Seen on the TGV. Why not J’♥ Frites? Because English is so much cooler in France. Soon, we’ll all be speaking English here. No need to learn French!

Shouldn’t you go to the little shops BEFORE you buy all your groceries? Nevermind, these “lockers” for shopping carts are still a great idea. Just leave a deposit and get it back when you return the locker key.

A quick note to let you know that I’m on Twitter, especially for the people reading RSS feeds. Please look for me there because I definitely tweet more about France than I blog, for what it’s worth. You can find me here: PT Ford on Twitter (ptinfrance).

Fashion designer, Issey Miyake, has created the fourth annual limited edition designer bottle for Evian. The bright, simple flower aims to be the embodiment of Evian’s message and tagline: “Live young.” There have been other editions by designers Christian Lacroix and Jean Paul Gaultier but I especially liked last year’s design from Paul Smith. The Issey Miyake Limited Edition Evian bottle is now available for pre-sale at the Evian store.

Video for this year’s designer Evian bottle is above.

via

Tasty appetizer from a hidden place in Burgundy. (I’ll try to write about it later.)

Because pastries rule in France.

Just a quick note about the Airbus 380. We flew it to New York during the summer and I have to say, it’s awesome. The photo doesn’t really convey how absolutely ENORMOUS this plane is (It’s the biggest plane in the world). The double-decker plane from Paris to New York accommodated 538 people but other airbuses like this to other destinations can hold up to 900 people! The ride is more spacious and extremely quiet, too, which helps to feel less tired upon arrival. I was surprised to feel good when we arrived. Normally, I feel pretty crappy. Other notables: you have your own screen and hard drive so you can watch films and other media at any given moment in time, and even put a movie on pause if you need to get up, then resume when you get back. No more waiting for the round of movies to end! The downside of this experience is when you have to retrieve your luggage, although they did a great job at JFK pulling the bags onto the baggage claim carousels. It can take a while, but it’s totally worth it. NOTE: Sadly, it doesn’t fly to the west coast. WHY??!

French people over the age of 45 or so, who’ve tried to study English, will all be able to say “My tailor is rich.” Some might not be able to say much more than that, but by God they can at least say that and that might come in handy…some day! I’ve met many people who’ve proudly recited this line to me. I never know how to respond.

This most absurd and utterly useless phrase is the very first lesson from a book called, L’anglais sans peine (English Without Pain). It’s a book that a lot of French people owned, and I recently found it at my in-laws! My dad in law can’t say too much more than “my tailor is rich.” How many more times will we all laugh when he says that to me? I don’t know.

The book is pure gold in its datedness, silliness and just plain wrongness and it’s something I must share here, albeit in little blog posts.

Here’s the cartoon that goes with lesson Number 1: My Tailor is Rich. From where the author pulled this out of, I can’t say.

More to follow I hope.

Could banks make it even easier to loath them? Not only do they rip you off with their fees for this, that, and the other, and interest rates here and there making you, the customer, pay to use your OWN money – but then comes this advertising spot for French bank, Caisse d’Epargne.

Should they be able to get away with this kind of flagrant insult? They’ve recently come out with a series of spots featuring a new campaign with the tagline “Avec Caisse d’Epargne vous avez de la chance d’etre jeune” (With Caisse d’Epargne, you’re lucky to be young). And like practically all French pubs (adverts/spots) people are making out. (Don’t argue with me about this point, even the French hedgehog makes out with a sponge.)

Back to the commercial for Caisse d’Epargne: I don’t care if people are making out in these spots nor do I care that they are specifically for young adults. That isn’t the point. Did you notice that the people have dog heads!!? I wonder, do I have to even tell you what is wrong here?

Ok, Ready? Caisse d’Epargne treats their customers like . . . DOGS. ba dum chhh!

Going back to Rue Mouffetard after a long while, reminded me of one of the very first times I was there. I was visiting a film student friend who lived on the street. We were hanging out the 3rd story window of his apartment watching people, and he suddenly jumps and screams, “THAT’S Wim Wenders!” I’m like, “Are you sure? You can only see the top of his head. How can you tell?” He says, “I just know the top of Wim Wender’s head! It’s him sitting outside at that cafe, I swear.” He started running down the stairs. “Let’s go meet him!” I ran down with him. And, it turned out to actually be him; it was the man who made one of my all time favorite movies right before my very eyes. We chatted for a minute or two about nothing in particular. My buddy got his autograph. I wished I had my camera with me but that was when I rarely took any photos. I totally regret that. Anyway, I didn’t see Wim Wenders this time but here are some photos I took on Rue Mouffetard a couple of weeks ago.

