Hôte is the strangest word because it has two opposite meanings: guest and host! So chambre d’hôte, which means Bed & Breakfast in French, is literally “guest room” while table d’hôte is the host’s table.
Le Clos Postel, one of the my favourite chambres d’hôte in the Cotentin
So, je suis votre hôte, vous êtes mes hôtes means “I am your host and you are my guests”. Of course, to avoid the ambiguity, you can say, je suis votre hôte, vous êtes mes invités, which is what most people do. The problem only exists in the masculine, by the way, because hôtesse can only mean hostess and not guest.
Now how did this come about? The reason is simple. There are two different etymologies: one comes from the Latin hospes meaning guest, which also gives hôpital and hôtel, and the other from the Old French hostage (lodging) which also comes from hospes. Now, to make things more complicated, hospes is derived from hostis (stranger, enemy). This explains the meaning of our modern word hostage (otage in French). It was the place where enemies were lodged. Have I lost you?
On another track, have you noticed that the ô in French corresponds to “os” in English: hôte: host, hôpital: hospital, hôtel: hostel? The “os” reappears in the corresponding French adjectives: hospitalier. A circumflex nearly always indicates an “s” that fell out of the language in French, so we have château: castle, bête: beast, août: August. I’m sure you can think of a few examples.
Jean Michel and I have just had lunch at Café Diane in the Tuileries Gardens for the first time this year. It was wonderful sitting under the trees on the edge of the duck pond lined with sweet-smelling pink hyacinths and vibrant red tulips.
View of the Louvre from Café Diane in the Tuileries Gardens
Spring has been a long time coming this year, but I’m sure it makes us appreciate it even more. It was even warm enough at 20°C to take off my sweat shirt. Our Australian friends Redfern and Saint Vincent are visiting Versailles today, experiencing sun and warmth at last.
Chestnut trees with their thick leaves
On Monday, I went powerwalking in the Tuileries around 5 pm. The first thing I noticed were the chestnut trees which are one of the earliest to sprout new leaves, along with the linden trees.
Ice-cream vendor in the Tuileries Gardens
There were enormous beds of multi-coloured tulips and purple hyacinths. The ice-cream vendors had appeared around the fountains, but surprisingly, no sailing boats for the kids.
Bridal party in the Tuileries
I saw several photo shoots of bridal parties all speaking foreign languages. Getting married in Paris in the spring is definitely romantic!
Chess tournament in Carré des Sangliers in the Tuileries Gardens
On Monday, I noticed a sign indicating the Paris-Saint Petersburg 2013 chess championship in the Carré des Sangliers from 21st to 25th April, so after lunch, we wandered down towards the Orangerie to a temporary pavilion to see what it was all about.
Tulips with the Louvre as a backdrop
It’s the same spot where the Ahae photographic exhibition was held last year that I loved so much. We went through a lobby first where we were asked to turn off our phones, then into a second room with two commentators but no players. An usher came over and took us into a small dark corridor where we were given headsets and sent into the next room.
Ahae exhibition last summer in the Carré des Sangliers
About six tables with chess boards were lined up on a podium, five of which had only one player. I don’t know where the others were. Our headsets meant we could hear the commentators next door and a screen above the players showed a projection of each board. It was all very hush-hush.
Linden trees in the Palais Royal gardens
We didn’t stay long, first because we’re not chess players and second because it seemed criminal to be inside when there was so much sun outdoors!
Super-duper grass cutter
As we strolled back up the gardens, we saw a very sophisticated-looking lawn-cutting machine that rolls the grass at the same time. Nothing like the basic electric model I use to mow the grass at Closerie Falaiseau in Blois!
View from Café Diane looking towards the pond
And now Jean Michel is back at work and I’m about to attack my professional tax declaration which means finishing off the accounts first. Not one of my favourite activities at the best of times and definitely not on a perfect spring day. Sigh.
Only two posts on this Wednesday’s Bloggers Round-up (I’m a little pressed for time). Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, brings us a very interesting interview with a kiosquier as Paris celebrates 150 years of newsstands. Niaill and Antoinette from Chez Charnizay take us on a visit of Chinon castle in theL oire Valley. Enjoy!
