Paris

Bonjour from Paris!

I’m in France for ten days with my history-teacher husband. On the itinerary are many places we’re both eager to see, including Lyon, some chateaux in the Loire Valley, the Bayeux tapestry, and the beaches and battle sites of Normandy.… Read More

Where To?

Paris may have been the first European city to introduce house numbering, in 1512. London house numbering was adopted in 1764.… Read More

Percolating Ideas and Brewing Revolutions

I’m at a Starbucks right now, sipping my double-tall-extra-hot-nonfat-latte, and thinking about the history of coffee. It arrived in Europe during the seventeenth century. What did people drink before then? Like in Shakespeare’s day? Not water, if they could help… Read More

Poo Dans La Rue

I recently had a load of cow manure delivered to my back yard by a local farmer. It wasn’t smelly or anything. It had been aged and composted and was quite beautiful to behold, if you go in for that… Read More

Dames et Monsieurs

The first separate toilets for men and women appeared in Paris in 1739. They did not flush.… Read More