Travel another way

     Photo credit: Kyle Powderly, Sydney, Australia, 2008 (see weblink at bottom of post)

                       Our winter favourite : Le vin chaud or mulled wine.

It is the best drink after a day  out skiing! All the skiing resorts in the Alps have it on their menu, as well as the Christmas markets all over France and Belgium: it is hot, spicy, sweet and so heartwarming after a day spent in the cold, whether you were out in the snow or shopping for the last christmas presents!

Known as Glühwein in Germany, you will find it also in Alsace, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium. The recipes vary, but it is 99% of the time made of red wine (hardly ever white wine), sugar, lime and spices (cinnamon being a must).

Here is my way to make it.

Ingredients for 5/6 glasses: one bottle of red wine (any basic red wine will do) /One lemon peel / one orange peel / 2 spoons of brandy / one cup of brown sugar / 3 to 4 cinnamon sticks / cloves and cinnamon optional (not too much to my taste)

• Pour the wine in a saucepan and heat on medium heat (do not boil for a better taste). When hot, reduce the heat the low and pour all the ingredients in. Let gently simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Serve still hot in glasses (use a sieve to pour the wine).

Be wise and drink it moderately!

For a non-alcoholic recipe for mulled wine (Sanguina), check the following link:

http://yum-oh.blogspot.com/2008/06/herbal-mead-non-alcoholic-mulled-wine.html

The photos are published with the kind authorization of Kyle Powderly, a practitioner of traditional east asian medicine with a passion for photography. You will find great healthy recipes and wonderful pictures on her blog.  http://yum-oh.blogspot.com/

If you are not afraid of the freezing winter gales that will blow in the Parisian streets this December, and have decided to travel to France in the coming weeks, it will be nice to take shelter in some of the warm places that host great exhibits this winter. Here are my suggestions:

• Picasso and the Masters: 210 works by Picasso, Velasquez, El Greco, Goya, Gauguin , Cezanne… at the Grand Palais until Feb. 2, 2009 .

www.grandpalais.fr/./en/Homepage/p-617-Homepage.htm

• From Miro to Warhol: the Berardo Collection at  Musée du Luxembourg until Feb. 22, 2009

www.museeduluxembourg.fr

• Picasso and Manet at the Orsay museum until Feb. 1, 2009

www.musee-orsay.fr

• Jeff Koons in Versailles until Dec. 14, 2009

www.jeffkoonsversailles.com

Picture1: Eiffel Tower, Paris from www.freefote.com

Picture 2: the Grand Palais Glass Dome from www.grandpalais.com

Picture 3: Versailles gardens from www.bigfoto.com

Winter has arrived in France and snow has fallen in many places . Sunbathing by the Mediterranean sea, walking in the lavender fields of  Provence, enjoying the flowery open markets, all these pleasures are over.

So, no vacation in France for the winter? Wrong. Right now, the first Christmas market of the year has opened in Paris. Guess where? On the “Champs Elysees”, no less.

Hot wine, santons of Provence (terra cotta statues that are only on display at Christmas time), candles, sugar frosted gingerbread, Christmas tree decorations but also some gifts not related to Christmas.

(Picture from Freefoto.com)

The real Christmas markets can be found in the North East of France, in Alsace. The first ones to open are in Colmar and in Metz. Enjoy this unique Christmas ambiance till Dec. 28th.

Watch the video of the Christmas Market , “Marche de Noel, in Strasbourg, France: http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=rivUw-FmUOo

Le Marche de Noel in Strasbourg is known for being one of  the finest Marche de Noel in France.

If you are in France during the winter, don’t miss “les marches de Noel”. That will warm you up (your body with the hot wine and your spirit with the ambiance).

Christmas shopping in Paris is still magic. The Champs Elysees become even more glamourous as they twinkle in the night, bordered by thousand of glittering trees and shop-windows.

The luxurious department stores of Faubourg Saint Honoré and Boulevard Hausmann gather crowds that spend hours staring at the animated windows, where artists have imagined wonderful worlds for many generations of kids.

If jewels, sweets and toys will still be classics on present lists, the chic for 2008 will be to make a point while shopping.

For instance, by buying an Edun tee-shirt at the Printemps store, you will donate to the Alafa foundation, whichfights Aids  in Africa. In addition, you will be sure that this item is a fair trade product. Edun was created by Bono and Aly Hewson. I f you buy a Kidou jewel on kifou.fr, 5% of the payment will go to a child association in Madagascar.

So be smart and generous for christmas: offer presents that benefit the world !

http://www.edunonline.com/community.aspx

… We also have a special celebration on a Thursday in November. Do you know what I am talking about?

If you like French wine, you have probably heard of Beaujolais Nouveau. I know, I know: a lot of people despise this wine because Beaujolais is not a great cru such as Pomerol or Sauternes. But its arrival is a convivial tradition!

