Cherries

July 15, 2014

July 15, 2014 Photo (196/365): "Life is like..."

Drapeau

July 14, 2014

It's Bastille Day, La Fête Nationale en France, and the French flag is flying proudly...

...all over Paris...

...and throughout France, from the north to the south:

Ferry from Portsmouth to Caen

Le Mont-St.-Michel

Le Château de Chambord

Avignon

Nice

But France isn't the only place to celebrate!

Today, I enjoyed a Bastille Day treat at Le Rêve in Wauwatosa.

It's so hard to choose!

Choix d'aujourd'hui: Une tarte au chocolat et du café

July 14, 2014 Photo (195/365): "Au Café"

{Photos in France taken in 2011 and 2013}

Sunshine

July 13, 2014

July 13, 2014 Photo (194/365): "Sunshine"

"Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces

Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun

And I say it's all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes..."

Direction

July 12, 2014

July 12, 2014 Photo (193/365): "Direction"

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.

You're on your own, and you know what you know.

And you are the one who'll decide where to go." - Dr. Seuss

Hydrangea

July 11, 2014

July 11, 2014 Photo (192/365): "Hydrangea"

"The flowers are Nature's jewels, with whose wealth she decks her summer beauty." - George Croly

French Friday: le 14 juillet

July 11, 2014

This weekend, celebrations begin for le 14 juillet, Bastille Day, the French Fête Nationale. France will be draped in bleu, blanc, and rouge as citizens enjoy parties, picnics, parades, and fireworks. As much as I would love to be celebrating in Paris, I can indulge my francophilia right here in Wisconsin. I can celebrate Bastille Day at Le Rendez-Vous, our new French restaurant here in Okauchee Lake or head downtown to enjoy Milwaukee's Bastille Days. The annual festival features live music, an international marketplace, art exhibits, chef demos, wine tasting, mini French language lessons, French and Cajun cuisine, and even a 43-foot Eiffel Tower with an hourly light shows after dark. Those craving more French fare may wish to dine at one of the area's lovely French restaurants: Chez Jacques, Trocadero, Coquette Café, Le Rêve (photos and reviews here, here, and here), or my favorite, Lake Park Bistro (always a tradition on my birthday and our anniversary; see my reviews and photos here, here, here, here, and here). While downtown, why not visit the Kandinsky exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum? Together with the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the museum is featuring a remarkable collection of over one hundred works, representing every period of the Russian-born French artist’s career from 1900-1944.