France Just For You Chez Vous
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Welcome to our monthly news digest!
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November 2020
Dear Travelers,
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As always, we are happy to share the France Just For You newsletter with you and hope that, in the current context, it helps to fill the space left empty by not being able to travel right now.
We are particularly happy and hopeful today, following the good news about a vaccine being available in the very near future. We are very much looking forward to welcoming our travelers back to beautiful France as soon as possible in 2021.
After a few months' trip (planned long before Covid), the Thyebaut family is back in the Loire Valley, getting ready to welcome you in France once international travel is possible again.
We traveled to Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Switzerland. And because we are always positive, the good thing about the current situation was that we enjoyed sightseeing without any crowds at all.
We were nearly alone at the leaning tower of Pisa, we counted a total of 40 visitors on the entire hill of the Acropolis in Athens, and we sailed the Greek islands in the summertime without any crowds at the ports.
It really made the trip very special. And wearing a mask was very much worth it for the overall amazing experience we had as a family.
This being said, we are extremely lucky that our friends and family are all safe and in good health. We hope the same is true for you.
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This month in France Just For You Chez Vous, we offer you a cheese special! Our Senior Trip Planner Laura shares a delicious Cheese Soufflé recipe, and in our blog post about French cheese, Laura's mom kindly shares a funny anecdote involving cheese and French etiquette during her trip to France from the US!
November 11 is WWI Armistice Day and even if 1918 seems long gone now, France always remembers and celebrates its soldiers and all the nations who helped us to end the war. For those, like me, who enjoy historical novels, you may enjoy the Century Trilogy by Ken Follett.
Last but not least, the Arts continue in spite of Covid, so we’re sharing some information about a special exhibition on Coco Chanel at the City of Paris Fashion Museum, with a brief look at her life and work in our blog post.
We really look forward to welcoming you to France.
Sending you all our warmest regards,
Emilie Thyebaut (& family)
Founder of France Just For You
The Thyebaut Family on the Greek 'Mamma Mia' island of Skopelos this summer
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Emilie, Guillaume, Jeanne & Pauline Thyebaut on the road.
Hiking in Greece; at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy; enjoying a meal in Romania
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On Armistice Day, we remember our heroes
Yesterday, November 11th, marked 102 years since the signing of the armistice, when both sides agreed to lay down their arms and end hostilities on the Western Front of World War I. It took effect at 11AM that day—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918. A formal peace agreement was only reached when the Treaty of Versailles was signed the following year.
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Pictured above is our writer Naomi's great uncle Sydney Dalton, who fought in WWI with the 15th County of London Battalion, aged 18. He was attacked with mustard gas during the war while fighting on the Western Front. He survived and lived to his 70s, but was never able to talk about what he had experienced. Below is Private Lawrence Dalton, another relative, who fought with the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles Battalion. He died aged 33 in 1917 in the Battle of Passchendaele in Belgium.
We remember and celebrate the bravery of all those who have fought and given their lives for our freedom. Find out about the important WWI sites in France on our website and also how France Just For You could help you delve into and explore your family history in France.
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Above: Lawrence Dalton. Top: Sydney Dalton, WWI soldiers (Photo: Naomi Dalton)
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The very best of French cheese
On the blog this month, we explore one of France’s pride gourmet foods - cheese! We have listed some of our favorites, along with the regions they come from and some delicious pairings.
But first we wanted to share an amusing anecdote from our Senior Trip Planner Laura’s mother, Judy (who is from the US), about a cheesy faux-pas in a French restaurant while she was visiting France.
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Laura and her mom in a cooking class in Paris (Photo: Laura Crotet)
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My husband and I were on a driving tour of France on one of our first trips to Europe. One evening we had dinner at a nice restaurant to celebrate our anniversary. The meal was wonderful and went perfectly until the end.
The waiter arrived holding a very large platter of a wide variety of different cheeses, which he presented to me. Several seconds passed, he did nothing, said nothing, just looked at me. So I reached for a knife to serve myself some of this delicious cheese before me.
The next few seconds felt like hours as everything happened in slow motion. The waiter pulled back with a look of shock on his face, and I felt as though the whole room was aghast. A gentleman near us told me to point to the cheeses I wanted. The waiter would slice and serve them, arranging them on the plate from mild to strong, which is also the order in which they should be eaten. My faux pas was quickly forgotten while we enjoyed some delicious French cheese!
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Chanel exhibition in Paris
At the time of writing, the City of Paris Fashion Museum, also known as the Palais Galliera, has just finished extension work. It has re-opened with a new exhibition on the life and work of one of the world’s most renowned and remarkable fashion designers: Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel (1883-1971).
The exhibition includes emblematic pieces, such as the famous 1916 sailor blouse (the marinière), her famous 'little black dress' , sporty styles of the 'Roaring 20s' and the sophisticated dresses of the 1930s. One room of the exhibition is devoted entirely to her famed perfume Chanel No. 5, which she created in 1921 and which remains a popular choice today.
The exhibition runs until March 14th, 2021, so with quick developments in the roll-out of a coronavirus vaccine, we are hopeful that some travelers will arrive in time to enjoy it!
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Chanel fashion show (Photo: Haute Couture News)
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Laura's Cheese Soufflé recipe
The idea of making soufflé can cause terror in the hearts of some cooks. But this recipe has proved fail-proof the numerous times I have made it, and it always receives an impressed “Ahhhh!!” when served. What's more, you will only need butter, grated cheese, flour, milk, eggs, salt and pepper, and a little nutmeg or paprika to make it!
Bon Appétit!
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Next month we begin to look forward to Christmas, which may take a different form for many of us this year. We will share some of our favorite Christmas markets, and more delicious recipes you can try at home!
Sending you our warmest regards until next time,
Emilie Thyebaut
Founder of France Just For You
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