A mid-day break from work ...

Lots of work lately with travel and meetings.

For a break (from or to reality) we're off to see Princesas, the award winning film (3 Goyas!), with the Puerto Rican actress Micaela Narvaez. Come and meet us there if you're interested - Cinema le Brady l'Albatros at 12:30pm today.

Here's a link to one of the soundtrack songs by Manu Chau.

An excellent film - with some well-placed humor - about solidarity, real love, family.

Woof woof!

Heading off, for a little break before a charged week (well, half-week), to Mon Chien Stupide to meet Alain H. and then to hear Isabelle Fénech sing (Léon Gaboriau on accordion and Renato Velasco on guitar).

Afterwards a Bolivian dinner (with Alain - joined by Cordelia) and run into Carlos & Co. , at the "usual place".

Hail to the Haggis!

Although I purchased some (cocktail-sized) haggis is Edinburgh last Thursday (for Burns Night) we are just getting into it tonight. Benjamin is coming over and we're going to see how many of the five recommended cooking methods we'll try. Stay tuned for news!

The Dark Stuff ...

A bit of a mid-morning walkabout from Grafton Street to the Temple Bar area on a cold, but very bright, Dublin Sunday.

After a late breakfast at The Metro Café, and an early bruch (of bangers and mash) at the Shack restaurant I'm finally off for my (much anticipated) pilgramage to the Guinness Storehouse.

Pacte écologique

We're going to listen to Nicolas Hulot, who's at INSEAD as part of the 2007 series of public conferences, who'll speak, naturally, about the environment and his foundation's proposed actions.

UPDATE: Over 2,000 people showed up (almost twice as many as expected) and we were unable to get seats - thankfully INSEAD offered to send a DVD of the conference to anyone who wasn't able to get a seat so I'll post later regarding this conference (and if anyone wants to borrow the DVD afterwards just leave a message here).

Folies végétales

Patrick Blanc, a researcher at the CNRS and passionate about exotic vegetation, has an interesting expo at la Fondation EDF until early March. We're off to see it today with Fancehtte & Denis.

Reyes Magos

Happy Three Kings Day to you all - may this year bring you ever more sharing, peace and love - follow your star!

I may not be able to reach each and every one of you personally this day, but know that you are truly in my thoughts and in my heart. Have a wonderful year 2007 and, as always, feel free to leave comments here - your words enrich my life.

(Click on the link in the title above to read more about the traditional celebration of Three Kings Day in Puerto Rico.)

Montigny-bound

Heading down to our "winter quarters" for some days (we'll doubtlessly be shuttling between Paris and Montigny).

I'll hopefully do some updates and devise a new "process" for blogging in 2007. Your comments are, as always, welcome!

View of Montigny-sur-Loing, oil on canvas by Jacob Maris, 1870; in the Haags Gemeentemuseum, Netherlands.

Follow along ... or catch up with us!

Sunday relaxathon in and about Paris (ALL Right Bank!) - feel free to catch up with us:

1. Baron Rouge for oysters (and that after the massive quantities at Benj's last night)
2. Hôpital Saint-Antoine to say "hallo" to Alison
3. Bolivan restaurant , Candela Calienta, to listen to Carlos and his group
4. Sushi dinner at Anne Baudart's

Numbers 1 & 3 are open to you, kind Readers. If you're in Paris then come on by!

And here's the map.

"Un Tramway Nommé Désir" - Streetcars Make a Comeback in Paris ...

The last Paris tram ground to a halt 60 years ago. Now a new tram line is being introduced with lots of fanfare ... and we're going at 2pm today to join in the public inauguration with a free ride along the new route. See you there?

The new Bélière

Recently reopened, after a two-year hiatus, this neighborhood landmark has been totally refurbished in a much more "branché" style, but still retains its owner, Colette, and good feeling (and live music). An enormous improvement is the food (see my "What We're Eating" blog) which is an excellent value and nicely presented.

Aline, Celestine, Mariusz and I wrapped at midnight ... but (naturally) Odile & Denis stayed until 3am!

