Paris at a Certain Age

Au revoir

It's time to leave...we are being unceremoniously pushed, pulled back into the cold, cruel world of the US.

I'm in love with a city....

This is how I feel about the city of Paris. I want to stop in the streets and embrace them like a lover. I want to hold on and never let go, never be separated from them. Sigh...

Christmas in Paris

Holiday decorations at Galeries Lafayette

For Leah

This legendary and oft-photographed chocolate store is just down the rue from where we are staying.

Dog du Jour

Dog Cat du Jour

Seen on boulevard Beaumarchais

Normandy Trompe-l'oeil

The pizza sign is real, but the windows are not. Seen in Rouen.

Dish du Jour

Pumpkin Soup, Rouen

Foire Aux Harengs

I attended my first ever Herring Fair in Normandy on Armistice Day in the small town of Lieurey. The foire was an enormous event that took over virtually every street in the town and drew thousands of visitors. There was more herring than I've ever seen in my life, as well as coquilles and shrimp and other fish.

They had Herring Tastings and a Herring Eating Contest (Concours du plus gros mangeur de harengs) and they broadcasted the status of the contestants throughout the town on mounted microphones. The contestants ate herring and more herring, all the while drinking copious amounts of beer and wine.

There were three women contestants. One of the guys got carried off by the pompiers, either because of too many herring or too much alcohol, or both. Some of the remaining contestants didn't look too good. This man kept listing more and more to his left until we thought he'd fall off the stage.

The guy with the beret was a big ham and gave an impromptu concert on his trumpet and then on a French horn in the middle of the event.

Last year's winner was the little guy on the right with the glasses on his head. The contestants won generous parting gifts like a couple of salamis, a couple cheeses, ten euros, etc. The grand champion (who ate almost two kilos of herring) was the big, bald guy who looks like Curly of the Three Stooges and he won his weight in herring.

The town was pretty with little establishments like the boucherie and the streets were lined with stalls.

There were amusement rides and candy stands and they sold cheeses and saucisson and grilled meats.

There was also the kind of crap you see at county fairs, like miracle mops and copper bracelets and guys wearing little microphones hawking merchandise, like the Ginsu Knife in the USA.

Dog of the Day - Seen in the metro

Paris Door of the Day