Our Versailles gardens are better than yours

Generally speaking, our (Le Nôtre) is better than yours (Le Vôtre) and if you don't believe me you should go read this book written by a cool psychology professor from Harvard. But Versailles already knew that, ages before Daniel Gilbert, and, to prove it, it organizes with great pomp this year the L'année Le Nôtre (The Le Nôtre year).

Exhibitions, colloquies, spectacles, prizes and much more will come celebrate the 400th anniversary of the birth of Monsieur Le Nôtre. So who was this Le Nôtre and what did he do better than anyone else? He was the most famous landscape designer of the Grand Siècle (the Great Century) and, of course, he designed the famous gardens of the Versailles Castle in what later became known as the à la française (French) style.

The main principle that follows a French style garden is that human intelligence and knowledge and physical power in particular can transform the nature at its will and the fearful destruction forces of the nature will have to obey the human master. That's why the French style garden is an endless succession of disciplined (and sometimes quite ridiculously looking) trees and bushes: because they have obeyed! A treetop in shape of a cube? Done! The whole alley of trees with the same shape? No problem!! A pyramid bush? Easy!!! The nature becomes a green empty canvas waiting for the genius human artist to create a masterpiece, with complicate perspective calculations, intricate designs and carefully staged dynamic.

It doesn't matter who will have the last laugh, the 'here' and the 'now' prevails.

The ninth art in Versailles

If you didn't know that there are nine arts in this world, now it's the perfect time to update your hesitating memory with a thorough recap. Don't worry, you are not alone in your innocent ignorance: my knowledge had stopped at the seventh one and on second thought I'm not even sure I can recall the first six... But with a little help of our friend, the Internet, here they are, all nine, in disciplined order: 1. Architecture, 2. Sculpture, 3. Painting, 4. Music, 5. Poetry, 6. Dance, 7. Theater/Cinema, 8. Photography and 9. Comics. That's it, we can now brag about our distinguished erudition at some elevated French parties. If we ever get invited, that is.

I already knew what great buildings, sculptures, paintings and other artsy things Versailles possessed, but comics... this one still had progresses to make if it were to enter the public consciousness in this association. But since it's inconceivable that not all arts are represented in Versailles, this situation should have changed: every year since 2009 a comics exhibition of a guest star artist is organized in the superb settings of the City Hall's great room.

Intensive Course in French Music

Ever heard an artist rapping in French? I laughed so hard the first time I heard one, I thought I would fall off my chair! To me it was just incompatible that such round vowels and all the burring and the attentively polished pronunciation from the French language could ever be used to slam something in protest. But the French have no fear, and a friend more versed than myself in the matter tells me that the French rappers are actually high on the quality scale in their field, second only to the ones in the United States. Who would've thought?...

Who lit the barbecue in the Versailles Opera House?

Louis XIV must have turned in his grave at the smell of barbecue smoke that slowly embalmed yesterday evening the Opera House of his dreams and I must confess that I didn't like it either. I might have become more versaillaise than I thought being possible, but as much as I love the exuberant and overflowing creativity of Hervé Niquet, I think that his burlesque "King Arthur" didn't fit in the Royal Opera House of Versailles and its magnificent, delicate setting.

Gamers of the world, unite!

The winter holiday vacation is now gone and the French offices are full again with loads of French mouse clickers who just finished to brag about the hangover on the aftermath of the Saint-Sylvestre night. Unfortunately there's simply no excuse left to not getting back to work and, while the settled employees are secretly longing for the traditional spring skiing vacation that is about to arrive in February/March, most of the unemployed French begin to brush up their resumes.

For quite a long time Versailles was the town of small businesses, mom and pop shops with a few employees having to perform several small jobs at a time; but the times are a-changin', gently pushed by the ambitious Versailles mayor who seems to have understood that the town needs new blood, other than the ephemeral tourists. And blood he got monsieur de Mazières - virtual, that is!

Equality, but not for everyone!

One of the 60 promises that the French president Hollande made when he was still candidate against the bling-bling Sarkozy was as clear as crystal: "J’ouvrirai le droit au mariage et à l’adoption aux couples homosexuels" ("I will open the right to marriage and adoption to homosexual partners").

Two fierce election rounds later, François Hollande has won the French presidency with 51.7% of the vote, meaning that when the time came to propose *the* law, even cosmeticized under the more appealing name of "Marriage for everyone", he still had to convince at least the rest 48.3% of the French population. He must know better than anyone that convincing the French of something they're not already convinced proves to be mission impossible, that's why the whole process promises a great show in perspective. Stay tuned!

Ready... Set... Buy!...

In the country that coined the famous laissez-faire idiom and invented the French paradox, the concept of shopping had to have a hard time. It's not because the French don't like buying or are fundamentally different than any other consumer population in the world, it's because they trust more than others their almighty State (and probably less their fellow citizens) that they chose to let the state faire (=do). In the end it's a matter of choice and the French love their paradoxes with a passion.

Let me describe the main principles that rule the sales seasons (les soldes) here in France, with the winter sales season opening today, the second Wednesday of this new year.

Your only chance to be the king. Or the queen...

The French have the privilege to be kings and queens at least once a year so why wouldn't you do the same? It's true, you don't have a castle like the Versaillers, but you can bake the galette des rois (=French king cake) using this simple recipe - courtesy chef Simon - and be king for a day. And slave at the gym for the rest of the week, but that's another, less glamorous, story.

This family sweet pie is traditionally eaten at Epiphany (first Sunday of January), but I've seen it appearing in the stores right after Christmas and I know that some of my French friends make it or buy it and eat it during the whole month of January, so you'll have more than enough time to practice the kinghood, Your Highness!

The youngest child (or any child, after harsh, love-filled, brotherly negotiations) has the honor to hide under the table to tell the adult in charge with cutting the pie who's going to receive which part. A small token is hidden in the pie, la fève (at its origins it must have been a real bean) and the trick is that who's going to find it (if she doesn't choke, in the first place!) will be crowned the king or queen of the day. A factice golden crown is awarded to the lucky one, which is proudly carried on throughout the day and s/he will be able to choose him- herself a queen or a king and sometimes the whole court if the family has enough members.

Bonne année, bonne santé !

Happy New Year 2013 and Dream of Versailles!