Say cheese

Palate (and palette) pleasing AOC cheeses from a local fromagerie enhance the stay-at-home experience.

A palace in winter

 

(click to enlarge)  

 

The Palace of Versailles, Grand and Petit Trianon will remain closed but the park of Versailles, the lake of the Swiss Guard and the Estate of Marly are open to walking from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

 

- Check website regularly for updates -

Fall, on stairs

Fallen leaves cover this steep stairway from top to bottom.

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Autumn in Montmartre

A turkey in Turkey

 

 

 A week ago today marked Thanksgiving, a favorite American holiday that, in France, or any country outside the US, usually gets put on hold until the weekend, as ours does almost every year. But the upshot is that because of the weekend option there is often more than one Thanksgiving feast over the four days spanning Thursday through Sunday.

 

The exquisite bird, (above) weighing in at eight kilos and just out of the oven, was left to repose for about an hour before being carved so its juices could be redistributed. Ordered two weeks ahead from an organic farm, it had been brined overnight before being roasted, and reminded me of the Thanksgiving turkey with crackling skin we had in Istanbul a few years back, high on a terrace overlooking the Bosphorus with postcard views of the city skyline at sunset.

 

That was the first time I'd ever had a brined turkey and it was a game changer. The guests were from all over the world, and while everyone was working their way through Turkish mezze appetizers as well as delectable French hors d'oeuvres spread out on a terrace table outside, inside, traditional Thanksgiving side dishes and pies were being laid out buffet style, making it a truly international feast. - BPJ

 

Merci Tom Paris

 

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Tomorrow:

Looking back: fooding and spice markets in Old Istanbul

Iron maiden

The Eiffel Tower is scheduled to re-open Wednesday December 16, 2020.

 Above: previously published photo w/a vintage postcard makeover

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 Update: 12/16 re-opening cancelled until further notice

 😢

Bookstore blues

Passing a small Montmartre librairie I was struck by the lineup of morose suggested book titles.

Le culte

 The Basilica of Sacré Coeur on a November evening.

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Yesterday an English friend asked about the use of “culte," a word that turned up in "déplacements pour se rendre dans un lieu de culte" on the latest ramped up attestation that everyone has to fill out to justify why they're outside.

In French, all religions, Catholicism in particular, are referred to as “cults” - a term which takes many a native English speaker aback as it carries with it undertones of sects, of secret rites and dodgy rituals.

All it means is that since Saturday, attending religious services is now allowed. - BPJ