Postcards From the Lake: Paris in Watercolor

I'm back at the lake, having arrived on Thursday afternoon. Rick's on his way to South Carolina, via Pennsylvania and Maryland, then to visit friends and his dad in North Carolina. We'll connect in a couple of weeks for my birthday and more lake time. Meanwhile, for now it's just me and Lizzie. I'm glad my cousin David is down the road this week but there's a lot to be said for alone-time, too. Books to read, art to do, outdoor time! 

 

For many years, I participated in the blog event "Paris In July." I really haven't read any books set in Paris or France recently or seen any French movies. But I've wanted to participate. So, on my first night at the lake, I went through some of my past watercolors and chose the ones based on my Paris photos to share.

Paris In July: Some of My Personal Faves

This is the final week for Paris In July, a month-long blog event focusing on all things Parisian hosted by Tamara at Thyme for Tea and Deb at Readerbuzz. This week I'm taking a trip down memory lane and featuring some of my favorite Paris photos from various journeys. 

Walking in Paris -- or any city -- is filled with surprises. Look up, down, behind you, to the left and right. Into shop windows or lesser known attractions. Inside, outside. All times of day. Some of these will mean nothing to anyone but me. But I hope some of these take you a bit off the well-beaten paths! (Although I couldn't resist my favorite Eiffel Tower photo!)

Paris In July: The Paris Key

If I had to sum up "The Paris Key" by Juliet Blackwell in one sentence it would be "It was a good book to read while suffering with a moderate concussion and cut up face."

The Gargoyles of Notre Dame

Which may be damning with faint praise.

Paris In July: Adding to My Fave Guidebooks!

During 2014's Paris in July, I did a post on some of my favorite guide books and maps to Paris. Those remain some of my favorites and you can find that post HERE. (Photos in this post are mine.)

The antique market at Vanves

But what about a more recent option? I have found it in the very delightful and well organized and illustrated "Paris," a Curious Traveler Guide by Eleanor Aldridge. The back of the book blurb calls it "An Insider's Guide to Paris without Pretension." It lives up to that hype.

Paris In July: Something Old!

Let's face it. We all like a good buy when we travel -- a souvenir, something special to bring home, maybe as a gift or just to treasure. And yes, in Paris you can go to some of the wonderful stores like Le Bon Marche, Galleries Lafayette, Printemps or BHV Marais. But it's even a little more fun to bring home something you've found at a flea market, brocante or vides grenier.

My friend Jerry is a master at finding wonderful items (and knowing how to bargain for them! So, come with us to a few spots!

Paris In July: France, A Love Story

I love reading essays and short pieces about a topic or place I enjoy. If you do as well, "France, A Love Story" (subtitled "Women Write about the French Experience) might suit you well. Edited by Camille Cusamano, the book features 25 essays by women both unknown and known to me, including M.F.K. Fisher, Ruth Reichl and Alice B. Toklas.

Paris In July 2021 - A Walk Along the Seine

As I've gone through photos and memories for this year's Paris In July posts, I was struck by many photos taken as Rick and I walked along the Seine, so please join us  for a walk along this wonderful river that cuts through the very heart of Paris.

Paris In July 2021: The Hugh Marston Mysteries

Paris In July is one of my favorite blog parties. Each July a group of bloggers who love Paris (and France) write about books, film, travel, food and all things French or set in France. My first offering for this event are two books set in Paris by Mark Pryor.

Paris in July: Notre Dame -- Good News

None of us who love Paris will forget the tragic fire that took down much of the famed church, including its elegant spire.

When that fell, live on television, people standing, watching the television in the restaurant we were eating collectively gasped.

And even more wondered -- what happens next?

After the fall, there was much discussion. Could the church be saved? (Quite possibly, with much work and expense.)

Were most of the treasures removed? (Yes, including the remarkable Rose Window.)

Would the spire be rebuilt as it was or would a new, more contemporary design take its place?

That question was up for grabs until just recently.

 There is good reason to rejoice. Restoration work is underway and the spire will be replaced.

It will take a long while. But it will be done.

Paris in July: Remembrance of Things Paris

When "Gourmet" magazine folded in November 2009, readers lost not only a wonderful source of recipes but some fascinating articles that took them around the world. In "Remembrance of Things Paris," a collection of essays from sixty years of the magazine, editor Ruth Reichl pulls out not only the best of the "food" posts about Paris but also features that visited other spots in the City of Light.

