Autumn                  2015
VOL. 19                   NO.  4

 

FRANCE On Your Own banner

  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


Eiffel Tower Bleu, Blanc et Rouge

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.







Sculpture Fontaine Médicis.  Wikipedia
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

                                                                                                                        


Look inside. . .  with a click  


>  to read Part Two of our mini-series on those beautiful Public Fountains of Paris.


for our review of P J Adams two books: Intoxicating Southern France and Intoxicating Paris on The Bookshelf. 
~

to read about what's happening in France, the UK and the US, culturally speaking, as well as news from France you may not be seeing reported elsewhere, visit Ici et Là.
~

> and come along with us as we look at the history of monastic life and visit some of France's most interesting Abbeys and Monasteries.

                         
  We have completed our 19th year of publication. 
We hope you've enjoyed some of those years with us and that you will encourage your friends to subscribe.

 
It's free!



TWISTED TONGUES . . .
                                                                                                                                                     by Arthur Gillette

Welcome to Twisted Tongues, a French word game everyone can play.  Can you come up with the correct translation of the phrase in question?  You'll be surprised by how it differs from what you first thought it meant.

Answer from our Summer issue:  "Une caisse".  Although literally "a case or box" in slang it means a dilapidated vehicle or 'jalopy'.

Phrase:      "Un aller - retour"-  Does it mean "a return or round trip"?  Literally, yes.
                   But in slang it has a different meaning. Can you guess?  



Look for the correct translation in our Winter 2016 newsletter.  Have fun!

Contact Arthur Gillette to take advantage of his amazing knowledge of Paris
by enjoying one or more of his Paris Through the Ages Strolls. 
Visit our Marketplace page for a complete list of strolls and information about Arthur.
Email: pouchkine38@gmail.com



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