Old Town Nafplion, Part 1

(Arvanitia, city beach around the corner from us 

at the end of Old Town and beneath Palamidi Fortress and Akronafplia.) 

Last November, right after Thanksgiving,

we made an emergency roof repair trip to Greece,

knowing that our roof (and interior) could not withstand another winter of rain

without some patching. 

And we arrived in the midst of a major rain storm

which meant water flowing down the steps like a waterfall

and dripping into our bedroom.

But that's not what I want to show you. 

From the ancient rock wall of Akronafplia,

where some of the stone is still Byzantine,

one can look out over the rooftops

of old town Nafplion.

The old town and the bay lie on one side 

with the tiny island of Bourtzi in the background...

...on the other side... 

the Mediterranean.

Just next to us,

the fortress of Palamidi sits atop the hillside

looking over the city and far beyond. 

The ancient entrance to the old town

(refurbished)

is the symbolic gate between the old and new towns.

A few shots of one of my favorite walks in Greece

(which you can see more of Here)

which always has a plethora of lovingly-tended altars...

as well as wild prickly pear

and bougainvillea.

The walk swings around Akronafplia

and back into old town

just in front of Bourtzi.

I took several shots of these palm trees,

their gorgeous seeds in full color.

Sadly, that same week,

I witnessed workers hacking them off.

They all now stand bare along the shore.

The walk along the water brings us to our favorite spot

for a sunset drink

looking out over the bay,

Bourtzi and the sailboats. 

Our roof fix turned out far better than we'd hoped

(a true fix rather than a patch

and new tile to replace the beautiful but water-damaged parquet wood floors.)

We're hoping it won't take us as long to return.

Friends to see, walks to take,

books to write. 

*All photos copyright: Kirsten Steen

May not be reproduced.*

Faulkner on American Writers in Paris Tour

On Rue Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement

sits the Hotel Luxembourg Parc,

(just across from the Luxembourg gardens)

a 4-star hotel

which was once

Le Grand Hotel des Principautes.

In 1925,

as Le Grand Hotel des Principautes,

it was the home of William Faulkner 

for four months. 

According to one French blog,

he didn't mix much with The Lost Generation,

preferring instead the company of the park's

children and workers.

And though the hotel has been renovated,

the entrance moved from rue Servandoni to Vaugirard,

and the name changed,

it still holds a plaque

stating 

'Faulkner was here'

in autumn of 1925.

Oh to have seen these streets in 

the fall of '25.

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Paris Winter Soldes

The Paris Winter Soldes are on again. 

This year they began January 8th and will go until February 11th. 

I've just read that stores are now allowed to run sales

two extra weeks (consecutive or not) during the year

only if they make sure their sales end no less than a month before the national sales. 

And for the second year in a row,

the Galeries Lafayette will display Paris, Capital of Creation window displays.

Galeries Lafayette is famous for its Christmas window displays. 

Galeries Lafayette Haussmann

40, Boulevard Haussmann

75009 Paris 

Summer sales will begin June 25th. 

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Janvier in Paris

A girlfriend just came back from Paris

and over a 2+ hour tea date at our favorite tea shop in Portland

told me all the wonderful tales of walking in my Parisian neighborhood. 

And now I'm missing Paris again! 

Being there right after Christmas, 

she said the crowds were still over the top

wayyyy toooo long

so they opted to skip the long lines 

to nearly every museum

and just walk. 

For her birthday,

they window-shopped all the best chocolateries

and had meals in fabulously beautiful places. 

It makes me think of the little 

Christmas Fairs

and the way everything is still dressed up for the holidays.

And how even bare trees in winter

are gorgeous in Paris. 

Even the carousel gets dressed up.

They sat at cafes and sipped warm drinks

and watched the Parisian world go by

and ate almond croissants with coffee
and Galette des Rois on Epiphany

and sipped champagne

and walked along 

the seine. 

sigh. 

(Photos copyright: KIrsten Steen)

Le French bashing

There seems to be a fight of words 

about the downfall (or not) of France

between Newsweek and Le Monde.

