The Independent Traveler's Newsletter                                                                  PAGE TWO

ICI ET LÀ

This column is intended to advise you about cultural events, news and happenings or
 France-related events taking place in the United States & elsewhere

 between now and the publication of our next issue.

o   Because many festivals, museum visits and other group gatherings may not be possible now . . . here are some stay-at-home substitutes that you might enjoy. 

French films that are FREE for Amazon Prime members in the United States.  This information comes to you from the web site French Flicks where you can find French movies streaming on Netflix, Apple TV. Disney and more.  Here's what French Flicks has to say ~ "It's not easy to watch French films in America.  Many are released in only a handful of cities and platforms. . . Amazon Prime actually has over 150 French films  (more than any other streaming service), some good, some bad.  To help you out a bit, we've listed our choices for the best 10.  You can also rent or buy French films via Amazon."

Back to Burgundy (ce qui nous lie)

Catch the Wind (Prendre le large)

Once in a Lifetime (Les héritiers)

Return of the Hero (Le retour du héros)

Frantz

Little White Lies (Les petits mouchoirs)

Priceless (Hors de prix)

What’s in a Name (Le prénom)

He loves me he loves me not (À la folie…pas du tout)

Made in France


o    Courtesy of Atout FranceThe France Tourism Development Agency - please enjoy some music from the comfort of your own home. 


National Orchestra of France

An abridged version (4m45s) of Ravel's Boléro​, 51 musicians from the National Orchestra of France

played from their homes, then were collected and edited by Radio France. Enjoy!

Click here to watch video

Update as France loosens restrictions:

There were a number of announcements the weekend of June 13/14:
  • the green light for Paris & the Paris Region to join the rest of France in the complete lifting of domestic travel restrictions and more
  • Stage 3 of France’s reopening to begin June 22
  • the recent opening of the internal European borders to their residents
  • the gradual reopening of European Borders to international travelers from low-risk countries (and vice versa) will start on July 1.
  • the government's sanitary protocols for the hospitality industry as implemented by Accor hotels include:
    • Frequent disinfection of all high-touch areas like elevators and public restrooms
    • An enhanced in-room cleaning program using hospital grade cleaning materials
    • Regular deep cleaning on upholstery and carpets and all bedding will be washed and treated at high temperatures
    • comprehensive safety and hygiene training program to ensure all employees have the skills and education necessary to protect themselves and guests
    • Online and classroom trainings have been mandated prior to any Accor hotel reopening
    • Distancing measures in all restaurants, bars and public areas
    • Guests will be provided with individual sanitizer, wipes and masks and signage will be utilized throughout guest touchpoints to advise of the necessary restrictions
    • Implementation of guest temperature measurement practices, desinfectant mats at the hotel entrance and partitions at front desks
    • Contactless payment solution and desk-free check in wherever possible
July 1 is the date that the EU has chosen to ban travelers entering from several countries due to their COVID-19 cases rapidly rising.  Those countries as of this writing are the United States, Russia, Brazil and India. A key threshold is the EU average infection rate of around 16 per 100,000 inhabitants, with only those countries with comparable or better rates permitted entry.  Travelers from the UK can enter France as of July 10th.

Many bed and breakfast accommodations are again accepting guests.  If you are interested, or want to rent a château for a week in France, visit the web site au Château.  The château owners are dedicated to ensure their properties comply with all protocols to keep their guests safe.


 

Full military honors paid tribute to former French President Jacques Chirac on September 29, 2019, three days after his passing at the age of 86.  Considered one of the kindest and most admired of politicians, Chirac was mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995, and France's last two-term President from 1995 to 2007.  Following the ceremony, President Macron attended a memorial service at the Church of St-Sulpice in Paris along with dozens of French politicians and foreign officials including Russia's President Putin, former President Clinton, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Jordan's King Abdullah II.

o  The Statue of Liberty, France's impressive gift to the United States following the Civil War, has now been the welcoming lady in New York harbor for 134 years.  A film, Liberty: Mother of Exiles, was released in 2019 beginning with the groundbreaking ceremony for a museum at the base of the statue.  The documentary follows Diane von Furstenberg, herself a Holocaust survivor, immigrant from Belgium, and considered the "godmother" of the statue, as she led the fundraising for the museum in her quest to discover how sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi's dream became a reality.  The film is available for viewing on HBO and Hulu and can be purchased from Amazon Prime, YouTube and Google Play.

o  On July 2, Edouard Philippe, France's Prime Minister, resigned hours before the Court of Justice of the Republic announced that it would investigate three current or former ministers over their handling of the coronavirus crisis.  The other two ministers were Olivier Veran, the Health Minister, and Agnes Buzyn, the former Health Minister.  The three ministers now being investigated are "accused of failing to fight a disaster".  Ninety complaints had been brought to the Court, and 37 are still being considered for investigation.  This Court is the only French court where government ministers can be tried for their actions while still in office.  If convicted, they could face up to two years in prison.

