A Treasure Trove of Holiday Cards

Dear Travellati friends, 

Over the years, I have received thousands of holiday cards, but none was so thrilling to see in my mailbox as a card addressed to me by my father. The first clue that there was something special inside was the beautiful envelope, inscribed in an elegant hand and painted with holly and ivy. I carefully slit the envelope open with the ebony letter opener my Dad made me years ago to not damage the envelope or its contents. Below are a few treasures from these years of cards that I would like to share as my holiday gift to you.

Ebony letter opener by Lee Kemble.

Hand drawn card and envelope by Lee Kemble, pen and ink.

Woodblock print of pine trees.

Holiday cornucopia or spray, woodblock print.

Reverse stenciled snowflakes.

3-D card made by pressing damp paper into a carved wood block.

Bisected tree woodblock print with glitter and silver foil.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a peaceful New Year.

And hope to see you in June on our Papa's Paris Tour in which we meet Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald! Call for an individualized quote, 10% reduction if offered as a gift by Dec. 30: 914-909-5079.

Joyeux Noël!

A Child’s Christmas in Paris – and Cincinnati

Bonjour mes amis, 
At my first Christmas, I was 3 months old. A snapshot of me in my mother’s arms says on the back, “Looking at the Christmas Tree – Dec. 59.” The lights must have dazzled me. 

Liz looking at the Christmas tree, 1959.

We used real candles on the tree back in those days. The trees were scrawnier then, so it was easier to use candles without burning the house down than it would be now. We always had some full buckets of water on hand, just in case. My Dad made the star on top out of a tin can and the straw ornaments must have come from my mother’s German relatives. 

Our Christmas tree in Paris with live candles.

For my third Christmas, we were in Cincinnati at my American grandparents’ house, but we still had real candles on the tree. I loved the popping sound the plastic chain made when I clicked and unclicked the pieces together and apart. 

Liz and Steve with Mom in Cincinnati 1963

Back in France, I remember my father taking me to the church next door at Christmastime to look at the crèche. I remember being very awed by it. The church had rows and rows of the wooden caned chairs that French churches have instead ofpews. 

The crèche at the church next door in Paris.

Our last Christmas in Paris was in 1965. We were delighted with our American Indian themed costumes and our tear-off calendars – my brother’s was in the shape of a bear and mine in a red cone shape that represented Santa Claus. Note the paper and popcorn chains on the tree that we had helped make. 

Steve and Liz with Christmas presents.

We probably got the idea from a book we had, and I still have, called “Favorite Christmas Songs and Stories.” An American relative must have sent it. I had memorized “The Night Before Christmas” and could recite it from start to finish, in English. At school, our teachers were puzzled when we drew fireplaces with stockings hanging from them instead of shoes next to the fireplace, as is the tradition in France. Our parents had to explain.

My favorite book: Favorite Christmas Songs and Stories.

And I was thrilled with my new roller skates. That’s me wearing the skates and my Indian regalia as I watch my brother open his presents. I also tried out his drummer’s hat, which my Dad made, and his new drum. I was quite disappointed I couldn’t do a drum roll like they did in the Bastille Day parade. The sticks just went thump thump thump. 

Liz watching Steve open Christmas presents.

The last Christmas I remember well was on the ship SS Bremen that was taking us to the United States for the final time. We had sailed from Cherbourg on December 5, 1966, the day after my aunt’s wedding and were on the high seas for a week or so. Our parents passed our presents to the Santa onboard, who then presented them to us. I got a pretty doll with eyelids that moved, but was heartbroken once we unpacked in Cincinnati and my beloved teddy bear, “Petit Nounou,” was nowhere to be found. My mom had thrown him out before we left Paris because he was too dirty. I never played with the doll. 

Liz trying out Steve's new drum and hat.

Christmas was never quite the same after that. We kept having real candles on the tree for a while until we became Americanized enough to buy colored strings of lights. Today, I use electric “candles” on my tree to remind me of my childhood Christmases, and German straw Christmas ornaments. And I just now realized why I bought one of my favorite tin folk ornaments: it is a red cone shape representing Santa Claus.