Les temps des cerises

The "Commie" resto tonight with Aline, her friend Celestine (in from Galway), Denis and Claudine & Franck (both up from Toulouse) and Frankie's sister, Florence. Very nice time getting caught up with everyone.

Happy Birthday lil bro' !

Today is the birthday my brother, René, and he catches up with me (56y/o) for two months ... then the counter turns over for me, too.

So, I thought I'd point out to him (and you all) that it is also the birthday of singer, dancer, and actor Sammy Davis, Jr who was born this day in 1925 and was a member of the legendary “Rat Pack” with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. So, Réné ... in your honor I've decided to create a club dedicated to YOU ... and we'll call it the "RAP Pack" ... your T-shirt will arrive soon (and you others can order from ... me. How's that for viral marketing?).

Anyway, Odile and I (plus Fanchette, Benjamin, Sylvie, Jean-Marie, Alison... and others you met when last you came to Paris) all wish you a très bon anniversaire !

Nuestro Tío Mágico

I just received (from both my brother and cousin) a copy of a recent article entitled "La aventura de ser Toño González" about the life of my very dear and "magic" uncle, Toño - besides my parents one of the people I most love and who has, perhaps unwittingly, taught me so much. I'll try to get the article posted somewhere soon - for now, dear Readers, if you want a pdf copy just post here or e-mail me and I'll gladly send it along.

JMB's

A fuzzy photo of a nice dinner at Jean-Marie's (back to the camera - uncorking the n-th bottle of wine) with our friends from Caen: Aggie & Michel, their daughter, Melanie, and her boyfriend.

I'm planning, late this afternoon, to stop by the Salons des Vignerons Indépendants.

The oldest market in Paris ...

PLANNED:

We're off to Le Marché des Enfants Rouge in the Marais area of town. This market was created in 1615 and I've been wanting to go back to spend a bit more time (and have lunch at one of their charming restaurants).

Afterwards a visit to the Valérie Jouve photography expo at galerie Xiappas (map here) nearby (with Hélios and Mariano).

Capharnaüm

After lunch with Benjamin and Odile at Os Minhotos (Portuguese hole-in-the-wall restaurant) we came across an interesting photo expo on the way home at the Atelier Florence Berger.

Dinner tonight (chez Fernand) with the Schillers - in Paris from Cambridge/London for a long weekend in the City of Lights.

¡Viva España!

Almost directly after work we headed up for an apéro at Hélios' ... where a friend from Barcelona, Mariano, an excellent photographer, is staying and visiting Paris for a few days.

Denis joined us and after some excellent jamón ibérico (gracias to Mariano's brother!) we walked over to the nearby (just down the stairs from Sacré Coeur) couscous/tajine resto called Le Petit Bleu (I recommend it to you all - here's a map). The lamb tajine (not to mention the Tajine Saint Jacques) was succulent ... and copious!

My most recent project calendar:

Que la Fête du Beaujolais commence !

Once again it's the third Thursday of November and it's .... le Beaujolais Nouveau (see the full story by clicking on the title above!)

We went to la Comedia with Alain (and were later joined by Florence) to try this year's cru.

We also greatly enjoyed listening to two young guitarists that Jean (the owner of the bistro) had though to enagge to play tonight. (You can see a short clip of this duo, called Les Deux Font L'Impair, by clicking here.)

J’espérons que je m’en sortira

Wednesday night ... and we're going to see Odile's cousin, Bernard, in this one-man theatrical piece which is based on compositions and essays written by schoolchildren in Naples (original title: Io speriamo che me la cavo).

Octopus's Garden.... in the flow!

Hello, dear readers ... thanks for stopping by (especially since I've had a protracted absence from these blogways). I will try to "just post it" without too much reflection, post-production or concerns about style, pix, etc. (which all slow down, to not say stop, the flow). After all, the main idea of this blog was to keep you up with our activites in Paris (and increasingly for me, due to the "new job", in various parts of Europe).

