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French Nationality

Reflections on becoming French on the anniversary of being granted French Nationality. In 2005 I decided to obtain French nationality. ‘Why?’ friends asked, bemused. After all this before Brexit was even heard of and I had a perfectly good British European passport which allowed me to live and work anywhere in Europe. Why bother with a tedious bureaucratic process? Well, one reason lay in the great American tradition of no taxation without representation. I wanted to be able to vote. I live here, pay taxes here, my daughters are French (even though one was born in Hong Kong), but politically I didn’t exist. Unlike the U.S., Britain, does not grant citizens life-long voting rights (though this is in the process of changing as I write), so I could no longer vote in the UK. And I believe that the right to vote is an inalienable democratic one. Given that the UK recognizes dual nationality, it was win- win for me. I must confess there were moments when I considered giving…

La Seine, La Seine at Quai de la Photo

QUAI DE LA PHOTO LA SEINE, LA SEINE What could be a better venue for a photo exhibition tracing the history of Paris’ iconic river than a custom designed, permanently docked barge hosting a gallery, photo bookstore, bar, plus indoor and outdoor restaurant spaces on the banks of the Seine? Two current exhibits: RIVE DROITE, RIVE GAUCHE - Agence Roger-Viollet Running through September 8 and open daily, the exhibit La Seine, La Seine examines two distinct lives of the river. The first segment, Rive Droite, Rive Gauche, displayed in the interior gallery, is comprised of 80 archival photographs from the mid-19th century through the 1960’s, documenting the commercial, working, and social lives of the laborers whose livelihoods depended upon the river. The Seine was a major artery that enabled French wines and other merchandise to be warehoused and shipped worldwide, while its banks provided outdoor workspaces for the messy organic trades: wigmakers and animal groomers, sheep…

Are You Becoming French?

Are You Becoming French?The French say that foreigners can never truly “become” French - no matter what legal status is inscribed upon what identity papers they carry around in their France-based wallets (1). Nor might newly minted citizens or official residents wish to swap their own cultural markers, manners and mentalities for those of the local waiter who serves them their morning café au lait et croissant (to say nothing of totally being able to). But if you’re here long enough, your adaptation mirrors those Escher drawings where columns of black geese or fish on the left fly or swim straight across the page, migrating and mutating by imperceptible degrees, melting into and finally becoming their white counterparts on the right. To a greater or lesser degree, whether you expected to or not, one day you realize that you’re crossing to the other side. How do you know that you’ve arrived? When you (a very incomplete list): 1. sound as brilliantly amusing-funny-sarcastic-sn…

The Paris of Montana

The Paris of Montana - a Department Store It all started with a hat box we found in an antique shop in Montana. The box proudly displayed the slogan « The Paris of Montana » and of course we were intrigued. After quite a few years of researching every now and again we learned of a Dry goods store called Paris – in Montana. ‘Dry goods store’ is the collective noun for textiles and manufactured articles and can also include some non perishable grocery items such as tobacco, sugar, flour, and coffee. (A General Store which is a more common word, though similar, had all sorts of groceries, hardware and dry goods.) Dry goods were big business. Over one million people worked in the dry goods trades in the United States in the late 1800s ; there were hundreds and thousands of dry goods stores in American towns and villages. One such store was called The Paris Dry Goods store. It was in Great Falls Montana and originally established in 1894 as a partnership between two Rom…

Revealed: The Paris Olympics medals

French savoir-faire and excellence has come to the forefront again in the design and making of the 2024 Paris Olympics Medals. Design by the Maison Chaumet (where Gustave Eiffel was a client) and produced by the Paris Mint they carry lots of detail and symbolism. The cherry on the proverbial cake is a hexagonal (of course) piece of the Eiffel Tower embedded in each medal. This piece of Paris authenticity makes the medals truly unique. In keeping with its desire to strengthen the links between sport, culture and heritage, Paris 2024 has called on the expertise of French jeweller Chaumet. Founded in 1780, the LVMH group company, Premium Partner of Paris 2024. Renowned worldwide for its expertise, elegance and embodiment of French crafsmanship, Chaumet is bringing the medal into the world of high jewellery with a design based on three inspirations: the hexagon, radiance and the setting. Read more about the Chaumet Family of jewellers as well as several other entrepreneurial Fre…

Christmas in Paris – oh the lights!

