Bonjour,
The Committee and I wish you a
peaceful, pleasant and a gourmand 2026, full of projects, happiness and shared
moments. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a great end to the year,
and that after the holidays, you are ready to immerse yourselves in the French
spirit once again. First, get planning with our full 2026 calendar of events to
add to your calendar.
We ended the year on a high note
with three particularly successful events: the French wine tasting on December
4, with 18 members delighted to chat while sampling some fine vintages,
provided by Brent McKay from Amazing Grapes, followed the next day by the
ever-popular Coupe d'Antibes. The winners of the 2025 cup are Olive, Peter, and
Greg, followed by Trish, Robert, and Raymond. Finally, the end-of-year lunch, during which
some of our talented members took to the stage. 34 members responded
positively, including 12 who took to the stage for a total of 9 performances.
Music, songs, dance, poems and ballads, mime, stories about the epic history of
our Alliance, as well as rhymes and riddles, all in an excellent atmosphere.
What a memorable day!
This month, our French corner article has
nothing to do with France, but is about some local history, I hope you will
enjoy it. Don’t forget the delightful
tradition of la Chandeleur (Candlemas), France’s festive day of crêpes and
fortune, on 2 February. So get your frying pans ready and celebrate “Crêpe
Day”, any day of the month, or every day of the month!
To conclude, here is some
interesting news from France:
The first one is for Champagne
lovers, and I know many of you enjoy it. Growers said that grapes had reached optimal
ripeness and quality, making the 2025 vintage one of the best seen in decades
despite reduced volumes. The Palais Garnier (Opéra de Paris) is celebrating its
150th anniversary, and to mark the occasion, the Bibliothèque nationale de
France and the Opéra national de Paris are dedicating an anniversary exhibition
(14 October 2025 - 15 February 2026) to this iconic monument. The exhibition
explores how this building, commissioned by Napoleon III for the elite, became,
beyond France's borders, a temple of opera and ballet, a national emblem and an
iconic monument.
When the Eiffel Tower was
constructed in 1889, the names of 72 of France’s greatest scientists were
engraved in golden letters on its first floor, but no women's names were
included. This long-standing omission has now been addressed and the names of
72 female scientists will be added, a monumental recognition indeed!
Bonne lecture,
Sylvie
