December in Paris

December and the holiday season is wonderful in Paris. The City of Lights becomes illuminated even more, if that is possible. With December comes along colder temperatures, even snow, that stayed on the ground for several days. The sidewalks were icy & treacherous yet I still saw French women making their way, very slowly, along the icy sidewalks in high heels, trying to look chic, hanging onto walls and banisters. For once my sensible shoes made sense!

December also seems to be the season of fur. Yes marvellous fur coats, hats, scarves and chic fur vests. No one wears fur like French women and men! Apparently they are still throwing paint on fur in London but in Paris, fur seems ingrained in the culture.  The French seem to have a knack for making everything look fashionable like the down ski jackets, all shapes & sizes, that are popular in Paris now. These are not your bulky North Face jackets but ski jackets, or as they call them, "doudouns" with belts, hoods, tapered to show lovely figures, long, short and of course, with fur collars. The best look I have seen is the fur vest on top of a ski jacket. Somehow it looks good. Ahh... to have the fashion gene!

For the Tai girls, December has been a busy month as always. For me a highlight is definitely the one evening photography course I took called "Holiday Sparkle". We started at the popular holiday windows at the Grands Magasins, like Galerie Lafayette and Printemps and over three hours made our way to the beautifully light up Champs Elysees. What a wonderful evening! I would have never made my way out in the cold by myself to do this. Now I have to take the girls back to see these Christmas lights.

The girls are full of smiles these days as they have made good friends and have been invited to birthday parties, play dates, and even sleep overs. Nathalie is enjoying her freedom of walking to and from school alone,  usually on her scooter, and even went to a friend's house accompanied by her friend, on the metro without an adult!

Gabrielle and I spent a morning at the Louvre together at her request to see the Greek god statues. After both girls reading all the Percy Jackson books numerous times they are obsessed with Greek mythology. Gabrielle gave me an amazing lesson in Greek mythology, explaining each statue to me, who it was and what they do. This was usually accompanied by the Roman name as well. Nothing like a lesson in mythology at the Louvre from your eight year old daughter!

George arrives today for a three week visit. We had plans to do some site seeing, shopping and of course eating at good restaurants. But with George hearing a "pop" on the squash court earlier this week, apparently tearing his calf muscle, he is arriving with a cane in hand. We will have a quiet, calm, stay put kind of three weeks instead. The important part is having him with us!

Back after a 2 month break!

Obviously life in Paris is good and very busy as I have not managed my weekly, or even monthly post. Either that or I have nothing to report! Actually this is certainly not the case.

This week I am posting a recent essay I wrote on Paris for a class I have just finished called Words & Images. The idea is to write an article and complement it with some photos. Tell me what you think. Merci!

                        Far away from the crowds of Cemetery Pere Lachaise and the celebrated necropolis of Montmartre there lies a small sinister cemetery tucked away in the far end of the 16^th arrondisement. It is surrounded by beautiful 19^th century apartment buildings in the Haussmann style. The decorative front of these buildings look onto the street while the backs, appearing unfinished, loom over the small space which is the Cemetery d’Auteuil on rue Claude Lorrain. Some of the earliest tombs date back to the early 1800’s. There are few recognizable names, an occasional count and countess and numerous generations of families buried together in family graves. This is the perfect place to come and see where regular local Parisians came to rest.

                        The space is eerily quiet and you can actually hear birds happily chirping. There are no more than four long rows of tombs, the earliest ones belonging to exclusive members born and dying in the days when Napoleon was crowning himself emperor. There are the sad tombs such as the one with the names Jeanine and Jean. Jeanine was three years old when she passed away. Jean, her brother, was two when he died several years later. There are only simple inscriptions on their family stone to celebrate their short lives, the incomplete buildings around them almost reflecting their unfinished life stories.

                        There are no rolling woodlands here, only ten trees dispersed amongst the mausoleums and sepulchers. Some gravesites are well maintained, even elegant with recent family members being added to the family grave. Others are decrepit, doors falling off, broken windows and ancient candles inside. There is even one wooden grave with only a small pile of rocks appearing to hold it down. There must be an interesting story and history behind this marker.

                        One has to wonder how much longer this cemetery will last, sitting in the middle of pricey apartments. The graves are taking up prime real estate. But if you have ever wanted to be alone in a cemetery, this is a good one to visit. There are no Jim’s, Oscar’s or crowds here.

Ingrid Littmann-Tai

Paris, November 2010