Legay Choc has named itself France’s first gay boulangerie (bakery). The business is best known for its baguettes, brioches, meringues and chocolates in phallic forms.

I just found out about them but they’ve been around for years. They also have a sandwicherie but I’m not sure what shape those come in.

Legay Choc
45 rue Ste Croix de la Bretonnerie
75004 Paris France
Telephone: +33 (0)1 48 87 24 61
Email : info@legaychoc.fr
Metro: Hôtel de Ville
Open: Mon-Sat 9am-6pm

Grab a yummy pizza at the Pink Flamingo in Le Marais and if there’s no more seating inside, have a seat in the V Dub bus outside. You should see it near the restaurant!

Several funky, modern, manga-inspired sculptures by notable Japanese artist Takashi Murakami (also responsible for these Louis Vuitton designs) are now rubbing elbows with the relics of Versailles. The show stopper, supposedly, is “Miss ko2,” a racy piece gracing the entrance to the Hall of Mirrors. The exhibition runs until December 12, 2010.

Exhibition by Takashi Murakami in the Chateau de Versailles
14 September to 12 December 2010
Château de Versailles
Grand Apartment and Hall of mirrors, included in the tour of the Grand Apartment
Place d’Armes – 78000 Versailles

I grabbed this camembert in the market the other day to try and found that it was pretty tasty, so I thought I’d recommend it to you. It’s an AOC cheese from Normandy’s E. Graindorge, made with raw milk (lait cru), and hand ladled, if that makes a difference (I’m not sure). To me, camembert is not camembert without being made with raw milk. It tastes so much better. A warning: it can, however, emit a funky smell in the fridge but don’t be afraid, it’s all good.

Although the government is about to reduce the subvention amount for environmentally smart home energy, it began offering a different incentive for electric bikes. Receive 25% off (up to 400 euros) if you purchase an electric bike in Paris. For the moment this offer is restricted to Paris and Paris residents only, which means you’re supposed to have a Parisian address to qualify. We were lucky to receive this offer when we purchased our first vélo électrique, which is awesome. We bought this bike here.

I’m not sure if this offer will apply to other French cities.

For more information: see velo electrique (French)

Chef Bernard Loiseau, known for his world class fine cuisine, is no longer with us but his Three Michelin starred restaurant, La Côte d’Or and hotel, Le Relais Bernard Loiseau in Saulieu continue his legacy largely due to his family’s dedication and current chef Patrick Bertron. His attention to detail, focus on exceptional dining and overall perfectionism is felt everywhere here, and if anything, Bernard Loiseau should be remembered for what he was able to achieve during his lifetime and the hallmark he leaves behind. Nothing else.

We loved staying at Le Relais and eating La Côte d’Or. If you come to France and don’t make it to one of Bernard Loiseau’s establishments, you’ll be missing out on what would be one of the most memorable trips and meals you’ve ever had.

Some photos from our trip!

Le Relais Bernard Loiseau
21210 Saulieu – Bourgogne, (Côte d’Or, Burgundy) France
Tel. : + 33 (0)3 80 90 53 53
E-mail : contact@bernard-loiseau.com
CLOSED Tuesday-Wednesday from November 2 to December 22, 2010

Other Bernard Loiseau locations:

Restaurant Loiseau des vignes
31, rue Maufoux – 21200 Beaune, Bourgogne, France
Tel. : + 33 (0)3 80 24 12 06
E-mail : loiseaudesvignes@bernard-loiseau.com
CLOSED every Sunday and Monday

Restaurant Tante Louise
41, rue Boissy d’Anglas – 75008 Paris, France
Tel. : + 33 (0)1 42 65 06 85
E-mail : tante.louise@bernard-loiseau.com
CLOSED every Saturday and Sunday

Restaurant Tante Marguerite
5, rue de Bourgogne – 75007 Paris, France
Tel. : + 33 (0)1 45 51 79 42
E-mail : tante.marguerite@bernard-loiseau.com
CLOSED every Saturday and Sunday