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New oaks for rebuilding Notre Dame de Paris

Rebuilding Notre Dame Last Fall while riding bikes through the Forest of Marly we saw some freshly cut oak tress of impressive size. We imagined them to be the new elements for rebuilding Notre Dame. We were a bit ahead of the times in our thinking as the selection of trees has started just this March. Oak trees from French forests will be selected for rebuilding Notre Dame's own “Forest” and another roughly 1000 for Violet-le-Duc's wooden steeple. The Forest of the cathedral is the framing that holds up the roof and consolidates the walls. It burned dramatically in 2019. The original medieval beams came from thousands of different oak trees and because of the size of the structure it was a rare architectural work admired by professionals the world over. Beginning 2021 was the time to choose the trees that will be used to rebuild this structure so that they can be harvested by the end of March before the spring growth begins. They will come from all over France from bo…

We love Le Chat and he is setting up on the Champs-Elysées!

From 26 March to 9 June, the City of Paris hosts a temporary installation of twenty monumental bronze sculptures of the famous "Le Chat" by Philippe Geluck on the Champs Élysées. The exhibiton is called LE CHAT DEAMBULE. The famous fat, but highly intelligent and well dressed tomcat takes up residence in central Paris, before undertaking a grand tour of France including Bordeaux, Caen. The sculptures continue on to Luxembourg and Brussels arriving for the inauguration of the Le Chat and cartoon drawing museum in 2023. Don't miss this fun event that will be reminiscent of the Botero sculptures on the Champs in the early 1990s.

If you haven't yet discovered this ironic cat it is time you did. He's the central character in more than 20 cartoon albums and has some pretty funny observations on the quirks of life. In thirty-eight years, Le Chat has entered the hearts of all generations with his good nature, his humor, his humanism and his very particular way to tackle …

Women Scientists International women and girls in science day

International Women's Day is 8 March. But I didn't know there was a day dedicated to Women Scientists - I should have suspected it though. This year and (every year) it was 11 February. We missed it, but we can still bring forth Women Scientists and doubly honor them for International Women's Day. These three were pioneering women scientists, two American, one French, who surrounded Rosa Bonheur, the namesake of our Book Room.

Natalie Micas was Rosa Bonheur's partner in life. She was a painter, like Bonheur, but also an engineer. She was born in Paris on the 26th of April 1824. Nathalie Micas was represented in the Hall of Science at the World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chica…

Small Is Good: Les Petits Plaisirs

by Harriet Welty Rochefort

A minuscule espresso, a petit piece of chocolate, a morsel of sharp cheese, a half-filled glass of wine: the French prefer tasting and sipping to gorging and guzzling. Small is good.

Small Size, Large

When I came to France, I discovered small. It seemed that everything was diminutive, and the word petit was everywhere. I go on a petit tour around the block to drink a petit café. Then I may do a few petites courses (small errands) before I wend my way back to my definitely petite home sweet home. On the way I might sample a piece of fromage, but it won’t ruin my appetite, samples being petit (as in thumbnail). Time for dinner? The meat or fish and accompanying vegetables barely fill, and certainly don’t overlap, the plate. My wineglass is not filled to the brim.

Do you wonder why the French aren’t fat? Here’s the answer: portions are petites.

In Ame…

Sing C’est la Vie by Sonny and Cher

Sing C’est la Vie This priceless song by Sonny and Cher from 1965 was the flip side of a 45 rpm single titled Just You. Sing C’est la vie is a great pick-me-up and a motto for life and will certainly bring a smile to anyone you share it with today. Happy New Year from FUSAC ! We love the interjected comments with a great French accent by Sonny. Who knew! This rare video has 1960s vintage sound and image which adds to the charm. During 1965, five of their songs were on the US Billboard Top 20, a record surpassed only by Elvis Presley. Sing C’est La Vie was number 1 in Belgium in November 1965 for 24 weeks. It was recorded along with I Got You Babe on their second album Look at Us. In the decade they spent together, Sonny and Cher sold over 40 million records worldwide. Here are the words to Sing C’est la Vie because you'll want to sing along and because the best verse is not in the video. Sing C'est La Vie And soon you will see Your cares will be…

History, Politics and… Camemberts

by Bernard Richard, Historian

Camembert is one of France's gastronomic emblems along with the baguette, champagne, coq au vin, wine and many other products that make up the French identity.