An article in Newsweek states several reasons for the 'Fall of France,'

among them those sky-high taxes, the high price of food and living

and the greatest minds leaving to escape said taxes and... Francois Hollande.

France has come back with a few choice words of its own

defending their culture with its high ranking in foreign investment, according to Ernst and Young;

and in its productivity, still behind the US but with a shorter work year; 

its high population growth and life expectancy (both beating the US);

and of course, its gastronomy: the number one employer in France. 

For me, there is nothing anywhere in the world

like eating in France.

You cannot go to any cafe or restaurant in the US
and get escargot floating in butter, garlic and parsley.

Our steaks may be more tender

but the French smother them with a peppercorn sauce

that makes it out of this world. 

(And while that's the most plebeian of fare,

it's one of my favorites.) 

What are your favorite things about France
and what do you think about Le French bashing?

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen
from Restaurant de la Tour in the 15th)

New Metro Rule Book~ Missing Paris Day

The RATP, (the Regie Autonome des Transports Parisiens)

has come out with a new metro rule book,

informing travelers on how to behave.

'An Etiquette Manual for the Modern Traveller.'

Twelve new commandments 

in 4 categories:

courtesy, helpfulness, manners and politeness.

The rules run from keeping music low
to observing the No Smoking signs
to reaching for the bottom of the pole
on hot summer days
(keeping one's armpits to one's self)!
No staring, help others
and hold the door for those behind you.

Click here to see the article in TheLocal.fr
or to click on the actual manual
which you can read in French.

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen ) 

Meilleurs voeux...

via Pinterest

Wishing you and yours a most happy, healthy, prosperous and joyous new year! 

We are home from a fabulously decadent Christmas holiday in Park City

...and now recovering from the flu. 

All our NYE and NYD plans have been cancelled

and it will be a quiet evening. 

I plan to spend it creating my Vision Board for 2014...

a collage of all the things I could possibly wish for the coming year

which will then be posted where I can see it everyday.

My New Years Resolution this year 

is to spend more time researching the things that are important to me. 

How great is that?! 

A resolution I actually WANT to do!

It's bound to be a spectacular year! 

And only hours away.

So...

Bonne Annee a vous! 

Driftmas Tree

(via Pintarest)

*

**

***

I saw 

one of these 

on the wall outside 

my chiropractor's office recently. 

His wife had made it and I love it. The 

only thing he told me about it was that she 

baked the driftwood to make sure all insects were 

out and then glued them to a material-covered frame. 

I must 

try it. 

Tiny beautiful things~ Teaser Tuesday

Hosted by MizB at should be reading.

Here's how to play:

*Grab your current read,

*Open to a  page,

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

*Please no spoilers!

*Share the title and author.

From Cheryl Strayed's 'Tiny Beautiful Things.'

"Dear Bewildered,

Several months after my mother died I found a glass jar of stones tucked in the far reaches of her bedroom closet. I was moving her things out of the house I'd thought of as home, but that no longer was. It was a devastating process--more brutal in its ruthless clarity than anything I've ever experienced or hope to again--but when I had that jar of rocks in my hands I felt a kind of elation I cannot describe in any other way except to say that in the cold clunk of its weight I felt ever so fleetingly as if I were holding my mother. 

That jar of stones wasn't just any jar of stones. They were rocks my brother and sister and I had given to our mom. Stones we'd found as kids on beaches and trails and the grassy patches on the edges of parking lots and pressed into her hands, our mother's palms the receptacle for every last thing we thought worth saving. 

I sat down on the bedroom floor and dumped them out, running my fingers over them as if they were the most sacred things on the earth. Most were smooth and black and smaller than a potato chip. Worry stones my mother had called them, the sort so pleasing against the palm she claimed they had the power to soothe the mind if you rubbed them right. 

What do you do with the rocks you once gave to your dead mother? Where is their rightful place? To whom do they belong? To what are you obligated? Memory? Practicality? Reason? Faith? Do you put them back in the jar and take them with you across the wild and unkempt sorrow of your twenties or do you simply carry them outside and dump them in the yard? 

I couldn't know. Knowing was so far away. I could only touch the rocks, hoping to find my mother in them." 