Paris kiosks celebrate 150 years. My interview with “kiosquier” Jacky Goubert.
by Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, an American by birth, Swiss by marriage, resident of Paris with a Navigo Pass for the metro that she feels compelled to use
From April 17 until April 21, Paris is celebrating the 150th anniversary of one of the most iconic symbols of the French capital – its kiosks. On Friday, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jacky Goubert and his daughter Gaelle, who operate the kiosk on the Boulevard Saint-Germain between Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots. It’s where I buy the International Herald Tribune whenever I’m in the neighborhood.
MK: This has to be one of the best kiosks in Paris. How were you able to get the concession for it?
Jacky: Normally, it’s not possible to pass a kiosk from parent to child because they are only licensed and not purchased from the city. But somehow my mother arranged for me to take it over when she retired. She started working here in 1972. Read more
An excellent fortress: Chinon
by Niaill, a Scotsman, and Antoinette, a Dutch American, from Chez Charnizay, who live in the village of the same name in southern Touraine and blog about their adventures in the Loire Valley
We like Chinon and we stopped by again earlier this month. We’ve always liked Chinon from our very first forays into the Loire Valley as tourists in the early 1990’s. This despite the fact that every time we approach it from the south side of the river Vienne and pass the SuperU [it wasn’t a SuperU then but some other chain] on the left-hand side of the road where it runs between huge plane trees we’re reminded of our failure at the time to get to grips with the French custom of closing on the dot of noon for lunch. At least 3 times we were doomed to disappointment at that supermarket, arriving just as the doors were firmly closing.
The fortress walls as we see them today are mostly due to Henry, Count of Anjou, later King Henry II of England. It was one of his favourite fortresses, which is hardly suprising given its strategic location on the crossroads between 3 regions: Anjou, Touraine and Poitou. Read more
The first time I went to Telescope in rue Villedo near the Palais Royal about a year ago, it felt like an insiders’ club. No one greeted me. The only thing written on the blackboard was café, there was no menu and I had to ask someone if they could remove their books from the only available chair and table. When I asked for a cappuccino, I had the impression I had committed sacrilege.
Telescope 5 rue Villedo
However, after reading an article in Le Monde about the new coffee scene in Paris, I decided to give Telescope another chance. To quote Le Monde*, “Over the last few months, scores of coffee bars have appeared in Paris, to the great satisfaction of students and foreign tourists, delighted to be able to have a decent coffee at last, and not those horrible petits noirs with their bitter smell of soot that leave a taste of cold tobacco in your mouth”. Telescope was on the list.
Inside Télescope
It’s a beautiful sunny day, an unbelievable 24° after a terrible cold rainy spring. I see a couple of people sitting on the ledge outside. When I walk in, I can see some changes. The blackboard has acquired a few more entries, there are lots of cakes and the waitress greets me. I ask if I can have a latte and sit down.
I watch what the barista is doing and he gives me a friendly smile. My latte is ready so I go to the counter to get it. “Bonjour“, I say, “I’m just wondering exactly what the difference is between a latte and a cappuccino”, I continue in French. He starts to answer and I hear his accent so I switch to English. “Oh, Australian”, he says. I laugh. “Kiwi then?” “No, Australian”.
Weighing out the coffee
He explains that lattes differ from one coffee bar to another and that the only thing that really has a definition is cappuccino. I’m relieved. What I encountered in Australia under the name of latte seemed to be what I had been ordering in Italy as a cappuccino. So, it has one shot of coffee and the rest is foamed milk. Lattes usually have more less milk.
Tom, it turns out, comes from Nambour, just north of Brisbane, so he’s a fellow Queenslander, who trained in Dublic as a barista and has been at Telescope for about six months. I start telling him about my espresso machine adventures.
Filtered ice coffee step 1
Three people come in and order a filtered ice coffee and an espresso. I am surprised to see that Tom is weighing everything – the beans, then the ground coffee, and later the espresso itself. He explains it’s an exact science. So what happens if the weight of the final coffee (the “yield”) is wrong? He throws it out and starts again !
