Bastille Day!
Any cultural aficionado knows that Paris is where it's at. Cafes, macaroons, a roll call of who is who in art. Bastille day, July 14th, is a populist holiday celebrating the day that the citizens of France stormed the Bastille to mark that they will take back their country. How inspiring! Martha Stewart French Macaroon Recipe
Those that are not quite jet set may not be able to fly off to celebrate La Fête Nationale with the natives, but there are plenty of ways to honor the center of art, pastry, and fashion in your own town or from the comfort of your own living room.
Museums- the may not be the Louvre, but take in your favorite classic French artist on display in Philadelphia, New York, DC, Chicago, LA....Philadelphia Museum of Art French Cloister Permanent Display or if you aren't near one, go to your local library and borrow a book (yes, there is Google, but support your local library, besides prints look better on paper than on a screen). There are many coffee table-sized books which display the work beautifully.
Read about French culture. Once again, a library can be of great assistance. For a book on van Gogh, I recommend The Letters of Vincent van Gogh, edited by Mark Roskill. I'm not affiliated with Amazon, but here's a link to learn more about or buy the book on there anyway There are a plethora of books on French cooking, culture, or the revolution.
Make it a movie night! If all this thought of France makes you wish you could see Paris in all of it's cultural glory, rent the new classic Midnight in Paris. This Woody Allen dances with the ideal of what one would do if they could, in fact, go to their favorite Parisian incarnation. It is fanciful, and will have any reader or artist teeming with jealousy! Midnight in Paris IMDB
Drink to your health. At the very least, pair a French vintage with your dinner!
For the traveller:
If museums and wine are not your favorite way to spend the day, and you happen to be near the Philadelphia area, the Eastern State Penitentiary offers a fun way to mark the day. Storm the walls during this tongue-in-cheek reenactment and then celebrate on the town in the evening. For more information visit http://www.easternstate.org/events/
For more information, wikipedia (every one's favorite go to) has a history and links to worldwide celebrations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastille_Day
Viva la France!
Those that are not quite jet set may not be able to fly off to celebrate La Fête Nationale with the natives, but there are plenty of ways to honor the center of art, pastry, and fashion in your own town or from the comfort of your own living room.
Museums- the may not be the Louvre, but take in your favorite classic French artist on display in Philadelphia, New York, DC, Chicago, LA....Philadelphia Museum of Art French Cloister Permanent Display or if you aren't near one, go to your local library and borrow a book (yes, there is Google, but support your local library, besides prints look better on paper than on a screen). There are many coffee table-sized books which display the work beautifully.
Read about French culture. Once again, a library can be of great assistance. For a book on van Gogh, I recommend The Letters of Vincent van Gogh, edited by Mark Roskill. I'm not affiliated with Amazon, but here's a link to learn more about or buy the book on there anyway There are a plethora of books on French cooking, culture, or the revolution.
Make it a movie night! If all this thought of France makes you wish you could see Paris in all of it's cultural glory, rent the new classic Midnight in Paris. This Woody Allen dances with the ideal of what one would do if they could, in fact, go to their favorite Parisian incarnation. It is fanciful, and will have any reader or artist teeming with jealousy! Midnight in Paris IMDB
Drink to your health. At the very least, pair a French vintage with your dinner!
For the traveller:
If museums and wine are not your favorite way to spend the day, and you happen to be near the Philadelphia area, the Eastern State Penitentiary offers a fun way to mark the day. Storm the walls during this tongue-in-cheek reenactment and then celebrate on the town in the evening. For more information visit http://www.easternstate.org/events/
For more information, wikipedia (every one's favorite go to) has a history and links to worldwide celebrations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastille_Day
Viva la France!
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