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Being Yourself in France: Embracing Your Identity Abroad

Being Yourself in France: Embracing Your Identity Abroad and Jacques’s Garden Salsa Recipe Dear Friends, I hope this letter finds you all in good spirits, ready to embrace the colorful autumn season ahead. As someone who holds both French and American citizenship, I often think about what it truly means to be yourself—especially when you’re living across an ocean from where you began. After moving from the genteel American South to the rugged West, and eventually to France, I’ve become a hybrid of all three. Each place shaping me, overlapping new perspectives over roots that were never deeply planted—shaped by not knowing my grandparents very well (they all died when I was young) or my Dad’s extended family. And by moving across the entire country as a teenager. Such early experiences of change and movement! France is a country that values individuals (think René Descartes, Sartre, Gainsbourg, etc.), but is also steeped in tradition. At first, I fretted about blending i…

Get Out of Town to the Ile des Impressionnistes

Meandering along the Seine meanders: A walk from St Germain-en-Laye to Chatou Ile des Impresisonnistes, 2½ hour walk one way This walk is lovely at any time of year, and in fact views of the rivers are easier in the winter when the light is soft and you can see through the leafless trees. But the cooler air outside the city in the summer is also a reason to take this short trip west of Paris. You’ll enjoy bird life, impressionist history, passing barges, superb mansions and people to watch. Take the RER A to St Germain-en-Laye. Walk across the terrace past the château of St Germain-en-Laye built in the time of Henri IV (17th century). Exit the park through the Boulingrin gate on the right. Follow rue des Arcades to the left, then left on rue Thiers. Go past the Pavillion Henri IV. At the foot of the stairs take the rampe des Grottes on the right. Cross the street and continue down the steps to place de l’Eglise St Wandrille. Continue down to the bottom then go straight to t…

Villepreux a microcosm of French history

During the confinement we had a lot of time to walk around our town, Villepreux, 11,000 people situated in the Yvelines department west of Paris. A usually quiet, non-descript town, we hadn’t thought too much about it before but there were a couple of spots that intrigued us while out walking within one kilometer of the house. One of them was the path that we walked called the Chemin entre Deux Murs or the path between two walls. What two walls? What was that all about? Then there’s the old village with a couple of houses that look pretty old including one with visible half timbers. There’s a chateau, in fact there are two, plus centuries-old farms and a neighborhood called the Prieuré or priory. The new center of town is a 1960s construction out of cement. Town houses and a shopping area that hasn’t worn very well over the years. The first impression is that Villepreux is a rather ordinary suburban bedroom community of Paris or closer Versailles. But once you start lookin…

Christian Dior entrepreneur and innovator

Christian Dior, perhaps the most well-known French couturier, was born in Granville, Normandy in 1905. You can visit his childhood home still today. It overlooks the sea and has lovely gardens. His favorite colors of grey and very soft pink were inspired from the decor of this home. Dior’s timeless elegance in fashion draws its inspiration from Granville, the childhood home that shaped his creativity. Explore Villa Les Rhumbs, linger in its garden so as to take the first steps towards his creations and discover the very essence of his art. In 1910 the family moved to Paris, but kept the Granville home for summer escapades. During the roaring 20s, Christian Dior rubbed shoulders with the cultural milieu in Paris and making friends with the artists, painters, writers, musicians, and designers of the time. HIs first foray into business was to open an art gallery to show the works of his favorite painters which included Picasso, Braque, Matisse, and Dufy. The Golden Age ende…

Laughter in France

Laughter is the best medicine they say. According to scientists, we laugh an average of 18 times a day. Laughter is therefore an important part of our everyday lives and even the French know how to rire. Here's a few reflections on laughter in France, the land of La Vache qui rit! By the way, La Vache, a French institution, (She was 100 years old in 2021) has her own maison and museum in Lons-le-Saunier.

