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Bastille Day in Paris

If you are in Paris on Bastille Day (July 14^th), you will be able to enjoy a full range of festivities all over the City.

10:00 am Champs-Elysees

The ‘défilé’’ as we call it will start at 10:00 am with the arrival of the President of the French Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy (avenue de Friedland).

10:35 am: défilé in the sky!
10:40 am: défilé of the troupes starts.
11:25 am: défilé of the helicopters.
11:30 am: choir and then landing of paratroopers

Then, you can enjoy the rest of your day in Paris. The weather is extremely hot in Paris this summer and because everything (or almost everything) will be closed that day in France, it is a good time to explore the Parisian shady parks like the Luxembourg Garden. Make sure you bring plenty to drink as stores will be closed.
Or just relax in your apartment or hotel, far from the hot weather.

Note that the usual concert at the Eiffel Tower has been cancelled this year. Nonetheless, you can attend 10 free concerts between 3 pm and 8 pm at the Archives Nationales - Hôtel de Soubise. The list of singers and bands is kept under wrap.

11:00 pm – Fireworks from the Trocadero (Eiffel Tower)
The Fireworks will be launched from the Trocadero and the Iena Bridge. Should you want to be close to the Eiffel Tower, you have to go to the Champs de Mars.

You will be able to see the majestic 30 minutes fireworks from every part of Paris where you can see the Tower. May I suggest the Bridge Alexander III (It is the bridge that takes you from the Grand Palais/Avenue des Champs Elysees to the Invalides). Check out this photo from my daughter at the bridge to see if you like the location.

All over Paris

The bouquet final of the fireworks will announce the start of the bals populaire (dances), the firemen dances and the concerts all around the capital.

The firemen dances (bals des pompiers) are usually free. If you see a barrel go around the crowd, drop some euros as a donation.

Click here for the locations of all the bals des pompiers.

Happy Bastille Day!

Photos from Eiffel Tower, bal and Champs Elysees – copyright from the Phototheque OTCP

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Poisson d'Avril! or why I hated going to school on April 1st

April 1st was my least favorite day of the year when I was going to school in France. That day, if it was a school day, I was checking my coat all day long to look for  a fish made out of paper that may have been taped to my back without my knowledge. I obsessed over it and I was so relieved when April 1st was a Wednesday or a Sunday (we did not go to school on Wednesdays at that time). Of course, I could not stop laughing if I would stop a fish on a friends’ back.

What do French people call it Poisson d’Avril? (April Fish)

We do not know for sure. Maybe because the zodiacal sign is the last zodiacal sign of the winter. Maybe it is because you could not fish around April 1st…

But on that day, a traditional joke is to tape a fish made out of paper on people’s back. My children think it is hilarious.

Why April’s Fools?

The story says that till 1564, April 1st was the first day of the year. Charles IX decided that January 1st would be the beginning of the year. Legend said that some people who did not like that decision decided to exchange fake gifts that day and play tricks on each other. This is still going on.

Traditionnally, TV and radio stations will announce false news on that day. Discover the top 100 hoaxes of all time.

We got tricked this morning when Olivia came running down the stairs screaming that the spider on the floor. As usual, Thais screamed that she would never go upstairs ever again, my husband told everybody he would not go pick another spider ever again, and I was begging him to go get that critter! We are so easy to fool….

The Chandeleur: French Crêpes Day and my favorite Crêpes Recipe

What is the Chandeleur?

The Chandeleur is also called the Celebration of the Candles. It is celebrated 40 days after Christmas to honor the presentation of Baby Jesus to the temple as well as the purification of Mary. It is always celebrated on February 2nd.

With Chandeleur, the period of Carnavals also starts and will finish on Fat Tuesday. I was raised in the South of France and Carnaval is a big tradition for us. On week-ends, we go to villages where they have carnavals and dress up in our favorite costumes, in the same spirit as Halloween for the Americans.

On February 2nd, we traditionally eat crêpes so let me share with you my recipe! Become French for the day and cook some yummy crêpes for the family.

Crepe recipe from the Ginette Mathiot book.
That book was offered to me by my Parisian co-workers when I moved to the US. The English version is I Know How To Cook, a MUST HAVE cooking book for anybody who wants to learn traditional French cuisine.