Dome of the Galeries Lafayette, Paris, Christmas 2010.

Travel back in time and make your own memories in Paris! Join us in June 2017 for our Papa's Paris Tour in which we meet Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. Call me for an individualized quote, 10% reduction if offered as a gift by Dec. 30:  914-909-5079.

Joyeux Noël!

Give the gift of French culture: 9 gifts that say "France"

Bonjour mes amis,

Noël is almost upon us and with it our thoughts turn to charming gifts that you can offer your loved ones to evoke a little bit of France in their lives. Some will even fit in the shoes by the fireplace (the French use shoes, not stockings). Below are 9 gift ideas for authentic French products and products that just say “France.”

A page from Paris Street Style: A Coloring Book

1. Paris Street Style: A Coloring Book by Zoe de las Cases, $10.87 at www.amazon.com

A fun coloring book to get you in the mood for a trip to Paris or to remind you of your last trip. Or just to voyage in your imagination. 

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Authentic Marseillais olive oil soap

2. Marius Fabre Savon de Marseille a L’Huile d’Olive, 400 grams, $15.00 at www.french-merchants.com
 
Since 1900, Marius Fabre has manufactured soaps made only from vegetable oils, no coloring and preservative free. This 400gr block of olive oil based soap is made in the traditional manner and is gentle to the skin.

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Who, me?

3. Everybody Behaves Badly: The True Story Behind Hemingway's Masterpiece The Sun Also Rises, by Lesley M. M. Blume, $17.70 hardcover at www.amazon.com
 
From The Washington Times, “Ms. Blume spares us none of the gory details of betrayals — literary and personal — naked ambition, ruthlessness, and all manner of nastiness that went into the making of this stunning debut, all of which might leave a nasty taste in our mouths. Yet she has somehow managed to retain her admiration for it as a work of literature.” 

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Delectable Marrons Glacés Candied Chestnuts in Red Tin by Clément Faugier

4. Marrons Glacés Candied Chestnuts in Red Tin by Clément Faugier, $33 at yummybazaar.com
 
I still remember the delectable candied chestnuts of my childhood, a holiday treat. If you’ve never had them, you are really missing something! This classic French confection combines the umame taste of chestnuts with the melt-in-your-mouth texture of glacéed fruits. You can’t eat just one.

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What do David Bowie, Salvador Dali, Gary Cooper (nice gams, Coops!), Ernest Hemingway, and JFK have in common?

5. Authentic Catalonian Espadrilles, $59, www.espadrillestore.com
 
These are the espadrilles that Picasso, Dali, Hemingway, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Grace Kelly, David Bowie, and anyone else traveling in Catalonia wore. They’re inexpensive, durable, and elegant. Just don’t wear them in the rain! 

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Laguiole pocket knife with cow horn handle and brass bolsters. Note bee on locking mechanism. 

6. Laguiole Pocket Knives, from $69.95 at www.forge-de-laguiole-usa.com
 
Laguiole knives are well known in the States as steak knives, but they are better known in France for their vast array of beautiful pocket knives, in all sizes and materials, including horn, precious woods, brass, with beautiful chiseled details along the top and the famous bee that is part of the locking mechanism. I have one myself and have loved it for years. 

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19th Century Reproduction Parisian Style Folding Bistro Chairs.

7. 19th Century Reproduction Parisian Style Folding Bistro Chairs, chair from $99 at www.kpetersen.com
 
Folding chairs and tables just like the ones you see in Parisian parks, they are lightweight and relatively inexpensive. Note: not ideal for long-term sitting! 

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Classic French café chair.

8. Riviera Side Chair, from $228 at www.serenaandlily.com
 
The classic 1930s European café chair, reinterpreted. Handcrafted of lightweight rattan and woven plastic seats, comfortable, family-friendly and great for the kitchen or the patio. (Just remember to store it indoors when the rains come.) 

