Notre Dame Entrance

A Drive-By Hello

On This Day...

In 1346 at the Battle of Crécy, British longbows triumphed over French crossbows and armoured knights.


In 1429, Joan of Arc made a triumphant entry into Paris.

In 1498, Michelangelo was commissioned to sculpt the Pietà.

In 1743, French chemist Antonie Lavoisier was born.

In 1789, the Déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen, The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, is approved by the National Assembly in France.

In 1818, Illinois became the 21st state in the union.

In 1944, Charles de Gaulle entered Paris.

Caillebotte Exhibit, Musée Jacquemart-André

Happy Birthday to one of my favorite impressionists, Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894). Last year I had the pleasure of visiting a wonderful Caillebotte exhibit at the Musée Jacquemart-André which featured Gustave's paintings and his brother Martial's photographs. Here's a little glimpse.

Les périssoires and Pêche à la ligne:

 Les raboteurs de parquet, probably his most famous and most popular work (this was not at the Musée Jacquemart-André; it resides in the Musée d'Orsay):

Portraits à la campagne, Le déjeuner, and Toits sous la neige:

Martial's photograph of his brother Gustave:

Le Garde-Robe

Crunchy veggies drizzled with argan oil.

Étretat

This Sunday we're in Étretat, not Paris, in honor of Guy de Maupassant's birthday. He was actually born near Dieppe - another town on the northern coast - but here in Étretat at the age of 18 he saved the poet Swinburne from drowning. Étretat, about 2 1/2 hours northwest of Paris by car, is one of my favorite places in Normandy.

Pet Peeve #22: "No Photos!"

I was scolded for taking photos in two places this year in Paris:  Ladurée and, of all places, SHAKESPEARE & CO. Snooty Ladurée I can understand, but you, Shakespeare & Co.?  You? Wherefore? Don't you realize a lot of us come to your doorstep, not because of TV's Highlander, not because of Before Sunset, but because WE SAW A PHOTO OF YOU on some book-loving, Paris-lover's BLOG?!

I WAS SO ANNOYED!

Well, Ladurée, scold all you want. Here's a photo of you and of your over-priced STUFF.

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And here's a thought from Tocqueville on his birthday (this day, 1805): "à mesure qu'on creuse dans le caractère national des Américains, on s'aperçoit qu'ils n'ont cherché la valeur de presque toutes les choses de ce monde que dans la réponse à cette seule question: combien cela rapporte-t-il d'argent?" Two hundred years later, still true, no?