Apr 17 2022
Easter is a big deal in Paris. It’s a religious holiday, and the kids are out of school tomorrow. Today’s a big deal for me as well, as it was 40 years ago today when I was nearly killed in an auto accident. Most years the day goes by without my remembering, but this year …
Permanent link to this article: https://ediblethoughts.com/2022/04/17/easter-in-paris/
Apr 17 2022
Doing laundry is inevitable on a lengthy vacation. While having a washer and dryer in a rental apartment seems to be the ideal situation, French home laundry appliances are inscrutable to these two Yankees. The dryers are rarely vented to the outdoors, so it takes forever to get even the smallest load dry. Our apartment …
Permanent link to this article: https://ediblethoughts.com/2022/04/17/laundry-a-la-francaise/
Apr 16 2022
Paris is in a constant state of reconstruction. Centuries-old buildings have been retrofitted over the years with indoor plumbing, electricity, telephones, and internet connections. Some buildings need to be strengthened as old bricks and mortar deteriorate. The building we’re staying in will undergo a renovation after we depart. By far the biggest construction project in …
Permanent link to this article: https://ediblethoughts.com/2022/04/16/under-reconstruction/
Apr 16 2022
I think the pandemic has affected French fashion much as it has American. We’ve always been amazed that the average Parisian dresses in black and dull-colored clothes, even though the clothing racks in department stores here show eye-popping hues. This year the populace has doubled down on dullness. I haven’t seen many stiletto heels strolling …
Permanent link to this article: https://ediblethoughts.com/2022/04/16/not-quite-haute-couture/
Apr 15 2022
Several years ago in Lyon I saw the following: On Wednesday we went to the Musée Carnavalet, which focuses on the history of Paris. One whole floor is devoted to the French Revolution. Julian took this picture of earrings that were made after Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lost their lives. Even 200+ years ago, …
Permanent link to this article: https://ediblethoughts.com/2022/04/15/more-gallows-humor/
Apr 13 2022
Because I haven’t had more than a week of vacation per year in the last two years, I decided to be offline from work for the duration of this break. I told a coworker that I should only be contacted via my home email if there’s a zombie apocalypse or similar disaster at work. How’s …
Permanent link to this article: https://ediblethoughts.com/2022/04/13/unplugged-sort-of/
Apr 11 2022
We landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport around noon on Sunday. We took a cab to our rental apartment on Ile St. Louis. The apartment is small, but serviceable for the two of us. The biggest drawback of the building – no elevator, and we’re on the third floor. The stairway is in a semi-spiral …
Permanent link to this article: https://ediblethoughts.com/2022/04/11/paris-days-one-and-two/
Mar 28 2022
The countdown has begun! T minus 12 days until we leave for a twice-Covid-canceled trip to Europe. The original itinerary (France and Italy) has been changed to France and Spain. The plans for this trip have been in the works almost since we canceled last year. Julian managed to get us almost-reasonable plane fares and …
Permanent link to this article: https://ediblethoughts.com/2022/03/28/the-paris-and-pintxos-tour/
Mar 19 2022
I’m reading Mark Kurlansky’s The Basque History of the World in advance of our trip to San Sebastian and the Basque regions of Spain and France. (More about that to come.) The Spanish Civil War didn’t make it into my high school history classes. Generalissimo Francisco Franco was the butt of many Weekend Update jokes …
Permanent link to this article: https://ediblethoughts.com/2022/03/19/a-sad-symmetry/
Sep 18 2021
Way back in February, I was fully vaccinated and Julian had had his first shot. We were optimistic that COVID-19 was going to be beaten back. As a result, we decided to re-book the trip to Europe that we’d had to cancel in 2020. Julian scored great apartment rentals in Florence and Paris and almost-reasonably-priced …
Permanent link to this article: https://ediblethoughts.com/2021/09/18/no-europe-this-year/
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