Tag Archives: Paris

Centuries to Build, Hours to Destroy: Notre-Dame de Paris

Posted on 16/04/2019 by nessafrance

One of France’s – no, the world’s – best-loved icons, Notre-Dame de Paris, caught fire shortly before 7 pm last night. The flames quickly took hold and, although the fire brigade was quick to react, it was impossible to save … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Places | Tagged France, Notre-Dame de Paris, Notre-Dame fire, Paris, World Heritage site | 12 Comments

Ma Vie Française # 7: Elizabeth Moore, Fulfilling a Long-Held Dream

Posted on 23/09/2018 by nessafrance

This week, I’m delighted to welcome in my series of interviews another Francophile, who has a long-standing attachment to France. Elizabeth Moore, who writes as EJ Bauer, turned the distressing experience of illness into an opportunity by travelling from her … Continue reading →

Posted in Ma Vie Française Interviews | Tagged EJ Bauer, Elizabeth Moore, France, French cookery school, From Moulin Rouge to Gaudi's City, Paris, travelling in France, WWI | 2 Comments

Absinthe Friends

Posted on 03/12/2017 by nessafrance

It’s the drink that symbolised the Bohemian culture of la Belle Epoque in late 19th to early 20th-century Paris. It was consumed by Toulouse-Lautrec, Baudelaire and Satie, painted by Degas and Manet and immortalised in early silent films. This beverage … Continue reading →

Posted in Food/drink/recipes, History | Tagged absinthe, aperitifs, Artemisia absinthium, banning of absinthe, Belle Epoque, common wormwood, France, la fée verte, Paris, revival of absinthe | 23 Comments

#Paris in the Springtime #2

Posted on 16/04/2017 by nessafrance

Here’s part 2 of the story of our first visit to Paris in 15 years. We had only three days in the capital, and so we were determined to make the most of it. Our shoe leather was definitely more … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Places | Tagged France, Gare d'Austerlitz, Ile de la Cité, Ile Saint-Louis, Jardin des Plantes Paris, Musée d'Orsay, Notre-Dame de Paris, Paris, Parisians, Shakespeare and Company, traffic in Paris | 9 Comments

Paris in the Springtime #1

Posted on 10/04/2017 by nessafrance

People often say to us, “You must visit Paris all the time!” Actually, we’ve been there only twice as tourists in our 20 years in France, and I’ve been there for the day (!) a couple of times for work. … Continue reading →

Posted in Places | Tagged France, Impressionist painting, Impressionists, Latin Quarter of Paris, Marais, Montparnasse, Musée d'Orsay, Musée du Louvre, Paris, Vermeer | 7 Comments

Let’s Stub it Out!

Posted on 12/01/2012 by nessafrance

Time for a little rant, I think: the first of 2012. Those of you who follow my blog will know that I have a bee in my bonnet about some people’s inability to dispose of their refuse correctly. My indignation was … Continue reading →

Posted in French life, Rants | Tagged cigarette ends, France, mégots, Paris, refuse, rubbish, Ville de Paris | 14 Comments

Which is the best region in France to live in?

Posted on 12/10/2010 by nessafrance

I should point out that this post was written in October 2010 and things might well have changed a bit since then. For up-to-date info I suggest you go to the Provemploi website. The answer is Rhône-Alpes, closely followed … Continue reading →