Filtered ice coffee step 2
The filtered ice coffee is even more intriguing. The machine consists of a bottom scale and a top drip system whose coffee pot looks like an hourglass-shaped wine carafe. First he puts ice cubes in, checking their weight. Then he puts a filter in the neck of the carafe and adds the weighed ground coffee which is more concentrated than for an espresso.
Filtered ice coffee step 3
The water starts dripping through the filter; the resulting coffee drips into the carafe and onto the ice cubes. Tom puts a weighed amount of ice in the two glasses, tips out any melted water then pours in the coffee, making sure that the ice cubes don’t escape. Ready to go! I’m intrigued. Do French people order that? No, just English speakers!
Pouring the iced coffee into the glasses
I ask whether there are any chances of a barista lesson and I am delighted to hear that several other people have also expressed there interest and that when they have at least five, they’ll run a class on Sunday morning. All I have to do is “like” their facebook page and watch for the announcement.
I walk out entirely satisfied with my visit and eager for my first barista class. Who wants to join me?
*A Paris, la revanche du petit noir by Emmanuel TresmontantLE MONDE,13.04.2013
The first birthday party that stays in my mind was my 13th birthday celebration. It took place just 11 days after my older sister died in an accident and must have cost my mother enormous courage and effort because I only have happy memories of that day. It was a “movie party”. I invited the whole class and we went to see Mary Poppins at a matinee then spent the rest of the afternoon in the garden, playing party games and eating cake.
My thirteenth birthday party. I’m in the second row, second from the left.
Hardly the sort of party a thirteen-year-old would want today! But we didn’t have the same sophistication back then. One of my friends gave me a little gold cross on a chain. I think it was the first necklace I ever had and I loved it. I’m still in regular contact with six of the girls in the photo.
With my parents on my 21st birthday
The next memorable birthday party was my 21st, the age at which we reached our majority in those days, and was held in a hotel down on the Strand in Townsville whose name escapes me. As you can see from the photo taken with my parents, it was a fun evening!
My favourite present on that occasion was a red velvet jewel case and matching alarm clock to take on my journey to France, which was already in the planning stage, even though I wasn’t to leave for another year.
Skip a few years during which birthdays were always strictly family occasions spent with my children and husband and once or twice with my parents when they were visiting France.
At my 40th birthday party
By the time I was about to turn 40, I was divorced and living alone with my children, Black Cat and Leonardo. I decided to have a party and celebrate in style. A very good Swedish friend offered her house, which had a spacious living room, and I told everyone to reserve the date. Then my father died. When I got back from the funeral, my friend said that I wasn’t to cancel the party. So I didn’t.
My fortieth birthday cake – Pour le plaisir
I ordered a cake and instead of candles, I had “Pour le plaisir” (just for the pleasure) written on it! I really enjoyed the party and was grateful to my friend for encouraging me to celebrate despite my grief. It took me three years to get over my father’s death.
Our château bedroom on my 50th birthday
I didn’t want a party for my 50th birthday. By then, I had met and married Jean Michel and I wanted something intimate so we went to stay in a château in Champagne for the weekend. I remember every minute of it! My children and stepsons gave me my first digital camera.
Lunch at the Ritz with Jean Michel
On each of my birthdays since we met in 1996, Jean Michel has taken me to a Michelin-starred restaurant, including The Ritz, Le Carré des Feuillants, La Grande Cascade and Hélène Darroze and has spoiled me with many lovely presents.
With my sixtieth birthday approaching, my daughter Black Cat kept asking me how I wanted to celebrate. I liked the idea of a party but didn’t have the energy to do anything about it. “How about I organise it then?” she said. “Just give me the list of the people you want to invite.” She is a communications and events manager so I knew it was in good hands. What a wonderful birthday present!
In front of my cards and presents on my 60th birthday
I said I’d be happy to help with preparations on the day of the party, so after shopping with her late Friday, including a new outfit for me, we spent Saturday afternoon putting various morcels of her invention on skewers while she organised all the rest.
My 60th birthday watch
I had a wonderful evening. Black Cat, with the help of Jean Michel and his two sons looked after everything and I could devote myself entirely to being with all my lovely friends. Leonardo was in Australia but there in spirit. And Jean Michel gave me a beautiful new watch to replace the one I so sadly lost 16 years ago.
