Rooftop Bee Hives in Paris France!

I was amazed to see this video recently and I know you all will enjoy it too. Who would have thought of putting bee hives on the rooftops of Paris?! It was interesting to hear the bee keeper comment on the fact that “city bees” are actually happier here than in a rural setting with its pesticides and mono-culture. The bees in Paris access the lovely flower gardens in public parks as well as all the geraniums and other flowers on the balconies all over town. Especially engaging were the hives on the roofs of Notre Dame Cathedral where the director enjoys watching them from his office, and the bees at the famous restaurant La Tour d'Argent whose honey is served to its gourmet clientele. Beekeepers have been placing hives all over Paris for 8 years, and there are now a total of 300 which give 7 tons of honey a year! The Japanese are especially fond of Paris honey and it sells for 200 Euros a kilo.

Cheeses of France: Roquefort—the “King of Cheeses”

Let's go to southern France and enjoy a true Roquefort! 

I am truly a “cheese-a-holic!”. One of the joys of my time in France was the abundance of cheeses, the variety, and the availability. Unless you live in an urban area with gourmet shops it is hard to find really excellent French cheeses in the U.S. It was my privilege to live in the Napa Valley for many years and because it is a gourmet food haven, I was able to indulge my love of cheese. The great former General and President of France, Charles de Gaulle supposedly said something like “it is impossible to govern a country with over 300 cheeses.” So I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the favorites in this blog series. And for today I have chosen Roquefort, the famous blue cheese from southern France. Roquefort has an interesting history. According to the website of Société Roquefort, the legend is that ages ago a young shepherd was attracted to a beautiful young woman and ran after her, leaving his flock of sheep and his meal, bread and ewe's milk in a cave. Several days later he returned to find the milk curd marbled with green veins and the bread moldy. The Penicillium Roqueforti had turned his cheese into Roquefort. Since I do my best to eat foods that are natural and pure, I am especially fond of Roquefort since it is from the raw milk of sheep. Each sheep gives only 16 gallons of milk per season and the cheese is aged for a minimum of 90 days in the limestone caves of Roquefort. The milk is injected with the mold penicillum, the same substance that gives us the antibiotic.

And the conditions of the limestone caves age the cheese to become the delicious product that we know. There are reports of a cheese like Roquefort dating from the 1st century A.D.,and this was the first cheese to be given an “appellation d'origine”, way back in 1925. This is a sort of trademark saying that this product comes only from a certain designated place and no other product can be called by its name. There is a strict appellation in the wine business, as in “Appellation Bourgogne Controlée” or “Appellation Côtes de Nuit Controlée”. Roquefort is produced in the region around Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in the department of Aveyron, in the south of France. I once questioned the different-ness of French cheeses with a French native, asking why a Camembert would be any different produced in Normandy or produced anywhere else. His response was firm: essentially, “are you kidding?” Only the grass that grows in that region has the rainfall, the sunshine, the soil to nourish the cow whose milk will reflect those conditions and only those conditions will give the cheese Camembert which came from that spot. I love this connection to the land that the appellations offer and I realize that it's true that the subtle distinctions that give us the fine cheeses and wines of France are linked to the Earth conditions that produced them. We don't have this system very strongly in the U.S. although you will see cheddar from Vermont or from New York State or Wisconsin as a designated appellation. I like to eat Roquefort on plain rice crackers (although a good baguette would be best) with a bit of butter to accompany it. Bon appétit!

The Latin Quarter—part 1: quartier rue de la Huchette

A stroll through the narrow streets of the Latin Quarter in medieval Paris. 


The Latin Quarter on the Left Bank is my favorite neighborhood in Paris. Perhaps because I was a French teacher, perhaps because I led student tours for many years, this colorful part of Paris traditionally frequented by students, intellectuals, writers, artists and the young in general has always been close to my heart. The members of my tours were always surprised to learn that it got its name “Latin Quarter” because in the Middle Ages Latin was the language of learning, and the University of Paris had its beginnings in the 12th century right in this part of town.
The first night in Paris on my tours I wanted the group to experience the narrow medieval streets of this historic district. I suggest starting out at the métro Maubert-Mutualité, crossing Bd. St-Germain and taking Rue Maître Albert, leading into Rue de la Bûcherie, across the river from Notre Dame. Just delight in the tiny streets that haven't changed all that much for 800 years! There are several charming places to have dinner along these streets and also along la Rue Galande, a little to the left, across Rue Lagrange.


At the end of Rue Galande, you will come upon the lovely little church St-Julien-le-Pauvre, one of the city's oldest religious buildings. It was built on the ruins of a church destroyed by the Normans in the 9th century and rebuilt in the 12th century in Gothic style. At the end of the 19th century the church was given to the Greek Orthodox faith. (For more details on Gothic architecture, see my blog of Feb. 8, 2016)
From the front of the church go to the Rue St-Jacques and onto the Rue du Petit Pont and just before you reach the river, turn left onto Rue de la Huchette. This little street and all the other ancient streets around it lying between Bd. St-Michel, Bd. St-Germain and Rue St-Jacques are very interesting and exciting places to stroll, especially after dark. This is not elegant Paris! But it is old Paris—passageways unchanged for centuries including rue de la Harpe, rue Xavier Privas, and the very very narrow rue du Chat qui Pêche. These streets are crowded, noisy, youthful and colorful: lots of cheap restaurants, many of them Greek, with the waiters standing outside trying to lure you in.


On Rue de la Huchette, be sure to take a look at the tiny Théâtre de la Huchette, with continuous performances of Ionesco's plays for over 48 years. Just wander around these narrow streets, and maybe pick up a baclava in one of the many shops specializing in Mediterranean pastries.


One treasure you want to see is the church of St-Séverin. Rue de la Harpe crosses Rue St-Séverin but everything in this neighborhood is so close you won't miss it. If you are here at night you will enjoy the lighting of this Gothic gem, and if during the day, you may want to visit the interior. Interesting to note that this church is a stone's throw from the mighty Notre Dame and I have always wondered how the relatively small population of 12th and 13th century Paris could sustain so many churches.

In future blogs we will look at more of my favorite spots in the 5th and 6th arrondissements. Stay tuned!