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In the courtyard of our hotel in the heart of the Latin Quarter in Paris.

• 9. The Ultimate Travel Tour: Papa’s Paris Tour at www.travellati.com, call for quote.

 
Now’s her time. After a lifetime of service to others, give her a gift that she will cherish forever: a visit to Paris, Hemingway’s Paris, that is. Travellati’s Papa’s Paris Tour caters to solo boomer travelers, inspiring conviviality, great conversation, leisurely adventures, and surprise pop-up theatrical experiences. Call Liz for an individualized quote, 10% reduction if offered as a gift by 12/30: 914-909-5079.

Joyeux Noël!

How to speak "coffee" in French, part 2

Penny here from Travellati Tours. In my last post, I described a conversation I had with my friend François about the nature of the coffee shop in America versus the café in Paris. I mulled over the idea and came up with some important points for you to know about the Parisian café:

1. A Parisian café is so much more than a coffee shop. It is a restaurant and a bar, a stop in the morning and the place to gossip after work. It is where revolutions are planned and masterpieces written. The café is the social fabric of French society.

Les Deux Magots across from the Church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

2. Many patrons stand at the bar to drink their espresso because it is cheaper than taking a table – often by a Euro or more. Beware to the guileless tourist who takes his espresso from the bar and then sits down at a table with it!

3. Learn the language of coffee. In France, un café, un café express, or un express, is an espresso. That's what the French drink, so that's what the simple word "café" refers to. If you like the taste but not the strength of espresso, order un café allongé and you'll get an espresso in a large cup which you can dilute with hot water. For something like American coffee, you can simply ask for un café américain. It’s not exactly the same, but close. If you also want milk, add avec du lait. They will give it to you on the side. This is not the same as un café au lait, which is only drunk by the French at breakfast and contains hot milk. Sugar is easy – it’s always provided.

At Café Procope: at rear, from left to right: Condorcet, La Harpe, Voltaire (with his arm raised), and Diderot.

4. The Parisian café has a long history beginning with the opening of Café Procope in 1686 in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The literary class frequented the café, including Voltaire, Rousseau, Balzac, and Hugo. Café Procope exists to this day.

Café Procope today.

5. The café is a place to see and to be seen. The New York Times writer and author Elaine Sciolino writes, "The French imbue everything they do with a deep affection for sensuality, subtlety, mystery and play." This is true of the café so don’t wear your yoga pants to coffee.

Enjoy an espresso with us in Paris. Join us for our Papa’s Paris Tour slated for June 17-25, 2017, by November 30 and save $1,400. You will thank yourself!

Stylish café patrons in the chic area near the Parc Monceau.

How to speak "coffee" in French

When I am too wired to sleep in Paris, I slip out of my hotel to follow the labyrinth of cobbled streets to Café Les Editeurs (“The Publishers”). Mannequins stare silently from darkened boutique windows. A man waits for his poodle. A couple stumbles past me arm in arm.

I follow the zigzagging alley to a triangular plaza lined with wicker chairs. I have reached the edge of Saint-Germain-des-Près, a neighborhood littered with bookstores that was once the heart of the city’s publishing industry.

It's always time for a coffee at Café les Editeurs. 

The glow of the art deco lamps coaxes me inside. I take a seat at one of the lipstick-red leather chairs and order a half-dozen oysters and a half carafe of dry white wine much as Hemingway did after completing a rather difficult bout of writing.

My friend, François, first invited me to Les Editeurs “to swallow a coffee.” He wanted to show me the 5,000 books lining the walls given to the café by various publishers. I had met François smoking on the windowsill at a friend’s party. I knew we would be fast friends when, after I had complained to him that I was experiencing a literary dry spell, he suggested I read the humorous (and highly French) novel, The Bathroom, by Jean-Philippe Toussaint.

A couple enjoying lunch at the café Les Editeurs in Paris.

