Hello All-

Indulge in a small French fantasy. The December 2009 issue of French Vogue Paris has the Vogue 2009 calendar included as a supplement. To preview the amazing images, go to:

fashionologie.com/2534548

Workplace safety note: The images are gorgeous, of course, but are not workplace safe.

Happy New Year!

One of the reasons to visit Europe, and France in particular, is the many examples of beautiful vernacular architecture that one can admire—from easily disassembled half-timbered houses to stone cottages with thatched roofs.

Often, we think of these examples as being “quaint” and not reliable for modern construction. I mean, thatched roofs? On the other hand, they last a long time, have a great insulating value, and if you do it yourself, they’re not that expensive.

From the interesting Ariège-Pyrénées Photo Blog comes a story of an architect who left the business, desiring to become self-sufficient in the countryside. So he bought a small cottage to restore:

The final step in his house renovation was to replace the old asbestos sheeted roof with thatch. In the past, thatch in this area was made of rye or wheat stalks and generally lasted about 15 years before it had to be replaced or another layer added. Now water reed is preferred because it lasts up to 40 or 50 years, with a bit of maintenance.

There are some great photos of the results; see: Un toit à l’ancienne / A new old roof

I don’t understand why so-called tribal art isn’t art. It’s just a different tribe. Instead of Franks we have Bantu or Korean or Jomon artists producing wonderful objects which are on display at the “controversial” MQB. Some critics say the 300,000 plus objects in the MQB are not “art” and, therefore, need detailed explanations of how the objects were used or created. I don’t get it: why can’t we have art plus detailed explanations? I like knowing how a sculpture was made or how a painting evolved from a charcoal sketch to the Mona Lisa. Seems like a silly dichotomy. Go see for yourself. The MQB is located in Museum Alley, if you will, near the Louvre and Musee d’Orsay, the Grand & Petit Palais, Palais de Tokyo, and Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. Another good reason for the Museum Pass – otherwise, can you imagine what kind of day that would be?

So, I was reading an article that appeared to claim that Barge Cruises are comparable to the River Cruises, but somewhat less costly. I’m not sure about the cost part, but the barge cruise idea sounds wonderful. I went on-line to French Country Waterway Cruises, a US-based company. Each barge is a floating hotel-du-charme, with 8-18 guests. This line has four routes: one in Champagne, one in the Upper Loire Valley (think gateway to chateau country), two in Burgundy (formerly its own very independent, very powerful duchy), and one in Alsace-Lorraine. (I didn’t know that Lorraine was the home of Proust’s famous madelines, did you? They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner on-board. They buy fresh-based croissants and pastries in the mornings and work with local farmers to use local products from the villages as they pass through. Of course, local wines are served with dinner. The sample menus were incredible. I yearn for the chocolate souffle served with a candied basket of wild strawberries and Grand Marnier sorbet. A motor coach travels with the barge, facilitating on-shore excursions. At least one night is devoted to dinner on-shore at a top quality restaurant. The website is romantic and effective. Check it out at: www.fcwl.com.

Sadly, it’s not cheap; however, if you happen to have cash lying around and book the 2009 trip now, there is a discount. Just a thought!

Yup, “crap wine” from Languedoc is selling well in France. Bottles labeled Vin de Merde are flying off the shelves. Don’t get hit by one:

Restauranteur Jean-Marc Speziale and winemaker Walter Valgalier concocted their devilish little PR tactic in the caves of Gignac, near Montpellier. Speziale told Just-Drinks.com that the canny name acts as a backhanded compliment to Languedoc’s underappreciated wine. ~ ‘Crap Wine’ a Winner in Southern France

Will there soon be a “crap coffee” sold worldwide by Starbucks? Put it in a crap paper cup and you’ve got a winner.