FRANCE on Your Own Newsletter

Autumn 2015 VOL. 19 NO. 4

	The Independent Traveler's Newsletter

Autumn 2015
VOL. 19 NO. 4

The Independent Traveler's Newsletter

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		" . . . France has the only two things toward which we drift as we grow older -- intelligence and good manners.." - F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940)
IN THIS ISSUE: Paris' Public Fountains ~ Part 1 in the series by Arthur Gillette Twisted Tongues ~ Challenging French phrases Ici et Là The Bookshelf ~ Intoxicating Paris and Intoxicating Southern France 2 books by P J Adams FEATURING: Abbeys and Monasteries of France ~ Coming out of the Dark Ages La Route: The 2016 Tour de France Nous Sommes Paris	HISTORY CONTINUES TO FLOW, THANKS TO PARIS' PUBLIC FOUNTAINS In our Summer 2014 issue, we presented the landmark Fontaines Wallace. Of those there are "only 200", while Paris boasts several hundred more public fountains. This new series highlights some of the most attractive - and intriguing - among them. Here are two of the fountains ~ Part One of our mini-series. by Arthur Gillette The Fontaine de Médicis in the Luxemburg Gardens After her husband, King Henri IV, was assassinated in 1610, horrified Queen Marie de Médicis fled the Palais du Louvre and moved to the Palais and Jardins du Luxembourg she had built ~ inspired by Florence's Palazzo Pitti and Giardini Boboli where she had grown up. A major, but generally not overcrowded, attraction there is the Médici Fountain. When, long ago, studying at the Sorbonne I used to sit near it to do my homework, relieving the work’s stress thanks to the peaceful albeit mid-town bucolic surroundings. Its major sculpture portrays a decidedly less serene event from Greek mythology (penned by Ovid and much later set to music by Handel): the shepherd Acis caressing the maritime goddess Galatea while, above them, the very amorous and very jealous monster Polyphemus prepares to crush them with a huge stone. A personal P.S. - I enjoyed (and still do) is that back to back with that stele is another, moved there in the 19^th century, from another fountain depicting Jupiter/Zeus, disguised as a swan, seducing the mythological princess Leda. (That happens to be my sister's name!) . . . continued on page two

** This newsletter is best viewed with a Chrome or IE browser. It is not formatted for printing. **

" . . . France has the only two things toward which we drift as we grow older -- intelligence and good manners.."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940)

IN THIS ISSUE:

Paris' Public Fountains
~ Part 1 in the series
by Arthur Gillette

Twisted Tongues
~ Challenging French phrases

Ici et Là

The Bookshelf
   ~ Intoxicating Paris and
          Intoxicating Southern France
       2 books by P J Adams

FEATURING: Abbeys and Monasteries of France
       ~ Coming out of the Dark Ages

La Route: The 2016 Tour de France

Nous Sommes Paris

HISTORY CONTINUES TO FLOW, THANKS TO PARIS' PUBLIC FOUNTAINS

In our Summer 2014 issue, we presented the landmark Fontaines Wallace.
Of those there are "only 200", while Paris boasts several hundred more public fountains.
This new series highlights some of the most attractive - and intriguing - among them.
Here are two of the fountains ~ Part One of our mini-series.

by Arthur Gillette

The Fontaine de Médicis in the Luxemburg Gardens

Fontaine Médicis - Luxembourg Gardens. Wikipedia

After her husband, King Henri IV, was assassinated in 1610, horrified Queen Marie de Médicis fled the Palais du Louvre and moved to the Palais and Jardins du Luxembourg she had built ~ inspired by Florence's Palazzo Pitti and Giardini Boboli where she had grown up. A major, but generally not overcrowded, attraction there is the Médici Fountain.

When, long ago, studying at the Sorbonne I used to sit near it to do my homework, relieving the work’s stress thanks to the peaceful albeit mid-town bucolic surroundings.

Its major sculpture portrays a decidedly less serene event from Greek mythology (penned by Ovid and much later set to music by Handel): the shepherd Acis caressing the maritime goddess Galatea while, above them, the very amorous and very jealous monster Polyphemus prepares to crush them with a huge stone.

A personal P.S. - I enjoyed (and still do) is that back to back with that stele is another, moved there in the 19^th century, from another fountain depicting Jupiter/Zeus, disguised as a swan, seducing the mythological princess Leda. (That happens to be my sister's name!)

. . . continued on page two