Packing

Patrice and I are leaving on Tuesday morning for a three-month trip to the U.S. First stop - Washington DC. After that, Denver, CO. Stay tuned for photos of our trip.

In the meantime, here's what things look like at home in Paris . . . .

Fire dancers

Each evening in the summer, weather permitting, a group of fire jugglers perform in front of Notre Dame. Last night I finally had the opportunity to watch the show.

Vaux-le-Vicomte

Vaux le Vicomte is a château built and decorated by Nicholas Fouquet (1615-1680). Fouquet created a sumptuous estate using the top talent of the time:  architect Louis le Vau,  landscape artist  André le Nôtre, and painter-decorator Charles le Brun.

 

Interior paintings by Charles le Brun

Gardens by Andre le Nôtre

Acting as Superintendant of Finances, Fouquet supplied King Louis XIV with plenty of money, while realizing great personal profit. Fouquet's actions were not appreciated by his rival, Colbert, who convinced the young king of Fouquet's misdeeds. The final straw came in August, 1661 when Fouquet invited Louis XIV and his court to a sumptuous banquet at the Château Vaux-le-Vicomte.
 
The King, incensed to find Vaux-le-Vicomte much more grand than his own palace at Versailles, decided to arrest Fouquet and throw him in prison. Following a long trial for financial misdeeds, Fouquet was sent to prison for life. His chateau and its works of art were seized by the king.  Louis XIV later used the architect, painters and landscape artists from Vaux-le-Vicomte to embellish his palace at Versailles.

The Château Vaux-le-Vicomte is now in private hands and offers both daily visits and once-a-week visits by candlelight.

100°F in Paris

We're having a couple of record-breaking hot days in Paris. Almost 38°C (100°F) for two days in a row. However, it's nothing like the terrible heat wave (canicule) during the first two weeks of August, 2003, when there were an estimated 15,000 heat-related deaths (mostly among the elderly).

Patrice and I feel very fortunate to have air conditioning in our apartment - a rarity in Paris because it's not often needed.

Happy Birthday Patrice

Yesterday was Patrice's 68th birthday. We celebrated with a champagne cruise on the Seine.

 Followed by dinner at Sébillon.

Leg of lamb carved tableside

Baba au rhum for dessert

But the best present from Elaine? A new Kindle for storing lots of books for our upcoming trip to the U.S.

Eva Besnyö

Last week we discovered the work of Hungarian-born photographer Eva Besnyö (1910-2003) at a retrospective exhibit at the Jeu de Paume. Jewish by birth, Besnyö left Hungary for Berlin in 1930. Two years later she moved to Amsterdam where she remained for the rest of her life. Forced into hiding by the Nazi invasion of of the Netherlands in 1940, Besnyö later managed to come out of hiding in 1944, thanks to an invented genealogy.

Besnyö's early work in the 1930s is strikingly modern by today's standards. She is also known for her political engagement and commitment to women's rights. You can read more about Eva Besnyö and the exhibit here. Hurry! The exhibit closes on September 23rd.

Saint Germain de Livet

We've just returned from a quick trip to Normandy with my friend Odette. Of course, no trip is complete without a little bit of tourism and a couple of photos. This is the Chateau Saint Germain de Livet near Lisieux.