"...across the wild and unkempt sorrow of your twenties..." 

I'm trying to think of the last time I heard a description like that. That's exactly what it was but I never knew how to describe it.

The First Parisians~ at the Musee Carnavalet

Please excuse my absence this past week but I've been in travel mode which I'll write more about in an upcoming post. But for now, I'm still missing Paris...and so wish to see this exhibit.

At one of my favorite Paris museums, The Musee Carnavalet, which is free to the public (for permanent exhibits) and filled with stories, objects, paintings and artifacts all on the history of Paris, its oldest human remains are on exhibit in the archaeological section. Remnants of Mesolithic man (8000-6500 BC.) have been found in the 15th arrondissement (my neighborhood!) just 250 meters from the Seine and are now on display for the first time through Dec. 31st, 2014. (Sept. 10, 2013- Dec. 31, 2014).

If you're in Paris any time soon, stop in to see not only this exciting exhibit but the many stories about the history of Paris. The Musee Carnavalet is a treasure trove of what I call 'snapshots' of ancient Paris.

*********************************************************

Hotel Carnavalet

23, rue de Sevigne

75003, Paris

01.44.59.58.11 

(Photo via http://www.carnavalet.paris.fr/fr/musee-carnavalet)

Child of the Universe

(Photo via Pinterest)

In my grandparent's dining room
hung an old copy of the Desiderata. 

Every year during Thanksgiving,

my grandfather would read it out loud to us. 

And at the end, he always took his glasses off

and wiped his eyes. 

Today I'd like to share it with you. 

Desiderata

"Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. 

As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."~ Max Ehrmann, 1927.

No less than the trees and the stars! 

Happy Thanksgiving to you, Child of the Universe!

You are perfection 

and

I am so grateful for you.

Now go eat pie!

ALP Presents: Chris Boïcos lecture~ Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera

This Wednesday, November 27th, 2014 at 19:30,
Chris Boïcos presents a lecture and slide presentation 
on the art of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, Art in Fusion, 
timed to coincide with the exhibit happening through January 24th, 2014 
at the Musee de l'Orangerie. 



Chris Boïcos teaches Art History at various institutions in Paris 
and lectures on Paris Art Studies at the Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos. 
If you love Frida, or have never seen her work together with Rivera's, 
and are in Paris, don't miss Boïcos' lecture or the exhibit. 


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/ 
Tues-Sat: 10h-19h, Sun: 13h-19h.

(Frida Kahlo image via American Library in Paris: HERE.) 
(Frida Kahlo/Diego Rivera, L'Art en Fusion banner from the Musee de l'Orangerie: HERE.)

Triple Truth~ Buddhist thought for the day

"Teach this triple truth to all: 

A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service 

and compassion are the things which renew humanity." 

~Buddha

Sometimes in the presence of other egos,

especially those vexatiously engaging mine,

I lose my way and need this reminder. 

I'm still working on being loving, kind, compassionate and generous

in the face of such egoism.  

I cannot just remove myself 

because they are clearly my life lesson

so will find me wherever I go. 

So I continue prayer and meditation

in the hopes that something will one day work;

that my thin skin will bolster up;

that offense will not be taken

(no matter how aimed),

and that my heart will be generous and compassionate. 

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen

Vaux de Cernay Abbaye, France)

'Delicacies' of France~ Missing Paris Day

Just saw a list of  "The disgusting French delicacies that Anglos won't eat (but should)"

from TheLocal.fr.

Having spent enough time in France (well, never enough), I've heard of nearly all of them though not tried every one. 

At the top of the list is one I've tried but don't care for (sort of): 

1.) Langue de Boeuf (or Beef Tongue)~ This is my French nephew's favorite dish and one that his Grandmere makes for him every visit home. While I've tasted it, it's one of those pieces of meat whose texture never lets me forget what it is (and where it came from.) (This must be where he gets his love for lettuce!) However, I'm mad about the Sauce Gribiche that goes on it (an egg yolk and mustard sauce with capers and parsley and more.) I'll keep the Gribiche!

