French Adventures

9 days...

Sooo in the United States,

we have in cities called,

"the suburbs."

We normally think of

With these kind of people

but the suburbs in large cities in France are more like this:

Haha, well sort of... ;p

les banlieues - the suburbs

Did you know Northern Paris is where mainly low-income/immigrants reside and it's west/southwestern Paris where middle/upper class reside?!

It's literally the opposite of us! :o

WARNING: This has no intention for degrading areas of Paris, but rather showing Paris got people livin' in the hood just as we do!

-The term comes from two French words. Ban and lieu, coming from the measuring unit league (roughly 4 kilometers; used to be common in Europe & Latin America). The ancient French term for suburb was Fabourg. 

-Since the 70s & 80s, les banlieues is used to describe the ghetto. However, it's real meaning is the outskirts of a city, just like how the suburbs technically mean that as well. 

Even though there is exceptions, here is a general breakdown of the social geography of Paris

Central Paris = numbered districts (refer to my very first post), mix of all lower, middle, and upper class

North, northeast = low income and immigrants

Northwest/Northeast = former working class and industrial zones

West = middle class and upper class, center of business and finance

Southeast = less homogenous; pretty divided between unsafe and safe residential areas

-The farther away from the Paris city centre, the more the banlieues of the south of Paris can be divided into two zones.

  This graphic shows the average salaries of the different regions in Paris. 

Some terms

HLM - "Habitation à Loyer Modéré." or "housing at moderated rents." French public housing. 

banlieue aisée - comfortable suburb

banlieue défavorisée - disadvantaged suburb 

Of course, banlieues don't only exist in Paris. They exist in all large cities in France.

The way I see it is kind of like NYC.

The north being like the Bronx

Center Paris is like Manhattan

Western Paris like Brooklyn

Eastern Paris is like Queens.

Aaaand don't know where to put Staten Island in this, haha. 

10 days...

So I'm a film buff. 

I mean, I went to a high school were filmstrips and pixels practically oozed from our skin.

And it wasn't until after high school I realized 

how much I LOVE film

so why not blog about

two of the earliest filmmakers... 

les frères Lumière - the lumiere brothers

Look at them. As if they were just staring at the future of FILM. ;p

Auguste, left & Louis, right

Haha! Still doing the same pose.

Did you know they are the earliest filmmakers in history?! 

And just as if it were destiny, "Lumière" in "French" means light ;)

-Both born in Besançon, France (Eastern France).

Auguste Marie Louis Lumière - October 19th, 1862 - April 10th, 1954

Louis Jean Lumière - October 5th, 1864 - June 6th, 1948

-Attended La Martiniere Lyon,  the largest technical school in Lyon, France (East-central France)

-Their father owned a photographic firm where Louis worked as a physicist and Auguste as a manager.

-The very first public moviescreening of cinematographic films happened in La Ciotat, France (Southeastern France) at the world's first and oldest cinéma. 

-The first commercial public moviescreening ever was in Paris on 28 December 1895 at Salon Indien du Grand Café,  premiering 10 short films. Their first film was "La Sortie des usines Lumière à Lyon" or "Workers Leaving The Lumière Factory in Lyon."

NOTE: Many people think this is the first film, but it was French inventor Louis Le Prince's film "Roundhay Garden Scene" in 1888, beating the Lumiere brothers by 7 years!

Here's their first film:

The first comedy, "L'Arroseur arrosé" or "The Waterer watered" or "The Sprinkler sprinkled"

The world's first film poster, featuring "L'Arroseur arrosé" 

The film was a total of 49 SECONDS. And this was SUPER EXCITING. 

....SUPER...exciting... :|

Haha, well, it is funny though.

- Louis Lumière worked with his brother Auguste to create a motion picture camera superior to Edison's kinetoscope. The Lumières endeavored to correct the flaws they perceived in the kinetoscope to create a machine capable of both sharper images and better illumination. 

-Thus, the cinématographe was born! It weighed only 16 lbs (so light! :P). which allowed for ease of transportation and placement. The cinematograph was manually operated by a hand-crank, opposed to Edison’s electrically powered camera which could not be transported in any way. Thus, while Edison’s kinetoscope could only be viewed by one person at a time through an eye piece, (peepshow style), the cinematograph could be projected onto a screen to be viewed by a large audience of people simultaneously. (talk about all in one!)

le cinématographe - the cinematograph

-The cinematograph became a popular past time all over the world. The Lumiere brothers even took the machine to China and India. Movies were able to be enjoyed by all classes of people, being used at Nickelodeon's (small theaters; coined from costing a nickel + the Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe in Paris), fairs, and vaudeville. 

Film poster for "L'arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat"

-As major as they were in film history, it was pretty brief. They refused to sell their cameras to other filmmakers (including famous french filmmaker Georges Méliès!) They even said, "cinema is an invention without a future." (uhhhh you might regret saying that...)

-They focused their attention on color photography. In 1903 they patented their early color process "Autochrome Lumière." 

-Through the 20th century, the Lumière company were popular all through Europe as they were Europe's major producer of photographic products. 

-Sooooo the Lumière brothers were not the first inventors to develop techniques to create motion pictures, but they are often credited as one of the first inventors of the technology for Cinema as a mass medium. 

11 days...

So my mom's been telling me,

"You should write more about Disney!"

But I'm thinking,

"uhhhmmmmmm Disney isn't French. Like really. At all. Only Cinderella--

HOLD UP."

Nooo there is another fairytale of French origin

that being...

la belle et la bête - beauty and the beast

Heheheh, just thought it was funny. Jean Sarkozy (the son of the previous French president) looking like the prince :P

-The oldest rendition of La Belle et La Bête was by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve (a précieuse writer, remember that from the post about Cinderella? ;) ) published in La jeune américaine, et les contes marins in 1740.

-16 years later, French novelist Jeanne Marie Leprince de Beaumont revised this story considerably, becoming the version we know today. It was published in 1756 in "Magasin des enfants, ou dialogues entre une sage gouvernante et plusieurs de ses élèves."

Some differences between the two:

Velleneuve's version

many little known elements and does not end with the transformation of the Prince.

focuses on warring between the fairies, the parentage of the protagonists, and the reason for the curse on the Prince.

transformation from beast to prince does not occur until after the wedding night.

contains dream sequences in which Beauty is told by the Prince in his true form to look beyond appearances and rescue him.

Belle has 6 brothers and 5 sisters.

Beaumont's version

shortened Villeneuve's novel into a short story which ends after the Prince is transformed.

extra storylines are omitted.

had a younger audience in mind and her story is more didactic, concentrating on Beauty's virtues.

no dream sequences.

Belle reveals she is the offspring of a King and Fairy, not a merchant.

Castle is magical.

Belle has 2 wicked sisters.

Scholars propose that Beauty and the Beast is a literary tale based on folk tale elements which reentered the folk culture with the literary elements added to it. In this way, the story returned to the oral tradition almost entirely as a brand new story.

And just like Cinderella, the tale became very popular and has been adapted into an array of mediums - operas, ballets, movies, plays, etc. A popular french operatic adaptation is Zémire et Azor, premiering in 1771. 

