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 [...]
I decided to try a trick a friend of mine suggested. She’d lived in Paris in the ‘60’s, with her family, and said she boiled her laundry instead of taking it to the laudromat because it was so expensive. I did a test batch on my delicates. I need a bigger pot if this actually [...]
So, you’ve done it! You’ve moved to France and by some miracle, landed a job that will give your life meaning and line your pockets cash! Yay, good for you! That, already, is some feat. Before you get too excited, be prepared for some cultural differences, good and bad, that will make this experience unlike [...]
When we went in to the city hall to choose our wedding date, they gave us a folder full of useful wedding information, including a little postcard for an association called “Cap Mariage”. The card said that once a month, the city hall and this association held a free information session to help newly-engaged couples [...]
They take squatting seriously here, apparently. I was walking home recently, around 11PM and noticed a noisy protest going on down the street, which was hampering traffic. I turned down my street and then noticed police tape. Dammit. Right in front of my building. I crossed to the other side of the streetand asked a [...]
It’s a strange thing how trends work in France. Many things here become fashionable only after the Americans have started the fashion. Offhand I can think of: blue jeans, living in former industrial spaces, and the riots of 1968. Sometimes this is a good thing; but there are certainly American trends I would not like [...]
The French and American cultures are not made from the same molds. When an American man sees me see him, he seems to be thinking “Hmm. Someone looked at me. Moving on.” When I glance for a fraction of a millisecond at a French man who notices, no matter what age, 18 – 80, it’s as if [...]
