An Afternoon at the Élysée Palace
The President Meets the Press
On Monday, July 22, French President Emmanuel Macron gathered journalists from around the world who are in Paris to cover the Olympics for a friendly meet and greet at the presidential mansion, the Élysée Palace. We were notified beforehand that … Read More
Bedbugs and Other Paris Vermin
Invasion of the Mutant Super-Rats
Recently, the press in France – and especially in other countries – has been whipped up to a frenzy with stories about Paris being infested by bedbugs (punaises de lit in French). After all, nothing energizes commentators writing about other … Read More
Wallace Fountains
Water, Water Everywhere – and Plenty to Drink
Wallace Fountains are among those elegant touches on Paris’s urban landscape that visitors marvel at and photograph without really knowing what they are or how they got there. In fact, they are perfectly functional public drinking fountains that combine practicality … Read More
Rue Notre Dame de Nazareth
A Flâneur Discovers a Changing Paris Street
I was born and bred in Yorkshire’s Rhubarb Triangle, so when a friend told me that renowned French pâtissier Philippe Conticini had made a fancy rhubarb tart for springtime, I had to try it. The closest shop was at 31, … Read More
Ferdinand Brunot
Is That a South Parisian Drawl I Hear?
Listening to early recordings of voices or sounds from the past is always intriguing, as it gives us an auditory glimpse into moments of history. However, sometimes the sounds captured on the earliest recording devices can feel strangely alienating or … Read More
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