We are just being these days, each mourning in their own way and doing our best to move on as we explore the breadth and depth of our new normal.

Flags are at half mast and the entire country is in mourning until Wednesday. News outlets have added a black band to their logo, the symbol of peace with the Eiffel tower inside can be seen everywhere, and for a brief moment, politicians are behaving, showing a united front in the face of division.

The government is currently meeting at Versailles to discuss prolonging the state of emergency. Their goal is increased powers in tracking, following and punishing future terrorists. Depriving offenders of their citizenship and exiling them from France. Last night 2 Daesh camps were bombed in Syria while dozens of homes were raided in France and Belgium. Many have been arrested.

That is what is happening in France. Museums are reopening, stores remain virtually empty, restaurants are full. The show goes on as theaters play to half full houses. The Eiffel Tower is lit bleu, blanc, rouge. News stations show monuments across the globe boasting the same garb, and the French people are very touched by the international show of support.

While putting on a very brave front, many are frightened. A heat lamp bulb bursts and people stampede the street screaming that shots have been fired. This happened in at least half a dozen spots last night. And it is at this moment the true Parisian spirit comes out. Strangers open their doors inviting others in. Refuge is offered with a glass of wine, an understanding hug, a charger for one’s phone.

Our daughter was caught up in one of these crowds. She, a friend and 13 strangers were rescued by a bunch of girls celebrating a birthday. Once safe in the flat upstairs, they checked social media, which confirmed shots had been fired in the Marais (they had not). They called family to say they were safe and asked for news. One street away the bars were over flowing with partiers, oblivious of the mayhem just steps away.

Deciding she was too rattled to get home on her own, we came to pick her up and learned that in the chaos, she had been separated from her dog. Confident the neighborhood was safe, we went in search of her cocker spaniel, spending our adrenaline and proving to her that all was well.

“What did you loose?” A woman called from her first floor window on the rue des Rosiers. She had not seen the dog, but she had collected a trunk load of bags, purses and valuables people had abandoned in fear and was looking out for their owners.

After an hour of searching we headed back to the car. A man stopped us, remembering that we had been looking for a dog. A dog had been found at a café and a patron had already taken him to the vet to have his id tag read. Everyone was looking out for one another and for us. Our daughter was reunited dog and joyous licks ensued.

This morning a friend sent me a text asking to meet at Café de Flore just before noon. At the strike of 12 the maître d’hôte’s voice came over a loudspeaker asking everyone to respect a minute of silence with the nation. Japanese tourists, businessmen, elderly ladies, everyone rose and stood in silence for 60 seconds in a moment of solidarity.

Tonight I am watching my favourite news satire show, Le Petit Journal. The news caster is announcing the name and ages of many of those killed. One of the names is that of a young woman on his staff. Another young woman from his staff, her friend, left the hospital this morning. There is no color left in his face as he speaks of his colleagues.

The list includes names that are French, Italian, Hispanic, Portugese, Senegalese, Tunisian, Moroccan, Algerian… many of the names are disturbing reminders that most victims of Islamic extremism are Muslims.

The Paris motto is Fluctuat nec mergitur , “Tossed but not sunk”. On digital billboards we declare,

We’re not afraid.

United together
Against terrorism and extremism
Love Music Euphoria Joy

It’s official. I have moved. You can now find FindingNoon at www.OnlyinParis.com

You’ll still be getting an insider’s peek at Paris, with a lot more about Paris and a little less about the insider.

Don’t be shy, please join me there. There is a button on the home page so you can sign-up for posts in your in box. And follow us on…

Facebook

Twitter @OnlyNParis

Instagram @Only_N_Paris

Merci to everyone for your support as things shift. It is an honor to have so many readers and I hope to make the City of Lights come to life for everyone.

Bises.

www.OnlyinParis.com

The Pink Elephant…

He’s standing here in the room with us as bright and surreal as his name implies. Elworth. Elworth my pet pink elephant who has been filling this blog space since early October. Many of you have written, sending encouragement or just checking in.

It happened so abruptly. I was here posting regularly with joy and then one day, just like that, I wasn’t. And you were all so patient. I am touched and amazed every day by how many people read my blog, check in to see what is up with Mr French and our little corner of the world, even when the site grows cold with neglect. Your appreciation has meant the world to me. And yet I stopped writing, just like that. No warning. No explanation.

I have been wanting to blog more often, yet I can’t bring myself to the keyboard to begin a post. I don’t understand the why, so I don’t know how to share it in this space. There are many factors… my family’s need for just a bit more privacy, an influx of professional writing jobs that have drained me of words, the need to write more about the world around me and less about just me.

After 6 months, I think it is fairly official. This blog is on break. I won’t be killing it, there are possible adventures ahead that would be a thrill to share, but for now, I am moving on, and I hope you’ll join me.

