Arcachon

I'm leaving early Tuesday morning to visit Arcachon on the west coast of France near Bordeaux where those delicious oysters are cultivated. I don't know if I'll have internet access there, but stay tuned for more oyster stories when I return this weekend.

Yoga?

80th Birthday

Today is Pierre Lefebvre's 80th birthday. Odette invited me to join her and Pierre for lunch at her apartment. I have written previously about our history with the Lefebvre family. I mentioned that I don't see Pierre very often since he and Odette have been separated for over 25 years. They stay in touch, however, which is normal if you have 4 children and 9 grandchildren in common.

Pierre certainly doesn't look or feel his 80 years! He travels extensively and always has lots of interesting stories to tell.


We enjoyed a delicious lunch and a good bottle of champagne. Pierre and Odette will meet again this evening for a special dinner cruise with two of their four children aboard the Bateaux Mouches.

Yves Saint Laurent

I've just returned from a stunning exhibit at the Petit Palais. It is a retrospective of the life and work of the designer Yves Saint Laurent.



You may have noticed from previous posts that I am self conscious about my "look" and really fairly ignorant of the whole world of fashion. It's just not something that I've ever paid attention to. I tend to be quite practical when it comes to clothing and much prefer comfort over style. That said, I do appreciate really well designed and well cut clothing and much prefer to invest in something that I know I will really wear and appreciate rather than something that happens to be fashionable this season.

Furthermore, my experience of clothing and fashion is inextricably linked with my childhood and (lack of) money. My nicest clothes were hand-me-downs from an older cousin.

My mother has spent a lifetime shopping in second hand stores for herself and for us. At best, fashion has always seemed an unimaginable luxury and at worst, a narcissistic waste of money. Also, as with anything we don't really understand, there is a simple ignorance of the appreciation or value that others place in a particular area.

It was with my natural curiosity and willingness to open myself to new experiences; whether as "anthropologist" or ignorant beginner that I decided to go see the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit. It was a little bit like my decision to go see CSN. Who ARE these guys after all, and what is all the fuss?

Wow. I was completely blown away by the genius of his creation. The exhibit features about 300 haute couture models with a selection of pictures, drawings and films that illuminate 40 years of creation. I had no idea that YSL was one who imagined how "to give women more self-confidence". He broke with tradition and was the first to design pants for women. He also said "Fashions pass, style remains". Now those are concepts that I can relate to! It was fascinating to watch him work - he described drawing his designs as though the pencil was moving of its own volition and that he had no foreknowledge of what wanted he wanted to draw. It reminded me a little bit of Mozart or other artists who have been said to transcribe what comes through them. Gave me shivers.

He also had a lot of insight into the duality of the female experience - on the one hand wanting to be taken seriously as a professional (and looking the part), while having another 'fairy tale' or playful side and wanting to manifest that as well. He designed "costumes" for both sides. I had no idea I would relate to these concepts. And I was entranced by the clothes. You can see more here.

I continue to learn about myself. Now I understand why I love my collection of St. John knits, on the one hand, and why I still shop at second hand stores on the other hand. Now if I could just find exquisite shoes that are still comfortable (and that I can afford ;-0) ! And if I could just learn how to put in those darn pierced earrings!

You can take Elaine out of Boulder . . .

But you can't take Boulder out of Elaine . . .

I felt a little self conscious going into fnac (a huge book and record store) in my biking gear, but I had errands to run and the bike is the best way to get around. And bike shorts and Keenes are more practical than the outfit below . . .

I think I have a ways to go in becoming bolder in my choice of clothes ;-)

Having a baby in Paris

My friend Bo Weston had a baby last week and I went to visit her at the American Hospital. (Yes, Paris has an American Hospital, an American Library, and an American Church). No, I didn't attend the birth, doulas are virtually unknown here. I could find only three doulas listed for a population of 11 million. An opportunity? or an uphill battle? Probably the latter. Anyway, back to Bo and her beautiful baby girl Margaux Ann Louise Hervé-Weston.

Here is Margaux:


And Bo:


So what is unique about Parisian hospitals? Check out the wine list on the room service menu!


The menu also included smoked salmon, melon and prosciutto, salade nicoise, and tomatoes with mozzarella as entrees, and for main courses - chicken breast with morel mushroom sauce, beef filet with bearnaise sauce, and a fresh fish option. There were five different desserts listed including a pear tarte, fondant au chocolat (chocolate cake with a warm melted chocolate center) apple trifle, several flavors of sorbet, plus a fresh fruit salad. Too bad new moms can't eat like this everyday! Yummm.

Paris Plages - Villette

Several days ago I wrote about the Paris Plages (beaches). There are actually TWO locations where the city of Paris has created a vacation experience for those who cannot leave Paris and head to the beach.

The main location is on the Seine river in the very heart of Paris. The second location is in the Bassin de la Villette, a canal system in the northeast corner of Paris - an area that I don't know very well. The weather was nice on Sunday, so I hopped on my bike to check it out. Much of the travel to get there was on bike paths like this one:


I live at point A and the Paris Plages at the Bassin de la Villette is found at point B on the map below. It's about 5 miles, one way, from point A to point B, and part of the route follows the Canal St. Martin. Point C? The parc de la Villette which has a great science museum. I rode there to check it out too.


Arriving at the "beach" I found a lot of people trying out the boats - sometimes with hilarious results and traffic jams. I think that some of these people had never tried to row before!


This looked fun:


And these little tykes were enjoying themselves.


So there you have it. Summer in Paris.