Happy Bastille Day!

Bastille Day by Erica Simone

Your taste of life in Paris and France
ParlerParis.com
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 • Paris, France

Dear Parler Paris Reader,

While a band was practicing (too loudly) on the stage in front of the Mairie de 3ème, Jeffrey Greene, poet, author and professor of writing and literature, enlightened us by speaking loudly enough to drown out the band (!) at Parler Paris Après Midi on the life of the wild boar as well as the life of the American in the Burgundy region.

You might think wild boars are boring, but not so as Jeffrey tells it -- a wordsmith of extraordinary talent who can turn any topic into a thought-provoking tale. A large group of Parler Paris readers listened intently to his talk about how he came to be so fascinated with wild boars -- when a neighbor dropped a body bag on his doorstep filled with the carcass of one big bristly boar, ready to butcher and eat.

His latest book, "The Golden-Bristled Boar," sold out all the copies he had towed along, but it's available by visiting our Recommended Reading section on the site at: books/setinparisandfrance.html (or Amazon.com or local bookstores, of course).

Read all about Jeffrey's talk, who attended, what they had to say and see the photos from the afternoon by visitingparlerparis/apresmidi.html

Après Midi is taking a break for the summer, so showing up the second Tuesday of August will do you no good...but be sure to mark your calendar for September 13th when Victoria Strong, the Pleasure Coach, will answer the question: "Does Paris Give You Permission to Have Pleasure?" Join Victoria for a liberating view on how you can most benefit from that sly and encouraging nod the city of Paris offers you -- the nod that says: go ahead, live your life with sexual pleasure. Victoria will share the beats of her own transformation (no, not X-rated!) and her observations on the social and cultural factors that encouraged a life-changing journey...so much so, she left her career in the children's television business to create her pleasure coaching service. For more information about Victoria's work, visit: thepleasurecoach.com.

On a special note, the French-English Conversation Group, Parler Parlor (not to be confused with Après Midi), is also closing for the rest of the summer, reopening September 3rd with a Fête de la Rentrée, so mark your calendar and plan on being there!

Walking home late evening, the band was playing in full force, drowning out everything in our little 'hood' -- with only one more evening of concerts left (tonight) during Les Soirs d'Eté sponsored by the City Hall of the 3rd Arrondissement.

Tonight I won't be at the concert, however. Instead, as every year, I'll be dancing with friends at a "caserne" (barracks) during the "Bals des Pompiers" -- not to be missed are the Firemen's Balls held on the 13th and 14th at the various fire stations all over France. They start at 9 p.m. and end at 4 a.m. (sort of!), with live bands, serving wine, champagne, beer and soft drinks, and usually chips and other snacks.

The ladies dress to get kissed and the firemen do the kissing...as is the tradition! Things can get pretty wild -- they've been known to strip for an adoring public (the firemen, that is) and I've heard tales and seen photographic proof of some serious partying by those handsome men we've all come to love and trust: THE POMPIERS DE PARIS. Rest assured, I'll be at one of them tonight.

Here's the list for you to make your own choice:

• ROUSSEAU 21, rue du Jour - 75001 PARIS. Balls 13 and July 14
• SEVIGNE 7 to 9, rue de Sèvignè - 75004 PARIS. Balls 13 and July 14
• CDS 2 (out of barracks) 61, rue Monge, Lutetia Arena - 75005 PARIS. Bal July 13 only
• COLOMBIER 11, rue du Vieux Colombier - 75006 PARIS. Balls 13 and July 14
• WHITE 28, rue Blanche - 75009 PARIS. Bal July 13 only
• LANDON 188, quai de Valmy - 75010 PARIS. Balls 13 and July 14
• CHALIGNY 26, rue de Chaligny - 75012 PARIS. Balls 13 and July 14
• MASSENA 37 Boulevard Massena - 75013 PARIS. Balls 13 and July 14
• PORT-ROYAL 53-55, boulevard Port-Royal - 75013 PARIS. Balls 13 and July 14
• GRENELLE 6, place Violet 75015 PARIS. Balls 13 and July 14
• CHAMPERRET 3, boulevard de l'Yser 75017 PARIS. Balls 13 and July 14
• BOURSAULT 27, rue Boursault - 75017 PARIS. Bal July 13 only
• CQG (excluding barracks) Beauvais Bus station Porte Maillot - 75017 PARIS. Balls 13 and July 14
• MONTMARTRE 12, rue Carpeaux - 75018 PARIS. Bal July 13 only
• BITCHE 2, place de Bitche 75019 PARIS. Bal July 13 only
• MENILMONTANT 47, rue Saint-Fargeau 75020 PARIS. Balls 13 and July 14

Don't go too crazy at the Balls, because tomorrow you must get ready for the annual parade along the Champs-Elysées and of course, later in the day, the fireworks at the Eiffel Tower.

