Place de la Concorde

In January.
 

(click to enlarge)

Hot chai

Sometimes there's nothing's more warming on a cold day than a chai latte with someone who loves to laugh as much as you do.

Winter of discontent

Now is the winter of our discontent. - William Shakespeare (Richard III)

A Paris butcher

 

 

Head bowed in reverie, a butcher prepares a roast for pickup.

Touch of spring

Bright mimosas on the sidewalk in front of a Montmartre florist.

Striking

Today ends almost two straight months of non-stop strikes protesting the government's proposed retirement reforms. For now. Despite endless civil upheavals, encroaching homeless and migrant populations, pollution and soaring crime, like the Eiffel Tower, Paris always manages to keep its head held high, and for visitors, its clichés - fashionistas, dawdling for hours at cafés, baguettes, fabulous wines, cheeses, small dogs, macaron-nibbling Parisiennes and sexy French lovers - remain intact. For now. - BPJ

 

Carpe diem

An expresso, a café crème and to share, a luscious Saint Honoré pastry.

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"The ant had wasted its life and its beauty hoarding for winter only to discover a world of beautiful, carefree grasshoppers." 😱 - Coffee partner and local philosopher J. S.

Au revoir Alsace

Until the next time.

Below: entry wall; vestiges of a Christmas market; local police go retro; a canal view; zimmer frei

Official website: Tourism Alsace

Cat on a balcony

A cat makes its way to the neighbor's.

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Tasting Alsace #3

Alsatian fare is generous and essentially a cold weather cuisine, much like the invigorating fondues and fromage-charcuterie planches of the French Alps.

Above: modern twist on a childhood favorite, Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte; succulent fresh fish choucroute 

Below: potato-ham-mushroom-onion gratinée topped w/Munster cheese (the town of Munster is a short drive via a scenic wine route); a village street

Paris-Strasbourg
TGV train daily (2 hours 20 minutes) + car rental at station

(driving from Paris: 4 hours via toll roads)

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Addresses in February newsletter

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"Tasting Alsace" is dedicated to Anthony Bourdain.

Below: Le Chambard Hotel in Kaysersberg, his final stop
R.I.P.

3 hours (or less) from Paris - Tasting Alsace #2

Because of Alsace's history its cuisine teeters somewhere between traditional German and French. Sauerkraut, choucroute in French, is king. When garnished with selected cuts of pork and sausages from Strasbourg, it is the region's signature dish.

Above: a memorable choucroute garnie; a refreshing salad; Alsatian wine (not shown: 7-hour beer-braised Schweinshaxe, pork knuckle, atop yet more choucroute)

 Below: crème brûlée alight w/Grand Marnier; wood oven extra thin crust flammeküche (topping: crème fraîche, onions, lardons, sprinkling of cumin seeds); view from a bridge

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Tasting Alsace #1

Once part of Germany, magical Alsace, with its storybook towns of half-timbered cottages, distinct wines, and hearty cuisine, is certainly one of France's most beautiful regions.

On this post-New Year's Day visit we headed for medieval villages Eguisheim, Riquewihr, Kaysersberg and Colmar with its "Petite Venise."

Above: an after-dinner stroll saw Christmas decorations still up everywhere.

Below: a local boulangerie and within, kougelhopfs - "the Alsatian brioche" - made from a yeast dough

Café and bicycle

A Paris cliché.

Street art

On a Montmartre side street.

Night cathedral - Reims #2

View toward main altar inside the resplendent interior.

Below: gothic arches and colimaçon pulpit; back exterior view

Night cathedral - Reims

 

The history of France quietly reposes within a cathedral whose beauty rivals Notre-Dame de Paris.

Above: an excursion to the Alsace region found us stopping in Reims on the way where we were in for a rare treat, a visit to the cathedral at night

Cathédrale Nôtre-Dame de Reims

From Paris:

1 hour by train (TGV)

2-hour drive (1 1/2 hours if you drive like my French husband)

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REIMS: City of Art and Culture

Reprint from 6-article series on the Champagne region

© Barbara Pasquet James

If you count each bottle, there are millions of reasons to visit Reims, Rheims in English, The City of Champagne.

 

 However like many who come to this city of 180,000 in the heart of the Champagne-Ardenne, I came mostly to see its cathedral, larger than Nôtre-Dame de Paris, where almost all the kings of France were crowned.

I wanted to see the Smiling Angel's smile, to try and spot the ancestors of Christ on the portal over the main door, savor its gargoyles and flying buttresses and contemplate the Simon family's famed stained-glass “rosettes.” Marc Chagall’s trademark blues would dance with light, illuminating the small chapel behind the main altar. I saw all this, and more, and was not disappointed.

