The Pershing-La Fayette Monument to French-American Friendship

November 11th, 2017
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Inauguration of the Parshing-La Fayette Monument

Inauguration of the Parshing-La Fayette Monument
Photograph courtesy of the Ville de Versailles

Today, November 11, marks the commemoration of Armistice Day in France.

Ninety-nine years ago, World War I ended when the Allies and Germany signed an agreement to cease hostilities. The United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 2017 and its first troops landed in France on June 25 of that year. Commanded by General John Joseph Pershing, the American Expeditionary Force provided men and material that tipped the balance of power on the battlefield, ultimately forcing Germany’s surrender on November 11, 1918.

In 1937, twenty years after the arrival of American troops, a grateful French nation celebrated the event in a ceremony held in the town of Versailles. There, on the Butte de Picardie, General Pershing and President of the French Republic Albert Lebrun inaugurated two equestrian statues mounted on tall pedestals, one of the general and the other of the Marquis de La Fayette, French hero of the American Revolution. Facing each other across a roadway, the statues symbolized the friendship of two nations that had come to each other’s aid in times of need: France providing military support during the American Revolution and the United States reciprocating during World War I.

The pedestals were solid, but the statues, erected in haste, had been made out of plaster painted with bronze patina. The idea was to replace the ersatz statues with bronze as soon as sufficient funds could be raised. But delays occurred, including the German occupation of the country during the Second World War, preventing the replacement of the plaster statues. By 1941, they had become so severely weathered that they were removed from the pedestals.

Following World War II, attempts were made to raise sufficient funds to place bronze statues of Pershing and La Fayette on the denuded pedestals. Efforts focused on raising funds to cast a bronze statue of General Pershing and to install an already existing bronze statue* of La Fayette. Plans were thwarted, however, because the post-war French government needed funds to rebuild the country and simply could not afford such an expensive enterprise. Efforts to find financial support for the project continued throughout the years, but it was not until recently that monies could be raised.

On October 6, 2017, I attended the ceremony of the inauguration of two new equestrian statues** of Pershing and La Fayette on their pedestals at Butte de Picardie. The funds to cast the statues had finally been raised by private subscription and the city of Versailles spared no effort to make their inauguration a special occasion. French and American color guards flanked the statue of General Pershing, while on the other side of street, called avenue des Etats-Unis, VIPs observed the ceremony from under a large tent placed in front of the statue of the Marquis La Fayette.

Bredt Hardt, Chargée d’Affaires
Photograph by Discover Paris!

Among the speakers who hailed the occasion was Brent Hardt, Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy. After his discourse, musicians from the Fondation pour le Rayonnement de la Trompe Musicale played God Bless America on their hunting horns. Other speakers included Monsieur Schmitz, Regional Delegate of Ile-de-France for the Foundation of Patrimony, and Monsieur Martin, President of the Pershing-Lafayette Association. The mayor of Versailles, Monsieur François de Mazières, gave a speech and presented medals.

High school students singing

High School Students Singing It’s a Long Way to Tipperary
Photograph by Discover Paris!

Following the speeches, local high-school students read letters written by World War I soldiers and sang songs, including the British World War I song It’s a Long Way to Tipperary. An emotional speech by American Colonel Charles E. Stanton was recalled. On July 4, 1917, Stanton stood at the grave of the Marquis La Fayette in Paris and called out, “La Fayette, we are here!” His remark was a poignant reminder of the esteem that Americans hold for La Fayette and for the gratitude that they feel towards the French for their support of the American insurgents during the War of Independence.

View of the Inauguration of the Pershing-LaFayette  Monument from the La Fayette Column Courtesy of the Ville de Versailles

View of the Inauguration of the Pershing-La Fayette Monument from the La Fayette Column
Photograph courtesy of the Ville de Versailles

It was a fine ceremony that took place under a beautiful blue sky, and I felt honored that I was able to attend such a magnificent observance to the memory of French-American friendship.