Belle dining with the Beast; illustration by Scottish illustrator Anne Anderson (1874-1931)

Clip from French film maker Jean Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast," 1946

Illustration from Disney's Beauty and the Beast, 1991

If you're interested in reading the stories:

Villeneau's version:

http://www.maerchenlexikon.de/texte/te425C-007.htm

Beaumont's version:

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/beauty.html

12 days...

I love dance,

but by no means am I a professional dancer.

I like to bust out a move once in a while,

but again...not a pro.

But I have taken dance classes,

in tap, jazz, and ballet

and every time I see this certain art form,

I can't help but be mesmerized,

enchanted,

the beauty, the rigor, the splendor

of

le ballet - ballet

One of my favorite people. She started out in ballet you know!

Did you know the original ballets were performed by men?! Including the women parts! 

-"Ballet" is a loanword from French, originating from Italian, balletto, coming from the word ballo (dance), which in turn comes from Latin ballare, "to dance" which also derives from Greek "βαλλίζω" (ballizo) "to dance, to jump about." (OK WE GET IT!!!)

-Originated in the Italian Renaissance in the 15th century, then developed later in French and Russian courts. Classical ballet would derive from 17th & 18th century French ballet.

-Court dance = social dance exclusive to the aristocracy (sorry, no ho-downs here ;p).

-Le Ballet Comique de la Reine (The Comedic Ballet of the Queen), 1581, was the first ballet (referred to then as ballet de cour) ever performed in Paris. 

-The creation of classical ballet occurred under King Louis XIV; also known as "Louis the Great" and "The Sun King."

-In his youth, he was an avid dancer. It wasn't until his teenage years he made his debut as Apollo, the sun god, Le Ballet de la nuit (Ballet of the Night) that the influence of ballet on him and his influence in ballet became evident. This role also influenced his nickname, The Sun King. 

Sketch of Louis XIV in Le Ballet de la Nuit (1653)

-He performed in ballets by Pierre Beauchamp and Jean-Baptiste Lully, both ballet masters. 

The Founders of French Ballet

Louis XIV -  made ballet a way of life; made dancing an essential accomplishment for every gentlemen, as the French took note and adapted this into their lifestyle. 

Pierre Beauchamp - the choreographer. Began as personal teacher to Louis XIV, giving him dance lessons for over 22 years; credited with creating the five fundamental foot positions that all balletic movement goes through. His dancers wore the original high-heeled point shoes; influential in the creation of the French baroque dance. 

Jean-Baptiste Lully - the composer and link between dancers & actors; one of the most influential men in Ballet in the 17th century; performed along side the king in ballets until his retirement. Changed from court dancer to music composer of the courts. By 30 years old, he was completely in charge of music at all French courts; responsible for livening dances of court ballets. Also was the first to put female dancers on stage.

Molière - the writer/director of ballets. Comedic playwright of the time; collaborated with Beauchamp to create the genre, Comédie-ballet. 

-In 1661, Louis XIV founded the Académie Royale de Danse (Royal Dance Academy) , the first dance institution established in the Western World. It was in charge of establishing standards for the art of dance and the certification of dance instructors. 

-The Paris Opera Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the world, dating back to 1669 when these academies opened.

-1672, retiring from the stage, Louis XIV appointed Lully as the director the Académie Royale de Musique (aka the Paris Opera), in which the first professional ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet, arose! Hence, the origin of the French dominant vocabulary of ballet. 

-After 1830, ballet went through a bit of a decline. It was reintroduced into Western Europe on the eve of WWI by a Russian ballet company. 

-The Romantic Movement in the 17th century also had a huge affect on ballet. Ballet as a true theatrical art was born. Ballerinas ruled supreme and wore calf-length, white bell-shaped tulle skirts. Thus, the audience can now see the elaborate foot work. Hence, the tutu was born!

-After the French Revolution, the standard ballet shoes with heels were taken out, allowing the performer to do leaps they couldn't do otherwise with the heel. Now, the pointe shoes were born!

-Also in the late 18th century, the Paris Opera's costume maker/designer Maillot invented tights! This was an absolute revolution in the world of dance. Dancers were no longer restricted by the heavy costumes and experienced a degree of freedom they never had before. They were no longer limited to simple, elegant steps, but rather the complex, dramatic, and the athletic movement we now see today. 

Some terms to know

opéra-ballet - new form of entertainment back then; a genre of lyric theater of French Baroque opera; differed from Lully's typical "tragédie en musique" as it had more dance music, not entirely derived from classical mythology, added comedic elements, and for the first time only had professional dancers. 

comédie-ballet - combination of spoken scenes separated by balletic interludes; the roots for today’s musical theatre; helped transition from courtiers being the dancers to using actors and professional dancers (soon to be called ballerinas); helped to bring understanding between the court and the commoners as the transition from court ballets to a more common place ballet occurred.

ballet d'action - involves expression of character and emotion through dancer's face and body rather than elaborate costume and props. Originated from French choreographer Jean Georges Noverre's negative reaction to the dancer's sole focus on technicality rather than the true purpose of ballet. 

Function of the Ballet Costume

Ballet Clothing - used for classes and rehearsal; comfortable, but respecting the art. 

Ballet Costume - used for performances.

affirmation of social status (back then ballet represented nobility and wealth)

place the character in historical setting 

adaption to the role/character (ex. wearing blue for innocence or sadness)

And if you're interested in learning more...

http://histclo.com/act/dance/bal/cos/bc-hist.html

http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/yiannis/dance/history.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballet

13 days...

So I was thinking,

"I need to talk about something different. Something not arts-related"

"Weeellllll, what places do you think of when you hear 'The United States of America?'"

And I immediately thought

MCDONALDS

"Haha, what else Krystal...

....hmmm, politics? Ugh no one wants to read about politics...

WAIT!" then boom.

"I THINK OF THE WHITE HOUSE. YES. YES! Is there a French white house?! A GOLD HOUSE?!?!"

Well, not a gold house, but there's definitely a house,

rather, a palace

that the president of France resides at ;)

 Palais de l'Élysée - The Élysée Palace

-Constructed 1718, finished 1722. 

-Located 55 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in the 8th arrondissement near Champs-Élysée.

-Important foreign visitors stay nearby at the Hôtel de Marigny. Previous president Charles de Gaulle (1st President of the Fifth Republic) didn't like the lack of privacy and bought out the hotel, saying "I do not like the idea of meeting kings walking around my corridors in their pajamas."

La histoire

-Architect Armand-Claude Mollet owned a property in the village of Roule, west of Paris (this area wasn't Paris yet and where Palais de l'Élysée is). In 1718, he sold it to Louis Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne (Count of Évreux) under the condition Mollet would create a hôtel particulier ("Personal inn;" a townhouse). Hôtel d'Évreux was finished and decorated by 1722. 

-By 1753, Évreux's hôtel became one of the most admired houses in Paris. So much, King Louis XV bought it for Madame de Pompadour (his mistress aka court hooker) (also if you watch Doctor Who she was in one of the episodes). Supposedly people would put signs on the gate saying, "Home of the King's Whore." After her death, the home went back to the Court.

