Flying Back To Brooklyn

Dear Reader,
By the time you have lunch, I will be sitting in the plane getting back to New York City.
I will be back to my Carroll Gardens blogging life by Tuesday, after the long week-end.
Hope you will check back then!
Katia

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View From My Paris Window

St. Séverin Church In the 5th Arrondissement

Typical Parisian Mansard Roofs

A peek at Nôtre Dame

A charming balcony garden

The weather is glorious here in Paris, dear Reader, and I am having a very nice time. I took the photos above from our window this morning. We are staying at the very charming Hotel Henri IV in the 5th Arrondissement on the Rive Gauche. (If you are ever here, I hope you will consider this place.)
Instead of walking around town as we usually do, this time, we rented bicycles.
( Yes, this Brooklyn Blogger pedaled around Paris today. More on that later!) We made it as far as the Bois de Vincennes, the park surrounding the Chateau de Vincennes. Then went all the way back to Saint Germain.
No visit to Paris would be complete without our yearly stop to have a Berthillon Sorbet on the Île St. Louis. ( Make mine Cassis and Framboise, please.)
We stopped at one of our favorite stores, BHV, so that we could drool over the home décor department. I frankly don't know why I go there every year. The prices are pretty insane, when you consider the exchange rate now that the dollar is rather worthless, but there is nothing more inspiring than to walk through BHV.
Yesterday, we had moules frîtes at Léon De Bruxelles, another yearly stop so that we can get our fill of mussels. I do believe it is time for me to think of a diet plan for September...
One more day and I will be flying back to New York and getting back to Carroll Gardens.
Do you have any news or events about the neighborhood that you want me to post?
Don't hesitate to send it to me as I will be back to my Brooklyn life by Monday!

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A Late August Day In Paris

Our Little Village

View Of Nôtre Dame From The Institut Du Monde Arabe

Oh, how sad it was to leave our little village. As we were driving away yesterday, I took one more look and one final photo at our village and then, puff, it was gone from my view as we drove down into the valley and towards Paris.
Paris is as beautiful as ever. Thrown back into city life, we have filled our first day here with a visit to the "Institut Du Monde Arabe." The Institut has a great rooftop terrace with spectacular views of Nôtre Dame Cathedral. Not quite the same as our Auvergnat heaven, for sure, but wonderful nonetheless.
Oh, how will I be able to slip back into my Brooklyn life?

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Saying Goodbye To The Auvergne!

This is our last morning here on top of our little hill in the middle of the Auvergne. As if to make our departure even more difficult, the sun has been shining gloriously for the last two days.
My boys and I have been hard at work cleaning and , well yes, stacking wood for the next time we come here. I must admit that I was slightly freaked to see my son operate the chain saw. Mentally, I saw myself rushing to the nearest hospital with him. And seeing my husband on top of a very high ladder in order to trim the vine that climbs all the way to the gutter every year is not entirely comfortable either.
But this is our country life and different rules apply here than in Brooklyn.
I can not tell you, dear reader, how difficult it will be leave this place. Already yesterday, we began to say our good-byes from neighbors and friends. They are wonderful to us every year and I am terribly grateful to them.

Merci pour toute votre amitié et gentilesse, chèrs amis:
À Charlène, Patrick et Marie-Christine,
À Corinne et sa petite famille,
et surtout à Claudine et Michel.
À Marinette et René, toute mon affection.


( Et attention, l'année prochaine, la revanche à la Pétanque!)

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A Visit To Le Puy-En-Velay

Though I had wanted to visit Puy-En-Velay for years with my schoolfriend Violaine, who is a professor there, it somehow never happened due to our very busy schedules.
So this year, we ceased the opportunity to go accompanied by German friends who had come for a few days to stay with us.
Le Puy is one of the most beautiful and oldest cities of the Auvergne in France. It is one of the official starting points of the St. Jacob's Way, the pilgrimage route that leads to Compostella, Spain. To this day, pilgrims gather here to start their journey.
The cathedral of Le Puy is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The streets of the old city are lined with the most incredible ancient stone houses. Everywhere, there is something to discover. My little camera was clicking away at every turn.
Le Puy certainly is one of the most photogenic cities I have ever visited.
If you ever are in France, dear Reader, you should certainly stop here. I will be back and hopefully, with my friend Violaine by my side.


