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nothing can truly describe this experience, being invited to dinner by my neighbors,
Marcelle & Jean Michele.
to have dinner with them in their home.
their daughter, Aleandra, recently fell & broke her hip, had to have surgery, quit
smoking, quit drinking, and overcome the pain & physical therapy all at the same time.
all of the friends have been trying to cheer them up, staying with Alex, bringing food (believe me, that is difficult, when all of them are Master Chefs, FRENCH MASTER CHEFS).
the other evening the parents invited me to their home for dinner.
imagine.
what to take to them as a host/hostess gift? !!
so, I opted for an excellent cheese, French, of course. one they knew well.
I can only tell you that of the 3 courses they served, all beautifully and brilliantly presented,
all absolute perfection, and a very complicated main course, all seafood, but
made into little round circles, the texture like a dense mousse, and something which
must have taken Jean Michele 1/2 a day of more to create.
the conversation was brilliant, both of them have lived all over the world, and he is a history buff.
just so much fun, full of friendship and joy.
of course, their being French I asked when they would go back to their country again.
he said he would not go to Paris ever again!
that Paris has been ruined by the migrants from the Muslim countries.
if you are reading this, and if you have been to Paris recently please let me know your thoughts.
he is simply devastated by the influx of migrants all across Europe and likened it to
the Middle Ages. as I said, he knows history.
I would love to hear what you guys think, please.
and, once again, that evening was one of the Top Ten in my life, so far.
very special, never to be forgotten.
How lovely to have such special neighbors - and it all sounded so inviting and delicious. I love your choice of taking a French cheese Marsha - being a 'cheese-aholic' I must think of doing that when next being a guest somewhere! I hope their daughter makes a good recovery.
ReplyDeleteI somewhat concur with their thoughts on Paris and most of Europe. It is so very sad and disturbing to see what's going on.
We are off to England soon and don't plan to spend more than one day in London as I don't feel 100% safe in major European cities. In my small hometown in the southwest (Devon) I will be OK. I will not however stop traveling as my time is short now to see new places while I'm physically able! Later this year we will be off again on an expedition trip to new landscapes we've not seen before - hopefully there will be no problems, although I do know they have had somewhat blemished pasts!
Enjoy your weekend Marsha.
Hugs - Mary
Oh, I am so saddened about all this. The gentleman told me he would not fly into Charles de Gaulle airport either, but connect via Nice or Brussels. What I think I'll do is take one of my kids with me, I mostly always do this anyway, but I really don't like travelling alone at this point in my life. In Houston we have the illegals from Mexico & Central America, however, they do not seem to present such a horrific problem as they don't congregate en masse. I will go to Italy because I love it so much & it's a part of my heritage. France not so much. LONDON !! Imagine !!!
DeleteIn ITALY its THE CHINESE..............they are taking over all the shops.CHANGING TIMES that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteThe Orientals are great merchants and we have plenty here in Houston. They are polite, they want to make money, and they try to speak English. Every nail salon is Vietnamese, and if they like you they are wonderful to you. Here in the USA, we subsidize whatever work they get into. The city loans them money, or gives them grants. Our kids: ZERO
DeleteI think he's over reacting. We visited Paris last November and it seemed the same as always - except for the yellow vest protests. We did stay in the St. Germain des Pres area and didn't get to the outer arroundissements so that may be different. We have friends who live in the 18th and once while driving with them, they said they only thing they are upset about is that the migrants do not clean up after their street markets. We felt reasonably safe. We didn't use the Metro this time, not because of safety but because my knees couldn't take the stairs. We ubered everywhere - which was eye opening because the traffic is crazy.
ReplyDeleteWe have friends who live outside Paris and they don't go into Paris too much any longer. It's become harder and harder to drive within Paris and find parking. So they have their children drive out to see them.
Charles De Galle was fine. We fly into and out of there.
Don't think so. Watch this https://youtu.be/N2qOU94dgj8
DeleteOf course it has happened in England and now hitting NYC. Not good! Keep your eyes open.
I suppose if one is French it is more apparent than it is to us. They go into neighborhoods where their friends and families live, whereas we are mostly in the tourist areas. I just don't know.
DeleteIt does remind me of the Middle Ages. I know my World History.
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DeleteShame on you Marsha. Your French friends are immigrants! Your President married two immigrants. You want to travel and experience other cultures, but when foreigners come to your country they are not welcome, except to do the dirty work that locals don't want to do. I would immigrate if I could from my country too if I could. You post really pretty pictures, but stick to what you know and leave politics/culture to others who are promoting harmony not division. You can't even get on with your daughter-in-law, which says a lot for your interpersonal skills.
ReplyDeleteThe operative word here is "LEGAL IMMIGRANTS." My host was talking about illegal immigrants, and so was I. I am not promoting division, not at all, but facts are facts. In the USA illegal immigrants get everything free. Our own citizens do not. This, alone, is quite hideous. If you read my blog or my InstaGram you know I most talk about travel, entertainment, lifestyle, all light-hearted things. But reality smacks hard sometimes, and it made me sad to hear the French gentleman say how France has changed. I welcome your comment and thank you for stopping in to read the blog.
DeleteI agree with you Denise. He is over reacting. I've just returned from two weeks in France and spent most of my time in Paris. I flew in and out of CDG. I walked alone at night, used the metro, taxis and Uber. No problems at all. None of my many French friends have this complaint. I belong to three private French Facebook groups.Every day people ask questions and give opinions about French travel. I have never seen this issue mentioned once. I only know one French Muslim. He is a brilliant heart surgeon who works six months in Paris and six in Philadelphia. We all need to be very careful about generalizing religious and ethnic groups.
ReplyDeleteMy friends say the same thing about SWEDEN...."they" do not wish or will acclimate to the culture where they have "landed" and it is REALLY frightfully disturbing...
ReplyDeleteHello dear friend, thank you for your insightful thoughts.
DeleteAbsolutely enjoyed the photo and the story of dinner and sad about their daughter's situation. But the photo is stunning! Re Paris.....will never go. And NYC is now experiencing the Muslims now taking a piece of NYC. It freaks me out that they did this in England and took over a whole area - you are not allowed in there - then there is Paris and now here in the US - NYC. Watch this https://youtu.be/N2qOU94dgj8
ReplyDeleteYes, I watch the video. The problem is that their mentality requires them to TAKE OVER. They do not want to mix in with us. They want all of us GONE GONE GONE.
DeleteOrientals are rugs Please use the word Asians You should know better, Marsha, being the world traveler that you are
ReplyDeleteGinny, you are so right. Thank you !!
ReplyDeleteIn reading the headlines of the rioting (the yellow jackets) in Paris, I wouldn't rush back but that is Paris residents ruining Paris not just people moving in from other countries. One thing we've learned living on this side of the pond is that immigration is a way of life. As an American retiree here I am treated no differently than an Albanian worker . . .it is refreshing! As for your mention of the Paris airport, we too, try to avoid that but it is because it is far more difficult to navigate than other large airports on this side of the pond and is often flight-delayed for the spontaneous strikes called by the employees, again of all ethnic makeups. Maybe it is because the shadows and the memories of Hitler and his followers are still so vivid on this side of the Atlantic, but I find it a very dangerous practice to fingerpoint at a particular race or religion as the cause of a problem.
ReplyDeleteJackie & Joel, I am only repeating what my friend said. I, myself, go to Italy often. No problems ever. I have lived in the Middle East, again NO problems at all. I'm just happy I've had the experiences. And, if my husband were still with us I know I would still be travelling often, as he loved it too. So happy to read your intelligent comments. Bravo to you guys. xx's
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