Tonight, having lugged home a few kilos of fresh octopus from the local market, we're making dinner and having Sylvie, Jean-Marie and Benjamin over for "Pulpo a la Gallega" plus my (world-famous ... almost) "martini-glass" flan mit aquacate, as an opener. Closing with another flan: lemon.

We'll doubtlessly toast to celebrate the Democrats' victories in the USA and wish them all godspeed (gift to the first one of you to guess which wine we'll toast with).

Leave some comments and what YOU are up to tonight - any favorite octopus recipes (!) and whatever is inspiring you these days. Hasta pronto!

Coping ...

On this day in 1950 (I wasn't quite one year old): Puerto Rican nationalists, members of the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN), attempted to assassinate U.S. President Harry S. Truman.

Off to Copenhagen until Friday for a project meeting. More news from Denmark as time allows ... I hear it's snowing up there!

Liberty for all ...

On Oct.28, 1886,the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States on the occasion of America's 100th anniversary in 1876, was officially dedicated this day in 1886 by U.S. President Grover Cleveland.

(see title link above)

On the road again ...

I'm teaching, Thursday and Friday, at Lyon III - change management related to the introduction of new information systems and will be using the simulation to better focus the students on key insights.

Oh, and also hopefully get out into town for a gastronomic dinner! Any tips?

Le musée du quai Branly

Took off the afternoon to get a private tour (merci à Jean-Paul) of this new museum.

Fascinating (if arguably too dimly lit) displays of "other cultures". I deplore only that there were no (at least none displayed) items of the Taino culture of Puerto Rico.

Happy birthday, Odile!

I'm certainly not telling her age!

Here go my BEST wishes to my dearest Odile on her birthday ... con todo mi amor.

Since I've been feelin fairly "punky" with this bad cold I've thought to have a real party (even thought there was a nice brunch today here - merci les amis) up at Montmartre in early November . If you can come let me know ... if you can't come send an e-mail (it'll actually be a mega-birthday party since the following have their birthdays in Oct/Nov: Odile, Sylvie, Fanchette, Claudia, Florence and Denis ... so we're do a big party for all six of them!) ... details to follow (if you e-mail me or leave a comment).

Netherlands-bound

Off to Amsterdam today for some work tomorrow. Staying near the city center with a nice view of one of the ubiquitous canals.

More when I'm onsite later today.

Garrigue Rock ....

Hello from Uzès ... go see this site right now: http://www.johnnyjay.com/

You heard me ... GO THERE NOW!

Hey! Can't get enough of Kevin ... go here (http://www.3coolcats.biz/)

Comments?

Salon des Arts 2006

The annual 14th arrondissement art show (exclusively of artists living in the 14th) and, once again, Myriam has a painting in the show .

Vernissage tonight around 7pm for those who'd like to meet us there. Always interesting and the mayor throws in a cocktail party!

Afterwards (probably) at la Comedia.

Monsoon evening ...

After an apéro visit (vive le vin rosé !) at Bruce & Barbara's Tiquetonne apartment (here is a shot of an interesting place just across the street) we went to Vieng Siam, a nice Thai restaurant just down the street.

During dinner an enormous rainstorm broke (lasting for quite a while ... with thunder galore) giving us the wonderful feeling of actually being in Thailand!

If any of you dear readers have Thai tips (other restos to try, recipes - our new kitchen will soon be finished, merci Philippe) just let me know via comments or e-mail.

Oh, my (our) aching back(s) ...

Going on 8pm and we're just finishing the "big move" back into our refurbished apartment. Boxes galore and furniture to move back down ... plus, as usual, last-minute items to be finished (shelving, closets). Overall it is a BIG change and we're happy the "process" is over (almost). Generally happy with the results - I'll hope to put some links on this blog in the next few days so you can see what the results are.

MANY THANKS to the crew of good friends who came to help out (and will sit down to dinner with us now): merci Meyre, Florence, Denis, Mikael, Benjamin, Jacques and Dominque, Myriam and Paula. We couldn't have done it without you!

