5:01pm
6:55pm
4:10pm
5:59pm
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
La Conciergerie - a study
Marie Antoinette used to live here!
when it was a prison.
I am fascinated with this building and spent a good amount of time just looking up at it and I tried to capture some of what is mesmerizing in these photos.
Like this magnificent clock!!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
random news to share
I came across the article below the other day about a prisoner reform program in France. Before reading it, compare it to this sentence that I found embedded in an article about food in relation to one prisoner "reform" program in the US.
from this article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/04/dining/04farm.
My response - REALLY????And now, in France...
A New Tour de France: Prisoners Cycle and Recycle Themselves
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A very different Tour de France will begin next month in Lille when 200 prisoners will cycle around France under the watchful eyes of guards. Will this foster teamwork and sportsmanship or merely provide a new avenue for escape? Read on and decide.
According to news sources, the prisoners will travel 1,400 miles around France, starting in Lilles in the north on June 4 and ending in Paris, in true Tour de France tradition. These bikers, however, have another set of very strict rules to follow. They must travel in packs and never break away or they will be disqualified. The prisoners will not sleep in hotels like their Tour de France counterparts nor will any of them receive a ranking, as the idea is to foster values like teamwork and effort.
In the words of one prisoner from the city of Nantes, who is only referred to as Daniel:
According to Sylvie Marion, one of the prison authorities:
Certainly someone like Lance Armstrong, valiant American winner of this strenuous competition knows all about beating the odds and the values of effort and teamwork. Somewhere along the line, these prisoners missed their chance. How powerful the promise for the human spirit that they now have the chance to capture it again!
What else offers life if not the opportunity to better oneself while still chasing that elusive butterfly of hope?
Go team!
In the words of one prisoner from the city of Nantes, who is only referred to as Daniel:
“It's a kind of escape for us, a chance to break away from the daily reality of prison. If we behave well, we might be able to get released earlier, on probation.”
According to Sylvie Marion, one of the prison authorities:
“This project aims to help these men reintegrate into society by fostering values like effort, teamwork and self-esteem. We want to show them that with some training, you can achieve your goals and start a new life.”
Certainly someone like Lance Armstrong, valiant American winner of this strenuous competition knows all about beating the odds and the values of effort and teamwork. Somewhere along the line, these prisoners missed their chance. How powerful the promise for the human spirit that they now have the chance to capture it again!
What else offers life if not the opportunity to better oneself while still chasing that elusive butterfly of hope?
Go team!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
My new favorite cheese - Comté
Comté cheese, a healthy, natural, noble food with a good nutritional balance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comté_(cheese)
If you would like to read back up for the aforementiond statements, please look at this website!
More delicious information!
French AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) since 1958:
• Delimited area of production: Doubs, Jura, Ain, elevation 1500-4500 ft.
• Milk must be produced by local cows of the Montbéliarde (95%) and Simmental (5%) breeds. There are approximately 112,000 Comté cows.
• Minimum of 2.5 acres of natural pasture for each animal.
• Delimited area of production: Doubs, Jura, Ain, elevation 1500-4500 ft.
• Milk must be produced by local cows of the Montbéliarde (95%) and Simmental (5%) breeds. There are approximately 112,000 Comté cows.
• Minimum of 2.5 acres of natural pasture for each animal.
**Editors Note** this is AMAZING! I've been reading a lot about animal farming (conventional and the alternatives) and in the US, cows are typically in a small pen tethered by the neck and standing on cement their entire lives producing more milk than they were meant to. Yea for AOC regulations! and yea for good cheese!!**
• Cattle feed must be natural and free of fermented products and GMOs.
• Each fruitière must collect milk from dairy farms within a 17-mile diameter maximum.
• Milk must be made into cheese within 24 hours maximum of the earliest milking.
• Only natural ferments must be used to transform the milk into curds.
• Wheels must be aged on spruce boards. Minimum aging is 4 months, generally 6-18 months and sometimes even longer.
• Cattle feed must be natural and free of fermented products and GMOs.
• Each fruitière must collect milk from dairy farms within a 17-mile diameter maximum.
• Milk must be made into cheese within 24 hours maximum of the earliest milking.
• Only natural ferments must be used to transform the milk into curds.
• Wheels must be aged on spruce boards. Minimum aging is 4 months, generally 6-18 months and sometimes even longer.
La Nuit des Musées - Samedi, 16 May
Jason and I joined thousands of other Europeen museumgoer's (this is one word, since 1930! check websters online by clicking on the word) on Saturday, May 16th during the 5th annual "La Nuit des Musees", or Museum Night. This is a Europeen wide event when participating (read: all) museums stay open late (midnight/1am) and offer free admission. Here is some history from an article in Digital Journal:
It all began in 1999 when France decided to open up all its museums to the public on a weekend day in May. It immediately caught on and was extended to all the museums in the 39 signatory countries to the Cultural Convention of the Council of Europe in 2001. It has continued its successful run and now includes UNESCO as one of its major patrons.
This year’s Museum Night saw over 2 200 museums in 41 countries bathed in light and echoing to the sound of music, theatre and other cultural events.
This year’s Museum Night saw over 2 200 museums in 41 countries bathed in light and echoing to the sound of music, theatre and other cultural events.
Link to the full article: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/272723
We made it to three museums:
As you would imagine, it is an incredible collection.
I'm standing next to a model of the Necomen Steam Engine, invented in 1712 which changed the way coal was mined - and basically kicked off the industrial revolution in Britain . How might I know this? Not just reading wiki this time - randomly, I just read about this in my book of the week - "The End of Oil" by Paul Roberts. But here is some more information from wiki if you want the "cliff notes" on the Newcomen. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newcomen_steam_engine
Jason admires the first television
Loom thread
Loom teeth
Monday, May 25, 2009
love this jewelry shop!!
Near our aparment is one of the most charming jewelry stores I have ever seen. In the front window they rotate their displays often and they are always adorable scenes. Their jewelry is funky fresh and I hope to buy a piece before I leave Paris.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
a long walk in Paris
One day Jason and I took a long walk through Paris to end at the Cinemateque for a DeMille movie. Here are some pictures from that lovely afternoon.
Public art
Puppies!
Double wide vending machine, it had just about everything
I liked the conglomeration of signs at this corner
I liked the green space in the middle of this little traffic circle.
"Restricted" brand. We find this funny.
And we find "Sport Adventure Restricted" even funnier!
in the 12th arrondissement - industrial Paris
stormy skies! followed by short and heavy rains
ending our walk with a happy hour beer at the cafe
*and I would like to note, this is the first day that I used one of the free public toilets that you find all throughout Paris. It was quite convenient and clean. If you aren't privy to the public toilets in Paris, you should know that after every "visitor" there is an automatic cleaning system that sprays the whole interior down in prepartion for the next visitor. C'est magnifique!
I didn't take any pictures but I found these on the web. And for more information:
Saturday, May 23, 2009
walking amongst the dead...long dead
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