BOOK RELEASE: JUST PARIS! Our newly released eBook ‘novelette’ ($10 CDN) gives an excellent taste of the City of Light and enables you to live vicariously through the memorable characters without having to leave the comfort of your home, job, country or marriage! In JUST PARIS, VOLUME ONE, adventure/misadventure, romance, language, culture, lust and excess abound! This book can be discretely read at work instead of tackling that icky project or expense report, or printed out for bed-time, commuting or anytime reading. Or, read the book on your eBook reader or computer screen and save a few trees!  

VICTOR NOIR: A COLD TOUCH I recently returned to ‘le Cimetire du Pre-Lachaise,’ the first time back since my initial visit in spring 2005 when I attended the Million Euro funeral of the brother of my flat-mate (see article). As my friend Guylaine and I prowled around the fascinating, eternal mini-world, we really were hell-bent on seeing our prize: the grave site of Victor Noir, a 22 year-old journalist who was killed by the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte as he tried to arrange a duel with some other unfortunate soul. The journalist was not famous, however, his grave sculpture is. According to Wikipedia, "The tomb, designed by Jules Dalou is notable for the realistic portrayal of the dead Noir, and for the fact that he still appears to be sexually aroused, his penis pushing his fly open. In consequence, the sculpture has become a fertility symbol: the genital area is rubbed and flowers are left in his hat. In 2005 a fence was erected around his tomb to prevent people rubbing said area, as this was damaging the sculpture, but it has subsequently been removed." Two questions begged to be asked here: 1) Why was Victor sexually aroused at the time of his death? Likely we’ll never know the answer to this one. 2) Did we dare touch said sculpture, on said parts? Stay tuned for the answer to the latter, intriguing question in the next newsletter (wink). -Victor Noir BBC Article -Click here to visit the very cool official cemetary virtual website. Type Victor Noir as your search criteria for excellent photos of the ‘worn’ areas of the statue.

SPARKLING EIFFEL TOWER Sorry folks, but Christmas snuck up fast this year, so our Xmas newsletter went out a bit late. For those of you who missed the sparkling tower, view it again here. There is also a round-up of great fall events happening in Paris for next year’s trip planning! For those visiting Paris this month and next, ‘les soldes d’hiver,’ the government-regulated sales started yesterday Jan. 10 and continue until Feb. 17th. Good luck to all!

FRENCH K.I.S.S. Bless Canadian language educator Robert Fontaine for writing this common-sense guide to learning French whose title says it all! Robert recently gave me a copy of his excellent eBook and all I can say is, I wish I had known about it 2 years ago. Robert’s unique approach includes such WOW! insights as how to learn a second language as easily as you did as a baby/child, and using a simple verb timeline rather than having to conjugate 1000’s of nasty French verbs. The man deserves a medal! Robert’s guide is written in universal French that is suitable for any French speaker in the world, and he has just introduced a CD. Visit the French K.I.S.S. site for more information.

CINEMA MUST-SEE: Paris, je te aime  It was not surprising that I fell in love with my beloved City of Light all over again while watching the film, Paris, je te aime. First of all, we watched the delightful film in the historical Studio 28: a Montmartre art-house cinema that features huge fluffy chandeliers hanging inside the theatre, and one of the most romantic le jardine bars in the city. The film consists of 18 (originally, there were supposed to be 20) short stories shot in various arrondissements that mainly centre around, you guessed it LOVE. Some of the featured actors consist of the likes of Steve Buscemi, Juliet Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Fanny Ardent, Marianne Faithfull, Bob Hoskins, Nick Nolte and Gena Rowlands. Directors include Olivier Assayas, Fredric Auburtin, Joel and Ethan Coen, Wes Craven and Gerard Depardieu. Screened at Cannes in May 2006, the film is set to open in North America in early 2007. So grab your date, and start with a romantic French dinner and a glass or two of Bordeaux. Especially don’t miss the last short about a lonely American woman on holiday in Paris, describing her experiences with possibly the worst (and funniest) French accent ever captured on film.

CHANGING PARIS: SLOW DOWN, S’IL VOUS PLAIT! The new year is bringing lots of change to Paris. Namely, the metro has started staying open until 2:15 AM on Saturday nights in the first move to all-night service (will wonders never cease?), no-smoking laws in cafes and restos are being initiated (I’ll believe THAT one when I see it!) and there is the possibility of a female president in France (good luck to Segone Royal for forging ahead in this unrelenting macho-land). These are all good things, however, I have one thing to say….good God, WHAT’S NEXT? Disallowing dogs from entry into stores and restaurants? Sunday and Monday store openings and late night shopping? Good customer service provided in stores and cafes? People picking up after their dogs? SLOW DOWN, Paris, there is a good reason why many of us world citizens love being here. And it’s to be in a place that is NOT exactly the same as where we came from. Okay, the dog-merde-in-the-streets laws could be changed, that would actually be nice, but let’s not go hog-wild here, people. Paris, I love you for exactly what you are, with all of your quirky, often puzzling, old-world ways amidst modernism extraordinaire. Alas, I think we’ll be okay. With the French being the French, it is unlikely that things will change too drastically, too quickly. The uber-bureaucracy and some systems and laws dating back to medieval and earlier times simply won’t allow it….whew! Okay now, where’s that waiter with my bill???

HOW I KNOW I AM IN PARIS Because I continue to learn lessons in French Dinner Party Etiquette…the hard way. French Dinner Party Etiquette Lesson No. 4,268: At a recent dinner party, during the serving of the main course, the host placed on the table the square platter containing the plat (main dish). After some time had passed, I started a conversation with the person next to me. One of the other guests then asked me in French, "Well, are you going to eat?" Another guest pointed out that everyone was waiting for me to serve myself first. This was, supposedly, painfully apparent to everyone at the table except me, due to the fact that the host had very deliberately placed the large serving spoon and fork to point at me. Therefore, I was to start. No verbal cues, such as, "Dig in!," or "Okay Karen, why don’t you start?" Just the silent, pointing of the serving utensils…. MOTTO FOR 2007: I’m going to use the same motto as last year because I simply can’t think of anything better than that: TOUT EST POSSIBLE (all is possible). Anything IS possible. Wishing everyone a wildly successful, happy and abundant 2007!