Spectacular Chateau ...

Les Fêtes de Nuit de Versailles : Les Noces de l’Enfant Roi

Superb dance piece. Excellent music by Rita Mitsouko. Very nice cultural evening. (And a big merci to our friend Michel, master of stage scenery, for the freebie tickets!)

The storyline is fascinating - recounting the marriage of 11 year-old Louis XV with his child bride, 4 year-old Marie Anne - daughter of King Felipe V of Spain. The dancing is spirited, inventive, and lyrical. And there are even fireworks! Impeccably timed and chosen (and right close!). Even the location is magical - the stage is actually set over the water of the Neptune Basin in the gardens of the spectacular (even more so at night) chateau of Versailles.

(click the image for more information - en français)

The August castle tour continues...

Dinner tonight at Läckö Castle (a medieval castle, located on an island in the lake Vänern in Sweden).

A highly enjoyable (and informative) performance, with music and singing and declamation, by Leif Olson and his troupe.

Trip to Sweden

I'm off to Lidköping this afternoon for four days of what promises to be very interesting work. You can get a quick overview of the town and see some pictures here.

le Château Tenant

UPCOMING NEWS: Arrival at le Château Ternant, high up in the hills of the wine-famous town of Nuits-Saint-Georges. Gorgeous! Click on the title above for more pix.

mini-mini-vacation...

Off to Montigny-sur-Loing to sleep over tonight before continuing the route to tomorrow's start of a 3 day hiatus at the Castle T.

Château near Dalida's bust

Roland, our philatelist friend, had us over to Château des Brouillards, a marvelous 17th century home up in Montmartre. We went with our neighbor Anne and were joined by Roland's son, Charles for an extended and very enjoyable apéro.

We ended up discussing everything from the real story of Carlos Gardel's origins to modern philosophy (Charles' area of study) to the relative merits of Uruguayan vs Spanish vs French wines.

Polished off the night with a few snifters of Roland's excellent homemade vodka infused with genièvre (juniper).

Peace...

Nice time at Al Sage, our favorite neighborhood Lebanese restaurant( and the ever-warm welcome of M. Boutrous), for a quiet tête-à-tête dinner; followed by a little TV dessert, Criminal Minds.

Climb a mountain if I had to ...

Wonderful dinner with Winkie (here for a year's sabatical) & Jöel and also Domi & Jacques (St. Petersbourg-bound tomorrow) and François. Background music by Tracy Chapman, among others.

Anne stopped by for a drink afterwards!

Shower heads ...

After a quick vist to BHV for a look at items for the "new" (in 3 weeks) apartment , Odile and I met Alain at La Comedia where we were sereptitiously joined by Isabelle. We all headed off for dinner at the Mauritius where Florence joined us for coffee. I headed home somewhat after midnight but the others closed the place down around 2:30am!

New mapping project: I've started a small project of "family" loactions using web-based mapping software. You can see samples for Puerto Rico and France. Let me know what you think!

All work and no play...

Very intense 2 days in preparation for an important project review tomorrow ... but a short respite this evening.

Had an excellent, inventive dinner (out in the garden) at EatCetera in central Brussels.
(Red tuna roll with vegetables, wasabi and soya sauce; Brochette of prawns flavoured with sesame seeds, served with a fresh mango salad and balsamico vinegar ice cream).

Up to Belgium ...

In Brussels for the next few days ... I'll plan to stop by the "wall of beer bottle labels" like the good pilgrim I am.

¡Que gane el mejor!

With barely 7 hours left before the World Cup kickoff the tension and excitement is mounting and mounting. On near-by rue Liancourt the flag-waving mania has, as you can see in the photo, reached a max.

With a million people expected at the Champs-Elysées (regardless or whether France wins or loses) we're all expecting a long and noisy night!

Allez les Bleus !

UPDATE (22h50): Ouch!