Each year business associations get together with town halls to illuminate our holiday season evenings. A large portion of the budget comes from the businesses on the illuminated streets. On rue de Sevrès and Saint Placide this is quite clear as the names of the businesses are actually suspended in luminous red letters as part of the decoration. Most of the other displays however are simply for the beauty of the lights and the gaiety that they provide to shopping areas. Nearly all are done with LED technology to keep costs and energy use to a minimum. There are about 100 streets and many monuments which are illuminated in Paris, not to mention the newest displays which are the light trails. The lights will be on through the first week in January. Each year the offering gets better and better. Here’s a few of our favorite displays. Christmas in Paris Light Trails Jardin des Plantes Every year, the Jardin des Plantes presents a night time light festival in a magical setting…

Anglo authors in Paris

Paris is inspiring! Did you notice? This fair city has inspired quite a few writers in the English-speaking Paris community and they have set their ideas into novels and stories. Since community is more important than ever, we are presenting recent fiction by Anglo authors in Paris, some quite well-known and some first books. The books below are not all set in Paris, but they are certainly inspired by the community here. Books are pretty much the easiest thing to choose and send for gifts! Keep an eye on Bill & Rosa's Book Room for 2024 events by these Anglo authors in Paris.

THE PARIS LIBRARY by Janet Skeslien Charles, a now Parisian who grew up in Montana down the street from a French war bride.

Paris, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet has it all: her handsome police officer beau and a dream job at the American Library in Paris. When the Nazis march into Paris, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, including her belov…

Turning 90, the Air France anniversary

On 7th October 2023, Air France celebrated its 90th anniversary. To mark the event, the company has asked Xavier Ronze, head of the costume design workshops at the Paris Opera ballet, to create a collection of five iconic dresses embodying the company’s legendary history. Created from the merger of Air Orient, Air Union, Société Générale de Transports Aériens, the Compagnie Internationale de Navigation Aérienne and Aéropostale, Air France was officially inaugurated on 7th October 1933. Ever since, the company has continued to create its legend by promoting the French art of travel around the world. Air France today offers its customers close to 1,000 daily flights to 200 destinations with a fleet of more than 240 aircraft. In 2023, the Air France anniversary is celebrating 90 years of elegance. 90 years of technology, innovation and comfort on board. 90 years of travel, fine dining, design, haute couture, art and architecture. That's a lot to celebrate. Since its crea…

Everything you need to know about French weddings

Everything you need to know about French weddings If you've been invited to a wedding in France, you're in for a delightful experience. French weddings are elegant and lavish affairs, though they follow some different customs and traditions compared to typical Anglo-American weddings. As a guest, it is helpful to become familiar with some of the key differences so you know what to expect, can fully enjoy the occasion, and avoid any faux pas. Some customs may well surprise you but follow the leads of others and don’t be shy to ask questions. Your hosts will surely appreciate your interest in experiencing their cultural traditions. Above all else, be prepared to celebrate with joie de vivre – the joy of living! A French wedding is a perfect place to embrace that spirit. Two ceremonies – religious and civil Religious ceremonies are becoming rarer in France, with most couples opting for a civil ceremony only. This typically takes place at the town hall, led by the mayor or h…

Hints and Hindsights – FFFFFF. F to the sixth power.

Hints and Hindsights. FFFFFF. F to the sixth power.

The six Fs. Fascinating, Fun Facts and Figures about France and French.

They come in handy more often than you’d think: during lulls in parties, as intros or outros to speeches, when you need to prove to some arrogant twit that at least some foreigners know there’s a world beyond Main Street and a timeline that precedes 1776. But let’s not get too arrogant ourselves - even for the most cultivated among us, some of these are real jaw-droppers:

-> When was the last guillotining in France? No, it was not during the 1793 Reign of Terror. It took place in Marseille on September 10, 1977 (that’s nineteen seventy-seven!) to end the life of Tunisian immigrant Hamida Djandoubi, convicted of having tortured and murdered his 21-year-old his former girlfriend, Elisabeth Bousquet. (France abolished the death penalty in 1981.)…

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