The announcement of the 2020 Winners of France's best cheeses came to us from our friends at Fromages.com in Tours, France:

Every year by the end of February, at the Salon de l'Agriculture in Paris (our largest farm fair)
a jury selects and rewards cheese from all French regions.

The 2020 winners are:
2020 Cheese Award winners Courtesy Fromages.com   All rights reserved.



The vigorous 
Bleu des Causses

The delicate Camembert

The powerful Epoisses de Bourgogne
                                                                     
The nutty Pont l'Eveque

The creamy Rocamadour

The elegant Valençay


                   A champions cheeseboard to savor!

Visit fromages.com to explore their amazing web site and, perhaps, order some cheeses to
be shipped to you overnight!  You won't regret it; we never have!




  DID YOU KNOW?   French wines can reach astronomical prices.  In 2014, Sotheby's sold a 114-bottle
lot of Domaine de Romanée-Conti wine in Hong Kong for more than €1.45 million to an anonymous buyer,
a world record for a single wine lot.  That comes out to about €12,720 per bottle or €1,619 per standard wine glass!

Sotheby's Auction



o   A few silver linings during the pandemic:  The confinement of humans to their homes for several months produced
  • a decrease in the 'shaking' of the Earth's upper crust so scientists have a rare opportunity to monitor small earthquakes, volcanic activity and other subtle tremors usually drowned out by daily movement of humans.  This was discovered by Thomas Lecocq, a seismologist at the Royal Observatory of Brussels, Belgium.  He said this quiet is usually only noticed briefly at Christmas time  
  • Venus May 2020a clearly visible decline in air pollution (the largest global decline ever!) with smoggy Los Angeles having the best air quality of any city on Earth in late April
  • a large percentage of better air quality around the world is due to the reduction in air travel
  • wild animals are again being seen in their once-familiar territories because of fewer human visitors, and they are taking over empty city streets around the world
  • people are finding more singular modes of transportation such as riding bicycles to avoid crowded buses, trains and subways. 
  • a personal favorite, that perhaps many of you have seen, is the sparkling planet Venus in the western sky at night [see photo].  Although always the brightest, it is more amazing now thanks to a cleaner atmosphere.  In early June it began to appear in the morning sky.
  • more songbirds, hummingbirds and many others we haven't seen much of in recent years are back at the feeders and fountains in our yards, another sign of an improving environment.
  • a drop in ocean shipping has curtailed underwater noise pollution making life better for ocean mammals.  Michelle Fournet from Cornell University in New York said "We have a generation of humpbacks that have never known a quiet ocean," noting that the whales alter their calling behavior in response to a noisy ocean.  She studies humpback whales off the coast of Alaska and says "We have an opportunity to listen . . . that will not appear again in our lifetime."




THE BOOKSHELF. . . Two books for your enjoyment


Cook Like A  Local in Paris book coverNotre Dame de Paris book coverTag along with authors Lynne Martin and Deborah Scarborough as they shop, cook and eat as the French do with your copy of Cook Like A Local in France.  From the chapters French Culinary Basics to Dessert and Chocolate and the eight chapters in between, you will find this light and easy read one of the most informative and helpful introductions to French food.  Deborah shares her wonderful recipes with the reader, and with each one is a little tip such as oven roasting your vegetables for crisper and more tasty results or Lynne's revelation that French eggs are not washed and can stay on the counter for up to a month. Washed eggs must be refrigerated after one day!  And, the authors always include wine pairings, an important detail that the French seem to automatically know.

Learn all about French bread ~ the heart of France ~ from the baguette to the fougasse and more.  You will read about wine festivals throughout France, regional foods of France, and so much more.  To make this book even better are the mouth-watering photos throughout and the well-written text.



We won't forget the tragic fire of Notre Dame de Paris in 2019; this beautiful book is the most timely chronicle of the cathedral's history and future that you will find.  Written by Kathy Borrus, author of several books on Paris, Note Dame de Paris ~ A Celebration of the Cathedral takes you from the cathedral's beginnings.  In 53 BC, Julius Caesar directed the Romans to build a temple to Jupiter on the site of today's cathedral.  It was Louis VII, a fan of French Gothic architecture, who was primarily responsible for financing the construction of the cathedral beginning in 1163. 

This book takes us through its history, its survival through wars, its treasures, its legacy, the fire and what the future holds for this monumental building that is much-loved around the world.  We highly recommend Note Dame de Paris ~ A Celebration of the Cathedral as something to add to and keep in your library.  To quote Kathy Borrus, "The story of the cathedral is still being written."

 


These books are both available from Amazon, and you can order now by clicking the box below.
Cook Like A Local in France is published by The Countryman Press and is ISBN 978-1-68268-327-9 in paperback.
Notre Dame de Paris is published by Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, a division of
Hachette Book Group, Inc.,
ISBN978-0-7624-9711-9 in hardcover.

BOOKS ABOUT FRANCEand MORE AT AMAZON ! Click here


                                                          

                                                                                                                                                                                 

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