General John J. Pershing (left), Marquis de La Fayette (right)

General John J. Pershing (left), Marquis de La Fayette (right)
Photographs by Discover Paris!

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*It was thought, at the time, that the statue of the Marquis La Fayette that stood in the courtyard of the Louvre could be transferred to the pedestal in Versailles. That statue now stands on Cours-la-Reine, an esplanade in Paris.

**The statues were cast in resin, not in bronze as had originally been planned.

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Paris Panorama Newsletter for November 2017

November 1st, 2017
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Paris Panorama Newsletter for November 2017

Welcome to the November 2017 edition of our newsletter Paris Panorama!

Each month we feature an inspiring haiku poem by Anna Eklund-Cheong. You will also find a photograph of Paris by Sophia Pagan, a photograph of our restaurant of the month with a link to our review (sign in to read the review), and an angel of the month by Rosemary Flannery.

Click here to access our current newsletter: https://discoverparis.net/newsletter-current.html.

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Join Us for Our “Black History in and around the Luxembourg Garden” Walk

October 26th, 2017
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Three Chairs in Luxembourg Garden

Three Chairs in the Luxembourg Garden
Photograph by Discover Paris!

Traveling to Paris soon? Click here to learn about our “Black History in and around the Luxembourg Garden” walk: http://discoverparis.net/black-history-in-and-around-the-luxembourg-garden.

It’s one of our most popular walking tours!

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Raula Leustean of Les Trublions

October 25th, 2017
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Raula Leustean of Les Trublions

Raula Leustean
Photograph by Discover Paris!

Yesterday, I stopped by Les Trublions to reconfirm a dinner reservation that I had made with Raula Leustean, co-owner of the restaurant. My friends and I look forward to a fine meal there soon!

I wrote about Les Trublions in my book Dining Out in Paris. To learn more about the book, click here! http://amzn.to/219LraJ

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A 10€ Lunch at Don Lucas

October 24th, 2017
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Sandwich and Sangria at Don Lucas

Sandwich and Sangria at Don Lucas
Photograph by Discover Paris!

On Monday, I stopped by Don Lucas at 42, rue Monge in the 5th arrondissement for the lunchtime special: a sandwich made from Pata Negra ham and manchego cheese, served with a glass of sangria, and followed with a goblet of mousse au chocolate. All this, for only 10€. What a treat!

I wrote about Don Lucas in my book Dining Out in Paris. To learn more about the book, click here! http://amzn.to/219LraJ

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Our Walk – Black History in and around the Luxembourg Garden

October 17th, 2017
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Christin Gumbert from Hamburg, Germany
Photograph by Discover Paris!

Christin Gumbert from Hamburg, Germany joined me today for our “Black History in and around the Luxembourg Garden” walk.

Are you coming to Paris soon? Click here to learn about the walk: http://discoverparis.net/black-history-in-and-around-the-luxembourg-garden.

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Macaron Secrets at Cook’n With Class

October 16th, 2017
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By Monique Y. Wells

Last Saturday, I had the distinct pleasure of attending a macaron class at Cook’n With Class – a cooking school in Paris’ 18th arrondissement.

Cook'n With Class Cooking School

Cook’n With Class Sign
Photograph by Discover Paris!

I won this class when I attended the school’s 10th anniversary party last month.

Macaron class at Cook'n With Class

Proudly displaying my Macaron Class gift certificate at Cook’n with Class
Photograph by Discover Paris!

Chef Sarah Tyler taught four other attendees – Nadine, Krystian, Sara, and Paola – and me how to make four varieties of this popular French dessert: rose, caramel beurre salée, pistachio, and fig.

In case you didn’t know, all macaron shells (the “cookie” part of the macaron) taste the same. What gives macarons their flavor is the filling. Macaron makers add coloring to the shells to help you anticipate the flavor of the filling!

As Chef Sarah instructed us on making both elements, she shared some surprising facts about macarons.

For example, did you know that the egg whites that go into the meringue should sit in the refrigerator for about a week before being used?

