Dec

Paris Honey: The Bees Knees

by Meredith Mullins on December 4, 2017

Bees in a beehive on honeycomb, part of discovering nature in Paris with urban beekeeping and the production of Paris honey. (Image © Shaiith/iStock.)

Paris Honey: The Bees Knees
© Shaiith/iStock

Urban Beekeeping Amid the Monuments

A hint of red berries. Deep molasses notes. A whiff of lychee. A dash of wet earth. A long clove finish. Are we tasting a Burgundy, a Southern Rhône, or a Bordeaux?

Actually . . . none of the above. In fact, we are talking about another kind of liquid treasure. Honey. Pure and (not so) simple.

In a city such as Paris, where gardens are a tradition and where residents tend to make the best of vertical space, bees are all the buzz. Paris honey is in.

Audric de Campeau of Le Miel de Paris at Ecole Militaire in Paris, discovering nature through urban beekeeping and the production of Paris honey. (Image © Le Miel de Paris.)

Hives atop the Paris École Militaire
Photo Courtesy of Le Miel de Paris

Paris would like to be the capital, not just of light and love, but of urban beekeeping.

The wide variety of flora, the frequent plantings in the city’s gardens (and private flower boxes), and the lack of pesticides allow bee colonies to thrive—a hopeful sign when bees in the countryside are declining, threatening the pollination that is necessary for agriculture.

Bee hives in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, a way of discovering nature with urban beekeeping and the production of Paris honey. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

The classic hives in the Luxembourg Gardens have been a part of the ecosystem since 1856.
© Meredith Mullins

Paris Past and Present Bee-Havior

Paris has a long history of beekeeping. The hives that are easily visible in the southwest corner of the Luxembourg Gardens were a part of a beekeeping project that began in 1856, followed by a beekeeping school that is still active today.

The more than 700 hives that now exist in Paris are usually somewhat hidden, to deter an errant bee swarm from attacking well-traveled tourist areas.

Bee hives on top of La Monnaie (the Paris Mint), discovering nature through urban beekeeping and the production of Paris honey. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Bees with a view—from the top of La Monnaie, the Paris Mint
© Meredith Mullins

However, you might be surprised to find that there are hives at several well-known Paris landmarks (mostly on rooftops).

Musée d’Orsay
La Monnaie de Paris (the Paris Mint)
Opéra Garnier and Opéra Bastille
Invalides (move over Napoléon)
Grand Palais
Assemblée Nationale (the National Assembly)
École Militaire (the Military School)
Institut de France
Le Bon Marche/Grand Épicerie store
Gare Austerlitz train station
High-rise buildings in the La Defense business area in west Paris
The headquarters of the French Communist Party (pourquoi pas?)

Audric de Campeau on the roof of La Monnaie, discovering nature via urban beekeeping and the production of Paris honey. (Image courtesy of Le Miel de Paris.)

An “office” in the sky
Photo Courtesy of Le Miel de Paris

Even hotels and restaurants are jumping on the beewagon. The Tour d’Argent restaurant, the Mandarin-Oriental, and The Westin Hotel (on rue de Rivoli) all have hives that provide an exclusive supply of honey to their chefs.

There is a beekeeper union (UNAF: Union Nationale de l’Apiculture Française), beekeeper associations, and a multitude of private hives with beekeepers of varying levels of expertise. A hive owner has only to acquire his or her materials, register the hive with the veterinary authority, and make sure the hive is 25 meters from a school or hospital.

Three jars of Paris honey, from the Musée d'Orsay, the Tour d'Argent, and Opera Garnier, discovering nature via urban beekeeping and Paris honey. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Exclusive Paris honey: from the roofs of the Musée d’Orsay, the Tour d’Argent, and Opéra Garnier
© Meredith Mullins

A Taste of Honey (Paris Honey: Le Miel de Paris)

So, how does an expert beekeeper make a mark in this new world of honey lovers?

Enter Audric de Campeau.

There are a few well-known beekeepers in Paris, but Audric is one of the most original. He eschews the traditional white beekeeper suit in favor of a stylish boater with a customized black net (and no gloves!).

Audric de Campeau works with bees on the roof of Boucheron near Place Vendome in Paris, discovering nature via urban beekeeping and the production of Paris honey. (Image © Le Miel de Paris.)

No traditional beekeeper suit for Audric de Campeau, as he works with his bees near Place Vendôme
Photo courtesy of Le Miel de Paris

And he is always with his trusty canine assistant Filou (although Filou understands the meaning of bee-ware and often keeps his distance from the hives, having been stung a few times).

A sign in French saying beware of bees, part of a trend of discovering nature via urban beekeeping and the production of Paris honey. (Image © Le Miel de Paris.)