Until recently, I had never heard of a vide-armoires, which literally means “wardrobe emptier”. I have been to many vide-greniers (grenier means attic) and brocantes and had worked out the difference for myself. The vide-greniers provides the occasion for people to get rid of all the stuff they don’t want any more. A lot of towns hold one once a year. Sometimes they are combined with food stalls, but not always.
Vide-greniers
The term brocante comes from brocanteur who, according to the Larousse dictionary, is someone who buys and then sells (or swaps) secondhand goods. However, brocante is sometimes used to mean vide-grenier and the two can be combined. So you can find householders selling children’s hand-me-downs and old lamps next to a professional selling old furniture.
The etymology is not certain. There is a French expression de bric et de broc which means “made of bits and pieces”, maybe related to the German gebrochen or Italian brocco. It could also come from a broc repairer where brocs are the metal staples that used to be used to hold old pottery together.
Real antiques are usually sold at a “foire des antiquaires” but sometimes you find them at brocantes as well.
Vide-armoires
So I wasn’t sure what we’d find at a vide-armoires When we arrived in Bracieux, we discovered it was being run by the local tennis club. It turned out to be strictly private individuals – no professionals – and only clothing, mostly children’s. So not of much interest to us.
And before I finish, the correct spelling is vide-greniers and not vide-grenier and the singular and plural are the same.
You may remember my desperate attempts to make cappuccino during the winter. Well, now I know the truth. It’s the espresso machine that makes all the difference.
I now have intimate knowledge of three different machines: the cheap-O model we bought new in a second-hand shop somewhere near Blois, the superduper expensive Pavoni that grinds the coffee as well and a mid-range non-grinding DeLonghi bought for Closerie Falaiseau when the cheap-O one gave up the ghost. From the very first cup, the DeLonghi produced perfect milk foam.
Perfect foam with the Delonghi
Initially, I thought it was because I had acquired the requisite skills but when our first guests arrived at the Closerie and we moved into the kitchen of the little house, I used the cheap-O one that Jean Michel had repaired in the meantime. The first foam was a complete failure. Just sticking the milk jug under the wand no longer worked.
The superduper Pavoni
We got back to Paris and I used the superduper Pavoni again, the results were just as disastrous. It took me a few days to remember the method I had precariously developed previously. But the results are still not as good as they are with the DeLonghi.
Now what is it that makes the DeLonghi so much better than the others?
Stainless steel jug and half-cream milk
For all three, I’m using half-fat milk and I’m putting my little stainless steel jug in the fridge. All three wands are straight although I’ve read that they’re supposed to be at a 45° angle. I still can’t see why tipping the jug to form the same angle with the milk doesn’t achieve the same result, by the way, but maybe someone can supply the reason.
When I first saw the DeLonghi in the shop, I was very dubious. The wand is much shorter than the other two and has a thick almost cone-shaped skirt but the guy selling it at Darty in Blois assured me it would be perfect. He said he’d worked as a garcon de café in Paris in his previous life. Not that that was really a recommendation. We all know how terrible coffee is in most French bars.
One of my early attempts
Anyway, when I tried it out, it was perfect. It’s also very easy to clean – you just unscrew the skirt and rinse it under the tap. With the cheap-O one and the Pavoni, you need a wet cloth to wipe off the milk immediately.
Cheap-O machine
So what do you do if you don’t have a wand with a little cone-shaped skirt? The trick is to keep the tip of the wand just under the level of the milk, so that it’s not making big bubbles. You can see the milk sort of being sucked into the tip of the wand. As the foam develops and the milk takes up more volume, you have to move the jug down so that the tip remains just below the surface.
Once you feel the milk heating up (you need to keep your hand around the jug), you have to turn off the steam quite quickly or you’ll scald the milk which gives it a sickly sweet taste. With the Pavoni, it happens really quickly. I don’t have the same problem with the DeLonghi.
Substitute foam with detergent
Of course, it’s not that easy to practice without using up lots of milk but someone came up with a brilliant substitute. Just one tiny drop of washing up liquid in water will, astonishingly, produce the same results. Well, at least it gives you a better feel of what’s going on without wasting lots of milk.
