The perfect Paris tour and more

Bonjour,

I hope that you and yours are well.

First – I am massively excited to share a bit of news with you. I’m going on a trip to Paris – who wants to come with me?! I’ll be hosting two week-long, small group, exclusive tours next year (one in spring and one in the fall): The Perfect Paris Tour. I’ll be sharing the very best of the city of light from art, culture, history, architecture, fashion and music to food and wine – and I promise you there is nothing ordinary about this tour – it really is perfect! If you’d like to join me, you can find out more here:

The Perfect Paris Tour Spring
The Perfect Paris Tour Fall

And now for an update on the Middle-of-Nowhere Boulympiques! I’ve been telling you about how my little village held its own Olympic Games – namely three, weekly rounds of boules (AKA pétanque) on the village green. But it became clear straight away that the real contest was about the home-made tarts, pies and or gateaux that everyone bought to share. On the last day, after the boules match winning team was announced – which no one took at all seriously – it was time to judge the cakes.

It was a tie between Constance’s strawberry tart (week 1), Madame Bernadette’s Saint Honoré cake (week 2) and Blandine’s Paris-Brest (week 3). Someone had to be the judge. As self-appointed umpire of the boules matches, Jean-Claude stepped up to take on the heroic task. “Everyone’s cakes were magnificent” he said, “even Janine’s apple tart” which got me a cheer and a round of applause. It will come as no surprise to you who have been friends here for a while that I did not win on account of me being known for quite a while as “flop chef not top chef” by my French friends – for good reason. BF (Before France) I could not cook. Frankly I have improved with perseverance (my friends’ perseverance in teaching me that is), but I have a long way to go to catch up with some of my neighbours (ok all of them).

“I think it would be fairest if we were to choose by a show of hands, so, first – Constance’s Strawberry tart….” A slew of hands shot up, Jean Claude counted and wrote the number down. Looking around I could see every one of us had an arm in the air.

When Jean-Claude read out the next two contenders, the same thing happened again – everyone voted for them!

“Ahem” Jean-Claude pushed back his cap, and cleared his throat, looking very serious as he eyed a piece of paper with the numbers he’d counted, judging cakes is a serious business. “I declare the gold medal goes to…” he looked around at us, grinning widely “all of them!” Well, that got a standing ovation, even old Monsieur Lafont got to his feet and yelled “youppie” – French for yippee!

Wishing you a bon weekend wherever you are from a village of winners where we may have the Olympics every year from now on!

Read the whole newsletter and see this week’s top features and recipe picks

Bisous
Janine
Editor

Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream, My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Toujours la France: Living the Dream in Rural France all available as ebook, print & audio, on Amazon everywhere & all good bookshops online. Her new book How to be French – a celebration of the French lifestyle and art de vivre, is out now – a look at the French way of life.

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