Tagged With "France"
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Re: France, Britain at swords points over croissants
I think they need an impartial judge, like me, to go test out both shapes of the croissant. I might need to stop in Italy for the cappuccino. And since I like yogurt for breakfast too, I might have to go to Greece and Bulgaria to settle which ones better.
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Re: France, Britain at swords points over croissants
These matters are too weighty to be settled by a single judge—a panel of judges is needed. My bag is always packed... Rob...are we flying Norwegian? perhaps we can check their breakfast on the way...
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Re: France, Britain at swords points over croissants
Those straight croissants look suspiciously like the ones I see in American bakeries. Conspiracy?
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Re: France, Britain at swords points over croissants
Perhaps that's a result of the U.S. and Britain sharing a "special relationship," which as Prime Minister Hugh Grant famously pointed out can be a "baaaad relationship."
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Re: France, Britain at swords points over croissants
Sacrebleu!! I'm reading an article about famous French baker, Frédéric Pichard, (best croissant in Paris 2011). I direct readers to the photo of the croissant served to the author in the courtyard of the bakery. http://www.farine-mc.com/2014/...rederic-pichard.html Could this mean M. Pichard, too, should be thrown out of the European Union?
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Re: France, Britain at swords points over croissants
Sacre bleu, indeed! PortMoresby has uncovered a dirty little secret which will not go unexposed for Gumbo readers! Here is the offending baked good, which perhaps should be called not croissant but ' bâtonant.' While I would not hold its shape against it, I might hold a bit of cherry preserves against it...
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Re: France, Britain at swords points over croissants
I feel it is my duty to sacrifice an hour while I'm in the city in April to seek out this misshapen example of the French baker's art at 88 rue Cambronne, and witness the outrage for myself. Five years ago, when judged best in Paris, were they shaped thusly? I promise to search and destroy...several, no doubt.
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Re: Italy joins anti-food-waste movement
In my local UK store I can buy a 5 Kilo bag (10 pound) of irregular shaped fruit and veg for £2 ($3) in prime condition. It's to help low income families but there's plenty more where it came from. The photo above looks like fruit that's ready for the trash. That's not the idea behind the scheme that's all across Europe. Wonky Potato !
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Re: Italy joins anti-food-waste movement
Garry, it looks like the wonky veggies are fresh but misshapen. A good marketing idea to sell them separately. I think the idea behind the law is to prevent food waste. There are many tons of food discarded by restaurants and stores every day, as the article lays out. If this food could be channeled to food banks and such a day or two earlier, it would cut down a lot of waste. That is a noble effort, if it works. I like Italy's law of incentives better than France's. The carrot is more...
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Re: Italy joins anti-food-waste movement
We've seen so many examples of fields of freshly cropped food getting ploughed back into the land because it doesn't conform to standards. More than enough for the disadvantaged people. So we have a donation point on the way out of food stores too. Then all donations go to Food Banks in the area. Waste is waste. There is so much more food can be saved at source - farms - than the pickings of a few restaurants. Stores in the UK already have a tie-in with a deserving local charity for removing...
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Re: A visit to Normandy: exploring the D-Day beaches
Thank you, thank you, for this, Dr. F. This is an excellent time (November 11, Remembrance Day tomorrow) to be reminded of the D-Day assault. We were in Normandy in 1994, when they were marking the 50th anniversary of D Day, and one night we were having dinner in a restaurant and struck up a conversation with a young couple. They were a bit rough looking, a couple of Brits who were starting on a tour of France on their motorcycle but they had stopped off in Normandy at the beaches to "pay...
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Re: A visit to Normandy: exploring the D-Day beaches
Thanks for your comment, Arion. It's hard not to be moved by D-Day. The vastness of the assault, the staggering loss of life (civilian and military). What most impressed me is that the local people remember. Not French people away from the coast, but those whose relatives went through the assault make a point of teaching their children and grandchildren the price paid to liberate them from the Nazi fascists. The Juno Beach Center, built by the Canadian Beach, really did a great job of...
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Re: A visit to Normandy: exploring the D-Day beaches
Thanks DrFumblefinger, It's been way too many years since I've seen the Normandy beaches. Your photos are very moving .
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Re: A visit to Normandy: exploring the D-Day beaches
My Father received this from Dwight D Eisenhower at the start of D-Day:
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Re: A visit to Normandy: exploring the D-Day beaches
That's an interesting and historic document, GarryRF. Many of those who landed on the D-Day beaches never spoke of this with anyone -- so horrible was the experience, so many wounded and killed among them. I'm curious --did your dad ever share these experiences with you?
