The City of Lights, indeed. I have visited Paris many times in the past 30 years, and the city never fails to impress. The last 2-3 visits in particular have solidified my extreme fondness for the city. A leisurely stroll by the river in early evening, capturing scenes such as these, are one of the simplest joys to experience…
These photos were taken in Late November, but for many years, I have toyed with the idea of hosting a dinner or two with a “Christmas in July” theme. Not that I want to move Christ’s birthday (do they really know what exact date that is? apparently not), rather I want to take advantage of the summer lull and make merry so that guests aren’t overloaded with dinner obligations during the hectic run-up to December 25th each year. The meal would be easy to arrange, but the tree, decor, abundance of presents and delicacies and baked goods in the house that just screams holidays is not so easy do in the middle of the rainy season!
It just so happens that a good friend, who has since moved back to France after nearly 20 years based in Manila, has emailed Mrs. MM to let us know she may be in town in December so we have to remember to invite her to one of our holiday dinners. It is the earliest “request” we have ever received for our holiday get-togethers. And we are amused to say the least. Not to worry, E & S, we would be happy to hold a holiday dinner for you anytime you are back in Manila. :)
So while the photos of Christmas trees in front of the Notre Dame cathedral may seem wacky in late July, let me remind you that it’s highly likely in just 5 short weeks time, you will be listening to the radio, and lo and behold, the first Christmas carol of the Philippine holiday season will be playing. I kid you not, come September 1, chestnuts will be roasting on an open fire… :)
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No exact date but it’s been calculated that Christ was probably born in September. It seems He’s younger than John the Baptist by 6 months and John was born in March apparently.
Christmas in July? Why not?
my favorite night time views of paris are 1. the eiffel tower viewed from the trocadero. 2. the i.m. pei designed pyramid in front of louvre museum. It is an effort to see them, as I visit Paris in the summer, where the days are very long and at an advanced age, sleep time is quite early.
MM, Christmas is July is HUGE here in Oz, particularly Melbourne area as it is the middle of winter…
Considering how crowded the malls are and how stressful traffic is during the Christmas season, you might be on to something with your idea. Me and my friends meet up and exchange gifts in January instead.
I remember the last time we were in Notre Dame was the day an elderly activist shot himself at the altar. We were only too glad to missed witnessing the gruesome death by just a few minutes. Instead we just browsed at the Shakespeare and Company bookstore nearby.
This should ring a bell. Did you know that Notre Dame was ransacked during the revolution and fell into miserable disrepair until Victor Hugo drew attention to it with the publication of his novel Notre Dame de Paris?
Hi MM. This is not related to the post. We were at the Pueblo Verde outlet stores in Lapu-Lapu City over the weekend and we saw a ZubuBelly outlet featured in the link below. Is this in any way related to Zubuchon?
httpss://www.google.com.ph/search?q=zubu+belly&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&imgil=dGngmCTzUmjjaM%253A%253BudJtXkgCR23a4M%253Bhttpss%25253A%25252F%25252Fm.facebook.com%25252FPuebloVerdeOfficial%25253Fv%2525253Dtimeline%25252526timecutoff%2525253D1425548400%25252526sectionLoadingID%2525253Dm_timeline_loading_div_1451635199_1420099200_8_%25252526timeend%2525253D1451635199%25252526timestart%2525253D1420099200%25252526tm%2525253DAQDWuXSzYavSJMzj&source=iu&pf=m&fir=dGngmCTzUmjjaM%253A%252CudJtXkgCR23a4M%252C_&dpr=1&usg=__Iy7u42mF2M8YTETSeqpR23M1hig%3D&ved=0CDUQyjdqFQoTCL7c1oDD_cYCFc4cjgodxgsNCQ&ei=1Ey3Vb6iH865uATGl7RI#imgrc=dGngmCTzUmjjaM%3A&usg=__Iy7u42mF2M8YTETSeqpR23M1hig%3D
Ley, yup, they are related, we have opened 5 zububelly kiosks so far, with 2-3 more opening soon. They are our “spin-off” line with more economical meals. You have to try our meal with bagoong kamias topping. It’s just PHP99 for boneless lechon with two cups of rice and topping. Alternatively, you can have chili sauce or dunuguan topping… We are also opening a small Zubuchon restaurant in the expansion area of Pueblo Verde, hopefully by September/October this year. A few more restaurants are in the blueprint stage as well. :)
Footloose, I had no idea…
Are you saturating the city with ready access to the newly elevated taste sensation?, https://time.com/3973294/fat-taste-oleogustus/
“…it’s highly likely in just 5 short weeks time, you will be listening to the radio, and lo and behold, the first Christmas carol of the Philippine holiday season will be playing. I kid you not, come September 1, chestnuts will be roasting on an open fire… :)”
MM, September 1 is to far off. I was at a department store of a mall near my house last saturday, and they had several christmas trees and decors up already!!!
Artisan, trees? now? that’s outrageous! :)
Footloose, I like that, oleogustus. The potential name for a real in your face kind of restaurant. There’s a new restaurant in Manila called “FAT” if I am not mistaken…
Christmas in July, why not? With the whacked-up weather we’ve been having, July may end up being cooler than December.
Also, I agree with you on September 1 being the official start of holiday craziness. I already dread the day the radios start blasting carols.
the way they calculate the Dec 25 as the birthday of Jesus is that there was a record on the date when Jesus was circumcised on Jan 1. In Jewish , they practice that 7 days after a boy was born, he should be circumcised.