Pompadour's room

-In 1773, it was purchased by Nicolas Beajon, banker of the court and one of the richest men in France at the time. He needed a grand country house for his collection of masterpieces, consisting of work from Frans Hals and Holbein. His architectural alterations and art galleries gave this residence international renown as "one of the premier houses of Paris."

Salon doré - golden room; the office of the president

-In 1787, Bathilde d'Orléans, Duchess of Bourbon (French princess) purchased the home for 1.3 million livres! The Duchess was the one who named it the Élysée. She built the Hameau de Chantilly, a group of cottages in the garden. However, after the French Revolution, she fled the country and the Élysée was confiscated. For a short run, it turned into an establishment of drink, dance, eating, and gambling.

-In 1803, it was sold to Joachim Murat (Napoleon's flamboyant brother-in-law), then to the Emperor himself in 1808. It became known as Élysée-Napoléon (that's not narcissistic at all...). But after loosing in the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon signed his abdication and left the Élysée. 

Poor Élysée. Can't seem to be a stable home...

-Well, after being tossed around for a bit, in 1873 (during the Third Republic), it became the official presidential office!

Jardin de l'élysée - Garden of Élysée

And some of the interior...

The library 

The celebration/party hall

le président français

Current president: François Hollande 

In French: Le président de la République française

Semi-presidential government

Head of State and Commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces

Chooses Prime Minister (I guess like our President chooses the VP?)

Term length: 5 years, renewable once consecutively 

Formation: Constitution of the 5th republic, October 1958

Salary: €14,910.31/month (roughly $19, 19,907)

17 presidents so far

There's also this little interesting thing about the presidents... all but one president has had mistresses. President Félix Faure is the only president to have died at Élysée, but guess how he died? From apoplexy doing sexual activities with his mistress.

According to Sexus Politicus (a book about the sex-life of French politicians), in France, a successful politician is a seductive politician. ;)

In 1996, the funeral of President François Mitterrand had in attendance his wife AND his long-term mistress with their illegitimate child. France didn't really make a big deal about it. But the rest of the world did. 

His wife at the far left. Second to right was his mistress and third to right their daughter.

Without a doubt, this palace is full of a lot of history

14 days....

So I remember when I was getting really into burlesque,

about 2 or 3 years ago more or less,

I was heavily researching performers,

and came across

the magnificent

the captivating

the contagious...

Joséphine Baker

THAT. SMILE. *meeeelllllltttttssssss* what a beauty <3

Did you know another one of the most iconic figures of France was actually born in America?! :o

Yeah America, she left because you were TOO RACIST. France was all, "Naah, we love exotic women...or women in general...especially if they're naked. BIENVENUE!"

Oh, and Josephine and I could've totally been best friends. I practically make this face every day.

-Nicknamed "The Black Venus," "The Black Pearl," "The Creole Goddess" and "La Baker."

-Born Freda Josephine McDonald June 3rd 1906 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

-At 12 years old she dropped out of school and became a street child, living in cardboard boxes and garbage cans. Her street dancing got her noticed and was recruited into the St. Louis Chorus vaudeville show. Shortly after, she moved to NYC performing at clubs and getting into the chorus for broadway shows. For a while, she was billed "the highest paid chorus-girl in vaudeville."

-In 1921, she married Willie Baker. She would keep his last name for the rest of her life, despite divorcing him a few years later, as she was already getting known at this point.

-In 1925 (the peak of American Jazz and France's obsession with it) she traveled to Paris, France for new venture and opened in La Revue Nègre at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. She performed Danse Sauvage only wearing a feather skirt (scaaaandalous!) Naturally, she became an instant hit! After a successful tour in Europe, she broke her contract, and returned to France to star in Folies Bergère (cabaret music hall in Paris, which inspired the Ziegfeld Follies in the U.S.!)

-Her career would make a major turning point in a performance called, La Folie du Jour. She danced with a skirt made of 16 bananas! This show was wildly popular in Paris, and became one of the most iconic images of Joséphine Baker. 

Not the full banana dance, but to see it in context :)

-Her later shows she began to appear with her pet cheetah, Chiquita. The cheetah sticked around way after her shows, traveling the world with her, riding in her car, and sleeping in the same bed as her. 

-After a while, she became the most successful entertainers working in France! She was deeply admired by other cultural figures, such as Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and E.E. Cummings. She also received more than 1,000 marriage proposals!

-By 1930, she was singing professionally and landed film roles as a singer in Zou-Zou and Princess Tam-Tam. She money she made from these films allowed her to buy an estate in Castelnaud-Fayrac (SW France).

-In 1936, hoping from the major popularity she had in France, she returned to the U.S. to perform with hopes to establish herself as a performer in her home country. Buuuuuuuut it didn't quite go as so. There was a lot of racist reactions to a black woman starring in Ziegfeld Follies, with the New York Times calling her a "Negro Wench." She went back to Europe heartbroken. 

-After her return, she married Frenchman Jean Lion, and became a French citizen. Supposedly during the ceremony, she renounced her American citizenship without difficulty (Yeah! I don't blame her after America's hostility! Oh history...)

-In 1939, another strong female artist was visiting Paris: Frida Kahlo. They admired each other...all the way to the bedroom. She also had several affairs with women, calling them lady lovers.

-WWII broke out and she volunteered to spy for France, thus becoming apart of the French Resistance (heeeyyy, does that ring a bell?). She was against the Nazi stand on race, not only because she was black, but her husband Jean is jewish descent. Her café-society fame enabled her to rub shoulders with those in the know. When Germans invaded France, she went back to her home in the South of France and housed Belgian refugees. When traveling, she would smuggle hidden messages with invisible ink on her sheet music or in her underwear. 

-At the war’s end, Baker was awarded both the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honour with the rosette of the Resistance, two of France’s highest military honors.

-In the early 1950s,  she adopted 12 children from all over the world and named them the "Rainbow Tribe." (And you thought Brad & Angelina were the first? Think again!). in She adopted after having miscarriages and giving birth to one still-born, having had an emergency hysterectomy. Adopting was also her own way against racism,She invited people to her estate to see her children to prove different races can live together harmoniously.

-Baker supported the American Civil Rights Movement. In 1963, she participated alongside Martin Luther King Jr. in the March on Washington. The NAACP named May 20th as "Josephine Baker Day." 

-She married four times: when she was 13 (only lasted two weeks) to Willie Wells, at 15 to Willie Baker, in '37 (at 31) to Jean Lion, and '47 to French composer Jo Bouillon, divorcing later. She was also involved with artist Robert Brady, but never married. 

-It wasn't until the 1970s that America welcomed her back with open arms. In '73, she performed at Carnegie Hall with a standing ovation.

-Her last concert, April 8th, 1975, celebrated her 50 years in show business called "Joséphine à Bobino 1975 " at Bobino, Paris. Demand was so high for this concert, they had to bring out fold-out chairs. The opening night audiences included Sophia Loren, Princess Grace of Monaco, Mick Jagger, Shirley Bassey, Diana Ross, and Liza Minnelli. 