2.) Lapin (Rabbit)~ Another of my nephew's fave's, his father's Lapin a Moutarde (Rabbit in Mustard Sauce). Have to say I've grown to like this one though I remember trying rabbit as a 5 yr old and the taste (and thought) bothered me so much, I couldn't try it again until I started traveling to France and it was served to me at a dinner party. Eat it or... don't eat! 

3.) Tetines (Cow's Udder)~ I'm sorry but I don't even recall seeing this on a French menu. And I don't think you could get me to try it! The Chef says even he might not try this. 

4.) Ris de Veau (Calf's Pancreas)~ Often mislabeled as Sweetbread.  I've often seen this on a menu though did not realize it was the pancreas. Not interested in brain or pancreas unless eating them will increase the vitality of mine. 

5.) Pigeon (You know)~  Pretty sure I've tried it but this one's not so bothersome because we've grown up on poulet. 

6.) Tripe (Stomach)~ While The Chef loves this, the entrails and walls of the stomach of ox and sheep are not on my list of things to ever try again. 

7.) Rognons (Kidneys)~ We've been advised to have the Grandmere make them for us rather than eat them in a restaurant, just to be safer (which doesn't inspire much confidence for me.) 

8.) Andouilette (Sausage of Pig's intestines)~ While we're used to sausage, I can't get used to the flavor of this one. Sort of that latrine finish going for it. 

9.) Steak Tartare (chopped raw meat)~ I've tried one bite of this and...not ready again. 

10.) Foie Gras (Goose liver)~ My all-time favorite French delicacy! I know people have trouble with the raising (and methods of feeding) geese for this purpose but served with an onion confit and a sweet white wine, it is to die for! (Sorry, no pun intended.) 

11.) Tete de Veau (Head of Veal)~ The Chef's favorite, not mine. 

12.) Oursins (Sea Urchin-- in photo above)~ I don't even recall seeing this on the menu but I can tell you from looking at the photo, I won't be trying it. Escargot (which is my 2nd favorite) is the only slimy I can do, mainly because of the sauce with all that butter and garlic and parsley. 

Now go out and try some Tripe. You know, at that French restaurant downtown. And leave the sea urchins on the beach!

***************************************************

To see photos of each, click on TheLocal list below. 

(List from TheLocal.fr)

(Photo from Marco Busdraghi from Wikipedia)

Pacific Seafood endangered?

We're not eating much seafood these days 

after recently reading a blog about the frightening and so-far unexplained carnage

of Pacific ocean seafood and wildlife

(possibly due to radiation from Fukushima.) 

I've read several different articles

from Oceana, NOAA and even the FDA's faq's

but so far, not feeling assured

especially after witnessing my own bizarre scene of wildlife carnage

on the beach at Manzanita last month.

I love seafood and am missing it.

So I'm enjoying photos of fresh fish from Greece's Mediterranean. 

What are your thoughts about radiation

from Fukushima

reaching our seafood?

(photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

He said, She said and Haute Cuisine~ Missing Paris Day

After seeing this sweet French film recently, Haute Cuisine, (which I loved and recommend if mainly for Catherine Frot's beautifully strong leading performance and the delicious culinary scenes), I couldn't help but take a peek at the article on the new book out by the head man in the main kitchen of the palace.

Chef Bernard Vaussion, who's been employed in the Elysee Palace's main kitchen since 1974 and is retiring Wednesday, has published a memoir: La Cuisine de l'Elysee: a la Table des Presidents.

According to the film (based on the true story of a country woman from the Perigord, real name Daniele Mazet-Delpeuch, sought after by Francois Mitterand to be his personal chef in the palace's smaller, private kitchen), the men of the palace's main kitchen (so Monsieur Vaussion?) caused her some grief.

In an interview with Mazet-Delpeuch in the New Zealand Herald, when asked how difficult it was to work in such a male-dominated arena, she replied, "When I am in the kitchen, I am the boss and some people didn't like that." About the film, she states that it was well done and that "the atmosphere of the palace kitchen was portrayed in a very real way; hard but also very enjoyable to be the president's private chef." 

