When my Serbian friend texted me “I don’t want to destroy your snowman” we agreed that’s her way of saying “burst your bubble” then both asked our respective French husbands what their phrase is. Turns out they have no equivalent which explains a lot. The closest they could think of was “sorry to disappoint you” which doesn’t count because there’s absolutely no timeline where a French person would willingly say this.
On Wednesday morning I commenced my Umbraphile 101 class with an early flight to Valencia for my first total eclipse. Apart from staring at the sun I’d made no other plans so on arrival let a poster for an Anselm Kiefer exhibition guide me to the Hortensia Herrero Art Centre (beautiful but confusing building, some great art) then a well timed cup of coffee led me to the Fundación Bancaja because are you even in Spain until you’ve seen a Miró?
After double art I treated myself to some architecture at the science centre designed by Santiago Calatrava and then a spin around the aquarium where I reassigned a roll of film from eclipse to flamingos. Needs must.
I leant quite far into my new hobby checking the weather obsessively for days in advance and in the excitement of it all even approached a stranger in the street as she asked Chat GPT “whether eclipse glasses were actually necessary or just recommended” and wordlessly handed her a spare pair. Rooftop bookings were hard to come by but I’d snagged a waitlist spot weeks ago and I showed up to find people in absolute panic. The eclipse unlocked a new level of communal FOMO and I applauded the staff for keeping big smiles plastered on their faces despite some rather shouty tourists.
A light cloud threatened to drift into view at game time but I used all my concentration to keep it out of the way and then the sun was gone. The moment itself passed in a flash and was more beautiful than I’d imagined (although not as dark) and I probably grilled my eyes as I just couldn’t look away even when the moon moved on. The film lab is closed for summer so my photos are in Schrödinger territory until it reopens, potentially amazing/potentially terrible.
Back in Paris I stuck with my new astronomer personality and convinced my husband to waste a few hours watching the Perseids meteor shower. Unfortunately I forgot my glasses and we ended up admiring the ambient light from LED streetlights and a crazy amount of satellites rather than the shooting stars I’d promised but I styled it out as a romantic date.
Having done every summer holiday activity I can think of and watched the entire back catalogue of Bluey it was desperate measures when my husband suggested we walk part of the Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle trail out of Paris. The kids had a great time following the markers on the ground and then refused to stop once we passed the city walls, intent on going all the way to Spain. Maybe another day.
We finished up the week with Sunday dinner at Au Père Louis, a local restaurant where the île flottante is the size of your head.
Have a great week,
- Emily
Real Life Valencia Photo
What have you Valencians been up to in your metro and can I join?
Airport Rice
I didn’t get time for paella while in Spain so panic bought chorizo and bomba rice at the airport and fried them up. The result was delicious.
Chorizo
Courgette (optional, I had a sad one in the fridge)
Chicken stock (I used water and a bit of Knorr stock)
Olive oil
Salt & pepper (Chorizo and stock cubes are both salty so be cautious with adding additional salt in this recipe)
Chop the chorizo into coin sized slices and fry in a little oil until nicely browned.
Grate the zucchini into the pan and cook for a minute then add the rice and let it sizzle nicely in the oil.
Add chicken stock a little at a time (like risotto but without stirring) and simmer until the rice is cooked and excess water evaporates. Season to taste.
Bon Appétit!
Recent Finds Worth Sharing:
Do we really need to tell influencers not to take photos with sharks?
Adding this Jil Sander skirt to my vinted/the real real/depop searches and crossing my fingers for the future.
Next eclipse showing up with this old school brass telescope like a boss.
My friend bought these shoes months ago and I can’t stop thinking about them.
By far my favourite straw hat. Ever.
Missed out on the new Sézane bags that sent everyone wild but got my kids new jackets instead.
Last month’s Paris Mail Club is in the post. Join us for August!
The French Edit
The French Edit: Juilletistes vs Aoûtiens
Aug 13
Like most seemingly trivial decisions whether you take your holiday in July or August carries a lot of weight in France, sending off secret signals regarding how conformist you are, whether you’re careful with your pennies or how much traffic you can handle.
The Juilletistes prefer July and the Aoûtiens prefer August (so far so simple) and each has their pros and cons.
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