Summer in France. Every July and particularly August the French enjoy their summer vacation. Paris is quieter as the French take their “grandes vacances” (big holiday) out of the capital city and head to the sea, mountains, or countryside. Where do they go? Within France, the French spend their summer vacation at the Atlantic coast, the Mediterranean,Continue reading “Summer in France”
Category Archives: Opal Hush
Rail to Romilly, France
Rail to Romilly, France. The August summer vacation sends me back to Romilly, Normandy, in rural France, north of Paris. The ninety minutes by regional train starts at Saint-Lazare station. The window view reveals open landscapes, communal garden plots, rows of fruit trees, industrial sites, church spires, grazing sheep, silos, and wide rivers.
My new favourite French poet: Francis Jammes
My new favourite French poet: Francis Jammes. Francis Jammes is my new favourite poet. I came across his poem “Café Table” and it felt like “my poem.” “Café Table” I asked for wine, but sipped the sun — A sparrow landed near the bun. No prophet came, no trumpet blew — Just light and bread.Continue reading “My new favourite French poet: Francis Jammes”
9-10 August 2025 in Paris: Beaches, Films, Comedy & Summer Arts
9-10 August 2025 in Paris: Beaches, Films, Comedy & Summer Arts. When the French are on vacation and out of town, August in Paris knows how to surprise remainers and tourists. Whether you’re here for a weekend, a week, or all summer long, this weekend (August 9–10, 2025) offers the perfect excuse to dive into everything the capital has to offer: beaches by the Seine,Continue reading “9-10 August 2025 in Paris: Beaches, Films, Comedy & Summer Arts”
MARTINA’S FRENCH WAYS #6: Fire dogs
MARTINA’S FRENCH WAYS #6: Fire dogs. Bienvenue to Martina’s French Ways — a corner of the site where I share the routines, rituals, and inspirations that shape my writing life here in Paris. A Glimpse of Paris: the parade The 14 July Bastille Day parade along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris attracted many locals and tourists. Bastille Day isContinue reading “MARTINA’S FRENCH WAYS #6: Fire dogs”
A Parisian apartment, a forgotten book, a hidden photograph
A Parisian apartment, a forgotten book, a hidden photograph. What secrets do old Paris apartments keep? Sometimes, the city hides its history in unexpected places. While cleaning my apartment in Paris this week, a worn French edition of Printemps Romain de Mrs Stone (The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone) by Tennessee Williams slipped from a shelf. American playwright Tennessee Williams (1911-1983), after many dramas, publishedContinue reading “A Parisian apartment, a forgotten book, a hidden photograph”
Bastille Day Parade, Paris, 14 July 2025
Bastille Day Parade, Paris, 14 July 2025.
MARTINA’S FRENCH WAYS #5: Theatre, Drama, and Illusions
MARTINA’S FRENCH WAYS #5: Theatre, Drama, and Illusions. Bienvenue to Martina’s French Ways — a corner of the site where I share the little rituals, objects, and routines that shape my writing life here in Paris. A Glimpse of Paris The New Yorker magazine in America, launched in 1925, focuses on the cultural life of New York, andContinue reading “MARTINA’S FRENCH WAYS #5: Theatre, Drama, and Illusions”
Paris architecture: the modern looms over the past
Paris architecture: the modern looms over the past. In cities, the juxtaposition of new and old, present and past, is either relatively seamless or a catastrophic clash. There is no starker contrast in architecture in Paris that demonstrates a modern building looming large over the past aesthetic than in Montparnasse in the 14th arrondissement. On one side:Continue reading “Paris architecture: the modern looms over the past”
2025 Brazil-France cultural season and the Salgado connection
2025 Brazil-France cultural season and the Salgado connection. The rhythms and colours of Brazil feature in the 2025 Paris summer of urban beaches! A deck chair by the Seine river with all the fun and music of Brazil! But the Brazil-France connection is more than a Parisian beach summer. Brazilian Sebastião Salgado, the world-renowned photographer, has an intimateContinue reading “2025 Brazil-France cultural season and the Salgado connection”