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Showing posts with the label France

Scenes from Strasbourg

  Maison des Ponts Couverts If you’re looking for Instagrammable locations in France, look no further. From the half-timbered houses in La Petite France to cobble stone streets around Cathedral Square to the bridges over the meandering river, you’d be hard pressed to find a better subject than Strasbourg. It is  one of the most romantic cities in Europe. Every year around Valentine’s Day,  Strasbourg mon amour  celebrates of romance. Concerts, cultural events and food festivals are scheduled for the pleasure of all lovers. Strasbourg is also the seat of the European Parliament, the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe. It is the “chief” city in the Alsace region. The best time to visit is in springtime when flowers are in bloom and the days are sunny but not too warm. La Petite France Notice how the beams are arranged in these half timbered houses. The dark yellow house in the foreground has a V design on the upper floor and a diagonal design on the lower floor with

Sweet and Saucy Pancakes from Paris 2022

Quéquette and foufoune Laquéquetterie opened in Paris in 2020 at the height of the pandemic and has since become the favorite pancake shop in Paris judging by the line of people outside its doors waiting to devour these naughty pancakes. And they are delicious as well! The menu offers a choice of quequettes and foufounes. Shown above is the Black and White quequette which is covered with dark and white chocolate. The foufoune has strawberries and chocolate. You can add toppings or ice cream to your pancake for an additional charge. Both of the pancakes I bought cost €12 plus €1 euro for the takeaway box (I ate my pancakes at my hotel as I had some sightseeing to do.) The shop also offers milkshakes in a variety of flavors. Check out the menu here:  https://laquequetterie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Menu-Juin-2022-Paris-Dijon.pdf To take out or to lick? I saw several customers lick their quequettes in front of the shop. If you’re modest, you might wait till you get home to lick it t

Pinault Collection at the Bourse Museum

Untitled, Urs Fischer, 2011 The first thing that struck me about the Bourse Museum is the neo classical aesthetic of both its façade and Rotunda. The vast light-filled Rotunda draws the eyes to the metal and glass dome above and the panoramic fresco, Triumphal France, that surrounds the cupola. Without taking away the architectural integrity of a historical landmark, Tadao Ando restored and renovated the former stock exchange building into a museum for contemporary art for the collection of François Pinault, a French art collector. “The spatial layout of the Bourse de Commerce is designed to create an intense and more subtle dialogue between new and old.” Tadao Ando The wax sculpture by Urs Fischer, a Swiss artist, claims the central position in the Rotunda. It is a replica of The Abduction of Sabine Women by Giambologna. Fischer’s other works surround this sculpture. Even the birds love this museum. Wait a minute, are they for real? Others by Maurizio Cattelan, 2011. (Pigeons) Untitle

Emily in Paris locations

Emily’s apartment on Place de l’Estrapade The first season of Emily in Paris was the most watched romantic comedy show on Netflix in 2020 with 58 million households worldwide watching the show in its first 28 days. Not everyone loved it but it was a great escape from a long period of self isolation due to the pandemic and our inability to travel. The good news is that the second season of this series will be on air soon.* Emily Cooper’s apartment is on the fifth floor. Chef Gabriel also lives in the same building. Place de l’Estrapade The square in front of Emily’s apartment is a few steps from the restaurant where Gabriel works as a chef. This is a nice and quiet neighborhood. Gabriel’s Les Deux Compère Restaurant and the Boulangerie Moderne The restaurant where Gabriel works is the Terra Nera in real life. The Boulangerie Moderne where Emily gets her croissant from is next door (it was closed when I passed by because it was Bastille Day). Emily’s office Emily is a marketing executive

Toulouse - The Bull and the Martyr

Rue Saint Taur The history of Toulouse is deeply entwined with its patron saint, Saturnin (Sernin), who was martyred in the third century.  According to legend, Saturnin, the first bishop of Toulouse, was chained to a taur or bull that dragged him down Rue du Taur. The Church of Notre Dame du Taur is standing on the exact spot where the corpse of Saint Saturnin was detached from the bull as it rampaged down the street. Façade of Notre Dame du Taur The Church of Saint Saturnin was renamed Notre Dame du Taur after the Basilica of Saint Sernin was built to accommodate the vast numbers of pilgrims who stopped by Toulouse on their way to the Church of St. James in Santiago de Compostela in Spain.  The genealogy of Jacob, Notre Dame du Taur This 14th century fresco of the genealogy of Jacob was one of the highlights of my visit to Toulouse. Jacob was the son of Isaac and Sarah and the grandson of Abraham. The 12 Tribes of Israel traces its lineage to Jacob. Joseph, the foster father of