The Military Parade this year honors the overseas territories with regiments from Guadeloupe, Martinique, La Reunion, French Guiana, Mayotte, New Caledonia and French Polynesia. The parachute jump onto the Place de la Concorde that we've been used to seeing in recent years will be replaced by a performance by the fire brigade of Paris which this year celebrates its bi-centennial. As part of the celebration, Chilean and Monegasque (Monaco) troops and firefighters will be present as these two countries were the first two in the world to have created a fire brigade, Paris being the third.

It all starts at 10 a.m. with the arrival of the President of the Republic (Nicolas Sarkozy) on the Place de l'Etoile and heading down the Avenue des Champs-Elysées. There will be an honoring of the Head of State by the Republican Guard at Place de la Concorde, an opening performance dedicated to the Year of the Overseas Territories and the parade, consisting of 54 aircraft including 9 Alphajet de la Patrouille de France, ground troops (5035 men and women), mounted and motorized troops (241 horses, 82 motorcycles and 275 vehicles ) and an air show including 30 helicopters.

If you can't wake up in time for the parade, watch it on TV (TF1) -- it's the best view!

Then pack your picnic and head to the Champs de Mars for the annual fireworks at the Eiffel Tower. This year a concert begins at 5 p.m. with a host of artists...Yannick Noah, Gregory, Nolween Leroy, Pascal Obispo, Kassav', Abd Al Malik, Michel Delpech, Benabar, Raggasonic ...and others. On the sidelines of the Champs de Mars, over 60 village associations (open from 2 p.m.) will be set up on the Champs de Mars offering discussion and activities.

Then at 11 p.m., the fireworks begin. These are the most amazing you will ever have seen! Lasting 30 minutes, the display will be set to the music from Broadway musicals and the best view is, of course, from the Champ de Mars! If you dare to go (as I do every year), bring your alcohol in non-alcoholic-looking bottles, as wine will likely be confiscated!

And no matter what, do have the time of your life! Because that's what life in Paris is all about!

A la prochaine...

Adrian Leeds

Editor, Parler Paris

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P.S. Happy 94th birthday to my mother, Gertrude Beerman, who will outlive us all as the model of stamina...still working (two volunteer jobs), living alone in a three-bedroom home, driving (and washing, not to mention filling the tank) of her own car and cracking dirty jokes as if she were 25 years old (which she says she still thinks she is)...with love and admiration, her youngest daughter.

Second to None of Them

Picnicking on the Seine

Second to None of Them

Your taste of life in Paris and France
ParlerParis.com
Monday, July 11, 2011 • Paris, France

Dear Parler Paris Reader,

It happens all the time. For one reason or another, I find myself in the same area of Paris several times in the course of a short period of time, even if I haven't been there at all in the last year. And so it was since last Wednesday's newsletter, landing very often on the streets of the 2nd arrondissement.

In Thursday's French Property Insider I wrote about the changes taking place there from a lifestyle and property perspective, but at the time, I had no idea there would be so many returns to the same narrow, stone-paved pedestrian streets in such a short amount of time. Of course, the events of the last five days included much more than JUST the 2nd, but always in the adjacent districts...one through six.

Eye Prefer Paris' 5th anniversary party, hosted by owner Richard Nahem, was held Tuesday evening atOlivier Magny's Ô-Château on rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau on the edge of the 2nd in the 1st arrondissement. The attendees were a cast of important Americans-in-Paris characters -- the writers and bloggers who behind the scenes influence your experience in Paris in a bigger way than you might think.

Olivier just launched his own book -- "Stuff Parisians Like: Discovering the Quoi in the Je Ne Sais Quoi" that is hilariously funny from the point of view of a non-native-Parisian learning how real Parisians think. It's one of those cross-cultural commentaries like Polly Platt's "French or Foe" that make us laugh while teaching us a thing or two. Be sure to get your copy and drop in to Ô-Château for a glass of wine and to get it signed by the author.

Not far from there is our Notaire's office on rue du Louvre where on Thursday I signed the "Promesse de Vente" on behalf of clients purchasing an apartment on the edge of the 2nd in the northwest quadrant of the 3rd. This part of the district is moving up quickly in the ranks -- just about as fast as the 2nd.