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Counting The Days

The days have been flying by, dear reader, in our little corner of France.
Guests and family have come and gone over the last four weeks and I don't know where the time has gone.
My husband and son are busy chopping and stacking wood for next year. It may be hard for you to believe, dear reader, but we have actually made a nice fire in the fireplace on most evenings. So we had run rather low. It does get rather cold in our old stone house when the sun goes down.
I am busy painting, sewing curtains and coming up with creative ways of making meals from what is left in the refrigerator. Though I love my home in Brooklyn, I am starting to feel rather sad that I have to leave our little hill here in the Auvergne in just a few days.

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La Bourrée, A Traditional Auvergnat Dance

Postcard from 1910

I was lucky enough this summer to see a performance of the traditional Auvergnat dance called 'La Bourrée'. This couples dance first appeared in the Auvergne in the XVI century. It is believed that the dance got its name from the small logs that were burned on the fire around which the dancers twirled.
The bourrée is a happy dance. Since it was traditionally performed in wooden shoes, the steps involve a lot of stomping of the feet and allowed men to show their strength.
The songs which accompanied the dance were mostly sung in the Auvergnat language, which is a dialect of 'occitan' a romance language.
I hope , dear reader, that you don't mind my little history lesson. There is just so much about the Auvergne that I love.
Below are lyrics from a traditional Bourrée.

La borrèia auvernhata

La borrèia en Auvernha

La borrèia li va plan

Escotam la cabreta

Del païs limosin.

Lentament en plaça

Dançam-la per dos

Dançam-la per quatre

Et totjorn de son mièlhs.

………………………

Refrain

Per bien la cantar

Viva la limosina !

Per bien la dançar

Viva les Auvernhats !

……………………

La borrèia auvernhata

Es la flor del païs

Se dança per quatre

Se dança per sièis

A Brioda sèm dotze

E quaranta à Sant-Flor

Les espos et les esposas

Li tờrnan totjorn.

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Appreciating The Humor Of A Long-Ago Sculptor

A gigantic water fountain
Made of local lava rock
Can be found in a square
In front of the giant cathedral
In Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne.
One has to appreciate
The sense of humor
of the sculptor,
who created the fountain
So very long ago.

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Puy-En-Velay: When This House Was Built In 1650...

Truly old houses can be found everywhere here in France. It is not rare to find entire blocks that were constructed in the 1700's. On a visit to Le Puy-en-Velay last week, I stopped to take a picture of a house built in 1650. It was in amazing condition, lovingly restored and maintained.
It was not the only one on that stretch of the old town. There were some that were built in the 1500's. It just made me think of how terribly difficult it is to protect our historic homes in Brooklyn.
Here, people live alongside history and know the importance of protecting their heritage.
As I was standing there, admiring the house, I wondered what was going on in France in 1650. So I did some research and this is what I found. It is pretty neat.


*Louis XIV reigned in France
*The minuet became all the rage at the French court
*Cyrano de Bergerac died at 36
*Moliere became official court playwright
*The French beat Spanish at Battle of Dunes (Dunkirk)
*French Philosopher René Descartes died of pneumonia
*Cafés became popular in Europe
*Andromeda by Pierre Corneille opened at the Théâtre Royal de Bourbon, Paris;
*Nicomedes by Corneille opened at the Théâtre du Marais, Paris.
*French courtesan Marion Delorme dies in poverty at her native Paris July 2 at age 36, having been forced by the government to leave the Place Royale, where her fashionable salon has attracted leading literary and political figures, many of whom became her lovers.

And back in New York in 1650 ?

New Amsterdam was incorporated



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Stone House With Red Petunias

There were many more planters with red petunias adorning the stone wall of this house. Alas, my little camera was only able to capture these few. The deep red color against the white shutters of the house was just amazing.