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Re: A visit to Normandy: exploring the D-Day beaches
Yes - my Dad and lots of other guys told me their stories! My Dad was in the Royal Navy and was taking landing craft full of soldiers from ship to shore - several times - under heavy fire! A guy I was doing work for had lots of photos and souvenirs on the walls of his house. Medals and maps. Newspaper cuttings and Badges. All in frames. I asked him how much he remembered of D-Day. "Every minute of every hour. Me and my mate had been together since the outbreak of war. Nearly 5 years. We were...
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Re: A visit to Normandy: exploring the D-Day beaches
Several vets I know say that the Normandy beach landings as portrayed in the movie "Saving Private Ryan" are the way they remember it. Madness, chaos, noise, death, fear, adrenaline, more fear. And yet they ran into the madness. It takes a type of courage that's hard for us to imagine in the 21st century. Thanks for sharing that story, Garry.
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Re: A visit to Normandy: exploring the D-Day beaches
When I was a little nipper and hadn't started school we would visit family at the weekend. No TV. No money. 1950's -you get the picture. So socialising with Dad's 9 brothers and sisters was as good as it got ! If you mentioned the War in some homes you'd be out the front door quicker than a Rat up a Drain pipe ! Others would tell you tales to make your hair curl. Tails of unbelievable bravery, absurdity and stupidity. The Ladies would tell the tale of how the American and Canadian GI's would...
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Re: A visit to Normandy: exploring the D-Day beaches
Thank you mr fumblefinger for your poignant description and photos. Our family lost my uncle at Omaha Beach. He was one of those young men caught up in the drama of war who did his best in a very bad situation. Several times during the 1980s and early 1990s, I made my way to northwestern France to visit the D-Day landing sites. At that time, I was struck by three things - the immaculate grounds and air of respect, the gratefulness of the French people and the fact that there were very few...
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Re: Where Gumbo Was #3 and #3.5: Vernon and Paris
Very interesting piece of history Paul. Puts some logic into how this anomaly came to be. I don't think I could sleep with all that water beneath me. Knowing that one day it will fall into the river below !
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Re: Where Gumbo Was #3 and #3.5: Vernon and Paris
Odd thing...these were originally written separately and I only just noticed that both of them involved bridges financed by house-building on them. Might be interesting to see how many we can find where the shops or houses have survived. I can think of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence and the Rialto bridge in Venice, but that's as far as I go...
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Re: Where Gumbo Was #3 and #3.5: Vernon and Paris
Gets to be an interesting subject when explored Medieval London Bridge - from an engraving in Eton College
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Re: Where Gumbo Was #3 and #3.5: Vernon and Paris
This is turning into a rather scholarly discussion. I like that old etching, GarryRF! To the list of old bridges I'd like to add Pulteney Bridge in Bath, England, which I visited some time ago. Don't believe I have a photo of it. There are a number of modern bridges I've seen that have restaurants built into them, usually elevated (you have to take an elevator to get to them) and more for novelty and view than practicality of the entire thing (in the old days, at the Ponte Vecchio in...
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Re: Capital of Culture Series: Marseilles
The pictures are so nice. We never thought that Marseilles looked like this. We thought it was a dreary port town. This makes us rethink any trips to the south of France. If we were to go hiking, how many days would be good there ? 2 ? 3 ? Thanks.
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Re: Tampa Bay Automobile Museum: 4) the French cars
For me, these are the most interesting of the museum's cars that you have posted. The operation of French cars is sometimes quirky. It often seems that the designers are guided by their version of logic and are not trying to conform to the uniformity of standards accepted by other designers and manufacturers. To my eye, the beauty of the designs was ahead of their times.
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Re: Tampa Bay Automobile Museum: 4) the French cars
Thank you for the comment, WorkerBee. I agree that these were the most interesting cars, with such varied designs and mechanical specifications. And they were beautiful machines. The surprise for me in the museum were their Czech cars, of which I knew little. Very beautiful and with remarkable engineering. Would love to give one of them a drive! A car sophisticate like yourself would enjoy this unusual collection. It's worth going a little out of your way to see next time you make it to Florida.
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Re: Tampa Bay Automobile Museum: 4) the French cars
Truly this is a great car museum; I like this wonderful French car collection. I am looking to buy the 1952 DeLaHaye 235 car, but I am bit worried whether we will get their performance parts on the market or not. Though I have explored the salvage yard of sites like sturtevantauto.com , buyusedengine.com etc. but couldn’t find the specific model here. Can you please guide me on this?
