TODAY THE WORDS are FRENCH TIES NOT FRENCH FRIES. The country, who has from the beginning of my writing of the blog, Sipping Cups of Inspiration, been the foreign leader of page views is France. While my first husband was stationed in Zwiebrucken, Germany, we were only 20 kilometers from the French border. We rode through the country side of France and went to a few wine festivals, but most of our French exposure was from the women and men French civilians who worked on the base. For every occasion, they gave us a piece of crystal or a set of glasses and it is exquisite. As average Americans living on military pay, this was extraordinary gestures. I carefully placed each piece as it was given into the glass front cabinet and was so proud of it. They were such prideful people and were hard working. The relationships grew and we felt blessed to be among people who reached out to foreigners. I still have the set of crystal which have been given to us to this day and it still sparkles with the radiance of their generosity. For those who have not known me, this was over 40 years ago.
I decided to check on some other things France is famous for and I found an article from Hamilton’s Removals to France 2012, Ten Things France is Famous. I want to share this list with all of my readers: 1) Wine; did you know that French wines appear in the top 50 wines list? 2) Cheeses such as Brie and there are as many cheese tasters as wine tasters in France with over 350 different cheese varieties coming from different regions. 3) Delicacies such as some 45 per cent of black truffles are produced in France and just a few shavings of this delicacy – nicknamed black diamonds – come with a hefty price tag. Other French delicacies which are more affordable include foie gras, escargots, moules marinere, crepes, not forgetting frog’s legs. Each region has its own specialties. 4) Monuments; The Eiffel Tower is the symbol of France built in 1889 and who hasn’t seen it in movies or even seen it in person. 5) Arts and Arts Museums; The impressionist movement originated from Paris in the 19th century and this helped change the way art was viewed, inspiring generations of artists. 6) Perfumes; L’Oreal and Clarens as well as the House of Chanel are famously located there. 7) Fashion; Need I say anything about Paris Fashion Shows and Trends as it has a voice of its own and nothing speaks fashion like France. 8) Literature; both Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas have given us great literature works. 9) Cars; Renault has been a power house in Formula 1 and rallying racing. 10) Tour de France; most publicized and demanding biking race known to most of us.
DAILY FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:
When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
(c) copyright 2012-2015 Arline Lott Miller. The material here copyrighted, use only by permission.
