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French Connections

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I love Paris in the spring time
I love Paris in the fall
I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles

I love Paris every moment
Every moment of the year
I love Paris, why oh

I love Paris in the spring time
I love Paris in the fall
I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles

I love Paris every moment
Every moment of the year
I love Paris, why oh why do I love Paris Because my love is here

I think this song written by Cole Porter just about expresses the gaiety and romance of this beautiful city. The song was written for the 1953 musical 'Can Can' and is now so famous most people recognise it. My own favourite has to be 'Under Paris Skies' or 'Sous Le Ciel De Paris' written by Hubert Giraud in 1951. I particularly love the accordion accompaniment to this beautiful piece of music - it gives it a much more French flavour.

This is the Paris I have come to know and love. It is a wonderful city at any time of year but more so in the spring. I was in my teens when I first visited Paris as a young girl and was very fashion conscious at that time. I just had to wear my stiletto heels (yes, it was the 60's) and did I suffer the consequences!

It is good advice to wear a comfortable pair of shoes for site seeing in Paris as you can walk miles without realising it. There is so much to see and do in this vibrant, romantic city. It is a holiday destination for all ages, especially so if you are young or young at heart!

The Eiffel Tower

There are different areas of the city to explore with many famous places to visit such as the Cathedral Notre Dame, the Palace of Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Bastille and of course many more than I can name here. They are just part of Paris, part of it's culture and history. Not to be missed especially if it is your first time in Frances' capital.

For people with young families a visit to Disneyland Paris is only twenty miles from the centre of Paris in Marne la Vallee in the eastern suburbs. It has two theme parks and restaurants etc. Of course Disneyland it is not only for children it can be for big kids too!

Shopping and eating in Paris is the best cultural experience one can have. This is our way of enjoying Paris. We like to stay in a self catering property - you will find excellent ones at www.frenchconnections.co.uk of course! Feel free to enjoy Paris in a leisurely manner, go where you want when you want. You can do all the site seeing you wish and have a lovely Parisian apartment to go back to at the end of your day. A good time to open a bottle of French wine! If you want to buy your own food, there is plenty to choose from. The local markets have a personality all of their own and this is where you will find me! They are overflowing with fresh fruit and vegetables, wonderful cheeses, sea-food, poultry and meat. When in France we enjoy eating as the French do and that means shopping for our baguettes each day and choosing a dessert for our evening meal from one of the many patisseries in the area.

There are fast food chains to be found in Paris nowadays and many young people love these but no, no, no, we enjoy real French food and choose to eat only this! It is much cheaper to eat fresh food than any fast food chain food and much healthier too. Often it is just as easy to eat out as it is to cook your own meal. There is something to suit everyone's budget in Paris from the smallest bistro to the more expensive Parisian restaurant. The small bistros are usually run by a family and although you may find some look a little tired with dingy paintwork and scrubbed wooden tables, the food is usually especially good, not haute cuisine but good old fashioned French cooking. You don't have to buy a dessert, as I said earlier, there are the most wonderful desserts to be bought in the patisseries.

Paris does not have it's own cuisine but rather, it has a collection of dishes from all the regions of France. Many of the chefs come from other regions and bring their speciality dishes with them. The worlds first restaurant started in Paris by a Monsieur Boulanger in the Rue du Louvre around 1765. Until this time, meals were only cooked in the home. Many local people in Paris eat out in small establishments where the food is relatively cheap. This makes much more sense and is what we do. You will find the atmosphere relaxing and the welcome is wonderful. Of course, you can if you wish, just join the 'café culture' and sit with your newspaper and a single cup of coffee for hours and watch the world go by. This is my husband's idea of heaven!

In the heart of Paris is one of the oldest and grandest of streets, the Faubourg St Honore . It is to be found between the President's Elysée Palace and the Ministry Of Interior. It is the greenest and less populated quarters and only the most wealthy of people can afford to live here. And again, only the most wealthy of people can afford to stay in the hotels around the Rue de Rivoli or dine in some of Paris's exclusive restaurants. However, you can stroll and browse the area and as we do, look longingly at the art and antique shops or in the windows of the most wonderful jewellers! If you stop for a coffee in this area, it will cost you! You can sit by the fountain in the Jardin des Tuileries and watch the children sail their boats. If you walk eastward from here you will come to Marche St Honore which is a pedestrian area and where you will find many cafes at affordable prices. Here, the whole area is a gourmets delight and sheer paradise to me!

Anyway, this brings me back to my favourite part of French culture - food and French recipes. I thought you may like a recipe which you can make very easily for your breakfast or indeed anytime if you are self catering. It is quick and inexpensive and was in fact a recipe adapted by one of the famous Parisian chefs of the last century. There are several versions of this tasty dish which originates from the Basque region of France. This one has bacon in it and is my favourite.

LA PIPERADE Scrambled Eggs Basquaise) Serves 2 (or three)

La Piperade

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon oil
½ cup (4oz) diced bacon
4 green peppers, seeded and cut in small pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded
4 free range eggs, well beaten
Salt and black pepper



 

Method

Heat the butter and the oil in a frying pan.
Cook the bacon, green peppers, and onion over a medium heat until soft.
Add the garlic and tomatoes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Raise the heat and with a fork, crush the tomatoes and this will evaporate the juices.
When the vegetables are cooked, add the four well-beaten eggs to the pan.
Immediately mix a fork until the eggs are sufficiently scrambled.
Serve your La Piperade and enjoy!

This is an old recipe and it makes two very good portions! It would make breakfast or lunch for two or three people.

You can omit the bacon if you prefer but it does give a wonderful flavour.
You can also use red peppers but I think the green ones look beautiful with the red of the tomatoes.

If you would like a dessert, how about a famous Paris Brest - a delicious puff pastry ring with a creamy, almond praline filling. You will find these in many if the patisseries or if you would like to make one at home you will find the recipe for this and many others at it www.french-recipes-to-love.com

Bon Appétit!