Van Gogh in Paris

This is something I could do all day...in Paris. 

Shoot photos of nothing but these. 

I could do an entire postcard collection of just Doors and Windows. 

One thing I love about travel is the amount of art one is exposed to.

And wish I was there now for the Van Gogh exhibition 

happening through March 17th

called Van Gogh: Reves de Japon

(Dreams of Japan)

at the Pinacotheque de Paris,

Gallery 2,

8, rue Vignon,

75009 Paris (in the 9th).

To avoid the crowds, open til 21:00 on Wed and Friday. 

If you're in Paris,

see Van Gogh's Japanese dreams 

before they vanish. 

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Papal History~ Travelin' Tuesday

With the news of the first Pope to resign in 600 years,

and a very busy week ahead,

it seemed appropriate to take a very short trip to Rome,

specifically the Vatican, this Travelin' Tuesday. 

Here are just a few shots of the beauty of the place. 

So many saints, 

so little time. 

And a view from the top.

While not a Catholic or a Pope-follower,

it is always fascinating when history is made. 

And soon excitement will ensue while Rome and the world 

await smoke signals.

I promise to be back with more French news next week

but enjoy these travel photos until then. 

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Nouveaux Cloches for Notre Dame's 850th Anniversary

New bells will be ringing this Easter in Paris! 

Nine new bells, on display at Notre Dame,

will begin pealing in time for Palm Sunday.

While there is some controversy about what will happen to the old bells,

the one remaining Great Bell, Emmanuel, will stay. 

The others, replacing the old 'out of tune' bells,

are going in to celebrate the founding of the cathedral in 1163.

And according to the Seattle Times, each will have names: 

Jean-Marie, Maurice, Benoit-Joseph, Steven, Marcel, Dennis,

Anne-Genevieve, Gabriel and Mary will join Emmanuel,

the only original bell not taken down and broken in the French Revolution. 

And written on each bell, a Latin inscription:

Via viatores quaerit.

"I am the path looking for travelers." 

If you are in Paris on March 23rd,

listen for the sound of the medieval church bells of old

and follow the travelers path to the city's beloved

Our Lady of Paris.  

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Pantalons allowed!

It's official! 

As of January 31st, it is now legal for women in Paris to wear pants! 

According to The Telegraph, last July, France's minister of women's rights, 

                  Ms. Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, was given a public request by

 Senator Alain Houpert to repeal the ancient, unenforced law

which stated that women must ask permission from the police to be 

dressed as men (in pants!) or be arrested. 

At certain points (1892 & 1909), an amendment to the law allowed women 

to wear trousers if they were "holding a bicycle handlebar or the reins of a horse." 

This repeal  may seem a tad late although, 

 Gail Collins writes in her new book 

"When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present,"

that in 1960, a young secretary was reprimanded by a traffic judge 

for wearing slacks in his courtroom and sent home to change into more appropriate attire...

and most women had to get their husband's permission to apply for a credit card. 

It's not so very far away, women needing permission 

to be even slightly equal to men. 

But at least, you can rest assured that as of this year, 2013,

you can now wear slacks in Paris without the least fear of being arrested. 

Who knew?!

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Window shopping in Greece

So while I'm waiting for the sun to show itself again 

in the Pacific Northwest,

I thought it would be fun to do some 

Nafplion window shopping. 

In Greece,

worry beads are all the rage. 

Every window has at least a few. 

And a tourist town is nothing

without shops of sweet smelling goodies

and tasty treats. 

You can't go a mile anywhere in Greece without running across 

these little Greek altars. 

Always interesting for a look inside-

filled with sweet devotionals

and covered with kisses. 

Some Christmasy fun. 

And iconic beauty.

January has never been my favorite month

(though this one was broken up with a special visit from my sister)

so it's always fun to dress things up for some fun. 

When the sun refuses to shine,

a little window shopping helps, 

especially in Greece. 

Happy nearly end of January to you.

We're almost there. 

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Making Art in an Unpredictable World~Teaser Tuesday

Hosted by MizB at should be reading.

Here's how to play:

*Grab your current read,

*Open to a random page,

*Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page,

*Please no spoilers!

*Share the title and author.

"One day, particularly discouraged about the global environment, I asked my friend the playwright Charles L. Mee Jr., 'How are we supposed to function in these difficult times? How can we contribute anything useful in this climate?' 'Well,' he answered, 'You have a choice of two possible directions. Either you convince yourself that these are terrible times and things will never get better and so you decide to give up, or, you choose to believe that there will be a better time in the future. If that is the case, your job in these dark political and social times is to gather together everything you value and become a transport bridge. Pack up what you cherish and carry it on your back to the future.' 
"Near the end of the twentieth century, the Dalai Lama was asked if he would want to return to the earth in another century, even though it is certain that poverty, pollution, and overpopulation will make the planet a miserable environment to inhabit. 'If I could be useful,' was his response."

