gabriella & jd (and alex! and vincent!)

October 2015 école élémentaire Jules Ferry CM1 (fourth grade) 9 1/2 years old Mme AMALRIC Levallois-Perret, France

pictures Lincoln, Vincent, some good meals, a Chipotle opening in our town, park, some funny France pictures (a very tiny car parked, British granola, sauce L'Americaine), Vincent stacking pancakes. pictures Warhol exhibit at Museum of Modern Art in Paris, lunch at La Billebaude in the 7e, Vincent helping to make French toast and helping in the kitchen. Armistice Day Commemorations of November 11 in our town, then a nice lunch. "Armistice Day (Armistice de la Première Guerre mondiale) in France remembers those who died or were injured in World War I and other wars."  Alex had a lesson in school on "Les Poilus" , = Poilu is an informal term for a French World War I infantryman, meaning, literally, hairy one. It is still widely used as a term of endearment for the French infantry of World War I. The word carries the sense of the infantryman's typically rustic, agricultural background. Beards and bushy moustaches were often worn. The poilu was p

Outside Alex's school on Monday, November 16 - Flag tied with black ribbon for 3 days of mourning, Ville de Levallois-Perret, France - November 13 Friday, a normal day before the evening...JD and I went into Paris to run some errands, buy Alex's new piano books near the Gare St. Lazare, then some errands by the Grands Magasins which were starting to decorate their windows for Christmas.  We decided to try one of the new BBQ restaurants in Paris, Floyd's Bar and Grill in the 10th arrondissement.  The BBQ was good, but of course not as good or as large of a portion as in the US!  We walked most of the way back home. Other happenings of the day - Alex lost a tooth and Vincent fell and smashed his face into a tree at recess. On Saturday, Alex attended a birthday party for his friend Thomas at a Lasergame venue in Courbevoie. November 22 Eating, Vincent, meal at Cornelius (duck and polenta), and JD's chorus concert. November 30 Park, school, rai

pictures When we first moved to France 6 years ago, there was little to no Halloween celebration, decorations, or costumes.  The big costume holiday here was Mardi Gras.  Now there's slowly more and more Halloween decorations and celebrations.  The UK based department store Marks and Spencer has several stores in Paris, and English folks celebrate Halloween. No full trick-or-treating in Paris yet, but some people give out candy.  We went to the L'Anjou our corner cafe/bistro/bar to celebrate and Vincent had his face painted. "Halloween, from All Hallows Eve (ie. the day before All Saints Day) – a festival which is seen in France as an ‘Anglo-Saxon’ import but which has been gaining in popularity. It is often said to have been grafted onto a Celtic autumn festival called Samhain.  Toussaint  (All Saints Day) is the Catholic Festival honouring all of the saints. It is often associated with  Le Jour des Morts  (All Souls Day), which is actually the following

JD, Gabby, Alex, Vincent, Kathleen and Carrie's big adventure Basel, Switzerland and Alsace Lorraine region of France October 27 - October 31, 2015 Colmar, France / Barr, France / Mount Saint Odile, France Strasbourg, France Vacation to the Alsace Lorraine region of France, which straddles the border of Germany along the Rhine river and Vosges mountains.  Because the region has changed hands 4 times between Germany and France, and runs right next to the border of Germany, it feels and sounds like Germany with a bit of France. A day in Basel, Switzerland to meet up with Kathleen who was in Basel for work and Carrie who flew over to join us for the adventure. Lots of foie gras, duck, cured meat, pretzel bread, munster cheese, spätzle (egg noodles), and flammenkuchen (flat bread pizza with creme fraiche, onion, and lardons.  Yum.  Oh, and don't forget the Choucroute Alsatian which is sauerkraut served with sausage and cured meat all piled on top. Carrie dubbed thi