That was just prior to meeting up with the subjects of the next House Hunters International episode to visit their newly renovated apartment off rue Montorgueil (the oldest shopping street in Paris in the 2nd). Interior Architect Martine di Mattéo was just putting the finishing touches on the apartment in time for the filming over the weekend. The two-bedroom, two-bath 82 square-meter "pied-à-terre" was transformed from a poorly proportioned contemporary design space into a spacious and luxurious "shabby chic" oasis that is sure to make for a successful episode for HGTV -- and a another great apartment to add to our 'bouquet' of offerings onParler Paris Apartments.

With Les Halles under construction, crossing to the 6th district was easier by bus than by foot, to attend a cooking course that same evening given by chef extraordinaire, Susan Herrmann, in Patricia Wells' kitchen on rue Jacob. Susan is the author of almost a dozen cookbooks and memoirs and makes her courses in Paris and Normandy experiences to treasure.

We had a group of six students following her lead to create a six-course dinner including "Caviar d'Aubergines sur Toasts" for which I was partly responsible for creating -- that meant making the toast, spreading the eggplant, topping it with sliced tomato and adding basil leaves to top them off. Since this is as close as I get to cooking these days, it was an apropos assignment. We left the "Magret de Canard aux Cerises" to those more adept, but the eating of it was left to all of us who savored every delightful morsel of the French dinner "à la Susan."

Saturday evening, I had the pleasure of witnessing my first PACS ceremony of two men, one of whom has been a friend for almost ten years. A "pacte civil de solidarité" is a "form of civil union between two adults (same-sex or opposite-sex) for organizing their joint life. It brings rights and responsibilities, but less so than marriage." (Wikipedia.org)

They chose to hold the event in a converted cellar in the 2nd arrondissement on rue Saint-Sauveur under vaulted stone arches -- a formal dinner complete with engraved champagne glasses and bottles of wine with their names on the labels. Atop the cake were two figurines, both grooms! Only three women were present, among a sea of handsome men, and while on the surface it seemed the 'odds' were good, we women knew better than to think we'd meet our next lover at this particular wedding!

Strolling home from the wedding, rue de Bretagne was closed off to traffic to allow for the concert in the front of the Mairie de 3éme as part of the annual "Soirs d'Eté." There were so many people in the street that I barely recognized my own "quartier." Even when my daughter arrived at 1:30 a.m. after a 14-hour flight delay due to the plane's mechanical failure, the taxi couldn't take a normal route. There is so much activity now that the district is getting too "branché" 'for it own britches' -- what happened to the quiet little Marais neighborhood we once lived in?

Fortunately, Sunday was quieter. We lunched at a café near the Canal Saint-Martin then headed back down to the Centre Pompidou (in the 1st) to see artist and Erica's friend, JR's, "Inside Out" exhibition. It's a giant photo booth in the lobby of the museum, operating free to have your giant photo taken and it's the perfect opportunity to discover his work. He's a young street artist of genius talent not to be missed.

The weekend came to a beautiful close at sundown on the western point of the Ile Saint-Louis where the attendees of the Paris Summer Institute picnicked. It's part of program to provide "Modeling Certification and International NLP Practitioner Certification." Participants from all over come to Paris to attend the 10-day workshop -- and to enjoy all that Paris has to offer.

By sheer coincidence, my daughter and her Paris pals had the same idea...so I cavorted between the two picnicking parties over glasses of rosé wine. It was then, looking out over the Seine, with the red glow of the sunset, that I realized how very lucky it is to be in Paris where one can partake of so many fascinating things, no matter what arrondissement you're in at the time.

A la prochaine...

Adrian Leeds

Editor, Parler Paris
(with Richard Nahem)

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P.S. Get ready for a fun-filled week: Parler Paris Après Midi on Tuesday (scroll down for more information), the Bals des Pompiers on Wednesday and Bastille Day on Thursday! Whoa!

Ah, to Be in Paris in the "Jolie Juillet"

Carnaval Tropical de Paris on the Champs-Elysées

Your taste of life in Paris and France
ParlerParis.com
Monday, July 4, 2011 • Paris, France

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Dear Parler Paris Reader,

The Champs-Elysées was totally blocked off to traffic yesterday afternoon to make way for the Carnaval Tropical de Paris sponsored by the FCTPIF (Fédération Carnaval Tropical de Paris and Ile-de-France. The sun was bright, the air was cool and the sky was a crystal clear blue. It was a perfectly glorious backdrop to a colorful and festive display of West Indies culture. It's not often one can actually walk straight down the Champs with no car in sight...but it's definitely one of Paris' prettiest sights.