Mazet-Delpeuch has spent time this year touring for promotion of the film. But lest you think she is self-serving in her pursuit, when asked about her next adventure, she answers that she is considering "a project that has been presented to me that involves teaching young, orphaned Indian women to cook so that they may have some hope for their future and be able to support themselves." 

"Cooking has never been a career for me--it is a passport for adventures." 

                                ***********************************************

In his book, Vaussion details the eating habits of each of the six French heads he worked under from Georges Pompidou to the current Francois Hollande.

In case you're interested:

Pompidou (1969-74) preferred traditional French cooking, heavy and rich like Boeuf Bourgignon.
Valery Giscard d'Estaing (1974-81) was partial to lighter, healthier fare and loved scrambled eggs with truffle sauce.
Mitterand (1981-95) adored Breton oysters, the finest foie gras and caviar.
Jacques Chirac (1995-2007) was famous for his love of veal's head (or Tete de Veau).
Nicolas Sarkozy (2007-12) also preferred healthy food in keeping with his trim figure. But with the recession, he took it upon himself to remove the most expensive caviar and cheeses from the menu (except when Angela Merkel came to visit!)
Francois Hollande (2012-present), a chocolate and wine lover, has put cheese back on the menu. Apparently also a huge fan of the American cheeseburger, maybe that's just been too much for M. Vaussion.




(Article by Catherine Viette from France24.com)
(Interview by Nici Wickes in The New Zealand Herald)
(Mazet-Delpeuch's book Here)

Evenings with an Author: Gerald Shea at The American Library in Paris

The American Library in Paris presents Gerald Shea this Tuesday October 29, 2013 at 19:30.

Shea, a lawyer who has lived and worked in both Paris and New York, will speak about his memoir,
Song without Words: Discovering my Deafness Halfway Through Life. Like Helen Keller, he lost much of his hearing to scarlet fever when he was 6 but only discovered and was given an actual diagnosis at the age of 34. (Shea devotes a chapter to Helen Keller in his memoir.)

In an interview with Caroline Leavitt (novelist, screenwriter, writing instructor for UCLA's Extension Writer's Program and Stanford online), Shea beautifully describes life before and after his diagnosis:

"As my world grew quieter, losing high frequency sounds but keeping many lows, I wasn't conscious of it, and thought that everyone else heard words as I did, but was much faster at understanding them than I was. I have always been, I think, a happy person, and became, instinctively, an excellent lipreader. When I didn't understand, which happened often, I would laugh, or change the subject, or even sing. Music and laughter take you a long way. So I always had lots of friends, though as a child I had my angels and saints too, as I write in the book, whose voices, of my own creation, of course, were beautifully clear to me. 

"When I was finally diagnosed at age 34, at Columbia P&S, and Dr. Chang fully explained what was wrong, I was devastated. I thought back, immediately, during the seconds and minutes after I fully grasped what my life had been, to all that I had lost: the words, the ideas, the opportunities: all that lost time as Proust put it in writing of memories. And yet, I always thought, still do, that I have, and have had, a full life.

     The most moving element of my discovery, as I write in the book, was that day out in the country when I rediscovered the sounds of nature, the crickets, heavenly crickets, and the birds, the rainfall, the footsteps, the breaths, the wind, the water, the merry bubble and joy of my life as a young child. They are like Proust's madeleines, except they had been absent for almost three decades. They were a remembrance of things past, and on that day and thereafter, beautifully, miraculously it seemed, present again." 

(Being one who also suffers hearing loss, I truly wish I could hear Shea speak on the subject and on his memoir (no pun intended.) I strongly relate to his discussion of hearing things other than what was spoken and of how very much is missed. I sometimes describe hearing loss as being able to hear the sound of the voices but what is said comes across as a foreign language with nothing actually being internalized. Or of hearing things completely different than what was expressed.  I frequently go home from events, lectures, author readings trying to calculate what percentage I actually heard. If someone who knows and loves me is sitting next to me through the event, they are frequently subjected to missing segments while being asked to repeat what was just said. Without meaning to, we daily and repeatedly test the patience and stamina of our loved ones. Most people who know me have figured out that if I've just smiled and nodded but not answered their question, it's because I didn't hear it. If not, they simply think I'm being rude.)