I have started a new blog: Only In Paris. It is about exactly that: experiences, people, places you’re only likely to run in to in Paris. I hope you’ll join me. Or at least check in out from time to time. There will always be a bit of me in there and I look forward to sharing the weird, wonderful and uncommon bits of this city I love so dearly.

With the new name, comes a few new addresses.
You’ll find me on :
Instragram @Only_N_Paris
Twitter @OnlyNParis
FB https://www.facebook.com/pages/Only-in-Paris/1418512485096911?ref=hl

I hope to see you on this new adventure.

And a huge merci to you all for being there in my stats everyday, for posting your comments, checking me out on social media and showing you’re there. Many of you have watched me grow from an abruptly single, unemployed Mom of teens to the very happy travel journalist /copywriter I am today. You kept me going when I didn’t know I could. I hope that you all know you have made a tremendous difference in somebody’s life. Merci.

Or not. He has been away. First it was Beijing and now Atlanta, eating crab cakes and making my mouth water with jealousy. He came home to Paris for the blink of an eye between the two trips and instead of celebrating our reunion, I was laid up in bed, over thrown by la grippe. It is going around these days and everyone is blaming it our time marching for Charlie Hebdo. Even those who are laid up, but didn’t attend the rally are blaming it on the event. Sorry Charlie.

With a free Saturday on his hands and a sick me at home, Mr French decided to make himself useful and did the grocery shopping, a task I usually fit between lunch breaks when working from home. I had been working in house at an agency all week and in bed in between, so the cupboards we beyond Old Mother Hubbard bare.

Not being a man for doing things like us mere mortals, Mr French treated himself to cart at the Grand Epicerie de Paris. Em and I felt like princesses for the rest of the week, coming home each night to gourmet meals made easy. So what are the rich and famous cooking up at home these days? Probably nothing, but here is what the Grand Epicerie is offering them.

We’ve been starting our mornings with these unctuous delicious sheep’s milk yogurts from the Basque region. We first discovered them while on our annual holiday in Hossegor, so they are not only delicious, but they taste like vacation to us! At the Grand Ep’, you’ll find them in blueberry, chestnut, cherry and fig.

There is a basket full of Jaffa tangerines from Israel for snack time. Having studied the subject extensively, we find this label firm, tangy and practically perfect.

Mr French didn’t forget that Em also love her Pink Lady apples, a cross bred cultivar of Golden Delicious and Lady Williams from Australia, grown in France.

And then there is dinner. Mr French stumbled upon bowls of pre-prepared veggies that I never would have touched because they are expensive and the packaging wasteful and not at all organic. But they made the most delicious meals, so I am going to have to re-think my think. Veggies, nothing but beautifully prepared, carefully selected, raw veggies by C Zon, ready for the wok. 8 minutes, high heat and you are done. They were so incredibly good that I didn’t have remind Em to finish her greens and they even inspired this post. If you are in Paris, looking for a quick gourmet meal to enjoy in your home kitchen, this is the way to go. There are several different combos, so you can mix it up and feel like you’re having something very different every night of the week. Adding a splash of teriyaki sauce, a dash of Mexican seasonings, a splash of paprika and you’ll never get bored. Hopping, happening, and healthy!  Just add a grilled meat if you need meat, et voilà everyone is thrilled.

I think that now would be the appropriate moment to mention that this is not a sponsored post. I have never done a sponsored post and I am not interested in doing a sponsored post. These veggies were paid for, full retail, by Mr French. Now you know just how very, very excited, I want to scream if from the Parisian zinc roof tops, Californians can get about their greens.

And for the nights I really could not cook, there were prepared meals, proffered by a company called Cooked by. Mr French had gotten some dishes created by a Carribean chef Suzy Plantain. There are no additives, preservatives, or even stabilizers in these meals. The fat count is low, the flavour count high and they were another life saving hit as the flu hit harder.

I am a nuke-ophobe. I have never had a microwave before moving into this  flat, and I only own one now by default, so I was particularly thrilled these meals can be heated with a simple bain marie. No nukes!

Finally, la pièce de resistance. Chocolate bars by François Pralus, perhaps the best chocolate bar manufacture in the world today.

Mr French returned this morning and I sense a terrible cold coming on. Something so violent he will have to return to hunter gather mode for just one more appetizing week.

The 12th day of Christmas is the Epiphany. I don’t know much about the Epiphany and I could Google it if I cared, but all I really care to know I have learned in French bakeries/ The Epiphany has something to do with the 3 Kings, who I had always thought were wise men, but I am sticking with kings in this story because in France we celebrate this holiday with Kings cakes. Cookie Monster can have his way with sawdust disks, me like Kings Cakes.