The groups gathered on the streets surrounding the Grand Palais to make their way down the Champs -- groups from France, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Reunion Island, as well as Thailand, India, England, Colombia, Polynesia, New Caledonia and others. They paraded, colorfully costumed, elaborately painted and making music mostly of a calypso beat, all in the spirit of their homelands to a packed crowd of supporters. Twenty-four year-old Martinique-born dancer Céline Patole was elected queen and led the parade wearing gold and dancing all the while.

"The purpose of the Federation is the development, organization, entertainment, logistics, communication and any celebrations and ceremonies connected with the 30 some odd associations to which belong, each one bringing its expertise and vision. The primary objective is the continuation of original cultural practices by the youth that often, because of distance, are in ignorance or disregard of these practices."

It's a noble mission -- but it might not have mattered for all the fun everyone was having. This is just a prelude for what's to come. Today the U.S. celebrates its 235th year of independence and on the 14th here in France we'll be celebrating the 222nd year since the troops stormed the Bastille prison marking the beginning of the French Revolution. Seems like freedom is a pretty precious commodity and for it we have fought hard and now we can simply celebrate...although there have been many times we've had to fight to protect it.

To mark July 4th, I am wearing red, white and blue and will go off my usual low-cal diet to eat hamburgers (with my hands, of course!) at Joe Allen, the oldest American restaurant in the city, having opened in January of 1972. On the 13th, you can bet I'll be dancing at the "Bals des Pompiers" and on 14th I'll be picnicking on the Champs de Mars in anticipation of the annual fireworks display...this time with French wine disguised in soda bottles, baguette and "charcuterie."

Ah, to be in Paris in the "jolie juillet."

A la prochaine...

Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris
(photo by Julie Vetter)

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P.S. Be sure to mark your calendars for July 12th when Jeffrey Greene will be speaking at Parler Paris Après Midi! Visitparlerparis/apresmidi.html for more information.

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Only in Paris?

Gay Pride Parade Saturday, June 25, 2011

Your taste of life in Paris and France
ParlerParis.com

Monday, June 27, 2011 • Paris, France

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Photo of Erica Simone 'on the job' taking photos at Gay Pride in New York...

Dear Parler Paris Reader,

Little did I know when a friend invited me to see the Anish Kapoor Monumenta 2011 exhibit at the Grand Palais Thursday evening that it would be the closing of the exhibition punctuated by a concert inside the 'monumental' structure.

For those who missed the event, there is simply no way to describe the massive single object which filled the Grand Palais, as every journalist seems to have painted a different picture, even describing the 'thing' in different colors -- the amoeba-like 35-meter-high 'beast' that took only a week to build of PVC welded together and swollen like a balloon.

The two-hour wait on line did not deter us from entering Kapoor's Monumenta to hear a 'concert' by Keiji Haino where we laid down on the soft PVC sides and entered a rather meditative state at the sound of the ethereal music and prose. Could it have been any more surrealistic? For a re-creation of the concert in sight and sound, visit:
http://www.monumenta.com

Exiting the Grand Palais and heading to the Métro station at the corner, fireworks loomed overhead -- from what and why was impossible to tell. Again, could it have been any more surrealistic? Sometimes you just want to say: "Only in Paris."

Saturday's plan to view the Gay Pride Parade worked like clockwork, as it does every year. A group of friends and Parler Paris readers gathered at Café Français to drink, eat and be merry in advance of the parade spilling onto the Place de la Bastille about 5:30 p.m. When the first signs of the parade hit the corner, we took to the streets to walk against the parade so as to see as much of it as possible and mingle with the paraders and spectators.

Normally one big laugh after another, this year's parade seemed like a subdued version of years past -- with less costuming and outrageousness than before. There were way fewer breasts on show (by both women and transsexuals), way fewer buns (by mostly men) and not as many drag queens in mile-high heels that you know are giving them great pain.

Meanwhile in New York, unprecedented euphoria hit during Sunday's Gay Pride Parade thanks to the legalization of gay marriage was passed earlier in the week. My daughter described it as 'nuts in New York' and took her own set of photos of the surrealistic revelry.

Seeing it is believing it. Only in Paris? Maybe not. Looks like New York may be our rival.

A la prochaine...

Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris
with Karen Hernrich,Tapbooks.org

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P.S.Make your plans to visit Paris this summer and take advantage of the lowest rental rates all year long...book your stay in "Le Saint-Tropez" with its heavenly terrace or in any one of our other luxury Parler Paris Apartments