"...In order to 'make the music more intense,' you must first examine your intentions. If the motivation for action does not transcend the desire of fame and success, the quality of the results will be inferior. If your aim is intense engagement rather than self-aggrandizement, the results will be richer, denser, and more energetic. The outcome of an artistic process contains the energy of your commitment to it." 

From "And Then, You Act: Making Art in an Unpredictable World" by Anne Bogart.

Starbucks on Montmartre? Vive les petits cafes!

This little beauty is on one of the side streets 

down the hill from Montmartre's Place de Tetre.

Sad to say that as soon as next month,

the famous square, filled with painters and artists,

 will become home to a Starbucks. 

Members of the association Paris Pride (Paris Fierte)

have vowed to fight it to the end using

petitions and demonstrations. 

I myself have some very strong feelings about it. 

What's your feeling?

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Un Petit Cafe

Just a little French cafe vert, and news, to take your mind off the January blues.

I found this cafe on one of my American Writers in Paris walks

and couldn't resist snapping its sweet photo. 

On the French front:

It appears that Gerard Depardieu has received his Russian passport for tax exile

and famed French actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot 

is also threatening to follow suit if Baby and Nepal,

two elephants diagnosed with tuberculosis

and soon to be put down at the

  Tete d'Or Zoo in Lyon, 

are not given reprieve 

and allowed to live.

And Russia is now happily awaiting a mass migration of wealthy Europeans. 

Somehow I always feel better after reading French news!

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Kalispera & Au Revoir 2012

These Greek cakes are from our favorite little sweet shop in Nafplion, Greece: 

Dolce. 

Do these make you think of New Year's Resolutions? 

As we ring out the old year,

I thought we could bring in the new

with sweets of every shape, texture and color. 

Some, like these, are drowning in honey. 

Somehow even the Santa looks Greek to me. 

Clearly the Greeks don't mess around. 

And as we go into a new chapter of new beginnings.

I'd like to wish you every sweetness 

in the coming new year! 

May your cakes be filled with luscious creaminess,

your lives powdered with luck and grace

and your days merry and bright. 

See you in the next bliss-filled year! 

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Light and Joy

via Pinterest

Sorry to have been gone so long. Had some technical difficulties of the hacking kind. Wish I could share with you my new password but it would not be fit to print here.

So after the long build up to the holidays, the end of the world as we know it and the winter solstice, we are now on the downswing to a bright and shiny new year, longer days and new chapters and beginnings!

I am so very grateful for my friends, loved ones, bloggers and my peeps and wishing all the greatest of holidays filled with every kind of light and joy your heart can imagine. 

Medieval Christmas~Missing Paris Day

I love the little medieval houses at the Marche de Noel in Paris. 

My sweetie bought me one several years ago which sits over the fireplace at Christmas

and on a lower shelf where I can see it all year long.

 I hung a tiny wreath ornament over it's tiny door which makes me smile, 

a dollhouse-sized wreath I stole from the tree for its perfect location.

Do you have a favorite Christmas decoration? 

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen

Marche de Noel at Trocadero, 16th Arr., Paris)

Love Life~ Buddhist Thought for the Day

"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions." 

~The Dalai Lama

I always come back to the phrase, "The Power is in the present moment." 

Reflecting on this over the years, 

sometimes I understand it and sometimes I don't. 

But I think it is about choice,

our own choices being the only ones that can make us happy... or not.

In each given moment. 

Not always an easy task, holding and pocketing the present moment, 

making it shiny with our worn fingertips,

but always...leading us to our future

and pointing to our destiny.

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen

Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco)

Pere Noel Meringue~ Missing Paris Day

Just around the corner from us in Paris

is rue de Lourmel

which like every other street in Paris,

loves to dress up for Christmas. 

Even the butcher gets in on the fun. 

But my favorites are always the patisseries

who can make anything out of meringue. 

If I could, I'd buy one of these little Santa Meringues for every one of my friends

and send them with a Ho Ho note granting their every wish for Christmas.

Though he might not show up in your mailbox,

consider the wish complete. 

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Buche de Noel

With Thanksgiving out of the way, 

we are now full on into the holiday season. 

And if there's one thing I love,

it's Christmas in Paris.

When you love Christmas AND Paris,

put the two together and it becomes heaven on earth! 

I love the traditions, the sparkly lights,

the colors and dressed up windows and of course, the food. 

I just read an author who described Europe as the color gray.

They certainly make up for it with all the lights and storefront ribbons and boughs. 

And Buche de Noel!

These little beauties are known as Yule logs, 

traditionally made from a Genoise or other yellow sponge cake

with a frosting and filling of chocolate buttercream,

 a fork raked across to resemble bark,

and powdered sugar to look like snow. 

With my French nephew now living with us, 

I might even attempt to make one this year. 