-Four days later, Baker was found lying peacefully in her bed, surrounded by newspaper with glowing reviews over her performance. She was in a coma after suffering from cerebral hemorrhage. She died at 68 on April 12th, 1975. 

One of Joséphine's most famous songs, basically singing about the conflict of her having two loves: Her country (America) and Paris. But I think this song represents a lot more than just that...

J'ai deux amours - I have two loves

Here are the lyrics with the translation:

http://lyricstranslate.com/en/j039ai-deux-amours-i-have-two-loves.html

Without a doubt, she is one of my favorite people. EVER. 

She fought when all odds were against her. She's beautiful. And she had soooooo much empathy for others. 

15 days

So most of you know,

that I'm a bit of a COFFEE ADDICT OMGPO*U#JEFOWIK#J23!

So are the French (and Europe for that matter)

So I thought I'd do a brief blog on...

le café - coffee

I took this photo on my first trip to Paris ;)

How I try to look like with coffee...

...but I end up looking more like this:

buahahaha

A short 5 minute video on the history of coffee :)

The history of coffee can be seen as a plant - it has a root (the origin of coffee) and then many leaves (the different countries it spread to). So for this matter, I will briefly discuss the root and focus on one of its leaves (the leaf being France!)

-The original coffee plantation is said to have come from Ethiopia, Kenya, or Sudan, being cultivated by the Arabs in the 14th century. By the 16th century, it spread to the Middle East, Persia, Turkey, and Northern Africa. From there, it spread to the Balkans, Italy, and the rest of Europe. 

-1644, P. de la Roque brought the first coffee into France (Marseilles specifically) from his travels to Constantinople and Levant. 

-1657, Jean de Thévenot (French traveler in the East) introduced coffee privately into Paris . Also credited  for teaching the French how to use coffee.

-1664, the French East India Company was chartered by King Louis XIV for the purpose of trading in the Eastern Hemisphere. It competed with British and Dutch East India companies. 

East India Company? Wait...that sounds familiar...

OH YEAH! It's referenced in Pirates of the Caribbean! Under "East India Trading." However, their power in POTC is much grander and they never went to the Caribbean, haha.

-1669, Soleiman Agha (Ottoman Empire ambassador to French King Louis XIV) arrived in Paris with his entourage bringing with him a large quantity of coffee beans. Not only did they provide their French and European guests with coffee to drink, but they also donated some beans to the royal court.

-In Paris, Soleiman set up a beautiful house where he offered coffee drinking to the Parisian society. Aristocratic women, drawn by rumors of the residence's exotic, perfumed atmosphere, eagerly wanted to visit. Nubian slaves served them coffee in exquisitely gilded eggshell porcelain (so LUSH!). Soon the fashion spread throughout Paris, as Armenians costumed as Turks in turbans (Ottoman style), carrying trays of pots and cups, selling coffee from street to street. These roving peddlers gave way to stalls at fairs, and these ultimately evolved into cafés. 

-Thus, between July 1669 and May 1670, the Ambassador managed to firmly establish the custom of drinking coffee among Parisians.

-1672, first coffeehouse to open in Paris. The rest is history ;)

Guide to different coffees

Or in cup form!

A nice graphic on identifying the flavor characteristics on coffee ;)

http://payload69.cargocollective.com/1/7/248822/3693346/coffeedetail.jpg

Tasting coffee has almost the same approach as wine tasting. 

Coffee tasting

Fragrance/aroma - try the smell of coffee while it's still dry (aka fragrance) and when it's infused with water aka aroma. Smell has a big part in the overall taste of coffee.

Flavor - coffee's principal character; the "mid-range" notes between the first impression of the first aroma and the acidity in the final aftertaste

Aftertaste 

Acidity - a flavor note, not actual acid. Determined by heat; lower temperatures are light roast the higher the temperature, the darker the roast. (Another handy chart! http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/e5/0e/20/e50e207fe00621b851fadc0b378c6298.jpg)

Body - feeling of the liquid in the mouth

Balance (measures all aspects of flavor, aftertaste, acidity, and body)

Cleanliness 

Sweetness

Now... ordering coffee in France, (especially Paris) is a little different. Sure, you can use some of the same names you normally use for coffee (espresso, cafe au lait, etc.) but they might not be the name. So here's an equivalency list of ordering coffee in France!

Ordering coffee in France

Un Café - a big-size coffee.

Un Café au lait - a big-size coffee with a jar of milk.

Un Express - an espresso

Une Noisette - a small espresso coffee with a dash of milk/cream in it (a macchiato).

Un Crême - an espresso with half of warmed milk (small café au lait).

Un Allongé - an espresso coffee with double the amount of water (weak black coffee).

Un Serré - an espresso coffee with half the usual amount of water (strong black coffee).

Un Déca - a decaf coffee.

Un Américain - filter coffee.

Another major thing about cafe's in paris is people watching! Check out this quirky video about it:

Go on. Go get your cup of Java ;)

16 days

I'm not quite sure how I discovered this one,

It was sometime back in high school (senior year for sure)

but one of the first french singers I ever discovered

was the wonderful,

magnificent,

Édith Piaf

Take note of her hands. She always heavily expresses with her face and hands.

So. beautiful.

-Icon of France during World War II.

-Born Édith Giovanna Gassion in 1915 in Belleville, Paris (between the 20th & 19th arrondissement).

-Got her name after WWI British nurse Edith Cavell, who helped French soldiers escape German captivity. 20 years later, she got the nickname Piaf, which is slang for sparrow.

-Her mother was an Italian cafe singer and her father was a street acrobat. Her mother abandoned her at birth, living with her grandmother shortly after. Her grandmother owned a brothel and the prostitutes would take care of Édith. In 1929 (14 years old), she joined her father for street performances - him doing acrobats and her singing. 

-In 1932 she lived with her boyfriend Louis Dupont. A year later, at 17 years old, she gave birth to a baby girl Marcelle. However, her and her boyfriend were in constant disagreement and she had little maternal instinct. Her daughter died of meningitis and neglect at age 2. This is the only child she ever had. 

-In 1935, Piaf was discovered by Louis Leplée. Her nervousness and small stature (she was 4ft8in) inspired the name, La Môme Piaf (The Little Sparrow). Unfortunately, Leplée was murdered the following spring. Authorities investigated her as one of the accomplices (proving innocent). This required a change in her image, changing her name permanently to Édith Piaf, and singing songs romanticizing life on the streets, passion, and inner strength. 

This is the first song I ever heard from her :) this song made Piaf internationally famous, with its lyrics telling about retaken love and appealing to those who had survived the difficult wartime.

La Vie en Rose (Life in Pink) - 1947

-During WWII, she was a frequent performer at German forces. She was instrumental in getting a number of people escape Nazi persecution. It's said that she would perform at a German bar, earning her the right to pose for photos with French POW's (Prisoners of War) to boost their morale. Supposedly, they were able to cut out the photos and use them to forge passports. Way to support the French Resistance Édith! ;)

-After the war, her fame quickly spread through  all of Europe, the U.S. and South America. However, her personal life started getting known to. She had high-profile romances with some of the biggest French celebrities. In 1949, she was having an affair with married French boxer Marcel Cerdan. In '51, She was in three car crashes, getting addicted to morphine and alcohol. From '52-'57, she was married to Jacques Pills (French singer/actor), then Théo Sarapo (Greek descent French singer/actor, who Piaf also helped choose his stage name). Théo was 20 years her junior (when they married, he was 26, she was 46.)