In Paris the Galette des Rois is a disc of puffed pastry stuffed with almond paste. David Lebovitz claims their easy to make in this blog post. For now, I am taking his word for it. Not because I’m lazy, but because the only thing I like about Parisian Kings cakes are the tiny porcelain prizes hidden inside, and the crown. I love wearing the crown for the evening.

You’d think that would be a major relief to a girl looking to reduce her waste line (that’s a pun,not a typo, for a change), but the crafty guild of Parisian bakers have another Kings cake to tempt aimless souls like my own. In southern France the Galette des Rois, becomes the Couronne des Rois, the Kings’ crowd. A simple brioche, perfumed with orange blossom water and studded with candied fruit is shaped into a crown, baked and dressed in sugar crystal diamonds. A girls best friend indeed!

After 3 months of living without wheat flour, yesterday I could not resist this scrumptious treat and splurged on a little individual bun that was sitting in the window at Eric Kayser, immediately facing the metro exit I use coming home at the end of the day. I didn’t even make it home, sneaking (and savouring!) guilty bites while picking up some fresh fruits and vegetables for the house. It was truly fit for a king.

So divine that I have had an Epiphany of my own; Time to change metro stations!

Since the Charlie Hebdo massacre I have been reporting on what I see and hear in Paris. Next week I promise to return to more entertaining subjects. Until then, there is so much going on; cyber-attacks, an apology from the US, and the distribution of 5 million copies of Charlie Hebdo as France rallies to support the right to freedom of expression, even if they were never big fans of the publication. It is horrific that journalists and police officers were killed for what they do, but even more unsettling are those who had no choice. Jews who were killed for what they are.

Its not easy being a Jew in France today. In 2006 a young man, Ilan Halimi, was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered because he was Jewish. In 2012 a Jewish school was attacked: 3 children, 1 adult and 3 soldiers died. Last month a couple was robbed in their apartment in Creteil and the wife was raped, because, according to the criminals, they were Jewish. Then there was Hyper Casher…

When I am asked if France is antisemitic, I still answer with an emphatic, “No”. These acts were committed by Extremists. Extremism is not just a French problem. It is a global issue, that has even the Israeli government scrambling to protect its population.

After the attacks, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls declared, “Antisemitism is not an opinion, it is a crime.” and legally that’s true. French law defends free speech until it incites hatred. Saying that the holocaust never happened is illegal and it has been for a very long time. It is legal for the illustrators at Charlie Hebdo to draw an image of Muhammad carrying the “Je Suis Charlie” sign because the message is tolerance. By the same token, comedian Dieudonné’s* joke about wanting to deport a Jew incites hatred and is illegal.

M Valls also declared that without Jews, France would no longer be France. Jews are an integral thread in the cosmopolitan fabric of the country and the population thrives. Last year’s Nobel Prize for literature is a French Jew, Jews are prominent in national politics, and fashion designer John Galliano has been a pariah in the French fashion world since making antisemitic comments. The French government is doing what it can to protect the Jewish population, most recently deploying 10,500 soldiers to protect Jews and their establishments. Therein lies the problem. Many are asking themselves if they want to live in a country where they need military protection. It is scary knowing that not very far from my front door, there are gangs of people who would not mind seeing me dead simply for something I did not choose and can not change.

Locals news has been asking Jews how they feel living in France. The overwhelming consensus is that they are not afraid for their own safety, but they are very worried for their children. Passing armed soldiers, going through a metal detector, and being pat searched to enter a house of prayer is intimidating. Seeing soldiers, their hands on their weapons as parents take their children to school, feels like war. It is heart breaking.

Jews have not gone into hiding. Religious Jews are still on the streets wearing kippot, shopping in kosher markets and heading into synagogues. That is what Jews do, go on with life, defying those who would end it. Hopefully this defiance will remind the world of the words of Franklin D Roosevelt as he united a country shortly before the Second World War: “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.”

*Dieudonné is a local comedian who is often in trouble with French authorities for his antisemitism. It strikes me as tragically ironic that his name translate to “God Given”

All of France is asking itself a question today. What happens after Charlie?

Before Charlie there was Ahmed. Ahmed Marabet, a handsome Frenchman in his 40s: a policeman who had been passing nearby on bicycle when he saw the terrorists. Ahmed Marabet just happened to be Muslim and he was slaughtered along with everyone else last Wednesday.

After the massacre, the world cried Je Suis Charlie, in honor of all the victims of the attack. Almost instantly, Muslims started posting Je Suis Ahmed. This was not in denial of the loss to our nation nor was it meant to belittle the attack on French liberty. This was a cry, “I am Muslim. I am not an Extremist terrorist, I am a French(wo)man ready to die for my country.” It was a reminder that we can not confuse Muslims with Extremists who represent a miniscule percentage of those following Islam today.