And that most macarons you buy in pastry shops, including the highest caliber ones, have been frozen?

Here are some photos that demonstrate a few of the steps required to make these scrumptious confections:

Making the macaron shells

One of the most important things to remember here is that MOISTURE IS THE ENEMY. You must be conscious of any additional liquid you may introduce, purposefully or inadvertently, because it can compromise the quality of your final product.

Making Macaron Shells_collage

Top:(left to right): Mixing powdered sugar and almond powder, making sugar syrup,
soft peak meringue, folding meringue into almond powder-sugar mixture
Bottom: Four colors of macaron batter

Photographs and collage by Discover Paris!

To make the pistachio shells look more appealing, we sprinkled them with crushed pistachios.

Piping batter_shells resting_collage

Left to right: Piping batter; pistachio and fig shells resting
Photographs and collage by Discover Paris!

Making the fillings

We made a fig jam, a salted butter caramel, and two ganaches from white chocolate to fill our macarons. We learned that ganaches need to set so that they become firm enough to pipe and that you should add their flavorings in small increments to avoid making them too strong.

Making Ganaches and Fig Jam

Top (left to right): Mixing pistachio ganache; adding salt to caramel ganache
Bottom (left to right): White chocolate and rose ganache; cutting figs for jam

Photographs and collage by Discover Paris!

Assembling the macarons

We decorated the caramel macaron shells with edible glitter and the rose macaron shells with a brush of red food coloring.

Chef Sarah explained that you must massage the bottom of each macaron to release it from the parchment paper. If you skip this step and try to lift the shells from the paper, you risk leaving much of the center attached to the paper.

Then you place the shells on a rack and match them for size.

After piping the filling onto a shell, you make the macaron “sandwich” by gently twisting the second shell onto the filling.

Assembling the macarons_collage

Top left: Brushing caramel macarons with edible glitter
Top right: Removing rose macaron shells from parchment paper
Bottom left: Piping ganache and assembling pistachio macarons
Bottom right: Creating the macaron “sandwich”

Photographs and collage by Discover Paris!

Chef Sarah and macarons

Chef Sarah and finished macarons
Photograph by Discover Paris!

This three-hour class was one of the most interesting and fun cooking adventures I’ve ever experienced. I highly recommend it!

Cook’n With Class
6 Rue Baudelique
75018 Paris
Telephone: (0)1 42 57 22 84
Internet: https://cooknwithclass.com/paris/

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The Eternal Quest for Beautiful Fesses – Our Fesses of the Month

October 14th, 2017
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Fontaine de Mars

Fontaine de Mars by Pierre-Nicolas Beauvallet
Photograph by Discover Paris!

The Fontaine de Mars is a large fountain that was installed around 1806 – 1808 on rue Saint-Dominique in the 7th arrondissement. On the eastern and western flanks of the fountain are vases, both of which depict the same fetching goddess. The features of her pulchritudinous fanny are clearly visible to fortunate passersby who happen to glance up.

Click here for a close-up view! https://www.pinterest.fr/pin/411586853437558475/

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Discover Paris! Is Named a “Not-to-be-missed” Tour on the Official Paris Tourist Office Web Site

October 12th, 2017
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Paris Tourist Office

We’re pleased to announce that for the month of October, Discover Paris! is being featured as a “not-to-be-missed” tour on the official Paris Tourist Office Web site. Click here to view! https://en.parisinfo.com/what-to-see-in-paris/guided-tours

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The Brothers’ Network Features Monique Y. Wells in Video Interview

October 11th, 2017
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Monique Y. Wells

Monique Y. Wells in Brothers’ Network Video

We’re pleased to announce that Monique Y. Wells has been featured as a affiliate of The Brothers’ Network, a cultural organization that highlights positive contributions and representations of African-American men in creative and instructive ways through the arts. Watch a video interview of her with Brothers’ Network National Advisory board member, Anthony Fleet, here: https://youtu.be/8K4VOc6t0cA.

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