François recently visited me in New York and became very confused about our café culture. “I ordered an American coffee that took a very long time dripping,” he said perplexed. “And, then they handed it to me in a paper cup!” “Blame the hipsters!” was all I could say. “You do not have cafés,” he said, indignant, “You have additional offices where you pay the price of a coffee to work!” “Have you never been to a Starbucks in Paris, François?” “Of course not,” he told me, haughtily. “It is the place where teenagers get a milk shake in their espresso.”

Next time, I’ll give you a few tips about enjoying French café culture.
 
In the meantime, sign up for our Papa’s Paris Tour slated for June 17-25, 2017, by November 30 and save $1,400. You will thank yourself!

The café La Rotonde in the Montparnasses area of Paris.

Paris is a Playground - Come play!

Paris is famous as a playground for the rich and famous, and as a setting for movies. But did you know that Paris is also a paradise for children, young and old? 

Hopscotch in Paris on the Square du Palais Royal.

From carousels, Punch-and-Judy shows, and ice creams in the park, to sailing boats in the bassin in the Luxembourg gardens or the occasional circus, we older folk can partake of at least some of these delights and feel young at heart again.

A young go-cart driver enjoying a little help from her Maman in the Champ de Mars

A young Parisienne goes for the brass ring.

A woman getting her boat under sail in the Jardins du Luxembourg.

Hemingway himself, with his young son Bumby, must have partaken in many of these timeless rituals, from the 100-year old hand-cranked carousels still in existence in the Luxembourg Gardens and the Champ de Mars to the Punch-and-Judy shows also in these parks, not to mention the occasional ice cream cone.

The Clown bar.

Come play with us in Paris and feel like a kid again! Enjoy the sight of innumerable delectable pastries in a shop window and take your pick. Have a chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) or a glace à la fraise (strawberry ice cream cone). Scuff your feet through the gravel of the Tuileries Garden and peek through the glass panes of the Louvre Pyramid at the people below.

Selection of patries at the famous Dalloyau pastry shop.

Some say Paris is for lovers; I say Paris is for the young and the young at heart. Come join us in Paris in June 2017 for our Papa's Paris Tour, the trip of a lifetime. Early Bird pricing available until October 30. Trick or treat!

Now's the Time

We have designed the perfect week-long tour to Paris for you – the one you have always dreamed about. Now is the time to treat yourself. There are only two weeks left to sign up for the Early Bird special for our Papa’s Paris Tour set for June 17-25, 2017.

Meanwhile, let me remind you why now is your time to pursue your dream of traveling to Paris…

La Rotonde café in the heart of Montparnasse

●      Now is the time to travel. You’re healthy, you’re still young, your schedule is as free as it’ll ever be. Your kids are finally out of the house so you better spend some of that money before they come back asking for more!

●      Refresh your mind and spirit. We all need a break from the endless responsibilities and routine habits of our daily lives. Travel is the perfect way to rise above the mundane, to seek out wonder and beauty in a new place, and to rekindle inspiration and joy within yourself.

●      Travel is more fun in the company of friends. Travellati curates a small group of like-minded travelers who enjoy having a good time, don’t take themselves too seriously and are open-minded and curious about life. We’re a fun group of folks to go on an adventure with through Paris.

A group of friends out for a stroll in 1920s Paris.

●      All fun, no hassle. Traveling can be exhausting and infuriating when you spend hours waiting in line for a museum ticket, stumble into a tourist trap of a restaurant, and end up riding the crowded metro the wrong way. We take away all that stress from the trip with our carefully planned tour where every detail is taken care of in advance.

●      Celebrate the nostalgia of Paris. Travellati Tours is unique in that we journey back to the literary and cultural heyday of the American expat community in Paris with interactive encounters with the "Fitzgeralds," "Hemingway" and “Gertrude Stein.” Our actors, musicians, and dancers will delight you with a little humor and whimsy from the past not unlike the delightful fantasy of Woody Allen’s fabulous film, Midnight in Paris.

