As I walked around Paris, the Eiffel Tower beckoned me like a lighthouse. I set out to find her just by looking out for her as her top rose above trees and buildings.
I didn’t need a map. I just kept cutting across streets that would bring me closer.
After a while, I realized I’d cover more territory by bus than on foot.
I’d get closer, much closer.
Solange, my almost-mother-in-law, used to make coq au vin (chicken in wine) quite often. Stylish, beautiful, generous and funny, she was a stay-at-home mom, long before the term came into vogue, to eight children. Her home was inviting and warm and almost always full of people.
Mom had a habit of “spicing up” everything she made — it just wasn’t done until she added her own flavors and seasoned it with love. She was a stickler for attractive food presentation. “La nourriture doit plaire a l’oeil avant de plaire a l’estomac. (Food must please the eyes before it pleases the stomach.),” she’d always say. And her coq au vin was legendary.
Mom shared her recipe for coq au vin with me several years ago. I’m kicking myself now because I can’t find it anywhere. I’m hoping it’s with my own mother’s recipe for the fruit cake she used to bake every Christmas (we were all given chores — mine was to chop the fruits). She had written it in her own hand on the back of an envelope and given it to me when I was dating Mom Solange’s son. Now they’re all gone and I can’t find either the coq au vin or the Christmas cake recipe anywhere.
Epicurious.com to the rescue! I found something similar to Mom’s coq au vin which I’m sharing with you. It doesn’t have her secret spices but I think you’ll like it.
Ingredients
Preparation
Stir first 6 ingredients in heavy large nonreactive pot. Add chicken, submerging completely. Cover; chill overnight.
Cook pearl onions in large pot of boiling salted water 3 minutes. Drain and cool. Peel. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pearl onions and mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Add bacon to same skillet and sauté until brown and crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Wipe skillet clean.
Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken from marinade to strainer (reserve marinade in pot). Pat chicken dry with paper towels; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté until skin is brown, turning once, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to pot of marinade; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered until chicken is very tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Strain chicken and cooking liquid over large bowl. Transfer chicken to medium bowl; discard vegetables in strainer. Return liquid to pot. Add Port and bring to boil. Combine flour and remaining 2 tablespoons butter in small bowl. Whisk into cooking liquid. Boil over medium heat until sauce thickens and is slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. Return chicken to pot. Add pearl onions, mushrooms and bacon to sauce in pot. Simmer until heated through and flavors blend, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
Recipe courtesy of epicurious.com
Enjoy!
After checking out the African and European galleries at The Louvre, I walked back to the Jardin Tuileries, a large public garden located between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde. This time, I sat for a while and people watched.
The Jardin Tuileries has been opened to the public since 1667.
Thousands of Parisians and tourists stroll, sit, eat and relax in the Jardin Tuileries everyday.
Jardin Tuileries, a great place to spend a Paris afternoon.
As I walked through gallery after gallery in The Louvre in search of the European and African art collections, I couldn’t help notice that many of people ahead of me were taking photos of the artwork. Most didn’t even look at a painting long enough. They just got within camera range, snapped and moved on to the next one.
Granted, with the size of The Louvre — I’m sure I could visit every day for a month and not see the same collections twice — the objective for many visitors is to capture as much as possible in the time that they have. But, to me, it just waters down the experience.
I couldn’t help thinking about it for several hours after — and it comes back to mind each time since that I’ve been to an art gallery or a museum.
In this time when cell phones and digital cameras are so ubiquitous, it shouldn’t have been surprising but it was.
In thinking about what I’d write in this post, I thought about a comment Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, made recently at a talk at the New York Public Library. To paraphrase, he said CDs and computers make a large collection of music more easily accessible but flattens the sound.
The same could probably be said about taking photos of works of art. By relying on a camera instead of the eye to interpret and record the image, we reduce it to one dimension. Sure, it’s accessible — we can load it on to our computers, print a copy, share it with our friends, etc., but no camera I know of can capture the subtle qualities, like the light or tiny brush strokes that the eye can pick up, or the feeling that some works of art can evoke in a viewer.
Seeing this “drive-by viewing” had me thinking about how we engage the things around us and how technology is allowing us to breeze through our lives without slowing down or stopping to notice, to take stock.
Having worked with creative people in different fields, I’m acutely aware of the right of ownership whether of a manuscript, photograph, song or painting and how easy it is for us to ‘own’ a knock-off or a copy of the original. I’m also well aware that some museums, like The Louvre, allow visitors to take photos (sans flash).
Maybe it’s not such a big deal to allow cameras in museums since most of their artists are dead and maybe they recognize that a lot of us take photos on our digital cameras and never print them.
What do you think?
I like a challenge. They give me an opportunity to stretch. So six months after pledging to blog every day, I’ve decided to take on the 1000-1000 Travel Blog Challenge to grow my blog to the point where it earns at least $1000 US per month and gets an average of 1000 visitors a day.
It won’t be easy but I won’t be alone. I’ll be joining a fabulous group of travel bloggers who I’ll support and who will, in turn, support me.