Since I can't be there, I will definitely be reading his book.

If you're in Paris, go hear Gerald Shea at The American Library in Paris tomorrow night.

(Excerpt via CarolineLeavittefille blog with Caroline's permission)
**************************************************

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/ 

Tues-Sat: 10h-19h, Sun: 13h-19h.

Uffizi Gallery in Florence~ Travelin' Tuesday

Staying with our Florence theme this week,

the above is located outside the famous Uffizi Gallery

which began construction in 1560 

by Georgio Vasari for Cosimo I de Medici 

and continued until 1581.

(Behind it stands the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio (the old palace)

which has two small cells

and at one time held both

 Cosimo de Medici (the elder) and Girolamo Savonarola. )

Uffizi means offices and it became the offices for the magistrates 

and one of the first public museums

being one of the oldest. 

It houses works from the likes of 

Botticelli, da Vinci, Michelangelo, Filippo Lippi, 

Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio and Rembrandt. 

And this little cutie stands nearby. 

Love these amazingly ornate columns. 

Oh to be wandering the galleries of artworks today

standing in the beauty of such greatness. 

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Details from Wiki

Lunch overlooking the David in Firenze

I'm coming to the end of my writing retreat 

and I've decided we need a little more of Florence this week

since that's where I've been in my head. 

This little place is preparing for lunch on the famous square,

the Piazza della Signoria,

the entryway to the Uffizi Gallery and

home of the famous statues you see in the background. 

That is a reproduction of Michelangelo's David on the left of course,

and on the right is Bandinelli's Hercules and Cacus.

And between them is the entrance to the Palazzo Vecchio (or Old Palace). 

Now the Town Hall for Florence

and the home of the Mayor's office and City Council,

it was once the home of Cosimo I before he moved across the Arno River

to the Palazzo Pitti.

That's when Cosimo began calling it the Old Palace. 

And speaking of old,

there's one other photo I just have to share:

In case you are wondering what I will look like when I'm aged,

this is it. 

Permanently bent over my writing

and possibly sound asleep, 

though I cannot guaranty my socks will match anything. 

Can you tell I'm getting punchy?! 

Until we meet again...

ciao.

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Florence on my mind...Travelin' Tuesday

I'm busy working on the novel this week 

from my writing retreat on the Oregon Coast

and my characters are in Florence right this minute

so it seemed a good time to pull out some of the Florence photos. 

I don't recall the exact location of this spot 

but pretty sure it is right near the Uffizi Gallery...

and the Arno river...and the Ponte Vecchio bridge. 

The shot reminds me of olives smothered in olive oil

and authentic pizza with red wine...

like this...

My characters are in the midst of a helicopter tour of Florence

with one of the most wealthy moguls in the world

which I never got to do 

but it was fun to write about.

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Les Pains et fleurs~ Missing Paris Day

Like this photo because it combines two things I love in Paris:

The boulangeries and the florist shops. 

Now if I could just be walking down  Boulevard de Grenelle 

eating the end off one of these long, honey-colored baguettes

with blossoming flowers for my table. 

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Montmartre Wine Harvest this week

The Vendanges de Montmartre (wine harvest) is this 

Wednesday through Sunday, October 9-13, 2013,

throughout the 18th arrondissement neighborhood. 

While initially begun in 1934,

the Vendanges continues every year 

mostly as symbolic tradition of the hill's once plentiful vineyards.

The theme this year of Love and Passion

will focus on food and art 

with wine tastings, local food samplings, music and dancing. 

The only tiny vineyard still working and visible on the hill

produces about 1,500 bottles of

Gamay and Pinot Noir. 

You can still view the plot at 14-18 rue des Saules.

Free fireworks and music will be held

Saturday October 12th at 9:45pm.

Metro: 

Take the 12 Line to Jules Joffrin, Lamarck Caulaincourt, Pigalle or Abbesses,

or the 2 Line to Blanche or Anvers. 

For a full list of events and maps,

go to GoParis here.

Details via GoParis.about.com. 

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)