Happy Birthday to JMB

We (family and quasi-family) have gotten together for dinner and (pictured at left) a wonderful cake au 6ème to celebrate Jean-Marie's (always magic, i.e. 07/07) birthday.

Felicidades, amigo!

El cuatro de Julio ... & Marivaux

<-- There it is! Enjoy the day ... and let's plan ahead for the 14th.

UPDATE: We're off to see Marie's daughter,Félicie, who plays Lisette in tonight's performance of Marivaux's "Le Legs" at the Théâtre 13. There's another performance tomorrow for you non-football fans!

First Monday in July Picnic

We had a very nice picnic (fourth annual organized by Geneviève & Bernard, merci!) at the Parc de Sceaux on the lawn near le Pavillon de l'Aurore (seen at left). Very relaxing (especially after a torrid summer day), fun and everyone brought a tasty dish to share (and champagne).

Parisian Treasure Hunt

I took part in this year's (fourth annual) Chasse aux Trésors in various arrondissements of Paris - we did only the 14th actually.

Our team of three (Marie-Thérèse, a very spritely 79 year-old, joined us) did pretty well - got all the clues and figured out the enigma, but were just a tad slower than the winning teams - in any case, it was a lot of fun and a way to learn more about our quartier.

I'll add some of the highlights of the day later on this same post.

Fin juin ...

We took a short break from a lot of work - CALT (me), transcriptions (Odile) and apartment renovation related (both) - for a visit from Eliot (Sharon's son) and Matt from Telluride. They're in Paris for a few days before heading to the south of France for some surfing and then Italy for other adventures. They are both GREAT guys!

We had a very enjoyable lunch at a nearby Portuguese place called Os Minhotos. See video highlights here.

Le Grand Fooding d'Eté

If you happen to be in Paris today you can catch a superb "foodie" event called the "Le Grand Fooding d'Eté". This is a great opportunity at very modest cost (€5 to charity) to enjoy a giant communal picnic (from 6pm -10pm) with dishes prepared by celebrity French chefs (including from the Paris Ritz and Le Chateaubriand) and accompanied by the Cabernet d'Anjou wines of Domaine Leduc-Frouin amongst others. Le GrandFooding is to be held in the 4th Arondissement in Paris at Village Saint Paul - rue des Jardins Saint Paul, 75004 Paris.

I'm planning to go, so hope to see you there!

Fête de la Musique

For the (25th!) Fête de la Musique we took it easy and just hung out in our neighborhood - actually just down at the square, where we joined Isabelle and others friends for an outdoor picnic with, of course, some great and spontaneous music-making.

To see a video of the goings-on click here.

How did you celebrate this day (also the summer solstice)? Post your comment!

La Fête de la Page

All afternoon and until the early evening at the square Jacques Demy - music, interesting stands and neighbors galore.

Hot enough for ya?

Paris is going through a mini (I hope) heat wave (30°C) and tonight Odile has knocked herself out making an authentic Brazilian dinner (starring la grande dame: Carne de Charque - obrigado Adriana for the original recipe -and, as a featured player, Mr. Manioc).

We're joined byMeyre, Benjamin, Denis, Regina and the mountain boys, Alain and Hughes (thanks for the nice watermelon photo).

What's up, Doc?

Brunch at Odile's mother's place at Raspail with Marco & Corinne from Zürich. We're invited tonight to join them at Au Lapin Agile.

Boxing Day ...

Packing up all the books at Mouton (pre-refurb) to store in a nearby cave (merci, Virginie).

UPDATE: Thanks to Jean-Noël and Benjamin for helping us lug those 45 (heavy!) boxes down to the car and then into storage.

A wonderful lamb curry dinner chez Denis - he's invited us and also: Claudine (up from Toulouse for year-end exam-giving), Regina (the Orchestra do Fuba concert she organized yesterday at the New Morning went great) and Hélios - and his two friends from the Pyrenees - Alain and Hughes (he lives in a hamlet at 1,400 meters).