The Dome café in Montparnasse in Paris in the 1920s.

●       Paris is unlike any other city on earth. The only way to experience it is through your five senses. Aroma is just one of those senses you will re-awaken in Paris. A lingering perfume, the cultivated gardens, the food. Tradition has woven the taste and smell of delectable food into the daily routine of the Parisian. Flakes of buttery croissant in the morning alongside a warm bowl of café au lait; a slow rôtisserie at mid-day of duck and rabbit dripping juices at the corner boucherie; the bouquet of the evening apéritif with friends; ending the dinner with the ripe and creamy, firm and tangy delights of a dozen cheeses.     

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A boulangerie with its delectable array of fresh breads, warm from the oven.

Come away with us to Paris for the adventure of your lifetime. Book your ticket now for a generous discount on our Papa’s Paris Tour.  

Now’s the time.

Travel in good company!

Just to let you know, the Early Bird pricing for our Papa's Paris Tour ends October 30 – save $1,650 if you register now. 

Solo travelers: Several people who are solo travelers have reached out to me about this tour and have signed up for it. I myself often travel on my own so I understand what solo travelers appreciate and have incorporated this into Travellati tours: We keep the tours small, 6-12 guests, so that we can mingle and get to know one another. We share a single table at meals whenever possible, play ice breaker games, and engage in general conversation. Sharing a common interest such as Hemingway ensures lively discussion! 

Ernest Hemingway at the head of the table.

Casual dining at La Ruche, "The Beehive," also the name of an atelier in the teens of the last century where poor artists such as Soutine and Modigliani could rent space.

During our half days off, the guests often look to share meals and other activities with each other. Or for those of us who are introverts like myself and need some time to recharge, to take a rest or explore the city a bit on our own. You can choose to have alone time when and as you need it.

That's me, greeting a friendly Montmartre local. This sculpture by Jean Marais, Le Passe-Muraille (the Passer-Through-Walls) is based on the eponymous story by Marcel Aymé.

Here's a friendly bouquiniste I met who spends his winters painting in Key West. I later ran into him by chance as he was crossing the square in front of Les Deux Magots.

Solo travelers are often penalized heavily when it comes to pricing. To avoid that as much as possible, we simply pass on to our guests the additional cost of single occupancy that the hotel charges, we do not profit from it.

Looking forward to meeting you on our Papa's Paris Tour from June 17-25, 2017. June is the perfect time to visit Paris and Hemingway and his friends are always in town.... Who knows whom we might run into?

Book by October 30 to receive the Early Bird discount, a savings of $1,650! An affordable payment plan is available. See Papa's Paris Tour and Papa's Paris Tour Pricing for details. A bientôt!

Bowie's Berlin Talk

Liz Kemble, the founder of Travellati Tours, will give an illustrated talk and Webinar on "Bowie's Berlin" on Thursday, September 22, at the Warner Library in Tarrytown, NY, at 7:00 PM. We will take a look at some of the places and people that made Bowie's time in Berlin such a productive one, such as the Neues Ufer; Hansa Studios, where he recorded several albums, including two collaborations with musician Brian Eno and producer Tony Visconti: "Low, and "’Heroes’", part of his ground-breaking "Berlin Trilogy"; the Reichstag, the site of his 1986 concert near the Berlin Wall that was a turning point in the Wall's demise; as well as the famous people he associated with, such as musicians Iggy Pop and Brian Eno, and transgender girlfriend Romy Haag; and the painters that influenced him, such as Egon Schiele.

Webinar details:

Topic: David Bowie's Berlin
Time: Sep 22, 2016 7:00 PM (GMT-4:00) Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/907858855

Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll): +16465588656,907858855# or +14086380968,907858855#

Or Telephone:
Dial: +1 646 558 8656 (US Toll) or +1 408 638 0968 (US Toll)
Meeting ID: 907 858 855
International numbers available: https://zoom.us/zoomconference…