlike the police, who tend to be disliked in France, our fire fighters are adored. Both the hate of the police and the adoration of the fire fighters date back to the Second World War when France had capitulated to Nazi Germany, its forces then having occupied the country. At the capitulation in June 1940, [...]
Bastille Day–or what the French simply call le quatorze juillet–is not the sort of holiday for which you send friends greetings. But hold on. The storming of the Bastille was about upending tradition. Revolution! So if you want to shake things up socially, how about creating some saucy cards that you can send Francophile pals [...]