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Once Upon A Time: A Patisserie

Faded on a façade in Ambert, Auvergne.

A reminder of a Patisserie
Gone for at least 35 years.
Probably longer!

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Picture Of The Day: Is Anyone Home?

Passing by an ancient door,
In the small city of Issoire,
I spied this wonderful old knocker.

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A View From Atop A Volcano

I must have mentioned, dear reader, that our little corner of France is in a very volcanic area. The tallest in the chain of extinct volcanoes is the Puy-De-Dôme.
Yesterday afternoon, when the sun finally made an appearance after two days of rain, we took a trip all the way to its top. Unfortunately, it was still too cold and foggy, that I was unable to take photos. On the way down, I shot the one above.
Can you imagine? Green valleys as far as the eye can see. It was pretty spectacular.
I guess we will just have to make another attempt to the top on a clearer day.

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A Typical Auvergnat Dish: Aligot

Once upon a time, in a place named Aubrac, a volcanic plateau in the Auvergne that is bare and very cold in winter, the local monks prepared a dish they called "Aligot" that was not only tasty but incredibly filling. You see, Aubrac lies along one of the pilgrimage routes that cross France to Compostella in Spain. Aligot was the perfect meal. Made of potatoes, tôme de Cantal cheese, crème fraiche, garlic and a bit of milk, it has a very bizare consistancy, very much like silly putty.But, oh, does it tastes amazing.
We found a vendor at the Issoire market who was stirring Aligot in a huge pot. So we bought a little portion. One can only eat a bit at a time. Sinful, I tell you, simply sinful.

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Picture Of The Day: Mr. Chancel's Café & Restaurant

Mr. C. Chancel,
(Whoever he may have been)
Once operated a Café & Restaurant
In this precise location.
The only trace?
A sign
Painted in white letters
On a light moss background
On an otherwise gray façade.

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The Last Of The Poppies

The days are still long and warm here in our little corner of France. My little family is still in vacation mode. Brooklyn and fall, as well as the beginning of school, still seem somewhat far away. However, on neighboring farms, this is the busy season. There, the thought of fall and winter is ever present and preparations have begun. Big harvesting machines have moved onto the wheat fields cutting everything down, including the beautiful poppies. I managed to take one last picture before these little beauties disappeared under the huge cutting blades.
Perhaps one day, I will be lucky enough to find them in my garden. You see, I sprinkled some of the seeds onto my flower beds. I guess I will have to wait till next year to find out if they make an appearance.

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Picture Of The Day: Total Solitude

An old house way down
at the bottom of
A valley.

Could you image living
In such solitude?

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Town Square With Church Steeple

Allanche


On a crisp sunny day,
A World War I memorial
With a stone statue of a soldier
Stands in a town square in the Cantal,
A region of the Auvergne.

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Tending My Little French Garden

Will you forgive me, dear reader, for taking a few days to myself and for not posting?
For days, I have gotten up in the morning and made a vow that I would sit down in front of the computer to write more about life in France. But then, you see, even on our little hill, there is always something to do. There are neighbors and friends to catch up with. Remember, I need to catch up on a year's worth of gossip. Then there are the house guests who have started to arrive from Germany and America. And of course, there is the work... the painting of shutters, the cleaning out of the attic and the sewing of curtains.
Last but not least, there is the yard work in my ever wild garden.
In the spring, my wonderful neighbor Claudine plants flowers in the planters which adorn our stone wall. It is a wonderful greeting upon our arrival. But it is my dream to one day have flower beds, big beautiful patches of blooms. So, determined, I add new species each year. Most do not make it through the winter, but some hardy ones are tenacious enough to make it till the next season.
After a few years of stubbornly adding to my little patch of land, I have beautiful butterfly bushes, irises and day lilies, pale pink climbing roses as well as red lobelia.
One day, you will see, I will have a magic garden.
Tomorrow, I promise, I will write more.


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A Moment In Time: Playing In The Village Watering Trough

As a hot summer day is slowly coming to an end,
In the Auvergne countryside
A group of children is
Enjoying some coolness
By playing in the village watering trough.

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