O________O *drooooool*

Daaaaammnn girl, get it! Still working it cougar style, owwww ;)

Known for her

eyebrows

black/dark dresses

personal love life

facial expressions/hand gestures when performing

signature song "La Vie En Rose"

-In 1963, a year after her marriage with Théo, she died of liver cancer at the French Riviera. She was denied a Roman Catholic funeral mass because of her lifestyle, but her funeral procession more than 100,000 fans.

-She is buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris next to her daughter Marcelle, her lover Louis Dupont, and later when he passed, her second husband Sarapo. Engraved on their tomb stones is, "Love Conquers All."

One of my favorites. Super catchy. She's such a dish ;)

Another favorite. Use that vibrato!!!

Also, this is the song they use in the movie Inception, with Marion Cotillard (French actress), who in 2007 played Édith Piaf in the film La Vie en Rose! :O

MIND-BLOWN MUCH?!

I've yet to see the film (I NEED to find it!) but it won 5 César Awards (French Film Awards) and 1 Academy Award for Cotillard's performance. 

What a captivating, wonderful, yet tragic life she had...

17 days

Bon Dieu!

l'arc de triomphe - arc of triomphe

awwwwww, when I visited with my bff at the time <3

(look at that messy hair though! did I forget to bring a brush?!)

Did you know French architect Charles Ribart originally wanted to build a GIANT ELEPHANT where the arc is now?!

Seriously. A three level elephant, with a spiral staircase going through the gut and a drainage system in the elephant's trunk. 

Buuuuuuut the French government denied it. I wonder why........ ;p

Here's an article if you're interested:

http://cultureandstuff.com/2011/05/24/lost-paris-the-elephant-on-the-place-de-la-bastille/

-Ordered for construction in 1806 by Napoleon

-Located at the end of Champes-Élysées (8e arrondissement) 

-It stands 50 metres (164 ft) in height, 45 m (148 ft) wide and 22 m (72 ft) deep. The large vault is 29.19 m (95.8 ft) high and 14.62 m (48.0 ft) wide. The small vault is 18.68 m (61.3 ft) high and 8.44 m (27.7 ft) wide. In other words...IT'S REALLY BIG. 

-The Arc cost 9.3 MILLION FRANCS!  That was a HUGE amount of money for the time.

-The architecture was designed by Jean Chalgrin. However, the work was taken over by Jean-Nicolas Huyot after his death.

-The names of 128 battles of the first French Republic and Napoleon's Empire are written on the white walls under the vault together with the names of the generals who took part in them.

One of the four main statues on the arch

Le Départ de 1792'  (La Marseillaise)

-Construction fo the arc was finished in 1836, 15 years after Napoleon's death.

-Under the arch there is a tomb for The Unknown French Soldier from WWI. in 1923, it was proposed to install an eternal flame to burn in memory of the dead and for those who were never identified. Since then, every day at 6:30 in the evening, the flame is rekindled in their honor.

In 1919, Charles Godefroy flew a plane through the Arc to celebrate the end of WWI. Check out these maaaaagical 5 seconds! ;p

-Interestingly enough, the Washington Square Arch (Washington Square Park, NYC) was inspired by L'Arc de Triomphe. It was built in 1892. 

                  Arco di Tito                          L'Arc de Triomphe                   Washington Square Arch 

Guess arcs are really...patriotic? 

;)

19 days.

Already have my visa.

It's coming...

So I really love photography.

Incredibly. It's a hobby & passion of mine.

And a photographer I absolutely adore is:

Robert Doisneau

-Born in 1912 in Gentilly, Val-De-Marne (Southern Suburb of Paris), France.

-At 13, he enrolled in a craft school, taking classes in still life and figure drawing. At 16, he took up amateur photography, but supposedly he was so shy, he would only photograph cobble stones (moving on to children and adults later). in 1929, he graduated with a degree in lithography and engraving. 

-End of 1920s, he found work as a draughtsman (lettering artist) in the advertising department of Atelier Ullmann (Ullmann Studio), a pharmaceutical company. This is where he changed his career to photography. He became self-taught, turning it into a hobby and capturing the streets of Paris in his wanderings.

-1930s, he worked as a cameraman assistant, and sold his first photo-story to the newspaper, Excelsior. For a while he found work as an advertising photographer for a car company, but got fired for always being late. He went into freelance, engraving, and postcard photography to make a living (during this time, the French postcard industry was at it's largest in Europe).

-WWII, Doisneau was drafted as a soldier and a photographer. Towards the end of the war, he used his draughtsman skills to forge papers and passports for the French Resistance (an artist AND patriotic! ;p)

-Post-war photography was perhaps his most memorable photography. He joined Group XV, a Paris group promoting photography as an art in 1950. The 50s was his peak, he worked for Life Magazine, and when television began to take over in place of old-style picture magazine, he still found work in children's books, advertising, and celebrity portraits. 

Style

distinct humor but deep empathy for his subjects

ironic images with amusing juxtapositions

the eccentrics of contemporary every day Paris

children's street culture

playful & modest images

-In '36, he married Pierrette Chaumaison, having two daughters: Annette (who worked as his assistant from '79 'till his death) and Francine. 

Doisneau is most famous for this photograph. & perhaps the image that made me fall in love with Paris...

Le baiser de l’hôtel de ville (Kiss by the Hôtel de Ville) 1950

-This photo became an internationally recognised symbol of young love in Paris. The couple remained a mystery until 1992 when Doisneau was taken to court.In the 80s, a couple met with him for lunch believing it was them, Doisneau allowing the lunch to continue and saying nothing to not "shatter their dream." Under French Law (which continues to this day - careful social media!), an individual owns rights to their own likeness, thus the couple claimed the photo was taken without their knowledge. Unfortunately, this led to the reveal that Doisneau staged the photograph, asking aspiring actors he had just seen kissing to to repeat the kiss.

-His wife died of Alzheimer's and Pakinson disease, and 6 months after her death, he passed away after having triple heart bypass and acute pancreatitis. 

-His daughter Annette said after the court case, "my father was deeply shocked. He discovered a world of lies, and it hurt him. 'The Kiss' ruined the last years of his life. Add that to my mother suffering from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and I think it's fair to say he died of sadness."

-Even though his life wasn't exactly picture perfect like his photos, he was without question a pioneer in photojournalism. His love for street photography gave another view to Parisian life, steering away from photo studios (Vogue wanted him to do photos of models, but he found it to artificial) and receiving tons of awards (The Kodak Prize '47,  Grand Prix National de la Photographie '83, and more).

He once said,

"I don't photograph life as it is, but life as I would like it to be."