Ingredients 
For 4 persons
500 g flour (4 cups and two extra tablespoons)
1 liter milk (1 quart)
4 eggs
2 tablespoon of canola oil
2 pinches of salt
For flavor: vanilla, fleur d’oranger, rum etc, your pick

Directions

- Pass the flour through a sieve and put in a mixing bowl
- Create a little hole in the flour and break the eggs in that hole
- Add the oil, the salt, and a little bit of milk
- Whisk together 
- Gradually add in the milk,stirring to combine.
- Add the flavor you picked.

- Put it away for one hour, the batter needs to rest. I like to sieve the batter to make it even smoother.
- Before cooking, add a little bit of milk to the batter and whisk it gently

- Heat a crêpe pan over medium heat
- Add some butter or oil to the pan. Have some melter butter or oil ready in a bowl for the next crepes. We usually cut a potato, plant it on a fork and dip it in the butter/oil and use it to grease the pan.
- Pour or scoop a little bit of the the batter onto the pan.
- Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
- Cook each crêpe until the bottom is light brown and flip it or turn it to cook it on the other side.

Eat the crêpes cold with whipping cream, nutella, jam, sugar, agave nectar etc. Your choice!

A Chandeleur ritual

To have prosperity all year, when you cook your first crêpe, hold the pan with your right hand and hold a coin in your left hand.

 
Related posts:
Best crêperies in Paris

Bastille Day in France in videos and pictures

Happy Bastille Day!

We had a fun time celebrating Bastille Day in my little village in the South of France.

Pictures and videos are worth a thousand words so I let you discover how French kids celebrate their Country National Day.

On their way to the Veterans Memorial.

Entering the cemetery with the long line of people behind them


 

My uncle: one of the flag bearer



One minute of silence to honor our Dead

My too tired to walk but still patriotic little niece

Listening to the Mayor speech, then La Marseillaise, waiting patiently for the lollipops!

La Marseillaise

Bastille Day in Paris: a full day planned

If you are in Paris on Bastille Day (July 14^th), you will be able to enjoy a full range of festivities all over the City and admire the Parisian monuments on an other angle.

10:00 am Champs-Elysees

The ‘defile’ as we call it will start at 10:00 am with the arrival of the President of the French Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy (avenue de Friedland).

10:35 am: defile in the sky!
10:40 am: Defile of the troups starts.
11:25 am: defile of the helicopters.

Then, you can enjoy the rest of your day in Paris.

Why not take the kids on a boat ride on the River Seine?. My favorite is the ‘Vedettes du Pont Neuf’. If you have strollers, be prepared for the long flight of stairs to arrive at the border of the river.
You will be able to enjoy a lot of the Parisian Monuments, see the smallest and oldest home in Paris, learn lots of fun facts (like which American city was modeled after Paris?), and see the beautiful Parisian bridges up close.

After the ride, you can take a break and enjoy the little park by the boat. (Square Vert Galant)

Finish your afternoon at Notre-Dame and the Quartier Latin. Then go to your hotel or apartment to take a nap or rest as the night will be long!

Versailles

You could skip the defile and the Champs Elysees and spend your day in Versailles where a grand Republican picnic will be held close to the Grand Canal. Please wear white for this special event. You will enjoy dances and live music.
The Palais de Versailes and the Trianon will be open free of charge for the public.

7:00 pm – Eiffel Tower

If you have tweenagers or teenagers, go and enjoy a free concert at the steps of the Eiffel Tower: Christophe Mae and French rocker Johnny Halliday will entertain the crowds. Johnny Halliday is widely popular in France.

Between 10:30 and 10:45 pm Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower turns 120! You will be able to see the majestic 30 minutes fireworks from every part of Paris where you can see the Tower. May I suggest the Bridge Alexander III (It is the bridge that takes you from the Grand Palais/Avenue des Champs Elysees to the Invalides). Check out this photo from my daughter at the bridge to see if you like the location.

The Sacre Coeur can be a good location as you will have Paris at your steps.
Place de la Concorde could also work although you will only see the top part of the Tower.

The Fireworks will be launched from the Trocadero and the Iena Bridge. Should you want to be close to the Eiffel Tower, you have to go to the Champs de Mars.