Through the eyes of several journalists, we get to step behind the scenes at such spots as Cartier's, the Druout auction house and the House of Dior.

The first few offerings visit Paris after World War II, noting the changes this devastating event made on the city and its cooking. One that particularly touched me was a selection by George Bijur in which he visits his old phonetics teacher after the war and is subsequently invited to the old man's home for a memorable chicken dinner.

While it may have been a magazine for those who love food, the articles I loved best both in Gourmet and in this book were about Paris itself, many by Joseph Wechsberg or Naomi Berry. Wechsberg  takes readers to such intriguing places as Librarie Salet (a gourmet and rare cookbook shop) , the Parisian Police Museum, the Musee du Cinema and introduces readers to the "nose" of Guerlain, makers of internationally renowned perfumes.

He also takes viewers to the Marche aux Fleurs (one of my favorite places).

And he gets a rare interview with the man who made Berthillon a "must visit" spot for anyone traveling to Paris.

New Yorker architecture critic looks at "The New Face of Paris," buildings created in more recent decades that are nothing like the classic Haussman-type architecture we see.

Chef Patric Kuh writes about his earliest experiences working in a professional kitchen in "When I was Green," in which he had to master the essential art of asparagus.

Michael Lewis, author of "Moneyball" and "The Big Short" tells of his parents' visit to Paris and his commitment to make an authentic cassoulet -- which isn't that easy to do when mom is in the kitchen. (He shares the recipe.)

Several pieces look at the old Les Halles market and the new Halles at Rungis, all with great nostalgia for what was lost when the great food market, the "belly of Paris," was moved out of town.

And with Llian Langseth Christiansen we step into a private post-Christening party -- no small thing! (Menu included!)

Editor Judith Jones and her husband, Evan, recall a Christmas in Paris. Jones was the editor who took a chance on a young cookbook author named Julia Child. Her story was one of my favorites, perhaps because of her reference to the delightful bakery, Poilane, one Rick and I visited several years ago.

Another renowned American, Alice B. Toklas is fondly remembered. One never lunched at Alice's in a hurry!

But should you think that restaurants and bistros are left out, think again. Both Wechsberg and Berry cover the bistro scene. Wechsberg visits a restaurant seeing its star power in "When Michelin comes Calling," and "The Young Chefs of Paris" (written in 1979) features "newcomers" at the time.

Frank J. Prial vsits some wine vendors.

Two splendid pieces focus on the legendary Belle Epoch restaurant, Maxim's, while Naomi Berry also looks at Paris ' Haute Chocolaterie and visits many well regarded chocolatiers, bringing back recipes from the Hotel Meurice, Le Crillon, the Ritz and more.

Indeed, for the intrepid cook (particularly one with a budget to play with) there is much to enjoy in this delightful book of mostly short selections, long after the last page is turned!

I've had this book on my shelf for too long and now wonder why I didn't read it cover to cover at the first opportunity. Perhaps it was meant to be saved for now, when the thought of returning to Paris and the reality of that possibility seem like polar opposites. In these selections I was taken to spots Í have visitied and those into which I'd probably never be allowed in. But oh, that I could!

This post is part of Paris in July, a blog event focusing on food, music, films, style, books, travel and all things Parisian and French. For links to other Paris in July posts, visit HERE. (Another Paris in July post visiting the arts square Place du Tertre is below.)

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Paris In July: Bringing Paris to My Art Table

I will admit that it's touristy. But I also have to admit that on my first visit to Paris I was most delighted to visit the Place du Tertre in Montmartre where artists were selling their wares and painting on the streets.

Some were taking advantage of the tourist souvenir trade to do a portrait. (This subject looks as though she was forced to sit there by her mother!)

Others had their own interpretations of Parisian views.

You could buy...

...you could look.

Competition to be an artist in this small square just a few metres from Sacre Coeur is stiff. Only a few types of art are allowed -- painting, portraites, caricature and silhouette. Artists alternate days in their stalls, sharing a small space of about three square feet.

It is said that the waiting list to be artist on Place du Tertre is ten years long!

I don't think I'll ever be ready for Place du Tertre, but I will certainly admit that Paris makes a delightful subject for any artist -- including me. Below, a bit of a gallery. This was the view from my friend Jerry's bedroom window where we stayed on our first two visits.

A night at the cafe? Oh, that was a good evening!

One of my favorite attractions? The bouquinistes!

Or, take a break in the park. You'll certainly find a vendor in the Tuileries or Jardin du Luxembourg from whom to rent a boat.