I hope you’ll encourage me with comments and likes, and, of course sharing my posts on your networks. I look forward to your support.
As a former art gallery director, a visit to Paris would not have been complete without a visit to the Louvre. Yet, when I finally arrived at this world renowned museum and saw the lines, I balked. I had three days in Paris. There was no way I wanted to spend my time in an endless queue!
In addition, it was an unseasonably warm April and the unrelenting afternoon sun forced several people to take refuge under their umbrellas. They came prepared, I wasn’t.
No, there was no way I’d stand on that line, not even for the Louvre, I thought. Sitting by the fountain was infinitely more pleasant. But more than half an hour later, I was still there circling, taking photographs, people watching, undecided.
Finally, I came to my senses. Who was I fooling, I asked myself. Why come so close and not visit? I joined the line which, surprisingly, moved more quickly than I anticipated.
The security guard checked my bag — the source of the slow moving lines — and I was finally in! As I entered the underground lobby, I spotted a bank of vending machines and within a few minutes, had ticket and museum brochure in hand.
One of the most visited museums in the world, with 15,000 daily visitors, the Grand Louvre opened in the former Palais du Louvre in 1793. It contains nearly 400,000 objects, displays 35,000 artworks in eight curatorial departments and has almost 700,000 square feet dedicated to its permanent collection.
With only a few hours to spend, I knew there was little chance that I’d get to see the Mona Lisa, without a doubt the Louvre’s most popular attraction, or the statue of Venus de Milo, so I decided to check out the Louvre’s collection of African and European art.
It turned out to be a good choice as I had to walk through the European gallery to find the African gallery, which was so well off the beaten path, I had to ask several security guards to help me find it. When I did, I exhaled and relaxed in the quiet.
Dedicated in April, 2000 by former French President Jacques Chirac, the African, Asian, Oceanic and American gallery was almost deserted — only one person, an artist or art student — who stood silently sketching one of the exhibits and a couple security guards. It was also much smaller than I anticipated but no less impressive. And the best part, I could enjoy the exhibits almost undisturbed. I didn’t have to dodge the backs of other viewers’ heads.
The Louvre Museum
Hours: Mondays, Thursday, Saturday and Sundays 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Wednesdays and Fridays 9 a.m. – 10 p.m., closed on Tuesdays, December 25th, January 1st and May 1st.
Fees: 10 € (Full day access), 6 € multimedia guide
Metro: Palais Royal Musee du Louvre station
Even though I spent only a few hours at the Louvre, I was overloaded visually by the time I left. But I’m very glad that I stayed. As an art lover, I would have been kicking myself now if I had not seen it.
The Louvre — worth a visit, even for a couple of hours.
The first time I heard Canadian singer/songwriter Diana Krall, her voice made me think of someone from another generation not someone who was born in 1964. I loved her voice and phrasing — I was hooked. I bought her CDs as soon as they were released and played them over and over.
Ms. Krall has recorded about a dozen CDs. She’s had nine Grammy Award nominations and won three.
Take a listen to her performance of Wonderful, Marvelous and let me know what you think.
Enjoy!
Morning. Sunrise. The start of a new day filled with promise. A fresh opportunity to start over, to begin anew, to do better.
Morning. Everyone awakens after a night of rest to pick up where they left off. A few hours after I took this photo, there was hardly an empty spot on the boardwalk.
I was among the thousands who gathered on the Mall to witness the inauguration of President Obama. As we waited on that frigid morning, I couldn’t help noticing the sky and the dawning of the new day.
We’re told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I agree. When I have a good breakfast, I feel like there’s nothing I can’t do.
Good Morning!
What to do when the temperature in hits 100 degrees?
Reach for cover and do these five things:
1. Wear light-colored, loose fitting clothes and limit strenuous outdoor activities.
2. Slather on the sunscreen. The highest rating is generally best but minimum SPF35.
3. Wear a floppy hat.
4. Drink lots of water. Add a twist of lemon or lime for flavor.
5. Carry a hand or mini electrical fan – perfect for times when you have to wait on a hot platform for the subway.
The warm weather doesn’t stick around very long so enjoy it as much as you can.
When the temperature turns warm, we reach for cooling foods. Sorbets and ice cream are delicious ways to help beat the heat.
I love the flavors of sorbet, especially mango, which reminds me of home. I love how light sorbet is, how it feels on my tongue, at the back of my mouth and how refreshing and clean-tasting it is.
I found this recipe of one of my favorites, Lemon Sorbet, on allrecipes.com. I’ve never made sorbet (or ice cream) but I think I might try to this summer.
Try it and let me know what you think.
Ingredients
1 lemon’s peel, finely diced
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup carbonated mineral water
6 strips of lemon zest, for garnish
Directions
In a saucepan, stir together the diced lemon peel, 1 cup of water and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool.
In a pitcher or bowl, stir together the lemon syrup with peel, lemon juice and mineral water. Pour into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Garnish each serving with a twist of lemon peel.
If you do not have an ice cream maker, you may freeze it in a tall canister. Freeze for 1 1/2 hours. Remove and stir with a whisk. Return to the freezer
Enjoy!
