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Thursday, October 11, 2007

L'Esquirol

It's Fall in Paris and squirrels/L'Esquirol are EVERYWHERE.
Even in the Metro!
La Mere de Famile always keeps their windows in tune with the seasons. Les Folies, cocoa powder-covered almonds are their Fall specialty. They have complimentary samples at the cash to tempt you when you pay for other items.
Marie-Noelle translated this for me but I've forgotten of course. Something to the effect that the squirrel symbolizes economy and preparedness. My father used to remind me to follow their example. Learn to think ahead for the oncoming winter. Get my nuts lined up in a row etc. Instead I played like the grasshopper... Hmmm...still playing too much...

La Maison du Chocolat has some very nice nuts lined up in a row in their Fall windows. I would happily squirrel these away.
A pretty Fall still life in an antique shop window in the Marais.

Another Fall painting in Portobello's window.
Place du Vosges in the Marais is full of fallen leaves.

Fall is the season of mushrooms/champignons.
La Mere de Famile's vitrine is full of marzipan mushrooms, chestnuts


And cocoa beans filled with candy leaves and pebbles.
Baby squirrels sit in kids shop windows.
to remind us that our own bebe squirrels
 
need some Fall colors in their wardrobes.
Orange, orange, orange!
 I've yet to see an actual Parisian squirrel. I think they are on vacance in New York. Back to playing :)
 

25 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:10 AM

    Lovely taste of Autumnal Paris..
    merci
    xAnnie

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  2. Anonymous4:12 AM

    Yummy Fall colors and things to eat!
    Everything so well co-ordinated and orchestrated.

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  3. Anonymous4:15 AM

    YES you are un écureuil too ... in your own way...

    You keep collecting and saving "photo food" for your winter time in NYC !

    You won't see any red sqirrels in the Métro, in the RER nor in any CR shop !
    You need a garden or a park !

    OR Fouquet's castle in Vaux le Vicomte...
    the squirrel was Fouquet's emblem as his name (Fouquet)means "écureuil" in an old language of South West France (where his family was from).

    Ready for more picture collecting?

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  4. I don't think we have them here in Osaka. I hope you are having fun!

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  5. Anonymous4:47 AM

    What a pretty post! Crowning autumn in such a glorious way. Lovely eye for detail you have Miss Carol. I can feel the leaves dancing at my feet.

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  6. Ah, la Place des Vosges and Le Marais ... what a lively neighbourhood. Memories from a few weeks ago. After an excellent lunch I rested a bit and took a nap exactly at the same place shown in your photograph...

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  7. Missed you....glad to be back and can`t wait to catch up with all the posts and lovely stuff

    Gypsy

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  8. What a happy post to roll in Autumn.
    Every thing makes me happy. Thank you.
    Have a delicious day Carol!

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  9. Anonymous7:57 AM

    Hope you got my last message. I just got a google account, so it went in differently. I see a little trash can by my comment?
    In case you didn't. This was an Autumn Delight. Thank You!

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  10. Anonymous7:57 AM

    Thanks for the wonderful way you share Paris with all of us.

    ....not seen a squirrel yet? Have you tried tempting them with macaroons?

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  11. What a lovely nod to the season. It makes me wonder what is is the flower market there? The place in the park...one could squirrel away some beautiful moments there. Fabulous. Love the cocoa bean filled with fall treats.

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  12. How fun! No little guys in Paris? they all moved to the US! Love all the colors and mushroomy images...

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  13. Beautiful there. Loved seeing the still lifes. Wish I could have seen more of the one with the car reflected in it.
    Loved pausing in the park and looking at the fountain. Felt like I was there.

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  14. Anonymous9:27 AM

    Today we have a cool spell moving through VA, so your post is very appropos, Carol. Lots of fall colors always make me excited for brisk weather coming our way. (not too cold, but brisk I like...;) As for your grasshopper/squirrels, you're reading too much Aesop. Just be you! That's who you are.

    Love that first antique shop still life. Beautiful!

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  15. Anonymous11:27 AM

    I love how you weave squirrels, fall colors, leaves, nuts, marzipan, mushrooms, children and wardrobes into a darling post.

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  16. Cocoa powder-covered almonds. Cocoa powder-covered almonds. Cocoa powder-covered almonds.
    How could you! I can smell them! I know the fragrance they emanate when I open that little foil packages with the goodies. I smell them. The shops are open another 40 minutes. Mad dash?
    Oh, how could you! Open with that cute little squirrel (a RED one, not those grey treerats from the East-Coast who are endangering the European Squirrel in Great Britain, they are at the brink of extinction!). And then, all of a sudden, jump those cocoa powder-covered almonds on me. Cocoa powder-covered almonds! Are you going to paint them, too? May I ask for an advance notice when this day will come?

    Ok, I am serious now. Forget about those cocoa powder-covered almonds! Who wants'em almonds? Natch. This is such an uplifting post (this I really really mean!), I am having so much fun looking at all those store windows. Drooling, really. Oh my goodness, cocoa powder-covered almonds. Oopsiedaisy, I slipped. Sorry.
    Anyway, I see you are happily emerging yourself in French cocoa powder-covered almonds ... oops ... brake ... sorry!

    Have fun, squirrel away as much as you can, we may need your sweet morsels (yesh! I did NOT write cocoa powder-covered almonds!) when winter rolls around.

    Stay well! :-)

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  17. Anonymous1:40 PM

    Thank you so much, Carol, for this perfect Paris travel (no queue, no car noise, no cigarette smoke, no calorie...).
    Do you hear more Piaf songs today?

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  18. Anonymous3:45 PM

    loved your blog about making the macaroons! What fun! I would be in a whole lot of trouble with the class being in French, though. My brain would probably explode. I'd love to take all the macaroons home, though.
    Thanks, too, for the contraband photos in the museum the other day...lovely!
    As for squirrels; I saw one today in SW Florida going up a palm tree...I wonder if they eat the palm fruit?
    Wish I were there.

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  19. How lovely is everything you share.
    Blessings!

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  20. I'm going to Sicily this sunday for 10 days, on my way back I'm going through Paris, will head to Roussillon, I saw your blog on Roussillon and am going there, will be in Paris 11/1 and 11/2 before going home to Ca. Thanks, Carol

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  21. My dog is very excited about squirrels - he is an expert squirrel-chaser (I'm still waiting for him to catch one! They are such pests in the back yard). Autumn there looks lovely - the marzipan autumnal treats! Too fun.

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  22. Oh, I love fall........and Mr Squirrel, too! Autunm in France...you are capturing the best of Paris in some wonderful shots!

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  23. Imagine, there I was yesterday at Xocolat's and what did they give me a sample of? Cocoa powder-covered almonds!
    True! :-)

    I bought candid ginger hand-dipped in the most delicious dark Hanauer Viennese chocolate.
    All gone now. :-(

    Do they sell chocolate covered chestnut hearts in Paris too or is this a Viennese specialty? Here they must have had a big crop, they are everywhere for sale now.

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  24. Anonymous4:50 PM

    Ooo la la! Les chocolate covered almonds - c'est marvellous! That Swiss bakery in town has some - but before the chocolate coating goes on, a the almonds are dipped into a thin coating of carmelized sugar (hard crack stage) so thin that it just adds a hint of sweet crunch to the experience!
    You are squirrelling away a lot of subject matter! Thank heaven, we will be able to count on your stash this winter.

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