Walking by the Seine is always a treat. (This needs to be reworked.)

And the night -- so beautiful and romantic.

The hills of Montmartre and the striking view of Sacre Coeur always make the heart beat a bit faster!

And while in Montmartre, a building that seems to be in every photographer's collection, including mine.

One can't forget the inspiration of the Eiffel Tower.

I've painted it many times, from many angles.

I'm quite sure I will do it again.

And again.

And finally, Notre Dame. I can't seem to get this right.

The sketch was better than the painting. (Although I do like my trees.)

But I try, a different angle. (I won't even show you the painting from that one!)

Ah well. Even if I was good enough, I probably wouldn't outlive the waiting list and the work visa.

But it's fun to imagine!

This post is part of Paris in July, a blog event hosted  by Tamara at Thyme for Tea in which bloggers share Paris-related travel, art, books, films, photography and more. Check out current posts HERE.

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Paris In July: Four by Laurain

Sometimes you find an author whose work just fits you. And perhaps it fits this time as well, when reality is so disconcerting and oppressive. Sometimes a little fantasy -- not too much off the mark, but just enough -- is the perfect escape antidote.

That's how I feel about the work of Antoine Laurain, the author of several books translated from the French including the ones I mention here -- "The Red Notebook," "The President's Hat," "Vintage 1954" and "The Portrait." A little fantasy but very real types of people, happy endings and a lot of joy -- I need that these days!

Antoine Laurain (source: Wikipedia)

Laurain may be known to some as a novelist, screenwriter, film director and journalist. Born and bred in Paris, he studied film and his first "occupation"was writing screenplays and directly short films.  But what I find especially intriguing about him, particularly when considering his books, is that he is a collector of things and at one time early in his career, assisted a Paris antiques dealer.

According to his biography on Belgravia Books, that experience inspired his first novel, "The Portrait," which was the most recent read of the four here. The premise is simple, a well-to-do married attorney with a passion for collecting buys a portrait at auction of a man in 17th century dress at an outrageous price. It captures his eye because he believes it looks exactly like him but to his chagrin, his wife or friends see no resemblance, which frustrates him. He ventures forth to learn more about the subject of the painting. Could it be it is a relative? Or even more unlikely, could it be that he is recognized as the long-missing Comte of a grand vineyard? It's a bit of time travel and fantasy and sheer delight.

His next book, "The President's Hat," received the Prix Landerneau Decouvertes and more. The premise is simple -- While dining at a restaurant, French president Mitterand leaves behind his hat. The gentleman dining next to him, rather than returning it, wears it home and finds that things that had been amiss improve dramatically. He is crushed when he leaves it on a train, only to have it found by a woman in different but equally difficult straits. It's power allows her to make life changing decisions. The hat passes on to other owners before it is joined back with Mitterand, each experiencing a significant change in their lives. Was it really the hat that made the difference? Or was it the wearing of the hat that gave each owner a bit of confidence and bravado?

Several years later, in 2015, "The Red Notebook" (still my favorite) became one of Gallic Books' best sellers in the K and the USA. There's a bit less "magic" in this one but so much heart. A woman is mugged, her purse stolen and trashed. The money is gone, but a bookstore owner finds the bag and becomes obsessed with finding the woman whose red notebook is so fascinating to him. Little does he know that she has suffered a head injury from the attack and is in the hospital. Of course, we know it will be a happy ending -- but how the pair finally connect with one another is a most delightful journey.

Finally, "Vintage 1954"takes us into the world of wine and time travel, another delightful fantasy. It turns out that the vintner who tasted a bottle of the 1954 vintage claimed forever to have encounters with aliens and traveling to another time. It is a story that intrigues his great grandson, Julian. When Julian, a young woman of whom he is fond, the owner of their apartment building and a tourist drink a bottle of the wine that the owner discovers in his cellar, the four find themselves in a new old world, the world of 1954, where they connect with such luminaries as a young Audrey Hepburn, Salvador Dali and Edith Piaf. Will they be able to find their way back to 1917? Of course they will -- but how? And did the journey change them?

I've not read other Laurain books but I will. His upbeat fantasy connects real life to dreams. No trolls or Hobbits or elves. These are real people in unreal circumstances -- that maybe could happen to anyone.

This post is part of Paris in July, a collection of blog posts hosted by Tamara at Thyme for Tea. Visit this link to check out other posts related to the books, music, films, sights and more in the City of Light.

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