Thursday, July 14, 2011

Cosette, the Eiffel Tower and French cooking

It's Random Photo Thursday and also Bastille Day in France. So here are three photos that are kind of French in nature. :)

- My company prints posters and such for Wolf Trap - I grabbed this one of Cosette from Les Misérables as I was coming in one morning and they were printing it, and hung it in my office. I love her face, taken from the portrait "Cosette" by Emile Bayard in 1862.

- This image of the Eiffel Tower is hanging in my kitchen. It is said that plans for the Eiffel Tower were originally met with extreme skepticism. A petition against its construction read, "We, the writers, painters, sculptors, architects and lovers of the beauty of Paris, do protest with all our vigour and all our indignation, in the name of French taste and endangered French art and history, against the useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower." Of course, Gustave Eiffel's Tower is now regarded as one of the most innovative structural monuments in the world. I have read that most Parisians still don't like it, but I would love to see it in person.

- And I have neither mastered the art of French cooking or made anything from Dorie Greenspan's around the French table cookbook, but there's still hope.

10 comments:

LL Cool Joe said...

The Eiffel tower is amazing and definitely worth visiting. I wasn't so keen on Paris and I don't Paris was that keen on me. :D

I love the poster to Les Miserables too. :)

Nice theme today Lynn!

Anil P said...

Haunting face.

And how wrong they were about the Effiel Tower, atleast form the point of view of the attention that's come its way for its engineering.

Lynn said...

Joe -

Thank you! It was great fun scrolling through "My Pictures" folder and looking for any that had a French theme. :)

Anil P -

I agree. And it is the most recognizable structure in Paris, I think.

Louvregirl said...

Lynn~
I was on the Eiffel Tower and for the view (alone) at night, it 'had to' be built.
I too, 'wish I' could go back...I think that I would take my sweet time and truly appreciate it more, now. Have a great and a good day! :-)

Louvregirl said...

Vive la France!
louvregirl :-)

happygirl said...

LOVED Paris. I didn't meet anyone too mean to me and my hs french. You must must must go. I would love to have Mastering the Art of French Cooking. LOVED the movie of Julie and Julia. :)

Riot Kitty said...

I can't imagine someone not liking the Eiffel Tower! But then again, most New Yorkers have never been to the Statue of Liberty.

Snaggle Tooth said...

Love the poster girl pic. Did you see the tower get eaten by Nano-bots in the GI Joe movie? Nice art print of it. Hmm, wonder if there's a good recipe for onion soup topped with cheese in your book? Always what I think of in connection with French dishes-

Lynn said...

lg -

What a nice memory. I'll bet that view at night was glorious.

happygirl -

I would love to go. I have been to the United Kingdom, but did not get to France. It's on my bucket list. :)

I liked that Julie and Julia film, too - the book was even better to me. It's what inspired me to snag a used copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Riot Kitty -

I can't wait to see it. And somehow I haven't gotten to the actual Statue of Liberty when I've been to New York - just seen if from afar.

Snaggle -

I have not seen that film - I'll have to check it out.

And I don't know about the soup - it might just be time to crack those books open. Cooler weather is coming, I remember it. :)

Granny Annie said...

Love the poster.'

Is there any practical purpose for the Eiffel tower?

Not sure about French food. Isn't it all about the sauces?