The real thing – Tom’s latte at Telescope
I haven’t made it to latte art yet. What I really need is a lesson. And I’m not even sure what the difference between cappuccino and latte really is! So I’m off to Téléscope in rue Villedo to find out. I’ll tell you all about it in Part 2 next week.
It’s Wednesday again already! Burgundy is a wonderful place to visit and Carolyn from Holidays to Europe gives us an excellent introduction to its charms. It has beautiful countryside, fantastic wine and amazing bike paths. Abby from Paris Weekender interviews Daisy de Plume of THATLou who organises treasure hunts in the Louvre. I haven’t had a chance to join her yet, but I certainly intend to. Susan from Days on the Claise tells us about surveying local butterflies in Touraine. That’s another thing I’d love to do. Her photos are bewitching. Enjoy!
The French wine region of Burgundy
by Carolyn, from Holidays to Europe, an Australian based business passionate about sharing their European travel expertise and helping travellers to experience the holiday in Europe they have always dreamed of
I had heard many a travellers tale of France; of the beautiful green countryside, fields of blooming sunflowers and red poppies, depending on when you travel, medieval buildings and ancient ruins, and produce as fresh as you will find anywhere; but after a few wonderful days in Paris, I have to admit I wondered would the French countryside reach the bar? We were heading to Chaudenay, a little village not far from Beaune, the regional capital of Burgundy, and we were in for a very pleasant surprise.
It wasn’t long after leaving the urban sprawl of Paris that rural France began to take its hold on us! Yes, the countryside was green; yes, there were plenty of medieval castles and ruins atop hills; but there was also plenty more. Read more
Interview: Daisy de Plume of THATLou
by Abby from Paris Weekender, an American living in Paris who offers suggestions for Paris weekends, either staying put or getting out of town
Many of you may already be familiar with Daisy de Plume from my post about the Treasure Hunt at the Louvre I enjoyed over the summer. Daisy is the creator of these amazing scavenger hunts, a unique and exciting way to visit this classic museum. But she has also been up to a whole lot more recently, including the launch of THATd’Or (Treasure Hunt at the Musée d’Orsay) and even the coming-soon THATMet – yes, you guessed it. Treasure Hunt at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art! So I asked Daisy to share with us an update on these exciting developments, as well as some background on her innovative creations. For more information on Daisy’s events, as well as the most current updates, I also invite you to visit her site: THATLOU.com.
The following is Part I of my interview with Daisy. Part II will follow next week! Read more
Official butterfly report for 2012
by Susan from Days on the Claise, an Australian living in the south of the Loire Valley, writing about restoring an old house and the area and its history, and running Loire Valley Time Travel (remember Célestine?)
Just as I am gearing up to start surveying my local butterflies for 2013, waiting and watching for the weather to improve sufficiently to make it worthwhile, the official STERF report on last year’s national survey has landed in my email inbox…with a covering message from Luc Manil, who co-ordinates us STERFistes, saying ‘Don’t even think about going out and doing your first survey until the last 10 days of April. The weather forecast is awful and there will be nothing flying but those few species that hibernate as adults…’
The French national butterfly survey has been going since 2005. From an initial 14 survey sites it is now 215 sites. 44% are allocated randomly and can be anywhere within 10km of the surveyor’s home base, 56% are chosen by the surveyors (and are usually nature reserves). Last year both my survey sites were randomly allocated. Read more
We stopped for the night in Vitré, about 40 K east of Rennes, on the way back from Brest on the western tip of Brittany one summer. We discovered a very pretty little town with a mediaeval granite castle, one of the first castles in France to be classified as a monument historique. There are many beautiful granite, slate and half-timbered houses and colourful façades, mainly in Rue de la Baudrairie. I can’t remember the name of the hotel as it was nothing outstanding, but we had a view of the castle from our window. However, we were given a very useful free Michelin guide to “secondary” towns in France that we’ve been exploring ever since.