All over Paris

The bouquet final of the fireworks will announce the start of the bals populaire (dances), the firemen dances and the concerts all around the capital.

The firemen dances (bals des pompiers) are usually free. If you see a barrel go around the crowd, drop some euros as a donation.

Click here. for the locations of all the bals des pompiers.

Happy Bastille Day!

Photos from Eiffel Tower, bal and Champs Elysees – copyright from the Phototheque OTCP

Revolutionary Facts and Bastille Day Events in the Bay Area and above

I am French and my Independence Day is Bastille Day. Every July 14^th, when we lived in our little village in the South of France, my brother and I met our classmates in front of the Mairie (City Hall). We followed War Veterans all the way down to the cemetery at the other side of the village to pay our respects to the Fallen Veterans. All the way, the Cobla (music team) was playing music; the kids were waving paper French flags to the cars passing us by. Once arrived at the cemetery, the mayor (who was also the 5^th grade teacher at the local school) pronounced a speech commemorating the Fallen. We stayed silent for a minute in front of the Fallen Soldiers Memorial, then, the cobla played our national anthem, the Marseillaise, and we headed back to the City Hall where we would get lollipops after another Mayor speech and another Marseillaise. And then off to the main village square for local folks dance (Sardane). Even though I now live in the US, I spend every July 14 at my village and my two children are part of the Parade on Bastille Day. Since then, the city Hall has changed location but the Mayor is still the same (believe it or not!), the ritual is still the same, only my children are holding hands with cousins and friends (and not classmates). They still get the paper flags and lollipops!

Every French city and village will celebrate Bastille Day. If you are vacationing in France, the local office of tourism will give you all the information about the parades, bals (dances), and fireworks. If you are in Paris, I will publish a full post on the events happening in the city on Monday July 13^th.

If you are in the Bay Area, there are some kid friendly events happening this week-end and on July 14^th.  I have also included a link for parents only events. Check them out after the fun facts.

Revolutionary facts to share with your kids about Bastille Day

- There were only 7 prisoners at the Bastille when it was stormed by the people of Paris on July 14^th, 1789. The Bastille was a prison. Nowadays, there is nothing left of it on the ground, but if you take the Metro Bastille (Line 5), on the platform, you can see the remains of the walls.

- July 14^th, 1789 marked the beginning of the end of the French Royalty: King Louis VXI and Queen Marie-Antoinette were then beheaded in 1793.

- The King of France, Louis XVI was so clueless about the situation in Paris that the only thing he wrote on his diary on July 14^th, 1789 was ‘nothing’ (result of a hunting game). Because of the lack of efficient communication at that time, he learned about the Bastille event only the day after. When he asked: is it a revolt? La Rochefoucauld told me: no, it is a Revolution!

- France Motto is Liberte Egalite Fraternite (Freedom, Equality, Fraternity), these three words were first put together during the Revolution.

- The "tricolour" (three-colour) flag is an emblem of the Fifth Republic. It had its origins in the union, at the time of the French Revolution, of the colours of the King (white) and the City of Paris (blue and red).

- The French National Anthem called la Marseillaise is a revolutionary song.

Kid Friendly Bastille Day Celebrations in the Bay Area

Bastille Week-end at Santana Row, San Jose
July 11, 2009 - July 14, 2009
11 a.m.- 9 p.m.
Phone: (408) 551-4611

Click here for the detailed schedule of events

French Picnic at the Golden Gate Park
Sunday July 12th
Spreckles Temple of Music (located between the deYoung and the Academy of Sciences)
Bring votre T shirt raye and votre baguette for some live music and petanque. Listen to the Marseillaise played by the Golden Gate Quartet.
Petanque at 11 am. Concert 1:00-3:00 pm.

Celebrate Bastille Day on Belden in San Francisco!
July 14^th - 4 to 10pm
DJs, drinks, open restaurants, all the ingredients to have fun!
Restaurants: Sam's grill - Cafe Bastille - Cafe Tiramisu - Plouf - B44 - Belden Taverna - Trademark – Brindisi

Napastille Day
July 14th - 10am to 9pm
Oxbow Public Market
610 and 644 1st Street, Napa
707.226.6529
Live music, dancing, games, and of course french food specials.
Click here for the complete schedule.

