2014 was a great year for me travel-wise. I made it home to France not once, but twice. I made the most out of a few work trips in New York, Chicago, Raleigh, Boca Raton and Austin, Texas. I even tested out Icelandair's "the best part of a trip to Paris is Iceland" advertisement by doing a stop-over in Reyjkavik on my way back from Paris. The highlight of last year, though, was traveling to Brazil to cheer on my beloved Bleus during the World Cup, a trip I had been planning for and looking forward to for the past 3 years. MAKING THE MOST OUT OF WORK TRIPS Chicago (and New York before that) happened in the dead of winter. For Chicago, I think I got to go because none of my colleagues were ...
French Culture
Postcard from France: Visiting the Louvre-Lens
Lens, a small town in northern France, boasts a football stadium with a capacity larger than its population, but doesn't have a movie theater. A former mining strong hold, its main touristic and cultural attractions used to be world war I cemeteries and Europe's tallest slag heaps (known by their formal French name of base et terrils jumeaux du 11/19.) That all changed in 2012. That year, one of the world's most famous museums, the Louvre, opened an outpost in Lens, attracting some 900,000 visitors its first year of operation. While that's barely anything compared to the 8 million visitors that go through the Parisian museum each year, that's still very impressive. Lens is easily ...
Melt for Raclette: Throw a Raclette Dinner Party
Raclette is a hearty dish, meant to be enjoyed after a day on the Alps slopes. Even without the skiing, it's a fun meal to share with friends and requires very little actual cooking. That makes it ideal for the busy hostess, so I love hosting raclette dinner parties in the winter. If you don't already know raclette, let me introduce you to one of Switzerland's signature dish. Raclette is four things really: A pungent washed rind cows milk cheese. The dish you make with that cheese. The grill you use to melt the raclette (cheese) for the raclette (dish). The dinner party where people get together to eat the raclette (dish) made by melting raclette (cheese) on the raclette ...
Chantons Noel Concerts at National City Christian Church
Fa Oh la la la la la ~ The celebrated Children's Chorus of Washington will be touring France this summer (lucky them) and in anticipation of their trip, they are giving their Christmas concerts a french twist this year. The award winning chorus will be joined by the Amadeus Brass Quintet for two concerts of French Christmas music at the National City Christian Church at Thomas Circle. The two concerts are December 20 and December 21, both at 4PM. Tickets are $50 for adult premium sitting, $25 regular and $10 for children under 12. Save the date and purchase your tickets here. ♫ Mon beau sapin ♪ roi des forêts... ♬ ...
French Movies at the 2014 AFI-EU Film Showcase
The 2014 AFI-EU Film Showcase opens today at AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland. Presented by the American Film Institute (AFI) in collaboration with the Delegation of the European Union to the United States and EU Member States, the festival showcases the best in current European filmmaking and this year's selection includes more than 50 films shown throughout the month of December (the 27th edition of the festival runs from December 3-21, 2014.) French and French-language films are well represented, as always: The Dardenne brothers' "Two days, one night" (showing Fri, Dec 12, 7:30 and Sun, Dec 14, 3:40), Belgium's official selection for the Oscars Girlhood (Thu, Dec 4, ...
Art All Night Returns September 27, Expands Across the District
I've given up on D.C.'s Art For All ever being a cultural event of the scale and caliber of Paris' Nuit Blanche, but that doesn't mean that I'm not looking forward to it. The main event, Art All Night/Nuit Blanche DC, now in its fourth edition, will take place Saturday, September 27 and go beyond the Shaw neighbourhood to all four quadrants of the city. Art All Night uses art to cast a new light on the city and one of the things I love the most about the DC version is that it allows me to explore both established art spaces and discover more underutilized venues. This year is no exception. Here are some of the highlights: Activated! Art4All Launch Party ~ If you haven't walked through ...
Paul Bakery and Pâtisserie Opens Its Sixth DC-Area Location at Metro Center
I'm always excited when a new Paul bakery opens in the District but I'm particularly excited about this one since it's very close to my husband's office. I'm expecting fresh baguettes (Paul's breads are made daily from organic, locally sourced flour milled exclusively for Paul, without additives or preservatives) every other day from now on ;-) The new location at Metro Center (555 13th Street NW) is similar in design to the other 5 Paul locations around town, with bistro tables for 20 people outside (while the weather allows), and plush armchairs and tables for 30 inside. I'm sure it will quickly become a popular destination for office workers in the area! The menu is also similar to ...
S’il vous plaît… dessine-moi un mouton opera.
Tired of taking the kids to see the Nutcracker Christmas after Christmas? (what is it with Americans' obsession with the nutcracker anyway?) You're in luck... this holiday season, the Kennedy Center brings you the joy and wonder of Antoine de Saint Exupéry's The Little Prince in the form of an "enchanting opera that is both faithful to the book and satisfying to child and adult alike." (The Financial Times) The Little Prince will land at the Kennedy Center December 19-21, 2014. Tickets range between $45-69. For more information and for tickets, visit the Kennedy Center's website. ...
Finding Your Identity at DC’s First Films on the Green
Since 2008, Francophile New Yorkers have been able to enjoy French flicks al fresco through Films on the Green, a free outdoor French film festival produced annually in New York City Parks by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy with the City of New York Parks & Recreation. This summer, they had the opportunity to catch Purple Noon at Central Park's Cedar Hill, The Women on the 6th Floor and La Haine at Tompkins Square Park, Les Tontons Flingueurs at Washington Square Park and The French Minister at Columbia University. This year, thanks to American University and the Cultural Service of the Embassy of France in Washington, DC, we're getting our own (shorter) edition of this ...
Give Your DC Summer a French Twist
Stuck in the city for the summer? Luckily, there are a ton of events across town to help you pretend you're in France. CHEER FOR LES BLEUS DURING THE WORLD CUP Head to Redline on game day to join the French Expat Meet-Up and L'Union des Français de l'étranger de Washington in supporting l'Equipe de France as they fight to get out of Group H. And if you want to learn more about Les Bleus, head to l'Alliance Francaise after the game on Friday, June 20. Sports historian Lindsay Krasnoff will moderate a panel of sports journalists on the history and importance of the 1998 World Cup champions in French society. LA FETE DE LA MUSIQUE It's one of my favourite events every year. New York goes ...