This weekend Monsieur Marabet’s family held a press conference to deliver the message themselves. They are French. They are also Muslim. Like all French citizens, they believe in Liberté, Fraternité, Egalité. The terrorists, they made clear, were insane and in no way represent Islam or their beliefs.

Mustapha Ourra, another Muslim, was one of the employees at Charlie Hebdo killed during the massacre and there are no reports on how many of the 10s of 1000s of law enforcement officers who brought an end to our three day nightmare were also Muslim.

The family of the terrorist who attacked Hyper Casher also came out publicly. They apologized profusely. The had been estranged for years because this coward had gotten lost in Extremist hatred. They had not raised him into this insanity and his dogma in no way reflects their beliefs.

One of the heros of the Hyper Casher attacks is a Muslim employee who was able to hide six people, including a 1 month old baby in the freezer. He cut off the lights and the cooling system, ensuring their safety before risking his own life to run to the police. He was a moving target to both the terrorist and the police who suspected him of being the terrorist. Eventually, he was able to advise them on where the hostages were and the store’s layout.

Since the murders, several mosques in France have been attacked. This is counterproductive in a country that needs to unify. And it is a tragic example to the rest of the world. Muslims are not the problem. Extremists are the problem and this is true across the globe.

Thankfully, experts are coming on local news shows to defend the Muslim community. We are reminded that the biggest victims of these Extremists are, by far, other Muslims. In France, most Extremist hatred is being taught to disenfranchised men in the prison system. It is being taught by criminals who never studied Islam. They just take what they find online and use the most destructive bits to rally a crowd of violent people, giving them a target for their anger.

Prominent, educated Muslim leaders, like the Imam of Drancy, Hassen Chalghoumi, have been working with the French government to find a solution for years. His projects unite Muslim, Catholic and Jewish leaders across France and have even included a visit to Israel.

As an individual, who is neither a political nor a religious leader, I can not make a significant difference in this convoluted mess. But I am a writer, dedicated to the power of words.

Those animals? Those terrorist who dressed their hatred in the words of the Quran? They were not Muslims. They were Extremists. I am now committed to making this vital distinction every time I speak, write or think about the Islamic faith. Muslims are not Extremists. Extremists are not Muslim. Je Suis Ahmed.

There are no words. That is the cliché. But, there have to be words. That is what yesterday’s attack was about. Silencing our words. Now is the time to cry out. Those who believe in the freedom of expression must shout that we will not be silenced. Mosques across France are calling out for prayers of peace.

There are so many words about yesterday’s events and the world we have created. But today I want to bring you with me to the Place de la République last night, where 35,000 Parisians gathered to show their profound respect for those assassinated and their beliefs.

Getting out of the metro, the quais were disturbingly deserted. I had been expecting a crowd. There was just the regular scene of commuters. Until I got to the exit, where armored CRS officers were directing everyone to use the exit at the other end of the station. That is where the crowd began. A person jam at the sortie, up the stairs and spilling on to the Place.

It had been very cold earlier in the day, but by evening the weather felt almost mild. The sky was an elegant dove grey with amber lights radiating form the buildings in gentle arcs. At 18h37 the place was packed but not quite a sardine tin. I started in the near a kiosk where five people were on chairs, each holding a human sized poster of a black and white portrait of the four victims who had been identified, the fifth person in the middle with a CharlieHedbo sign.

Weaving through the crowd, I made my way to the statue in of the Republique. There was a reason we were meeting here and not the Champs de Mars or the Hôtel de Ville, or an other large space in the city. We were not honoring war, or government, we were there in support of republican ideals, the ideals founded in ancient Greece, the French Republic established after the revolution.

It was a muted crowded, gathered for a minute of silence. As 19h approached, it was like having cotton in one’s ears, with only muffled conversations wafting by. Then there was silence. At 19h01 posters were unfurled from the statue and the crowd broke out into applause before shouting “Liberté d’expression”. These were quiet shouts. An oxymoron, and hard to describe, but most people had come to grieve and mourn and show the terrorist we were not terrified.

There were women with tears streaming down their faces, a young group holding electric panels spelling out “Not Afraid”. While we could not shout, there was a collective need to share a gesture. A group had brought paper lanterns that they lit and released, golden warmth soaring up to the heavens. People started pulling out their pens, holding them in the air, shouting in silence, “We are all Charlie”.

Today there is a call to light a candle in our windows for Charlie Hebdo. There is another gathering at the Place de la République, this time being held by the Mayor of Paris. And just now there was a moment of silence. I am writing this from my local café. The owner turned the lights off and the TV on to news station broadcasting the chimes of Notre Dame, ringing for the full 60 seconds as the chef stopped cooking and we all stood, honoring the words of Charbo, “I’d rather die standing then live on my knees.”

The names of those who were assassinated yesterday defending our right to freedom of expression.