Pilgrimage

Today was a good day.  A very good day.

Susan has a good day whenever she goes shopping.  When shopping at IKEA, Susan has a very good day.

Today, we made the pilgrimage to IKEA, like we did during Year 2 in Florence.  

We visited the one of the seven* IKEA stores located on the outskirts of Paris to shop for a few items, like extra pillows, bed linens and some accessories.  Plus, it is sale time in France (soldes = sale).  The only thing better than shopping is sale shopping. 

The shopping trip was a huge success, as evident in the photos below.

It was a very good day.  

*Fun Fact:  Paris has seven IKEA stores spread around the city.  Incredible.  Plus, this Summer, IKEA is opening a store in the heart of Paris, near our apartment.  We picked the right year to live in Paris.

*Another Fun Fact:  While in Italy, we learned that one out of every four Europeans was conceived on an IKEA bed.  Who knew?

Today (Part 2 of 2)

Chandeleur continues.

There are many traditions associated with Chandeleur.

One is drinking French cidre (cider in French).  So, we enjoyed some authentic cidre from Normandy. 

Another involves a coin and flipping a crêpe.  The trick is holding the coin in your usual hand (right hand if you are right-handed) and using your other hand to flip the crêpe.  Both of us succeeded.  Check it out.

No cheating here.  The dude with the beret is left-handed.

A successful flip without dropping the coin means financial good fortune for a year.  Lucky for us.

It also means we get to eat a chocolate crêpe--crêpe au chocolat.  Lucky for us.     

Today (Part 1 of 2)

What is today?

Today, February 2, is Groundhog Day in the U.S. and Chandeleur in France. 

In the U.S., people eagerly await the arrival of Punxatawney Phil and his prognostication about a short or long winter.  If Phil sees his shadow (which means the sun is shining), then it's 6 more weeks of winter weather.  If Phil doesn't see his shadow (which means it is cloudy, rainy or snowing), then Spring will arrive early. 

In France, there is no furry rodent that emerges from hibernation to signal a long Winter or early Spring.  Instead, the French look out their windows at the sky to learn what is to come.  Our French friend Eliane explained:

Le dicton du jour--"A la chandeleur l'hiver meurt ou prend vigueur."    

The saying of the day--"On chandeleur winter dies or becomes stronger."    

So, what is the best feature of Chandeleur in France?  On Chandeleur, eating crepes is customary.  Crepes represent the sun (because they are round and golden) or they represent prosperity (since they are made with flour saved from last year's harvest).  Knowing the French, we suspect eating crepes today is a legal requirement.  Because we want to live local and not get carted off to the Bastille by the fearsome Crepe Police, we enjoyed some crepes at lunch today. 

Crêpe mixte (jambon et fromage)

Yum!

Chandeleur, which occurs on the midpoint between the Winter solstice and the Spring equinox, has a pagan origin and was absorbed into the Christian tradition as the day on which Jesus was presented at the temple, 40 days after his birth.  The day is celebrated in Catholic churches in France with the blessing and lighting of candles.  Today, we visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Victories (Basilique Notre-Dame des Victoires) during a solemn candlelight service.

Basilique Notre-Dame des Victoires

As you can see in the photo above, the day was cold and cloudy.  So, that means an early Spring in Paris.  Very good news.    

Year 4: Pop Quiz #1 (Answers)

A few days ago, we asked you to identify (a) the column pictured below and (b) the dude standing on top of the column.

The generally accepted answers are (a) the Vendôme Column and (b) Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

Congratulations to friend and blog reader Melinda for being the first to correctly answer the questions.  Melinda earned 150 points and holds first place.  

A close second was Greg's brother Mike.  Better luck next time, Mike.

The Vendôme Column:  In 1810, Napoleon erected a triumphal column in the center of the Place Vendôme, a large square located a couple of blocks from our apartment.  The column celebrates Napoleon's 1805 victory at Austerlitz against the Russian and Austrian imperial armies.  The column is modeled on Trajan's Column in Rome (pictured below).  Like Trajan's Column, the Vendôme Column depicts a series of military scenes spiraling upward to the top, where Napoleon stands triumphant.

Trajan's Column in Rome

The Napoleon statue was torn down shortly after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo and was later restored.  Then entire column (with the statue) was again torn down decades later, but was restored in 1874 and remains standing.  

Honorable Mention:  The best answer we received comes from friend Jean-Charles, a long-time Parisian:  

"Who is the  dude on the column, I must tell you that I found the answer: It’s very simple. During the great days of my business time my own office was 5 rue de Castiglione -the street leading to the Vendôme square. So the dude is probably me!!!"

Who knew?

Museums in Paris: Musée du Louvre #1

What do you do on a cold January day in Paris?  

One option is visiting the well-heated Louvre art museum, which is what we did.  

The Louvre is big--very, very big--with much to see.  So, the first thing we did was purchase annual passes.  We are now Amis du Louvre (Friends of the Louvre), which means we can visit as often as we wish and, most importantly, skip the regular entrance line.  

We plan to see as much of the Louvre as possible, in many small doses.  

During our first visit, we saw a few well-known works of art.  

Venus de Milo:

About 100 B.C.

Winged Victory:

About 190 B.C.

La Joconde (the Mona Lisa):

By Leonardo da Vinci (1503)

With much more to see, we are looking forward to many return visits to the Louvre.

P.S.  You are welcome to join us.

Questions about Year 4 (#1)

Before Year 4 began here in Paris, friends and family asked us many questions.  

One typical question was: "Why are you starting your year in Paris during the winter cold of January?  Wouldn't Springtime in Paris be a better time to begin Year 4?  

That's a good question.  

The answer is we ended our time in D.C. in December and were eager to begin the next chapter.  Unfortunately, that meant arriving in Paris in the middle of winter.  As we walked out of the airport in Paris, we instantly started to rethink our decision.  Despite our wearing heavy winter clothing, the cold chilled us to the bone.  We asked each other whose idea was it to arrive during winter.  

Our timing was questioned again the day after we arrived when it snowed overnight.  Thankfully, the snow was not thick and didn't accumulate very much.

Some random hottie enjoys some snow in the Tuileries.

We could avoid cold weather during each part of the 10 Year Plan by visiting each city only during warm months.  While that idea is appealing, we know we would miss so much that each city has to offer--seasonal events of all sorts, temporary exhibitions, the opera/ballet/symphony seasons, etc.  We would also miss the seasonal beauty of each city--like snow falling on the City of Lights.  So, here are in the cold, enjoying all that Paris has to offer.

P.S.  One advantage of Paris in winter is the absence of throngs of tourists.  Visiting museums and other locations will be more enjoyable.  

Next Up:  Speaking of museums, let's visit The Louvre.

Year 4: Pop Quiz #1

Bonjour du Paris.

Not far from our apartment is the tall, weathered bronze column that is pictured below.

For 100 points, identify the column.

For 50 bonus points, identify the dude standing on top of the column.

Please send us your answers.  We will share the most amusing answers in a future blog post.