You have probably seen the news about the French Crown Jewels. A few days ago, thieves broke into the Louvre in a brazen daylight robbery. With them went many of the crown jewels, a terrible loss.
People are often surprised that France even has crown jewels. Didn’t those go away with King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette?
I wrote about this a few months ago, but I thought it might be timely to republish that story. You can read it in France Today.
Where did the metric system come from? If you order lobster thermidor, what does “thermidor” mean? Who would design a clock that had 100 minutes in every hour?
These all go back to the French Revolution. When the zealots weren’t busy chopping off heads, they decided to remake the world in a more “rational” way. Hence the metric system, new clocks, and a calendar where months had names like brumaire and thermidor.
Read all about these, er, “interesting” innovations in French Today!
Vincent van Gogh spent two years in Provence, first in Arles and then at a mental asylum in St-Rémy-de-Provence. In his works we see the people and landscape of the time, filtered through the lens of his unique artistic style. But what did they really look like? A new photographic collection now lets us see for ourselves.
Sisters Emile, Alexandre, and Augustin Sicard were talented amateur photographers at the turn of the last century. They took hundreds of photos in and around St-Rémy just a few years after Van Gogh lived there. Looking at their photos gives us a picture of his world.
Read all about it in Perfectly Provence!
There is an excellent small museum near where Val and I live in St-Rémy that recounts the life of World War II hero Jean Moulin. It is well worth a visit if you are in the area.
For those unfamiliar with him, Jean Moulin is the man who unified the French Resistance before being captured by the Nazis. Despite being tortured and beaten, Moulin never revealed any secrets.
Today, his ashes are in the Pantheon in Paris, the final resting place of France’s greatest heroes, and his name is found throughout the country—only de Gaulle and Pasteur have more streets named after them.
The museum recounts Moulin’s life and has a brilliant re-creation of the night he parachuted in the middle into the mountains near St-Rémy–it is like you are there!
Read more about this great Frenchman in Perfectly Provence!
The British crown jewels are known the world over, with their brilliant diamonds and pieces like the crown, the scepter and the orb. They played an essential role in last year’s coronation of King Charles and are one of London’s major tourist attractions.
Why are the British crown jewels so famous but we rarely hear about the French ones? It’s because the French crown jewels were sold. Yes, sold! It happened over a century ago, after a political crisis. And curiously, some may soon be coming home.
Read the fascinating story of the French crown jewels in France Today!
France has just celebrated the reopening of its iconic cathedral, Notre Dame, with a ceremony that brought together leaders from around the world. The cathedral dates back to the 12th century, but did you know that 200 years ago Victor Hugo helped save it?
Notre Dame was so badly damaged during the 1830 revolution that some thought it should be demolished. Then a year later, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame was published, a novel that championed the Gothic architecture of Notre Dame. It sparked a national movement to restore the cathedral to its former glory.
The novel’s central character is the hunchback, one of the most famous characters in French literature. He is known for his terrible deformities, his love for Esmerelda, and his unusual name. But where did “Quasimodo” come from?
Find out in Bonjour Paris!
It’s one of those French customs that mystifies foreigners: les bises (also called bisous). This is where French people kiss each other on the cheek.
It raises so many questions, like…when to do it? How to do it? How many times? And is it the same everywhere in France?
I’ve taken a deep dive into the history and practice of this most French of social customs. Let me share what I’ve learned–you might be surprised by a few things!
Read all about it in My French Life!
The 1944 D-Day landings of Normandy began the liberation of France, and the country has been celebrating this and other important events throughout the year. The latest is Aix-en-Provence, which just opened an important photo exhibition called Shadows and Light. This show, which runs through October 27, includes many rarely-seen photos from the years immediately before, during, and after World War II.
Taken from the historic Ely photo collection, visitors will see images that will alternately surprise, shock, and delight them. Many of the photos were taken surreptitiously, when photography was prohibited during the Nazi occupation.
If you are not able to visit Aix but would like to see a sample of the photos from the exhibition, check out this article in Perfectly Provence!
French streets have names, of course. Many are basic, reflecting their location. For example, the most popular street name in France is Rue de l’Église (Church Street). In the US it is Main Street and in the UK it is High Street.
But what about streets that honor people, how are they different in each country? Americans are fond of their presidents, so the most popular names are Washington and Lincoln. The UK loves its monarchy, with Kings, Queens, Victoria, and Windsor the top choices.
And how about France? The French aren’t fans of kings and queens, that business back in 1789 having dimmed their enthusiasm. Instead, they name their streets after famous figures from their history—political and military leaders, scientists, authors, and the like.
What do you think are the most popular names? Find out in France Today!
I always thought that Mont Ventoux came by its name because it is windy at the top, and venteux means “windy” in French. It’s a common misconception, but it’s not true. In fact, the word comes from Vintur, an ancient god worshiped by the Albiques, a Celtic tribe that once lived in the area.
Not only that, but the Mistral, the famous and sometimes-violent wind of Provence, is actually Vintur’s son! He’s a capricious child who throws tantrums when he doesn’t want to go to bed, hence the wildness of the wind. And there used to be an Albique ceremony to calm the boy and get him to go nighty-night.
I learned this in a very entertaining book called Le Dit du Mistral by Olivier Mak-Bouchard. It’s a fun story, full of legends and local expressions (though while most of the legends are true I suspect there’s some artistic license from time to time.)
Read more about these Provençal legends in Perfectly Provence!