New oaks for rebuilding Notre Dame de Paris
My French Neighbor and the Palais Royal Cannon
The Seine – A fleuve, part 2
French Hollyhocks are not “French”
Tea in Paris
French Like Moi: City of Light Bulbs
By Scott Dominic Carpenter author of French Like Moi
Listen to Scott read City of Light BulbsSurprise is the highest form of pleasure, and it’s easier to find than people think. You don’t have to invest your 401(k) in Powerball numbers to enjoy the fruits of unpredictability, or even travel by Amtrak. No, it turns out you can simply move to Paris, where the ordinary so often leads to adventure.
It went like this. Shortly before Anne returned from the States, I finished painting the walls and pushing the furniture back in place. During my final check, I discovered the bedroom lamp had burnt out. This led me to hoof it to the local supermarket, which stocks bulbs of various shapes and sizes.
Only after I returned home with my trophy did I realize my error.
In France, the base of a bulb is called a culot, a word derived from cul, which translates as “ass.” Although ungentlemanly in some contexts, c…
14th of July in Paris: La Marseillaise and where to watch the fireworks
Did you know? The French call their national holiday, the 14th of July, NOT Bastille Day.
In 2021 the 14th of July Military parade is back, the theme this year is "Winning the future".There will be lots of folks lining the Champs-Elysées for the event, so bring a mask or better yet for a safer, better view, with commentary watch on TV.
Read more about the day's events on Secrets of Paris.
Where to watch the fireworks on the 14th of July fireworks with slightly smaller crowds and a panoramic view Paris west: Pont du Garigliano (as well as many of the other bridges) Paris east: The intersection de la rue Piat and de la rue des Envierges or the Parc de Belleville Paris north: Montmartre Suresnes: Mont Valérien, Terrasse du Fécheray Meudon : Terrasse de l’observatoire Saint-Cloud: Parc de Saint-Cloud, rond-point de la Balustrade also known as La Lanterne The top of the Montparnas…Homemakers – a textile Fab Lab with baby clothes workshop
Pershing Hall an informal American embassy in Paris. Past, present, future
Today the rue Pierre Charron runs from Avenue George V to the Champs-Elysées. Created in 1864 (under Haussmann's reorganization?) the street had two prior names and was longer. In 1879, it was divided into 2 separately named streets Pierre 1er de Serbie and Pierre Charron (16th century theologian and philosopher), hence the building numbers start at 44!…