Le Marchand de Masques

I took this photo at the base of a stunning sculpture called Le marchand de masques (the mask seller). Created by Zacharie Astruc (1835-1907), it can be found in the Luxembourg gardens, near the entrance on the Panthéon side. The interesting part about it is that the masks were actually made to resemble famous French people (Victor Hugo, Gustave Corot, Alexandre Dumas, Hector Berlioz...), which makes discovering this artwork even more exciting.

I could not resist!

I have now been monitoring my food (in other words, I have been dieting!) since March now - with pretty good results, thank you very much ;) - but today I passed by the shop of Pierre Hermé and for once there was no line outside (yes, it can happen!). I could not resist buying - and eating right away - 2 macarons... I know it's bad but when you're at the doorstep of heaven (or is it hell?) how can you resist? For those of you who would have never heard of Pierre Hermé, let's just say he's one of the most talented Pastry chefs around (see more on Wikipedia and/or on his official website).

Eye on France

What would Joséphine de Beauharnais (I guess it's her in the photo!) have thought of today's (Sunday) debate in Le Sénat, where CNN was closing its Eye on France week. I don't know, but it was interesting to hear what the 5 representatives of the nowadays French society had to answer to the questions of Hala Gorani, the host of the debate. Has France turned a new page since the election of Nicolas Sarkozy? The answer depends on which political side you stand, of course, but all along this debate, I could not help but thinking that the set CNN chose to close this week was the Senate, that is something symbolic of our past glory. What is France currently building/creating/inventing... that will be chosen by the next CNN in 300 years?

Farewell Monsieur Saint Laurent

Do I really need to remind you who Yves Saint Laurent was? For us, French, he's definitely part of our culture. He is also one of the most famous fashion designers in the world, one of the few that contributed to France's reputation for Haute Couture. He died on June 1st and will be buried a funeral service will be held today (Thursday) in Eglise Saint Roch, near the Louvre. I went to one of "his" stores, on Place Saint Sulpice to take a photo that would represent his talent best, but I finally found the shot I really wanted, in the Passage Verdeau - in a superb black and white photographs gallery...

Sooooooo Unique!

Do I really need to tell you who designed these shoes? No, I know, you all guessed Jean-Paul Gaultier (don't forget to pronounce the "L" in Gaultier, he's very picky about it!) did. Despite being a great designer (you may not like what he does, but you cannot deny he's got talent) he also happens to do other things. Hence his presence in Eurotrash, a program for the British Television (Channel 4) and soon, he's going to co-present the Eurovision song contest for the French television! Hilarious! BTW, these shoes cost 615 €. I know you would ask...

Léon Gaumont

In Paris, you always visit the same cemetaries: Père Lachaise, Montpartnasse and Montmartre. But there are many more... such as Le Cimetière de Belleville, a little cemetary where I found the grave of Léon Gaumont, a famous French guy who got involved in the cinema business at the beginning of the 20th century. His company (La Gaumont! ) produced as early as 1910 the first "news" that people could watch in movie theaters. They still had them when I was a little boy (yes I'm showing my age!!). Later he got into the movie business, of course.

Meat Chateaubriand... (again!)

You probably know "Filet mignon", the thick cut from the tenderloin which is also often referred to as Chateaubriand. Well Chateaubriand (François René, was his first name) was not a famous chef but... a writer and a politician who lived a fascinating, adventurous life, between 1768 and 1848. The kind of guys that make your life look totally dull (check all what he's done here)! His most famous book is probably Mémoire d'Outre-tombe, but I never read it. I found his bust in the heart of the 7th arrondissement, but he has several others including one in Saint Malo, his hometown. PS: sorry for this "reprint", as you may have noticed the first time I posted this photo, it did not show...

Marie-Antoinette makes it to Le Grand Palais

For some reason queen Marie-Antoinette is probably the most famous French queen in the world. Most of the people remember her 1) because she was beheaded during the French Revolution - well technically, slightly after - and 2) because she's supposed to have said "If [people] have no bread, let them eat cake". I say supposed because apparently this quote already existed in a book written in 1736 [Les Confessions] by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (a French Swiss writer). Anyway, they're currently having an exhibition about Marie-Antoinette at Le Grand Palais which has good reviews. I went last night but taking photos is prohibited, so I stayed at the entrance... Hope your Easter [for those who celebrate Easter!] weekend is doing OK, mine just started!

Lafayette

Not far from the Alexander the 3rd bridge I found this statue of Lafayette, the famous marquis who helped the Americans fight the Brits during the American revolutionary war. Reading through his biography I found out that he also played a large role during the French revolution and that, although he was a member of the aristocracy he was very much republican - and even made a Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizens! Did I mention his real name was Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier and that the name Lafayette comes from an estate in Aix that belonged to the Motier family.

J'vais vous montrer qui c'est Raoul!

Let me introduce you to Raoul Follereau, a French doctor who dedicated his life to leprosy. At first I thought he lived a long long time ago, but I found out he lived between 1903 and 1977. That is why his fight took place mostly in Africa. His motto - engraved on the last line of the statue stand - is very Catholic/French: "Personne n'a le droit d'être heureux tout seul" (Noboby has the right to be happy alone). Anyway, if you're interested in Leprosy(!) and speak French, you can check the site of his foundation.

Tony Parker and Eva Longoria got married

Yes, people, today Eva Longoria became Mrs Parker and it happened in Paris... Unfortunately, that is the only photo I managed to come back with. Explanation: they sold, for no less than 2 million dollars - the price of the wedding apparently - exclusive rights to a UK magazine. Therefore, they had to hide from everybody, including your favorite PDP paparazzo (and the one on this photo too!!) You should have heard the crowd, really mad, who booed them for being so invisible to their fans. For the records, they got married in a beautiful church (Saint Germain de l'Auxerrois ) where I once also took this photo... And tonight they're going to this magnificent château.