From  the moment you begin reading Les Parisiennes - How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved and Died Under Nazi Occupation,  you realize that you never knew this side of World War II.  Truth be told, there are few outside of France who knew, including the French men who were away fighting.  All the movies and books written didn't tell how the women of France, and Paris in this case, were left behind to manage ~ to manage their lives and their children, to find food when it was being confiscated by the occupying army and sent to Germany, to earn money when many of them never worked before or wouldn't be permitted to work now.  Fear and hunger were things they faced every day, not knowing who to trust or where to turn for help.

The author, Anne Sebba, a former Reuters foreign correspondent, spent endless hours, days and months interviewing survivors, often rushing to meet those who might not live much longer to tell her their story.  She tells us how pleased the occupying army was to be in Paris ~ a city they had heard so much about but probably would have never seen had it not been for the war.  She tells us how the officers and their wives made good use of the expensive restaurants (they would make sure food was still available in those places), and how the upper class French in the city managed to continue with their lifestyles as well ~ at least during the first few years.

A lot of names of women are provided, some unknown to us and other quite famous.  At first, its seems that more names are mentioned than we will be able to remember, but as we read on those people reappear over and over again, so we can follow them from 1940 until the war has ended ~ or until they die.

Edith Piaf continued her singing career which flourished in the nightclubs frequented by Germans.  She registered with their propaganda department, had her lyrics checked and kept on good terms with the Nazis.  But, she also used her popularity to help her friends, and her most risky act was to perform in prisoner of war camps in Germany.  She cleverly had herself photographed with dozens of prisoners during her visits.  She gave those photos to the Resistance who used the images to create as many as 120 false identity cards to help those same prisoners escape.

The fashion designer Coco Chanel closed her shop when the war began and lived at the Ritz Hotel with her German lover.  She was arrested and questioned by the FBI in 1944 because of her relationship with Hans Günther von Dincklage, a suspected spy, but she was quickly released ~ some think Churchill had something to do with her release as she kept in touch with him asking for help to release her nephew and regarding other issues.  Or, he may have aided in her release due to her affair ten years earlier with his good friend the Duke of Westminster.  Although she was never charged with treason, her willingness to consort with Germans and her tirades against Jews made many think that she was very lucky to escape punishment.  She was hopelessly addicted to opium, and had been for a very long time, which did not serve her well as she grew older.

Probably more interesting were the tales of horror, deprivation and helplessness experienced by the average Parisian woman.  Each struggled as the war raged on to find any kind of food at all.  Some grew vegetables in window boxes at their apartments.  Many shipped off their children to relatives in the distant countryside hoping they would be safe there and have something to eat, although crossing into "free France", where Marshal Pétain and his Vichy government were in charge, was nearly impossible.  Some managed to do it, but soldiers were closely watching for violators.  Things became much worse when the Gestapo came to town, although it is hard to imagine that anything could really become worse.

There is so much more to Les Parisiennes, and the author is never judgmental about any of the women involved.  It would be easy to condemn those who cooperated with the enemy, but people did things they would never have done in peacetime.  The women who were judged collaborators following the war paid a price.  During the war those considered conspiring against the occupiers or helping the Resistance were sent off to camps, treated very cruelly and so many of them died.  It was a no win situation, but the women endured as best they could with all of their men away at war.  It is a compelling and moving account of what it was like inside occupied France, and it should never ever happen again.





FROM SOCCA TO FOIE GRAS 
                                                                                                                 by Kim Defforge

When thinking of the French Riviera, Nice in particular, the senses become engaged: the sight of the azure Mediterranean Sea, the sound of the waves softly lapping the shoreline, the feel of the pebbles underfoot as you walk on the beach, the smell of the salty sea mist in the air, and mostly, the taste of local specialties, such as salade niçoise and socca (a pancake made from chickpea flour and served warm with black pepper). With a Mediterranean climate and average of 300 days of sunshine, the area is indeed attractive and booming.

When thinking of the Dordogne region, Sarlat in particular, the senses become equally engaged: the sight of medieval architecture and castles, the sound of market vendors selling their wares, the feel of cobblestones underfoot as you walk through the historical center, the smell of countryside air, and mostly, the taste of local specialties such as foie gras (duck liver that originated in ancient Egypt around 2500 BC and now is emblematic of French gastronomy) and black truffles (an edible fungus that averages 500-1000€ per kg). With the variety of four distinct climatic seasons, the area is a kaleidoscope of landscape colors.

Both places are famous for their cultural activities that attract tourists from far and wide, especially the outdoor markets promoting local produce and regional specialties: Cours Saleya in Old Nice and Place de la Mairie in the historical center of Sarlat.  Tourism is vital to both: Nice has a population of approximately 340,000 and attracts an average of 5,000,000 visitors a year, while Sarlat’s population is around 10,000 with an average of 1,500,000 visitors per year.  Due to its smaller size, the town of Sarlat has a more drastic decline in visitors than the city of Nice during the winter months, not to mention overall colder temperatures, yet both host cultural events to attract tourists during the low season.

Trivia & Tidbits:


Nice

• the meaning of Nice (Nikaia in Greek) is the Goddess of victory; it became part of France in 1860
• the original name of the Promenade des Anglais was "La Strada del Littorale" and it was originally made of marble
• Albert 1st park is named after a Belgian king and is the oldest garden in Nice
• the Carnaval has been a tradition for 700 years
• the name "Côte d'Azur" was coined by the writer and poet, Stephen Liegeard, in 1888
• the destruction of the castle on Castle Hill was ordered in 1706 by Louis XIV, but this resulted in the city's growth
• Nice's traditional flower is the carnation; Nice's specialty olive is the "caillette", and tapenade is called the "caviar of Nice"
• candied fruit was a favorite delicacy of Queen Victoria
• Cours Saleya market was named after the sun "soleil" and has been Nice's main market since the Middle Ages
• Architecturally: Italian colors are ochre and yellow; French colors are beige and white - as seen in Place Massena

Sarlat

• Sarlat-la-Canéda (or simply Sarlat) is located in the Dordogne département of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France
• Inhabited since Gallo-Roman times, Sarlat became prosperous at the end of the 8th century
• The town suffered from the Norman invasions and then from the Hundred Years War, owing to its position as a frontier region between the kings of France and England
• Sarlat, one of the most popular of the Dordogne villages, developed around a large Benedictine abbey of Carolingian origin
• Most of the town has been preserved and is representative of 14th century France with authentic restoration work
• Sarlat’s weekly market has been in existence since the Middle Ages
• Known for its regional specialties of foie gras, duck confit, walnuts, & truffles
• Sarlat’s emblem is the salamander, due to its S shape and also because it once was featured on the coat of arms of the French monarchy
• Host to an annual film festival since 1991

For traveling, you can't beat the accessibility of the Nice airport and the city’s extensive bus system (except when there is a strike, bien sûr!).  By contrast, the Dordogne’s rural setting and its smaller airports significantly increases overall travel time, resulting in difficulty in getting to and from international destinations, except perhaps to the U.K.

As for ambiance, while living in Nice, I woke up to the cacophony of cars, buses, and pedestrians, inherent with city living and its hustle and bustle of activity.  Compare that setting to Sarlat, where morning birdsong and the sound of an occasional car passing by is the norm – a matter of urban vs. rural setting, each with its pros/cons & sounds:  Chacun à son gout (to each his own)!