The Paris Traveler

Party plans are going on in every bar and restaurant in Paris for one of the most celebrated festivites of the Fall.  So,….better make your reservations as soon as you can, and don’t count on President Sarkozy to be one of the people celebrating! Mr. Sarko is a teetotaler in case you didn’t know. As a matter of fact, he wanted to ban the popular Fête du Beaujolais Nouveau back in 2003 stating that it was for security reasons and that it would help lessen the health insurance deficit! Uh, okay….
In case any of you noticed a short time ago at the G8 …read more

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When you think about the recent divorce between French President Sarkozy and the former First Lady, things were definitely far from cosy, to say the least! What’s interesting, however, is the way the French perceive this marital seperation and the way the American public would react if an American president were to divorce his wife after only several months in office.
                                                                                                  First of all, I don’t think it would ever happen! What First Lady would decide to throw in the towel even if she was in the midst of some sort of Presidential scandal?! (Hmm, does Hillary ring a bell? As …read more

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Jacques Martin passed away Friday in Biarritz at the age of 74 and with him goes a part of French culture, French television, and so much more. Jacques Martin was a part of our Sunday afternoons for decades which was known as Dimanche Martin. Think Art Linkletter, Ed Sullivan, Bob Barker, Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson combined and you start to get an idea as to what Jacques Martin was to French TV!
My favorite, of course, was l’Ecole des Fans, very much in the genre of Art Linkletter’s House Party and Kids Say the Darndest Things, but with one slight …read more

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As everyone probably knows by now, the votes are in and Nicolas Sarkozy has become the new President of France. 85% of the registered voters showed up to let their voices be heard in a very divided election. Sarkozy, the conservative right candidate received 53% of the votes, 47% went to Segolene Royal, the liberal left.  While half of France is happy and celebrating. The other half is disappointed and demonstrating.
The elections remind me of Paris. Paris is a city that is divided by the Seine River with the Left Bank and the Right Bank. The Right Bank of Paris …read more

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If you’re in France right now, you can’t help but know that the elections to vote for a new President are being held tomorrow. As a tourist you might say it really doesn’t matter who’s in office when you’re visiting the Louvre, or climbing up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, but it does matter to the French.
Conversations with a lot of my friends boil down to something like this: “We need major changes in France, but….” The underlying message seems to be, ….”but, don’t make changes that affect me.” The first round of votes were clearly divided between …read more

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