The castle in Vitré is one of the most imposing mediaeval castles in France. Here you can see one of the towers of the old ramparts
South façade and Place Saint YvesRue de la Baudrairie, from the French “baudroyeurs” or leathermakersTypical juxtaposition of granite, slate and half-timberingTypical colourful street windowMediaeval manor houseMore granite, slate and half-timberingInteresting outside staircaseLa Soupe aux Choux where we had a very pleasant mealGatehouse and Saint-Laurent Tower at dusk
Our lovely friends from Sydney, Redfern and Saint Vincent are staying with us in Closerie Falaiseau. They’re spending a couple of months visiting different parts of France and improving their French which is wonderful for Jean Michel because it means they can communicate directly.
Troglodyte houses in Rochecorbon when it wasn’t raining
We’ve been wanting to buy some wine in Vouvray and try out a troglodyte restaurant there. After closing for winter, Les Gueules Noires has just reopened so we book a table then phone Monsieur and Madame Freslier whose wine we first discovered over ten years ago through our trusty independant wine growers’ guide Gilbert & Gaillard.
Tonnes in the Freslier limestone cellar
It’s pelting with rain when we arrive at the cellar door. Mr Freslier senior, 88, shuffles out to meet us. He tells us how he and his uncle dug the wine cellars themselves out of the limestone cliffs. Madame Freslier arrives and takes us to visit the oak tonnes as they call the barrels here. We pass stacks of bottles glued together with drippings from the limestone ceiling.
Mr and Mrs Jean Pierre Freslier and Mr Freslier senior
Mr Freslier Junior joins us and we all sit around a long table tasting different types of white wine made from the local chenin grape. The sweetest of the still wines (vins tranquilles) is the vendanges tardives (last harvest), followed by moelleux, then demi-sec and sec. Then there are two sparking wines : pétillant is a natural sparkling wine with less pressure than the mousseux which is made using the méthode champenoise.
Old and new labels
We mainly buy the mousseux because it seems to be the most popular apéritif in the region and at 5.80 euro a bottle, it’s certainly a bargain. I’m disappointed to see the labels have changed. I really like the old ones.
Domaine Freslier – a family affair
During the tasting, we mostly talk about dinosaurs and fossils of which the limestone cliffs have preserved an amazing number (not the dinosaurs of course). We also talked about corks. Most corks these days come from Portugal. Mr Freslier is very reticent about using screw tops on his bottles because he says they don’t breathe which means the wine won’t keep while Madame Freslier says she would miss popping the cork!
Les Gueules Noires
The rain’s still going strong when we leave but Les Gueules Noires is just around the corner. It turns out that Jean Michel and I came here the first time we went to see the Fresliers, but it changed hands two years ago and the cuisine is more inventive.
Fireplace in Les Gueules Noires
The dining room is typical of troglodyte dwellings which, like Monsieur Freslier’s cellars, are made by digging directly into the limestone cliffs. There are only windows on the façade of course. There’s a fireplace but the room is quite chilly, which is not surprising with the awful weather we’ve been having. I don’t imagine they’re the warmest places in winter!
Sardine rillettes in filo pastry
The menu is on a blackboard and the waitress explains the different dishes, which seem to have a both a Belgian and Japanese influence. Among the entrées, we choose sardines rillettes in filo pastry and gravlax salmon with horseradish with some other interesting bits and pieces.
Irish gravlax with beetroot and leek sprouts, horseradish cream and roe
The main dishes include swordfish with mushrooms and maki, waterzooi (a Belgian chicken stew) and cold meat in aspic with French fries (well, probably Belgian).
Sword fish with mushrooms and maki
The desserts we chose are speculoos mousse (speculoos are sort of brown ginger sugar biscuits) and chocolate fondant with banana icecream.
Mixed meat in aspic with Belgian fries
I personally find the entrees the most interesting and the desserts a little heavy. The food is innovative and the ingredients obviously very fresh but the result is a little disappointing. The service is friendly and there is a good selection of local wines (we choose a bourgueil). The prices are reasonable, with the entrees and desserts at less than 10 euros, the main courses less than 15 and the desserts.
Les Gueules Noires, 66 rue de la Vallée Coquette, 37210 Vouvray, 02 47 52 62 18
Domaine Freslier, 92 rue de la Vallée Coquette 37210 Vouvray, 02 47 52 76 61