The city of Bordeaux seems to be the center of laughter in France

One might say Bordeaux likes to laugh more than elsewhere in France (is it because Bordeaux is also the rainiest city in France?). The city is host to the Festival Les Fous Rires de Bordeaux in March each year http://lesfousriresdebordeaux.fr/. The city also presented an exhibition called "Rire!" in 2019 at their science and nature Muséum. But Bordeaux doesn't own the market there are many other spots are also holding annual festivals and for some funny reason most are in…

“French Louie” and his Hotel de Paris: a gourmet in the Wild West

“French Louie” and his Hotel de Paris: a gourmet in the Wild West After the wave of French trappers who participated in the first exporations of western North America there were relatively few French people who emmigrated to the USA. But those who went brought a part of France with them. For example Louis Dupuy founder of the Hotel de Paris in Colorado. People in Georgetown, Colorado know very little about Louis du Puy. His obituary starts “Death of Louis Dupuy Man of Mystery”. He simply arrived one day with a donkey named Florette, a tent and camping equipment. He had come, like so many, in search of the quick riches of the silver boom. In March 1873 he was nearly killed in a mining explosion and that ended that career. He said in later years that he chose hospitality as his next reincarnation simply because a good cup of coffee was not to be had in Georgetown. He launched his dream by washing dishes in another establishment. He saved his money and finally in 1874 began to…

Our favorite 8 Museums just outside Paris

Whether you are a tourist or a Parisian, you have most definitely visited museums such as Le Louvre or Le Musée d'Orsay. Yes, they are absolutely gorgeous and definitely worth a visit but we are lucky enough to also have some hidden treasures Museums just outside Paris ! Not only you can discover some amazing things while getting some freqh air out of town but also a lot of them are free or inexpensive and you don't have to queue for hours to get in! In fact for some you need to reserve in advance so check the websites. These are all accessible by train or car. Here are our 8 favorite museums just outside Paris, many of which have the "Maison des illustres" label which signals their importance in French culture. The * distinguishes them. Musée Rodin * This beautiful estate in Meudon includes an extraordinary park overlooking Paris. It has the "Maison des illustres" label as you might expect. The visit begins with the Villa des Brillants, Rodin’s home for the last 20 year…

Who was Christopher Oberkampf?

Oberkampf. You know the neighborhood which was named for the metro station, which was named for the street. The street was named for Christopher-Philip Oberkampf in 1864. But do you know who Oberkampf was and why there is a street named after him?

Christopher was a German Protestant immigrant to France in the 1700s under the Ancien Regime. He was a man who climbed the social and financial ladder by his own grit. He came from Germany and spoke only German when he arrived in Paris as a trained, but young, textile printer and dyer. He died a millionaire, head of an empire of 1300 workers and fashion trend-setter. The odds were against him, but his tenacity, creativity, technique, innovation, intuition and thick skin makes him one of the best immigration success stories in history. And that's why Paris has a street, metro and neighborhood named after him. But in fact though he did not live and work in Paris but in the nearby (now) suburb of Jouy-en-Josas. You pro…

Remarkable trees in France

France is remarkable in many ways, including in trees. We recently published an article about the remarkable trees in Paris and now below you'll find some for the rest of France. We were out on a bike ride a few kilometers from home the other day and came across a tree planted in 1556! It was huge! And in great shape. The tree is called the Platane de Diane because it was planted by Diane de Poitiers, favorite of Henri II when she received the hunting property at les Clayes. A beautiful plantain tree that has seen not only Diane, but certainly Louis XIV walk beneath during a hunting trip, saw a first chateau built under Henri III, destroyed partially during the Revolution and another chateau built in the 19th century, burned by the Germans as they retreated at the Liberation, the telegraph line running past up on the hill, the writer Tristan Bernard and the artist Edouard Vuillard and who knows how many other famous people and events. All that in the Paris suburbs Les Clayes…

Remembering D-Day on the 80th anniversary

D-DAY - JUNE 6, 1944

"Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon the Great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you... I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!" -- General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Such were the words of General Eisenhower as the troops headed off for the greatest amphibian landing ever. FUSAC remembers their sacrifice on the 80th anniversary. Thank you veterans.

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For 2024 a town in Montana, renowned for blue ribbon trout streams, pays a special tribute to General Eisenhower who was an avid fly fisherman.

June 6th, 2024 is the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings. In Bayeux town a few kilometers …

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