What a great eye he had for life then! :)

And here are a few photos of his wonderful work

Le remorqueur du Champs de Mars, Paris 1943

"A hundredth of a second here, a hundredth of a second there – even if you put them end to end, they still only add up to one, two, perhaps three seconds, snatched from eternity" - RD

Catherine Verneuil, 1963

Amour et barbelés

Les Tabliers de la Rue Rivoli, 1978

You can find all his photographs here. It's SO worth looking at:

http://www.robert-doisneau.com/fr/portfolio/

20 days. 

._.

So when I (and I think most people) think of Paris, obviously I think of the the previous posts I have done,

the cuisine, the art, the music, etc.

But sometimes, when I think of Paris, I think of...

the sexiness 

owwwwwwwwwww ;)

and what I'm thinking of

is.....

le moulin rouge!

Yesssssss. HOOKERS!!!!! ;p

Modern Day Moulin Rouge

-October 6th, 1889, the Moulin Rouge opened in the Jardin de Paris, Montmatre! (18th arrondissement).

-The masters of the Moulin Rouge were Joseph Oller (creator) and Charles Zidler (manager). 

-Nicknamed Le Premier Palais des femmes or The First Palace of Women.

La Belle Époque (The Beautiful Era)

the "golden age" of Paris

1871-1914 (Third French Republic 'till WWI)

light-hearted, optimistic, technologic and scientific innovations, and the execution of Joie de vivre (joy of living)! 

the arts completely flourished, bursting with literature, music, theater, and visual art

-Marked by extravagant shows, circus influence, and every day they would have concert dances at 10pm.

-Artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec created the first poster for the Moulin Rouge in 1891:

-The Moulin Rouge became a place for everyone. The extravagant, lush setting allowed people of all walks of life, of all social classes, to be in one place. 

-Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, a french painter of the late 1800s, is heavily associated with the Moulin Rouge and Montmartre, due to his immersion into the theatrical and colorful life of Paris, producing provocative, decadent, and exciting artwork. 

Salon at the Rue des Moulins (1894)

-By 1900, visitors from around the world already attracted to the Universelle Exposition came to the Moulin Rouge. It was viewed as a modern Babylon, a capital of pleasure, and the where the "little ladies of Paris" lived aka HOOKERS. 

-For some years, the Moulin Rouge had Mistinguett, a French entertainer who was for a time the best-paid female in the world. Her risque routines, flamboyance, and theatrics made her one of the most popular French entertainers of that time. Acknowledging she wasn't the prettiest, she said, "I had a talent: life. All the rest remains to be done, to be thought about. I couldn't allow myself just to be a beautiful animal, I had to think of everything."

Success of the Moulin Rouge was due to:

the revolutionary architecture

the birth of the can-can

being a melting pot of social classes

a place loved by artists

birth of famous dancers here: La Goulue, Jane Avril, & Mistinguett

Can-Can girls.

Since this dance originated as a dance of seduction by courtesans (prostitutes), they initially use to dance without underwear.

PEAK-A-BOO. CAN-CAN you see the appeal?! ;)

Of course, American/UK/Australian audiences know the Moulin Rouge due to the film.

Which is a personal favorite of mine ;)

OMG. MAJOR EYE-GASMS. OMG.

And despite some of it's "cheesiness", it's incredibly loyal to French culture, portraying bohemianism, the belle époque, and incorporating Toulouse-Lautrec and Zidler as characters. And there's tons of references to courtesans from French literature in the film. (I took a class on this. I wrote a giant paper on this film and era. TRUST ME. I'm an expert on French hookers.)

And... of course:

Just realized I was secretly obsessed with them as a kid. Like for real. What were my priorities back then?! Spongebob & Wishbone were put on the back-burner when it came to these ladies... (Is that why my favorite color is Red?!?! HAVE I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A HOOKER?!?! *shutupkrystaldamn*)

By the way, it still exists. It's a cabaret now. Check it:

http://www.moulinrouge.fr/

And their website has a pretty amazing history on it:

http://www.moulinrouge.fr/history/periods?lang=en

21 days.

Exactly THREE WEEKS.

aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

*end freak-out*

So I can't do a french blog without talking about their art

Specifically, painters

And I think one of the most famous painters, without a doubt, would have to be...

Claude Monet

Young Monet. Not shabby looking.

Old Monet. A little on the shabby side. But his eyes are so magnetic!

-Monet was a founder of French Impressionist painting.

-Born 14 November 1840 in the 9th arrondissement of Paris.

-1851, Monet entered art school, being known for his charcoal works.

-1856 or '57 (16-17yrs), Monet met fellow artist Eugène Boudin; introduced Monet to oil paints. He also taught Monet the "en plein air" (literally "in plain open air" or outdoor) painting technique. 

-Both were inspired by Johan Jongkin, a Dutch painter who is basically the forerunner to Impressionism.

-At 22, he joined a Paris studio, having classmate Auguste Renoir, Frédéric Bazille, and other future Impressionist artists. Later in his career he also befriended Édouard Manet (don't confuse the two!) and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

On the Bank of the Seine, Bennecourt, 1868

Camille Doncieux, serving as the model here and for many of Monet's work, was also his future wife. 

caractéristiques de l'impressionnisme

19th century art movement starting with a group of Paris-based artists

small, thin, yet visible brush strokes

open composition

accurate depiction of light (particularly how time & lighting pass)

ordinary subject matter

movement

unusual visual angles

overall visual effects instead of details - colors were never shaded or smoothly blended, always short brush strokes of pure color; all about intense color vibration

"Impression, soleil levant" (Impression, Sunrise), 1872

The name of the style of Impressionism derived from this painting. The subject is Le Havre in Haute-Normandie (Northwestern France). Monet explained the title later, saying, 

"Landscape is nothing but an impression, and an instantaneous one, hence this label that was given us, by the way because of me...They asked me for a title for the catalogue, it couldn't really be taken for a view of Le Havre, and I said: 'Put Impression'"

Pretty sure Monet left an Impression of some sort...

-You'll find in his paintings his first wife, Camille, and later his second wife, Alice, served as models. 

-He had two sons, Jean in 1867 and Michel 1878. However, Camille's health rapidly decreased after her second pregnancy and soon died in 1879.

-His landscapes chart journeys around the north of France, and to London, escaping the Franco-Prussian War.

-1883, moved to the rural Giverny. His paintings were selling well, his income was increasing, and he would invite Manet & Renoir to paint alongside. He also focused more on nature, such as the gardens at his home in Giverny.

-He also did series paintings, were he would paint the same subject at different times of day or seasons.

Rouen Cathedral series. These are just a few of them.

-1883-1908, Monet extensively travelled across Europe, painting landscapes of Venice and London. However, in 1911, his second wife Alice died. Her daughter from a previous marriage, Blanche, married Monet's son, Jean, but Jean passed away in 1914. Blanche looked after and cared for Monet. During this time, he developed Cataracts. He underwent two surgeries in 1923, affecting his vision seeing things in a reddish tone. It's said he may have been able to see some ultraviolet light, rays normally not seen my the human eye, affecting how he saw color. He even repainted some of his paintings, such as making blue water lilies bluer. 