Muito bom

A nice Brazilian dinner with Odile for our first visit to "O Corcovado" in our neighborhood. Claudia, the owner/cook, and Sébastien, the server/barman, made us feel right at home. Very tasty food, if a bit pricey compared to others in the same category. Nonetheless the starters: the Pão de Queijo and the Casquinha de Siri are quite good.

The devil made me do it ...

At least three persons mentioned to me the ominious configuration of today's date:; 06-06-06. Actually, nothing really untoward happened. We'll all have to wait until July 7 of next year to see if we all get lucky (except her, of course).

A very nice Odilized dinner of tuna steaks with wakame sauce (at least that's what I'm calling it). Jean-Yves was back in town (sadly without Bébert who is off to Berlin). We were joined by Benj, AC and Florence.

Smile ...

On this day in 1070: The method for creating Roquefort cheese was discovered in Roquefort, France.

JYC @ Paris

Jean-Yves was at Mouton when I arrived from work. He's driven up from Uzès today - and with a wonderful surprise: he had Bébert with him!

Odile had put out some nice tapas, the guys had brought wine from the south and I had picked up some chouriço preto from Iberia Week at INSEAD.

We were joined by Benj then Anne for tortillas españolas ... and more wine. Bébert picked up the guitar and we all had a rollicking good time. To be continued ...

Immeubles en fête !

Come all ye "Moutons"!

Today from 7pm onwards in the courtyard of our building - we're celebrating the annual "neighbors' party" - so even if you're a past resident (or repeat visitor) feel free to come by (bring a little something to drink/nibble).

Hope to see you!

Mother's Day in France

All the best to Myriam today (and always)! We're celebrating at the Rosebud.

Still Ascending...

Stopping over in the 17th this afternoon to pick up some t-shirts and decorations for the annual "Immuebles en Fête" party on next Tuesday. The idea (started five years ago and now grown to 4.5 participants throughout Europe) is simple: a fun and festive get-together among neighbors, in the same building, to get to know each other better and to continue to create links (and drinks).

Finally got our scheduling together with Jutta & François, neighbors we often run into at la Comedia, and had an excellent dinner with them, and Florence, at Mouton. I took a risk and made a new dish - turned out not too bad.

Viva Gérard !

Off to a vernissage for our artist friend, Gérard Omez, at the nearby Villa Adrienne tonight. Earlier today Odile and I had a nice break at la Comedia with Benjamin and Florence (who agrees to help me use her genealogy research and database to try out some ideas I have on improved vizualization of connections/linkages between individuals - whether family, friends or workmates). Later we ran into Vesna (on the hunt for more strawberries for her kids!) - she still runs her art photo biz - take a look, if you haven't already, here.

Yasou!

After a full day of meetings I took the subway with colleagues to the Monastiraki railway station where we parted paths. From here, on the northeastern side of the Acropolis, I walked back to my hotel. A very enjoyable way to get to know the city (on this, my first ever visit).

We were taken out by our Greek colleagues to dinner at To Ouzadiko in the Kolonaki neighborhood of Athens.Very tasty mezedes (including fluffy keftedes), followed by a twelve-hour, oven-roasted pork dish that was truly succulent. All washed down by excellent ouzo.

Afrewards, a nitecap (Mythos) at the café Perros. Yasou!

Baron Buddies

Meeting the "gang" at the Baron Rouge for a pre-Armistice Day drink. That will help take my mind off the fact that I'll not have water back on until after the plumber's visit tomorrow!

Brazilian Paradise ...

I reached Odile by phone tonight (well, technically tomorrow since it's post-midnight) at Vila Abraão – Ilha Grande (run by Yayoi and Nilson) - a paradise (as you can see by the picture at left) that I plan to visit in the not too distant future with Madame O. - maybe for her bday (Shsss, don't tell!).

Check out the link above for more info: Y&N are both charming and multi-lingual ... just in case you're thinking of a trip to Brazil - on the coast, not all that far from Rio de Janeiro.

Myself, I took a well-deserved break tonight with some Pietra at le Baron Rouge and a small, but tasty Korean dinner.