From the latest edition of Bartlett’s Vaguely, and Regrettably, Familiar Quotations: “Love locks have come to Paris. In case you’re unaware of this phenomenon, it has become a fad for lovers to solemnize their passion by inscribing their names on … Read More
As I have discovered in my wanderings around Paris, and discussed in a previous C’est Ironique, there are a lot of things here that seem to defy explanation. And, as I discovered in a recent wander around southern France, the … Read More
The French have an unreasonable fascination with reason. Not with being reasonable — with the process of reasoning: they love to philosophize. And apparently I have an unreasonable fascination with their fascination, because I have mentioned it in not one … Read More
Always striving to break new journalistic ground, this week I have decided to report on an event that I missed. At least this year. The first time I witnessed what is now my favorite French folk custom was about 15 … Read More
I don’t get it. There wasn’t a full moon. No solar flares, no planetary alignment, no odometer flips on the Mayan calendar. Maybe it was because of the long hours of daylight and short nights making everyone edgy. Whatever the … Read More
This week, delegates from all over the globe will gather in Vienna for the 2012 World Conference on Climate Change and Humanity, there to discuss what is arguably the most serious problem now facing mankind. At a time when the … Read More
I like wine. In fact, I like wine enough that readers who know me are already laughing, thinking that I just delivered my shortest punchline ever. For those who don’t know me, yes, I have had some experience with the … Read More
It’s not easy to find a rental apartment in Paris. Real estate here is a permanent seller’s market—there is never enough housing for all the people who want to live in town. Ask any couple who has a decent apartment … Read More
This is a very unusual week in France. Not because it’s the first full week of the Hollande presidency. Not because the weather is finally starting to resemble springtime. Not because the fountains of Paris are spouting champagne instead of … Read More
I am no fan of Nicolas Sarkozy’s politics, in particular his shameless pandering to the anti-immigration far-right National Front. As an immigrant to France myself, I kind of, sort of, pretty much tend to come in on the “pro” side … Read More