But Reims was, of course, much more than its magnificent cathedral. It is an ancient university town teeming with history, art, and culture. In pre-Roman times Reims was the fortified capital of a Gaulish tribe. Following the Roman conquest, its strategic position increased its military importance from the 3rd century onwards as the Romans tried to protect the city from invasion. At the same time, the city became Christian, and the first cathedral was built. The Roman forum, Cryptoporticus, and the Gate of Mars – the largest monumental arch built in the Roman world – are the only two structures to have survived from this period.

Today the city sits atop miles of tunnels connecting hundreds of massive crayeres (chalk pits) quarried by the Romans. They are now used by champagne houses such as Veuve Clicquot, Pommery, Taittinger and Ruinart to store countless bottles of a certain monk's delightfully accidental discovery. Ruinart's cellars have been designated a monument historique.

Not quite an hour and a half from Paris, Reims is sister ville fleurie to Canterbury, Saltzburg and Florence. Not surprisingly, the best place to start exploring is from the Cathedral, whose spires are visible for miles.

Some highlights:

* Notre-Dame Cathedral
The Cathedral of Our Lady, considered a masterpiece of Gothic art, was started in 1211. It was the cathedral of coronations for French kings in memory of the baptism of Clovis, the first King of France, by Saint Remi, probably on Christmas Day, 498. The Smiling Angel statue is on the left portal on the west front. Over the centuries there were alterations, fires and endless restorations. Joan of Arc assisted in the installation of Charles VII as king here in 1429, though she never lived to see the cathedral as it is today.

* Tau Palace
Formerly the Archbishop's Palace, this was built by Mansart and Robert de Cotte in 1690. It’s just behind the cathedral and houses its museum with tapestries, sculptures and artifacts from the kings' coronations. The "Salle du Tau," once used as a banqueting hall after coronations, is astounding.

* Saint-Remi Basilica and Saint-Remi Abbey Museum
The church is the largest Romanesque pilgrimage church in northern France and was built as a shrine to Saint Remi. It is a wonderful example of early Gothic style. The museum is the famous Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Remi, and reliquary of the Holy Ampula used for the coronation of French kings. It also houses the city's Museum of History and Archeology. Impressive collections from Pre-history to the Renaissance as well as a large military history section can be seen here. The chapter house dates from the 12th to 13th centuries.

Fine Arts Museum
 This museum, housed in the former living quarters of the Abbey of Saint-Denis, has extensive collections from the Renaissance to today. In addition to early Renaissance canvasses, there is a series of Cranach portraits and a noteworthy collection of Corot paintings.

* Cryptoporticus
Semi-subterranean remains of the Roman Forum (200 A.D.).

Museum of The Surrender
This map room in Eisenhower's headquarters was where the signing of the surrender of German troops took place, May 7, 1945. The original table and chairs where each of the participants sat are still in place.

Musée Automobile Reims Champagne
Vintage cars, motorbikes, pedal cars, several thousands of miniatures and period publicity posters; renews exhibitions regularly.

To discover Reims' art, museums, ancient abbeys and churches, not to mention the city's restaurants and cafés, plan on staying for at least a couple of days. And not to forget, Reims' champagne houses open their doors to visitors all year round.

Getting there:
By train: From Paris, Gare de l’Est - 12 connections daily www.sncf.fr
By car: A4-E50 to Reims

Where to eat:

Café du Palais
(stone's throw from the cathedral; ceiling by Jacques Simon)
(lunch)

Restaurant "Le Parc" - Les Crayeres
(dinner) 

Visit:
Tourism Office
Tourisme Champagne-Ardenne

 

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* UNESCO World Heritage sites

That one, please

Though the Feast of the Epiphany falls on January 6, galettes des rois will dominate boulangerie shelves until the end of the month.

Above: in France, galettes, tartes and gâteaux (cakes) are sold according to set portion sizes

Beastly

True to its beastly nature, "the hulking Polyphemus makes a show of hospitality at first, but soon turns hostile" - Summary Book 9 - The Odyssey

 

Medici Fountain
Jardin du Luxembour

 

 

Holiday drop-ins

The flûtes were set out by the chimney with care....

Plenty of festive food and drink on hand for drop-by visitors from the quartier.

Above: foie gras toasts with red onion fig chutney maison; tomato-mozzarella candy cane; traditional Austrian hazelnut vanilla butter crescents (family recipe) ready for the oven

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Recipes: January newsletter

New Year's Eve table

With ongoing strikes many stayed close to home on New Year's Eve.

Below: a healthy spread of Swedish gravlax, baba ganoush (secret recipe), caviar canapés, creative salads, 3 desserts (not shown). And champagne 

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Recipes: January newsletter

New Year's Day table

Roast goose, homemade cranberry relish, more, made a beautiful New Year's Day dinner.

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Recipes: January newsletter

Bonne Année 2020

 

*** 365 jours de joie et bonheur à tous ***