-Monet died of lung cancer in 1926. Now his house in Giverny serves as a tourist attraction. 

He loved painting water lilies. <3

22 days.

I can't believe it! 

Still trying to process...

Oh and I'm talking about their food again.

bien sûr!

And one of the most precious food staples has to be bread

Particularly,

le baguette!

le baguette - baguette

Haha cuuuuuute. très mignon!

Did you know the name "baguette" wasn't coined until 1920?!

Doesn't mean the bread wasn't around until then. It's just the famous name wasn't around 'till the 20th century!

-Baguette means "wand" or "baton" (ex. baguette magique = magic wand! Baguette's are pretty magical...)

-In Middle Ages France, the Gauls’ taste for beer led them to use beer instead of water to make bread dough.

-During the Renaissance, pains de fantaisie(literally fancy or fantasy bread) or bread made with milk and butter were introduced, becoming popular all throughout Europe.

-14th-18th century France, in Paris when the harvests were good, there were 30+ different kinds of breads. Some of them were:

pain ballé - a round bran loaf

pain bis - a grayish brown bread with layers of rye and wheat

pain raté - spoiled bread, because rats had nibbled on it; this bread was sold to the poor!

-Pre-revolution, the rich ate wheat and white bread, while the poor dark, coarse, flat loaves. Thus, bread was also an indicator of social status.

-Mass starvation in France provoked the French Revolution. The storming of Bastille was more a call for bread since the government was by no means taking care of the poor. Bread had reached it's highest price ever in France. Once some peace was restored, authorities told bakers to only make one kind of bread - pain d'egalite (equality bread). White flour was banned and rationing was introduced. However, shortly after the republic won, special privileges were banned, and white bread became an every day bread. 

-18th century, France was still having structural shortages. Most citizens got their calories from bread, devoting at least half their income to it.

-During the Enlightenment, there was heavy reflection on grain, flour, and bread in general. There were strict laws on bakeries, and this lead to innovative studies on bread chemistries, beginning the first schools of bakery. 

-Early 19th century, advancements in technology helped the harvest. Bread became more accessible, communal ovens decreased, and bakers were being seen as a separate entity. The first steam oven was introduced in Paris by Austrian August Zang (also introduced pain viennois and the croissant), and therefore some credit this as the introduction to the baguette in France.

12 minute video on how to make Baguettes. Audio's not the best, but pretty informative! :)

-Gas and electric ovens today produce great bread, but some bread makers are reverting back to the wood-fired overs, going back to the traditional artesian ways. :)

-Not all loaves in France are baguettes. Some are:

bâtard - literally means bastard, haha. Short, rugby ball shaped loaf.

flûte - tubular shaped loaf; closely resemble baguettes

ficelle - "string" in French. Similar to baguette but thinner

baton - short baguette

boule - "ball" in French. Looks like a squashed ball.

And tons more...

If you're interested in more about baguettes or artisan bread, check it out!

http://www.retrodor.com/en/index.php/bread-in-the-french-tradition/history-of-bread-and-baguettes

http://foodimentary.com/2012/03/21/a-history-of-the-baguette/

http://www.lepetitfrancais.com/history

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baguette

23 days. 

Having mini panic attacks

So close, so much to do...

Cendrillon - Cinderella

Did you know the author who wrote this Cinderella, Charles Perrault, also wrote Le Petit Chaperon rouge (Little Red Riding Hood), Le Chat Botté (Puss in Boots) and La Belle au bois dormant (Sleeping Beauty)?!

Talk about fairytale master!

-Charles Perrault, 1628-1703 (born and died in Paris), wrote the most popular version of Cinderella (the one we mainly know). His version included the pumpkin, the fairy godmother, and the glass slippers.

-In 1697, the story was first published in Histoires ou contes du temps passé (Stories or Fairy Tales from Past Times with Morals).

-The name Cinderella arised from Perrault's version. In the story, she would curl up next to the fireplace to keep warm, but would often arise with cinders, obtaining the mocking name "Cinderella." 

-The name Cinderella is surprisingly not French! In French, it's Cendrillon. Cinderella is a word play in English! :)

-Préciosité

presiocity - overrefinement in art, music, or language, esp. in the choice of words

17th century french literary style 

practiced lively, witty conversations and playful word games

Told fairytales as if spontaneous but were carefully prepared before - added excitement

-Fairytales were fashionable among aristocrats in Parisian literary salons (places were the french would gather to discuss literature and philosophy). Charles Perrault saw this fashion of fairtyales, the précieuse word games, and undoubtly had a great influence on him. So naturally Cinderella and the other stories in Histoires became a big hit!

-The origin of Cinderella has a variety of roots. The earliest influence goes all the way back to classical antiquity 1st century BC, telling the story of a rosy-cheeked girl named Rhodopis taking a bath when an eagle snatched her sandal, flew away, and let the sandal land on a King's lap. The King overwhelmed with the beauty of the sandal sought out to search for the owner in his entire country. He found her, then married her. Boom.

-There's also a lot of asian influences too - however, these stories added the parents and stepsister elements (no shoes though). The asian stories also add animal roles, Cinderella being mistreated and cleaning the house, and a flip flop between both Cinderella's parents being dead, or the Dad being the widow and remarrying to a mean wife and wicked kids. 

-Another popular version of Cinderella, called Aschenputtel, was written by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm. However, no fairy godmother - Aschenputtel gets a wishing tree that grows from her mom's grave.

-As time went on, Cinderella got more popular and was adapted into operas, ballets, theater, television, and film. 

One of the posters of it's opera adaptation

One of my favorite Disney songs and IN FRENCH. Indulge <3

So overall:

-Cinderella has multiple origins. Charles Perrault's version is the one we're most familiar with

-Fairytales originated to entertain the bourgeoise and aristocratic people

-Cinderella has been adapted into many other forms of art

-Cinderella = English Translation. Cendrillon = French translation.

24 days.

Finished one of my summer classes today.

This summer heat-stroke nightmare is almost over.

& soon I'll begin my parisian dream...

Something I haven't talked about yet is the art of France.

There's soooooo many wonderful things - the art, fashion, dance

But also music!

So I thought I'd talk about one of my favorite composers of all time:

Claude Debussy

Did you know Debussy's arguably most famous piece, Clair de Lune, was inspired by a poem?!

Clair de Lune by PAUL VERLAINE (French Symbolist Poet)!

If you're interesting in reading the poem (with translation), check it out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clair_de_Lune_(poem)

-Born Achille-Claude Debussy on August 22nd, 1862 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye (western suburbs of Paris) & the eldest of 5 kids

-2 years later, Debussy started piano lessons. He completely excelled piano by the age of 10 and went to the Paris Conservatoire for 11 years!

-1880-82 (18-20yrs old), he use to accompany Tchaikovsky's patroness, Nadezhda von Meck. However, Tchaikovsky had minimal effect on Debussy. 

-Monsieur & Madame Vasnier had a great influence on Debussy through emotional and professional support. Monsieur Vasnier introduced him to influential french writers of the time (ex. Paul Verlaine, Charles Baudelaire) that influenced Debussy's compositions.