According to a well established, but undocumented, legend the cheese called camembert was created in about 1791 by a certain Marie Harel, a milkmaid whose statue was inaugurated by the French president in 1928 in the town of Vimoutiers, which is the administrative center down the road from the village of Camembert. Vimoutiers is in the Orme department in Normandy. The story goes that Marie, during the chaos of the Revolution, gave refuge to a priest who came from Brie, east of Paris, and that to show his gratitude the priest gave Marie the famous cheese recipe. But in fact much earlier, around 1705, Thomas Corneille, brother of the playwright Pierre, already wrote of the good cheese from Camembert.

The round boxes…

How do you know you’re Becoming French?! 20 more ways

How do you know you're Becoming French?! 20 more ways

When you...

have an Opinel or three know that seeing and hearing a rumbling mass of military planes and helicopters in the Paris sky around July 11 is not an invasion but a rehearsal for the Bastille Day parade... that Bastille Day not only is not the name of the holiday in France but are words that mean absolutely nothing to a French person find creative, inspiring solutions to any problem…but only at the last minute know what Système D is (and what the D stands for!) have at least two pairs of espadrilles in your closet know what PSG stands for, the full name of the SG in question, what OM has to do with PSG, and what OM stands for iron your plain white t-shirts and jeans-then wear them with outrageously expensive perfume make the last item on your grocery list a gigantic bouquet of flowers have underwear items that match not only each other but also what you’re sporting on top…

The quintessential Paris museum: Musée Jacquemart André

Where in Paris can you take in some Dutch masters including Rembrandt, ceilings by Tiepolo, medieval Venitian and Florentine works (Uccello, Botticelli), a Vigié-Lebrun portrait and watercolors and oils by JMW Turner ? The Louvre of course, but there's a better place. More intimate, less crowded, very personal and just the right size for a couple hours visit without wearing you out is the Musée Jacquemart André. This museum is an art history text book in one concise and pleasant space. Swoon.

Nélie Jacquemart and Edouard André were Parisian art collectors in the mid-19th century. The heir of a protestant banking family, Edouard André devoted his fortune to buying works of art to exhibit in his new mansion on the Boulevard Haussmann, which was completed in 1875. In 1881, he married a well-known artist, Nélie Jacquemart, who had painted his portrait in 1872. This marriage would be central to the creation of the Museum. In fact, Nélie Jacquemart was fully inv…

The Power of a Postcard – make an impact

The Power of a Postcard - make an impact

I've received postcards from my parents when they travel for many years. I've kept nearly all of them in a file and some day when they can no longer travel it will become a set of reminiscences to look at with them. The power of a postcard picture and small bits of information on the weather or activities will bring their trips back to life and lead us on to various and sundry conversations. I also have a collection of my-grandmother-in-law's postcards which she sent in the 1940s and 50s when traveling in the United States. Some were picked up along the way at the Howard Johnson's Motor Inn or others in National Parks.

I know from being both the sender and receiver of postcards how the power of a postcard is to bring joy. That's why when we created Bill & Rosa's Book Room we put in a POP desk dedicated to what we call the Power of a Postcard. Time and time again we have found that taking a few minutes to hand writ…

LOOFE 2020 is out! It’s free, fun and interesting

LOOFE, which stands for Light & Lively Observations on France Extraordinaire, is an annual magazine about life in France. Inside you’ll find short articles about different facettes of France and French society. You’ll find history, books, culture, people, language, photographs and nature explained helpfully with a touch of humor.Think of it as a manual for life in L’Hexagone! (L’Hexagone, incidentally, is one of France’s nicknames due to the nearly hexagonal shape of metropolitan France)

The third edition, which is out for 2020, contains articles called

Small is Good: Les Petits Plaisirs [of France], Laughter in France Rosa Bonheur, Broad with a Brush Photo essay Paris is not the Eiffel Tower Food Focus on Pâté en croûte See Paris and Die The Senate and of course there is a Culture Quiz, a Speak Easy Puzzle and "In Every French Household" Plus classified ads and advertising of places you should know in Paris …

		Book Room
		Paris Mosaïc
		Pratical Paris
		Things FUSAC likes
		Culture vultures
		Made in France
		Get Out Of Town
		The French Language
		The Best Things ever Said about France
		People and Business Profiles

Things FUSAC likes

New oaks for rebuilding Notre Dame de Paris

We love Le Chat and he is setting up on the Champs-Elysées!

Women Scientists International women and girls in science day

Small Is Good: Les Petits Plaisirs

Sing C’est la Vie by Sonny and Cher

History, Politics and… Camemberts

How do you know you’re Becoming French?! 20 more ways

The quintessential Paris museum: Musée Jacquemart André

The Power of a Postcard – make an impact

LOOFE 2020 is out! It’s free, fun and interesting

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