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Re: Tampa Bay Automobile Museum: 4) the French cars
Hello DanielEllsworth, My best bit of advice is to contact the museum staff directly, as they own and have refurbished all of these wonderful cars. They could give you much better information about restoration engine maintenance that I could. This is the link to their contact page on the website. I have found them to be very enthusiastic and helpful because of their love of and passion for the cars they own. Good luck with that 52! A beautiful machine!
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Re: Wednesday Market, Saint-Remy-de-Provence
Oh yum! Makes me hungry for great French products. Let us know how the AirBnB apartment is.
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Re: Wednesday Market, Saint-Remy-de-Provence
Thanks! The produce was great, indeed. The apartment was also fine; a nice bedroom and living room with kitchenette in a building I believe Is 18th century but modernized. Two flights up, with an air conditioner, washer, dryer and a view directly into the market, and across to the main church in town. It’s two steps off the boulevards, inside the old town. For anyone who’s interested, here’s a link: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/883140 . It's listed at 40€ a night.
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Re: Wednesday Market, Saint-Remy-de-Provence
A wonderful narrative and your photos are brilliant. I felt like I was there as I looked at all the different pictures of people, produce and products!
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Re: Aviation Museums: Another good reason to fly
The Aviation Museum in Bourget, outside of Paris, can be very easily reached, by the way, on Bus No. 350 from Gare de l'Est. This same bus also goes to CDG at a cost of 3 metro/bus tickets. Norma
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Re: Strasbourg & Route Du Vin
We had a two-day flying visit to Strasbourg (pre-TGV) a few years ago and loved it...and now you've pushed it way high up the re-visit list! Thanks...
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Re: Strasbourg & Route Du Vin
Wonderful photos and descriptions! I'll be adding Strasbourg to my travel list!
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Re: Strasbourg & Route Du Vin
What a beautiful and great destination! I've also not visited it before but it's definitely on my radar. How much time would you recommend for a first time visit?
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Re: Strasbourg & Route Du Vin
DrFumblefinger— A few days could be enough in Strasbourg itself, but if you want to tour the vineyards, I'd stay a week in the area. You could stay two nights in Strasbourg and then a night or two in Riquewihr and beyond. And I'd suggest renting a car to go at your own pace. For my next trip, I will plan at least full week in the region because I want to stop at the vineyards and visit more of the museums. And don't forget Chateau Haut Koenigsburg.
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Re: Photo Gallery: Along The Road in Provence
I wouldn't think ANYWHERE in France would be boring!
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Re: Photo Gallery: Along The Road in Provence
Great advice & beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing. Makes me long for France.
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Re: Photo Gallery: Along The Road in Provence
Almost missed the last comment!Look how many ideas you've shared from that drive!No way was it a mistake!
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Oct. 29, 2014: The Night Birds
In the UK at twilight we get Starlings gathering for a dance just as the sun has set. 60 - 100 thousand gather to perform a spectacular formation dance in many locations. Then just as quick they'll dive back into the country side for another day. Usually lasts about 10 minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1Q-EbX6dso
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Oct. 29, 2014: The Night Birds
I'll bet that's generated a few "UFO" calls in its time...Spectacular!
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Oct. 29, 2014: The Night Birds
Only from tourists ! We're used to seeing them PHeymont But we still watch in awe at natures magnificence.
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August 2, 2019: Paris, Beaune & Me
Just walking, admiring store windows & getting in on the act.
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, December 2, 2014: Boats at Cassis, France
We had a day to spare on a recent trip to Marseilles . The B'n' B we were staying at recommended a visit to Cassis (French pronunciation:kasi). We took a local train there, about 40 minutes journey from Marseilles. The town is situated...
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The Loire River Valley
Many find a visit to the Loire Valley to be the highlight of their visit to France, as did we. When we were planning our journey I discussed our itinerary with my friend, Wayne. Wayne and his wife had...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Oct. 29, 2013: Chartres, France
Chartres is a great day-trip destination for those visiting Paris. An hour's train ride from the City of Lights, Chartres' main highlight is its magnificent cathedral (itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site). The inner part of the city...
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Capital of Culture Series: Marseilles
Marseille Cathedral, near the Vieux Port I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Marseilles this past June and was very impressed. It really is an excellent example of what the Capital of Culture designation can do for a city. Have a walk...
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Hope for Europe's small "flagship" airlines
In the face of competition from Gulf-based carriers and European budget carriers, it's been hard times for the familiar "national" airlines of Europe. Some, such as Sabena and Swissair have gone under, re-emerging in other forms; some, such as...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Jan 20, 2015: Musee d'Orsay Clock, Paris
Paris is well known for its architectural splendor, and one highlight I experienced was a visit to the Musee d'Orsay , situated on the left bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway...