Paris Cafe Letter

 

Everyone loves Paris cafes ☕️ 

Right?

Give Me 1 Reason to Stay Here (in Paris)

You Don't have to Give Me One Reason to Stay Here (in Paris).

Yesterday was visa day. It comes round once a year with the requisite nerves and stress,

There are lots of rules. Just entering the front door of the Prefacture de Police on Cite, there are rules. Only 10 people in the entryway. Then shed all your belongings and go through the machines.

Don't worry if you need copies. There are machines in the hall. Bring 20 centimes svp.

If your passport photos have a ding from a paper clip like mine last year, you can retake them in the hallway.

DO NOT FORGET to bring along your Convocation paper! I lost mine yesterday morning. Then I found it with a back page folded on top. Whew.

We did not have to wait long to see the receptionist who checks your papers. This is unusual.

You are given a number.
Take your seat and recheck your papers again and again.
I was missing a few copies. You need your originals and the copies to give the immigration agent for their file.

We only waited 1 1/2 hours! This is a short wait for the process.

Fortunately my clever visa lawyer complimented our agent (in French) on her mini fan and nicely broke the ice. We were holding our breath as she checked off each document 1-2-3.

We sailed through!
I return to the Prefacture in May to pick up, pay for my carte sejour.
Oh Happy Day.
Another year in Paris.

If you're serious about moving to France, I can recommend my American lawyer AC Dana who's lived here 25 years.

If you don't get your visa first go,
DO NOT take it out on the agent SVP.

I felt like the queen of Sheba walking out of there.

Time for an ice cream cone.

Ex-pat Baryshnikov was enjoying the sun on my island.

Maybe he just 'passed' his visa too?

Spring asparagus! Oh Happy Day.

The first Spring strawberry Fraisier at Gerard Mulot.

I tried to paint it. But had to run out and get a real one to study closely.
Celebration time.
Bear says I should keep painting. Not there yet.
He's pleased he's staying on another year.
And how!

June Paris Strawberry Letter with a little help from my friends

Nothing says Spring or June like strawberries/fraise.

The wearing of strawberry anything in Paris is de rigueur as a rite of Printemps/Spring.

I had big plans to attend the annual June fete de fraise in Plougastel, Brittany.

I was going to visit the musee de la fraise too

And pay homage to dear Amedee-Francois Frezier, who brought back 6 species of strawberries/fraises/Fragaria Chiloensis to France from Chili (now grown to 600 species).

When a New York friend came to town in early May. Natch I took her to the patisserie to taste a Fraisier. What better way to celebrate Spring and her visit.

Naturally I gave her the bag to carry - a big honor in my mind.

Did I know she would swing it like "a tisket, a tasket, a red and yellow basket". I was ready to throttle her 😱

When she said she Loved my preparatory sketches for the June letter on fraises, I was ready to hug her. All was forgiven and the cake tasted Fab anyway.

The June Paris letter has been through so many renditions it's silly.

Monsieur Frézier was an essential ingredient.

But where to put him and how to make him look less grumpy.

Graphic designer Sarah Vasseghi saved the day on Sunday when she said, "You need scale! Everything is the same size". YES.

 When I fell and broke my leg I was on way out the door to get Fraisier cake samples. No wonder I wasn't paying attention. Frederic Cassel's Fraisier saved the day and became my model. I've yet to find the true origins of the Fraisier gateau but it's certainly the French version of our strawberry shortcake with a perhaps lighter and more fanciful touch. The berries are sandwiched between 2 thin layers of Genoise cake with a base of pate d'almond, a topping of here a very light guimauve/marshmallow and filled in with creme moussiline. More fresh fruit on top. Yum. 

I had so many prep sheets of sketches, French Girl suggested we cut them up and paint a strawberry tied with a red ribbon as a little favor to go inside the June Paris letters.

I thought she was nuts

But in no time French Girl was punching holes and tying ribbons as she lined them up like strawberry 🍓 soldiers.

While I painted up a storm.

Speaking of storms, we had torrential rains here and even hail but I haven't gotten a toe wet. Fr Girl bought tons of ribbon, Lois found strawberry perfume to spritz all the envelopes before they ship out,  La Poste and Wendy brought the strawberries 🍓 for the shot. I couldn't have done it without you dear friends.  That's the story of the June Paris letter.
Big Merci all !

I’m Carol Gillott, an artist living in Paris. Every month I send out beautifully illustrated letters that capture the true Parisian experience. Sign up to receive these whimsical treasures in your mail.

Thanks for reading PB ❤️

☕️ If you’d like to support my work, you can buy me a KO-FI here  ☕️  ❤️ Thank you so much! 🍓 🍓 🍓

Le Fraisier

Un Fraisier (pronounce that Frais-YAY NOT Frais-AIR as yours truly was doing). This is why we need smarty-pants servers In patisseries. You can always count on getting a French leçon or two along with your goodies.

Today was a test...

Could I could carry un Fraisier home in one piece without residual damage...

I was coming back from the pool - a good 15 minute walk the way I meander, so British bookies might be up for a bet whether we'd make it in one piece...

WE DID! Hooray

Not the case for this way finer Fraisier from Fountainebleau.
 

Traveling doesn't suit it, but the taste was excellent in everyway if a bit smushed around the edges. Imagine a thin topping of marshmallow, followed by a thin layer of cake, then pistachio whipped cream out-of-this-world with some whole strawberries embedded and resting on a thin base of I don't know what, but it didn't get soggy like most Fraisiers.

Description:

Biscuit amande, crème pistache et fraises françaises

They always start at the bottom and work up in these French descriptions.
 

By the way, le Fraisier's traveling companions fared much better, considering they rode on a bus, a train (for 40 minutes), an RER A and finally a Metro! Pretty amazing. They're sitting on a piece of special non-slip paper so they won't slide around. Very clever. I'll cut it smaller, fit it into a box to carry it with me always to avoid future pastry disasters.
 

I wish I'd had it for this short jaunt - just 3 Metro stops is all it took for this baby to list like the Titanic, though I was assured otherwise by the server. Let's face it, creamy desserts have a life expectancy of about 25 steps if that.
 

You'd think frozen sorbets would make better traveling companions. You would be wrong. I bought 3 minis Vacherins. (Please pronounce that VACHrons almost like it's one word, NOT vach-ER-Rans)
 

Once there were three. They were put in a box with a handle. (Again I was returning from the pool (one must counterbalance the intake with output of calories). I forgot to shoot my food but one fell over, hit the other and then fell onto the floor. Don't worry. I ate it anyway. Waste not, want not.

Les Fountainebleau Vacherins are well-protected with lids. Plus I was informed I had exactly 25 minutes to eat them or all Hell would break loose. They could melt.
 

Believe me when I tell you even melted these are un-topable if that's a word. I ate them in the train station and even got a shot first.
 

Plus they make very nice water jars and have a lid so will travel.

I haven't quite finished moving to the new joint yet. I'm leaving a quartier dense with FAB patisseries, for one that may be better for my figure. I noticed these birds with a bell coming back from the pool today. They could either hang on the refrigerator door or I could carry them in my bag to ring when I'm passing a patisserie as a warning to 'WALK ON BY'

What do you think?