On the 3rd Thursday of November, the town of Beaujeu celebrates its new wine, and so does the whole country, and even some foreign places. Beaujolais Nouveau  is not high in alcohol, it is not a collector but it is sweet, fruity and an opportunity to gather with friends or co-workers to taste it.

And what a perfect timing! At the end of November, it gets dark around 5.30pm, the weather is cold and wet and you can’t wait for the holiday season to take a break from work.

So Thursday, Nov. 20th, a lot of French will  take advantage of this special day to party before Christmas!

Cheers!                                                                         A votre santé!

The 2008 Vendée Globe Race started last week for its 19th edition.

For about 3 months, the bravest sailers  in the world will compete in the craziest race around the world. The conditions are the toughest: singlehanders in a monhull, no stopover and no assistance.

The men and women that left Les sables d’Olonne last week are about to face a world of solitude, that will reach its climax when they circle the South pole around Christmas time. They will have to fight critical sea conditions: nerve-breaking dead calms ,  scary gales, sleepless hours among icebergs and many technical problems which will have to be taken care of without external help.

Most sailers are French and British this year (28 men and 2 women), with only one American, Rich Wilson, from Massachusetts.

If you are not an expert at sailing, I invite you to join the race, comfortably sitting in your armchair, signing-up for the virtual race on France 3 website. It is very fun! I have 2 boats racing: Sonyzen and French Escapade, of course ! I am learning every day how to manage the different sails and the winds ! I love it.

Here are the sites to check about the race … or to race yourself!

http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/

http://regate-virtuelle.france3.fr/

Today, on my research trip to Belgium (graciously offered by the Tourism Office of Belgium), we visited the Belgian Comic Strip Museum. If you like comics, this is your paradise. With over 270,000 visitors a year, it is one of the most visited museums in Brussels.

Although, they have a special exhibit for the 50th birthday of the Smurfs, I would like to talk about a Belgian James Bond, the most famous comic strip worldwide.

Herge, born Georges Remi, created the character Tintin in 1929. Tintin has been translated in over 80 languages. Who is Tintin and why did he become so popular? Why does everyone identify to Tintin?

Tintin is nobody’s: Tintin is made up of a few very simple features. It’s almost expressionless. That is why it’s the ideal recipient for the emotions felt and projected by readers.

Tintin is Everyone: Depending on the circumstances, Tintin can be young or old, Scandinavian or Mediterranean, African or Asian, a man or a woman. It’s an universal character.

Tintin is the James Bond from the 30’s: Tintin is the symbol of youth and vigour, courage and integrity. He’s a daredevil who succeeds in everything he takes on…while the readers are comfortably ensconced in their seats.

Unlike James Bond, Tintin’s partner in crimes is Captain Haddock and not beautiful sexy women.

Whereas Tintin betrays little or no emotion, Captain Haddock is permanently seething with it. Haddock has a thousand faces:.Both his faces and body prove that he is an emotional volcano in splendid eruption . As such, he complements Tintin well.

“Milou”, loyal companion of Tintin: Beneath his guise of amusing sidekick, of doggish “manservant” with common sense, “Milou” (Snowy) is a real hero. He almost always saves the day.

If you ever come to Brussels, don’t miss the Belgian Comic Strip Museum. Next year (2009) is Comic year celebration in Belgium and the country will have tons of events related to comics. See you there. Or, if you don’t like to travel  to Belgium alone, you can join the tour I organize to Belgium for very small groups of 8 people. Check www.frenchescapade.com

‘Hello everybody!

I just wanted to share some emotions from France after Barrack Obama’s election.

As Jac said, it was crazy to see people’s reaction: you could feel a huge wind of hope blowing in the air. Tears were in people’s eyes and everybody was sooooo impressed that the Americans had chosen Obama. Just like when Kennedy had said “Ich bin ein Berliner” to  empathize with the German people, you could read people’s mind which said: “I am American”, in the sense that they felt proud of them. And let me tell you that emotion had long been gone in France. Too long!

I cried and cried, and could cry again today. It is so good to feel proud of you, guys !!!!!

Thank you, thank you !

PS: I have learnt the American Anthem on my sax since then, and it has been my daily tune for the last  days !

I am still in France till tomorrow. Like French people, I have been following the election results on TV. I was amazed to see that every French channel was following the election. It sounded a bigger deal than when French president Sarkozy was elected.

89% of the French population supported Obama. It was the same in Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium,…almost all over.

Barrack Obama ’s election is a big deal not only for the Americans, but for the French too. It raised the following question: “Can an Obama be elected in France as well”? The answer is NO.

This is very sad but it is true. The French government is still racially biased, even more than the French population. Sociologist El Jamine Soum has been interviewed on France 2 today and his answer was clear. There is still a lot of discrimination in French Politics, in the right as well as in the left parties. The motto:”Liberty, Egality, Fraternity” is  still far from being true.

Hopefully this new election will be a model for France and other countries. I have been American for 2 years now (before I was Belgian) and I can say that today, I am proud of my new country.