Category Archives: History

Plus ça change

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Patricia Gilbert

As I’m writing this, it’s June, the time for graduations and yearbooks. Graduation was held via Zoom at the school where I teach French, and yearbooks were released online and “signed” virtually. In my own high school graduation yearbook, I … Continue reading →

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Les palais de Saint Petersburg

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Patricia Gilbert

I have a very nice husband. Not long after we moved to the States in the mid-90s, I saw an article about an exhibit dedicated to Russian Imperial treasures. Having been fascinated by the Romanovs for many years – even … Continue reading →

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Des castors, des hirondelles et des grisettes

Posted on November 11, 2019 by Patricia Gilbert

I have long loved the covered passages of Paris, those boutique-lined, glass-roofed vestiges of another era of shopping. Years ago, I saw a photo exhibit about them at Les Antiquaires du Louvre (now such a sad, abandoned shell) and bought … Continue reading →

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Les Parisiennes

Posted on October 14, 2019 by Patricia Gilbert

I just finished an excellent book, Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved, and Died in the 1940s, by Anne Sebba. I think was the best book that I have read so far this year. Sebba makes it clear … Continue reading →

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Le patrimoine culturel

Posted on April 22, 2019 by Patricia Gilbert

This week, all of us have been riveted by the tragic fire at Notre Dame. We were in a small town in New Hampshire, grabbing a quick bite, when we saw the horrible images on a muted TV in the … Continue reading →

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Le Bic Cristal

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Patricia Gilbert

  The summer program I work for in Paris had a daily newsletter with bad jokes, a skill-testing question about French culture, as well as the details of upcoming activities. I was generally able to ace the daily culture question, … Continue reading →

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Ce que j’ai lu

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Patricia Gilbert

I’ve enjoyed some good reads lately that were either in French or that had a francophile angle. Each was a book that I’ve owned for a while. I’m commited to finishing  all my backlog of books before I buy any … Continue reading →

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Le Zouave

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Patricia Gilbert

I’m sure you’ve heard about the tremendous flooding going on in France. Many towns are half-submerged under muddy water and tearful families are taking stock of sodden treasures. In Paris, the Louvre and musée d’Orsay had to close, along with … Continue reading →

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France- Normandy D-Day : Sword Beach, Ouistreham and Pegasus Bridge…- 50 photos. — ICI & LA NATURE PICTURESj

Posted on June 5, 2016 by Patricia Gilbert

The beaches of Normandy are the place where the Allied Forces Landing took place in WWII. More than 60 years after the D Day, the Normand Coast and its seaside resorts are nowadays peaceful but remain deeply rooted in the … Continue reading →

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Qu’ils reposent en paix

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Patricia Gilbert

June 6, 1914 marks the beginning of Operation Overlord, the battle to liberate France from Nazi occupation. After the dramatic landing on the Normandy beaches, the Allies continued to battle inch by bloody inch across France. In an effort to … Continue reading →

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