-In 1884, he won the prize to study music in Rome. Buuuut he hated it and couldn't compose. Plus the Academy called some of his works "bizarre" and "courting the unusual."

Actually, he once said,

"I am sure the Institute would not approve, for, naturally it regards the path which it ordains as the only right one. But there is no help for it! I am too enamoured of my freedom, too fond of my own ideas!"

Interesting. Didn't Freddie Mercury felt the same way with "I Want To Break Free" a century later? ;p

-Debussy was influenced by Wagner, responding to his sensuousness, mastery of form, and harmonies. After his Wagner phase, he was interested in non-western music. At the 1889 Paris Exposition (debut of Eiffel Tower, remember?!), he heard some Javanese Gamelan (musical ensemble from Java) and was drawn to their unusual instrumentation. 

-His private life was pretty scandalous. He had at least 5 affairs with women, some simultaneous. His last affair, with Emma Bardoc, turned into a relationship and he had his only daughter, Claude-Emma "Chouchou."

-Debussy was majorly influenced by the Symbolist movement. Debussy approached his music like the Symbolist did with art - reject common techniques and create sensorial work. He also felt he learned more from artists rather than musicians, since they were primarily focused on their music careers.

-Debussy died March 25th, 1918 of cancer and in the midst of bombardment in Paris from WWI.

Another example of one of his most famous works:

Musical style (if you're a musician or familiar with music, you'll understand)

Parallel Chords

Unprepared modulations

Bitonality

Whole-tone & Pentatonic Scales

Passages of absent tonality

Examples of work

Early Works - 1890s

Deux Arabesques 

Suite Bergamesque (No.3 is the infamous Clair de Lune)

Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune

Middle Works - 1899 - early 1910s

Nocturnes

La Mer

Children's Corner Suite

Later Work - 1915-1918

Violin Sonata

Préludes 

Jeux (last orchestral work)

In a nutshell:

-Debussy=bohemian, argumentative, & experimental in late 19th/early 20th century France; "musician of the dream."

-Prominent figure in Impressionist music and transition to the modern era from Western music. 

-Work=sensory, avoiding tonality at times, reflective of his own life (including the bad).

-Influence=Wagner, non-western music, other art forms like literature and visual art, symbolist movement, contemporary painter James McNeill Whistler.

And if you're more interested, here's a pretty good 25 minute documentary on him:

Alright, time to dream with Debussy

25 days!

And I accidentally booked my flight an extra day early.

Extra day in Paris for myself? I think I'm fine with that ;)  

Oh, so I told you it wouldn't be long 'till I talked about food again.

Maybe because I'm hungry? 

Regardless,

let's talk about crêpes!

(and not the ones you find at IHOP)

les crêpes - the crepes

OMG.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Did you know...... crepes are incredibly delicious.........

Haha no surprising facts about crepes

OH BUT NEWSFLASH

Nutella lovers,

Nutella isn't French (quoi?!?!)

It's Italian! I don't know why most Americans think it's French. But the French certainly do embrace Nutella ;)

-The name crêpe is a French word, deriving from Latin for "curled."

-For those who don't know how to pronounce it: crêpe rhymes with grape! ;) NOT CREEPYS. OR CRAY-PYS (I'm talking to you MOM!).

-Les crêpes are a very thin pancake.

-There are normally two types of Crepes:

sweet crêpes (crêpes sucrées) - made with wheat flour and slightly sweetened

savoury galettes (crêpes salées) - made with buckwheat (naturally gluten free!) and unsweetened

-Crepes are popular all throughout France, but it originated from the Bretagne (Brittany) region (Northwest France).

-The preparation of crepes can vary. They can be served as lunch or dinner being filled with ham, cheese, mushrooms, etc. or as breakfast or dessert, being filled with and topped with Nutella, fruit spread, Nutella, maple syrup, Nutella, sliced fruit, and/or Nutella.

-Some of the preparations of a crepe can be:

Mille crêpe - french cake of many layers of crepe

Crêpe Suzette - standard french & belgian crepe with lightly grated orange peel and liqueur on top

Crêpe dentelle - a crispy biscuit made with a very thin layer of crêpe, folded in a cigar shape, and then baked. Usually enjoyed with a hot drink during the goûter (afternoon tea).

-Crêperies = equivalence of a taco truck, but for crepes. Can be a "street food" and you see this throughout France (and Europe for that matter.)

If you're interested in how to make crêpes...

-Crêpes are traditionally served for La Chandeleur or Candlemas (Eastern Orthodox/Catholic holiday celebrating the presentation of Jesus), February 2nd. This day is also known as "Le Jour des Crêpes" or "The day of Crêpes!" Now Feb. 2nd is a full on national event for crepes!

-With this holiday, there was a belief if you could catch the crepe in a frying pan after tossing it in the air with your right hand and holding a gold coin in your left hand, you'd become rich that year. I think I'd just be happy having a crepe? :P

So in a way, Crêpes are like our tortillas, as far as it's usage. But also kind of like empanadas (with the different fillings, can be sweet, salty, etc). And then you can fold it up and stuff it like a taco. :| (not with the same ingredients obviously).

Isn't food awesome?!

26 days. 

Less than four weeks.

C'est bizarre!

le drapeau de la france - the flag of france

-For English speakers, this is a Tricolour (three colors)

-The original French colors were only red and blue. During the French Revolution, white was teamed with these colors of the French militia. The Parisian militia stormed the Bastille (a medieval fortress and prison in Paris that represented royal authority) on July 14th, 1789 (which is celebrated now as Bastille Day!). However, to get these colors to a national appeal, French leader Marquis de LaFayette suggested including white onto the militia's already blue & red cockade uniforms.

-A year later, after the storming of Bastille, The Champ the Mars (large grassy area near the Eiffel Tower) was bombarded with these tricolour flags to celebrate the federation and officially becoming the symbol of the nation!

-French Revolution=inauguration of the present flag 

-Thus, through the storming of Bastille and the French Revolution, leading to the downfall of the French King and Aristocracy...and to celebrate this victory, they came up with a motto!

The National motto of France is:

Liberté, égalité, fraternité - liberty, equality, and brotherhood

-It has three vertical bands, in the order of Blue, White, and Red. Blue comes first in the flag, representing class. Red, coming last on the flag, represents the nobility. Both extreme colors are on either side of white, referring to a superior order.  

les couleurs

Blue

liberté or freedom

St. Martin/Martin of Tours, a Bishop of Tours

Associated with the Virgin Mary, the Patron Saint of France

In Ancien Régime (former regime): the bourgeoisie

Symbol of class

truth, loyalty, justice, & perseverance 

White

égalité or equality

"Ancient French Colour;" previous flag was solely white

Identified with nation and monarchy

In Ancien Régime: the clergy

peace & honesty

Red

fraternité or brotherhood

St. Denis, a Christian matyr 

Also ssociated with the Virgin Mary, the Patron Saint of France

In Ancien Régime: the nobility

Symbol of nobility

strength, bravery, self-assurance, & valour

Seems like I can't escape red, white and blue...

Destiny?! Perhaps...

;)