Happy Bastille Day!

On the occasion that today is Bastille Day, I want to take the opportunity to rave about all things French. I suppose I consider myself a bit of a Francophile although I've forgotten most of the French I learned in school. I fell in love with the language in grade 7 and wanted to enter the Sorbonne so badly. I continued to take French in high school and at university for several semesters. I even considered changing my major when my French professor approached me and suggested Linguistics. Well, my life and career would definitely have taken a very different path! I know that the French people, especially Parisians, aren't liked by everyone - I think they get a bad rap. But I come from Philadelphia so a bad rap comes with the territory and just makes you stronger, more defiant and tenacious, and to believe in yourself regardless what other people think. So why do I like the French? + Many of history's greatest artists including Ingres, Delacroix, Courbet, Manet, Degas...the list goes on + Marcel Duchamp! + You can't beat the extraordinary history of the French republic + Versailles and the Louvre used to be the royal residences of Marie-Antoinette (the "Austrian woman"); no wonder they wanted her head + There are few things more pleasant than walking through the Jardin des Tuileries + Everything has to do with style, art or food + The natural beauty of the countryside and well-kept urban architecture + The incredible cuisine, truly the art of French cooking + Joel Robuchon and many, many great chefs too many to name + The French don't actually drink that much, I mean they don't binge; they drink wine with meals as you should + Champagne! + Provence! + The French Open + Coco Chanel, her life story and legacy and influence to today + Street fashion in Paris is more chic than in any other city + Colette, one of the best shops ever + Hermès, of course + A compliment from a French person usually carries more weight than those of others + French women may look you up and down and up again without a smile; this is meant to be a compliment as they like what you're wearing and are memorising how you've put your outfit together + Many of the best films ever including Amelie, Au Revoir les Enfants, Leon (The Professional), Queen Margot, Delicatessen and more + Such beautiful wine regions and the fact that each region can only produce wine from certain grape varieties. Love the tradition and the discipline; it's about the quality and not just the commerciality + Lots of lavender, poppies and sunflowers everywhere + And yes, when you're in France, you do feel and share a certain joie de vivre. Vive la France!