I'll post the recipe when I find the right one. 

Wish me luck! 

Wherever you are, 

I hope this season brings you 

everything you love about the holidays. 

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)

ALP Presents: Rosemary Flannery~ Angels of Paris

(Photo courtesy of ALP: Scenes from the Library. Credits: David Bacher, Kate McLean)

Next Wednesday, November 28th, 2012 at 19:30, The American Library in Paris presents Evenings with an Author featuring Rosemary Flannery, author of 'Angels of Paris'. 

Being two of my favorite subjects, I'm deeply sorry to miss this. Rosemary Flannery is an American living in Paris since 1989 and a member of the Paris Writers Group. She has contributed articles to France Today and other publications and serves as a tour guide of museums, monuments and neighborhoods with Passport to Paris. She co-produced and hosted, French Encounters, a Public TV program on French Culture and created The Art Beat, a weekly cultural magazine for Paris Live Radio. Her first book, Angels of Paris, has been released this month by The Little Bookroom, NYC and distributed by Random House.

Book review by Popcorn Paris: 

"They're hovering everywhere, hiding in plain sight, each telling their own stories about the city--of romance and royalty, war and revolution, miracles and pilgrimages, art and architecture. Angels of Paris features beautiful photos taken from dawn to dusk, in all seasons, accompanied by text explaining the story behind the creation of each angel and of the location in which it is found. Readers will learn about Paris's history, buildings and pivotal figures (monks, pirates Crusaders, duchesses, saints, sinners and more) through the abundant, beautiful and surprising depictions of angels from the Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century. Rosemary Flannery has found angels on friezes and plaques, on fountains and facades, clocks and sundials, monuments and mansions, rooftops and door-knockers. On an enchanting shop sign above a turn-of-the-century patisserie, she's even found a pair of angels tossing chocolate and vanilla macarons to the entering patrons..." 

For more about Flannery and her tour schedule, go to Angelsofparis.com.
And don't miss her at the American Library in Paris.


American Library in Paris  is located at:
10, rue du General Camou
(Just off the Champs de Mars and the Eiffel Tower)
75007 Paris, France
• Tel. +33 (0)1 53 59 12 60
http://www.americanlibraryinparis.org/ 

Flower of Remembrance

Photo via Pinterest

The red poppy symbolizes many things: eternal sleep (think Wizard of Oz), peace and death. In Greek and Roman times, they were considered offerings to the dead. Today they are given in remembrance of those who have died in wartime. On this Veterans holiday, a little remembrance flower for those who have fought and died for us.

ALP Presents: Elyane Dezon-Jones~ Author of 'Murder chez Proust'

(Photo courtesy of ALP: Scenes from the Library. Credits: David Bacher, Kate McLean)

This Tuesday November 6th, 2012 at 19:30, the American Library in Paris presents Evenings with an Author, featuring Elyane Dezon-Jones, author of the 1994 novel: "Murder chez Proust" (French title: Meurtre chez Tante Leonie).

Working under the Nom de Plume Estelle Monbrun, she has published several sequels: Meurtre a Petite Plaisance, Meurtre chez Colette (with Anais Coste), Meurtre a Isla Negra. 

Review from Google Books: 
"When Adeline Bertrand-Verdon, the self-appointed directress of the Marcel Proust Association, is found murdered on the eve of the society's annual convention, Inspector Jean-Pierre Foucheroux is called in from Paris to investigate. He soon discovers that the victim was as ruthlessly ambitious as the pretentious highbrows on his list of suspects, and that almost everyone who knew her has a motive to kill. There's a famous Proust scholar whose prolific research is based on plagiarisms of his students' work; an Ivy League professor who is more interested in sex than in literature; a world-famous Parisian critic whose celebrated fits of existential angst are really just tantrums caused by the loss of his latest lover; and a viscount from one of France's oldest families, as arrogant as he is gullible. But there's also Gisčle Dambert, the amiable and unassuming assistant to the victim who dazzles Inspector Foucheroux with her startling royal blue eyes. Could she have had a motive as well? When Foucheroux learns that a much-coveted Proust manuscript, long thought to have been destroyed, has been unearthed and then mysteriously lost again, the trail of clues seems to lead in the direction of his most charming suspect.

Already the subject of an international scandal for its merciless treatment of some of the world's most sensitive egos, Murder chez Proust combines a withering satire of the literary, publishing, and academic elite with the Old World charm of a deftly crafted Agatha Christie-style whodunit." 

Dezon-Jones has been Associate Professor of French at Washington University in St. Louis and has taught and published in both America and her native France. 

Find more information about her at Proust-Ink.com.

The American Library in Paris  is located at:
10, rue du General Camou
(Just off the Champs de Mars and the Eiffel Tower)
75007 Paris, France
• Tel. +33 (0)1 53 59 12 60
http://www.americanlibraryinparis.org/