French Potluck at the Alliance Francaise
1345 Bush Street, San Francisco
July 14th - 8:00 pm
Bring a dish or beverage and join the alliance Francaise community to celebrate Bastille Day.

If you want to make it a parents only celebration, check out the San Francisco French Chamber of Commerce Website for the full list of celebrations.

If you are not in the Bay Area, check Bastille Day events in these US cities:
Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, New York, Philadephia, Washington DC, New Orleans, Chicago, Milwaukee.

Happy Bastille Day!

Easter Egg Hunting in the Bay Area

Easter marks different celebrations.Christians celebrate the end of Lent and the resurrection of Jesus. It follows the cycle of the moon so Easter never falls on the same day every year but it is always between late March and late April. Jewish people celebrate Passover in honor of the Exodus from Egypt. For students, it is synonym of Spring Break vacation.

We celebrate Easter by hiding chocolate treats and having children go on the look for them. In the US, the Easter Bunny brings chocolate eggs. In France, the bells do. The belief is that Church Bells go to Rome the days before Easter to get the chocolates that they will drop in the gardens for the children to find them. My bi-cultural children were always amazed that bells could drop chocolates but never questioned the bunny doing the same thing with eggs!

They are many places in the Bay Area to hunt eggs on April 11th and 12th. In our family, with a child who finds every treat in a minute and a child who would not find an egg to save her life, I will keep the egg hunt drama in the privacy of my own garden and will go out to enjoy the rest of the festivities.

April 11th

Visit with the Easter Bunny  
2:00pm and 4:00 pm
Jelly Belly Visitor Center, One Jelly Belly Lane, Fairfield CA
Join Wendy or Wendell Bunny in the cherry room (second floor of the visitor center). Bring your own camera to capture the moment, there will be no professional photographer on site.

Spring Egg Hunt 
11:00 am to 4:00 pm
Mosswood Park, 3612 Webster, Oakland, CA (corner of MacArthur and Broadway by Kaiser)
Live entertainment, basket decoration, Easter Hunt for youths, free kids lunch, jumpers

Walnut Creek Breakfast with the Bunny

Delicious breakfast of hotcakes, sausage, juice, and coffee will be served from 8:00-9:45 am at the Heather Farm Community Center on.
Admission is $5.00 and free to children 12 months and under.
Bring your camera for a picture with the Spring Bunny available for $1.00 donation. Proceeds benefit the Walnut Creek Youth Council.

Walnut Creek Spring Egg Hunt
10:15 a.m. (promptly)
Preschoolers through fifth grade and all disabled children are invited to participate in the egg hunt at Heather Farm Park and preschoolers through fifth grade at Larkey Park. Bring your camera for a picture with the Spring Bunny available at both sites for $1.00 donation. Proceeds benefit the Walnut Creek Youth Council.

Heather Farm Park 301 N. San Carlos Drive, Walnut Creek
Larkey Park, 2771 Buena Vista Ave, Walnut Creek, CA

Old-Fashioned Egg Hunt at Dunsmuir House 
12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
2960 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland
Children of all ages can greet the Bunny and take a close-up photo.  Bring a basket to collect a variety of colored eggs that cover the great meadow, play games, enjoy tap dancing bunnies & puppet shows while you picnic on the grounds.  Take a mansion tour with a costumed docent and spend your day transported into a world with expansive lawns, chattering streams and countless places to sit and enjoy the merriment of the day.
Adults $5, Children $2, Under 5 Free. Family Price (two adults and two children) $12. Tour/Games included.

Mansion Tours: 12:30pm to 3:00pm Ongoing
Puppet Show: 12:30pm & 1:30pm
Tap Dancing Bunnies: 2:30pm

Toddler's Egg Hunt: Ongoing
4-5 Year Old Egg Hunt 1:00pm
6-10 Year Old Egg Hunt 2:00pm
Egg Dying & Crafts: Ongoing
Games: Ongoing

Redwood City HUNT
Red Morton Park, 1400 Rosevelt Avenue, Redwood City, CA
Hunt Schedule
Gates open at 12:30
Pink Zone (0-4 years old) Open 12:30pm-3pm
Easter Egg HUNT (5-12 years old) Starts at 1:30pm
Andy Z Concert 2:00pm
You need to sign a weaver before your kids start egg hunting. Check all the information here.

Come See the Easter Bunny Fly in San Carlos
601 Skyway Road, San Carlos, CA

How do you think the Easter Bunny gets around so fast to deliver those eggs? By helicopter of course! Join the Hiller Aviation Museum in welcoming the bunny arrive in a personal helicopter at 10:30am on April 11. Now if you think that is fun then you are in for an even bigger surprise. Stick around and get an egg straight from the bunny and get your face painted by the Magic Princesses.
To top it off, the popular European Model Train display will also be open for everyone to enjoy.
The event is included with museum admission. Click here for admission prices and get a $1 coupon.

April 12th

Union Street Spring Celebration & Easter Parade
10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Union Street (from Gough to Fillmore), San Francisco, CA
The parade begins at 10a and the street-long family celebration goes until 5 pm. The fair includes street vendors, Easter bonnets, special performances, outdoor dining and children's activities.

Easter Egg Roll at Ardenwood Farm
2:30 – 3:00 p.m.
34600 Ardenwood Blvd, Fremont, CA
Bring a picnic and enjoy holiday fun!

Miwok Stables Center
701 Tennessee Valley Road, Mill Valley, CA 
OPEN HOUSE and Easter Egg Hunts
Egg Hunts at 12:00 & 1:00
The Miwok Stables Center will host the third annual Open House and Egg Hunt on that day.

If you live in Marin County, check out the Marin Mommies website and you will find lots of information on what’s happening there for Easter.

La Chandeleur: crêpes day for the French

Our family is French but we are also always interested in other cultures and we like to acknowledge others cultures when possible. In January, we had long noodles for dinner on Chinese New Year: it was a small way to acknowledge a culture dear to the hearts of many of our friends. This is also a way for children to embrace other traditions.
Being French, we also have our own traditions that we value and celebrate even though we live far from France. One of them is celebrating La Chandeleur and on this day, we make crêpes.

If you have been to France, if you are planning to go to France in the summer with your children, or if you just like the French culture, maybe today, February 2^nd, your family can make crêpes and have a little thought for the French people in the world who will share the same dessert as you on the same day.

But what is the Chandeleur?

The Chandeleur is also called the Celebration of the Candles. It is celebrated 40 days after Christmas to honor the presentation of baby Jesus to the temple as well as the purification of Mary.

With Chandeleur, the period of Carnavals also starts and will finish on Fat Tuesday. I was raised in the South of France and Carnaval is a big tradition for us. On week-ends, we go to villages where they have carnavals and dress up in our favorite costumes, in the same spirit as Halloween for the Americans. 

A Chandeleur ritual

To have prosperity all year, when you cook your first crêpe, hold the pan with your right hand and hold a coin in your left hand.

Where to find the best crêpes?

You can find street vendors for crêpes almost anywhere in France but nobody would argue that the best galettes (made with black wheat and therefore used for a salty meal) and crepes (the golden ones for dessert) are to be found in Bretagne (North West region) also know as Brittany (If you travel there, the main cities are Brest and Rennes and there are many typical villages and natural sites to discover like the Carnac monoliths). We traveled to Bretagne last June and we really had the best crêpes we ever had, simply unique and delicious.

If you are in Paris, read my post on the best crêperies in Paris 

Little piece of advice: if you go to France in the summer and the weather is very hot, when you buy a crêpe, make sure that the pot holding the batter is located in a refrigerated area. If not, germs can develop and you could become really sick (ask my husband!).

Most important: how to make your own Crêpes!            
(And please do not call them French pancakes)

You will find a great recipe here: www.ffcook.com/pages/mocrepes.htm

The pans

You need a crêpe pan. You can find some on Amazon: the
Cucina Pro 12” or the Caphalon nonstick 10” pan would work fine.

 Enjoy your crêpes with sugar, Nutella (hazelnut and chocolate spread), jams, spreads, hot chocolate, whipping cream, fresh fruits, bananas or apples that have been reduced in a pan with butter, the sky is the limit….

And you do not have to wait for the Chandeleur to make crêpes; you can make them all year long. They make wonderful snacks and desserts.

 Related posts

Best crêperies in Paris