Attention Abeilles (Bee-ware of Bees)
Photo Courtesy Le Miel de Paris

Audric knew, even as a teenager, that he was a farmer at heart. Nature was in his blood. He started growing grapes in the Champagne region at his family’s country home, and soon became captivated by the magic and mystery of bee colonies.

His passion convinced his parents to allow his experiments in apiculture, even though his father was allergic to bees.

Once Audric (and his bees) had become proficient at honey production, both his parents gently urged him to start selling his product. They said (diplomatically) that they could not keep up the pace of eating a kilo of honey a day.

Close up of bee hive, discovering nature via urban beekeeping and the production of Paris honey. (Image © Le Miel de Paris.)

A happy hive
Photo Courtesy of Le Miel de Paris

Audric went in search of places in the city for new hives. His love of history and architecture led him to the Paris landmarks. And his understanding of nature informed smart location choices near gardens like the Tuileries, which he calls “a fully-stocked fridge” of diverse nectars and pollens that bees need.

Audric de Campeau at the Institut de France, discovering nature via urban beekeeping and the production of Paris honey. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

An “Immortal” in his own right at the Institut de France
© Meredith Mullins

A Hive with a View

While most of the Paris bees have an incredible vista, the majority of bees’ working life is spent in the windowless hive. It’s the beekeeper who gets to have “an office in the sky,” as Audric likes to call it.

When Audric removes the roof of a hive to check on things, he is swept into another world. “It’s like opening a universe,” he says.

Audric de Campeau of Le Miel de Paris checking bee hives at Invalides, a way of discovering nature via urban beekeeping and the production of Paris honey. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Audric de Campeau checking the hives in a hidden corner of Invalides
© Meredith Mullins

You can tell by the way he senses what’s going on in the hive that he cares as much about the bees as he does about the honey they’re producing.

“It’s good for me,” he says. “You have to be calm and quiet when you’re working with a hive or the bees might kill you. It’s a good way to keep your stress level low.”

Audric de Campeau and Filou the dog at Invalides, discovering nature via urban beekeeping and the production of Paris honey. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

The Miel de Paris team—Audric and Filou (and the bees)
© Meredith Mullins

Oh, I See: Respecting Nature in the City

Discovering the hidden treasures of a city is a part of travel magic. The presence of bee hives in Paris—hundreds of little universes—as well as the resulting Paris honey, is one such improbable discovery. Urban beekeeping is here to stay.

However, it is the ability to cultivate these hidden treasures and respect their place in nature that makes them even more precious. Thank you, Audric, for showing us the way.

If video does not display, watch it here.

Visit Le Miel de Paris to find out more about Paris honey. Also Le Miel de Paris Facebook and Twitter.

Visit La Monnaie de Paris for more information about The Paris Mint (now open to the public).

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins Comments

France (Paris)/Nature Discovery

Nov

A Game of French Wordplay: Les Bons Mots

by Meredith Mullins on November 20, 2017

A French bakery (boulangerie) with two women selling baguettes, illustrating baguettiquette, a form of French wordplay about the etiquette of eating baguettes. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Proper baguettiquette begins with the selection of the right baguette.
© Meredith Mullins

French Language Puns Offer Stories about the Culture

You can often step into French life through its language. Sometimes you can even invent new words to expand the boundaries of French language and culture. All it takes are some bilingual puns and a fun sense of French wordplay.

What word inventions come to your mind?

Observing Baguettiquette

What are the rules and traditions surrounding that oh-so-French symbol, the baguette?

Hardly a day goes by in France where a baguette doesn’t show its crusty face—tucked under someone’s arm in the street, paired with cheeses and a good bottle of wine at a riverside picnic, or at home eaten fresh from the oven of your local boulangerie.

Young woman carrying baguette on her shoulder, proper baguettetiquette, an invented word in French language as part of wordplay. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Just sling the baguette over your shoulder and keep walking.
© Meredith Mullins

More than one famous French street photographer captured a decisive baguette moment. They are a significant part of everyday life.

Here are some of the unwritten rules of baguettiquette:

You’re allowed (and encouraged) to spread butter and jam on your baguette at breakfast and dunk it in your coffee or tea.
When in France, you learn quickly to put your bread on the table beside your plate. In fact, if you put bread on your plate, you’re committing a serious dough pas.
You will be among the locals if you can’t resist biting off the end of the baguette as you carry it home, especially if it’s warm from the oven.
To that end (no pun intended), it is best to time your visit to the boulangerie to coincide with the morning or evening baking.
You can feel free to clean your plate with your bread to savor the last bits and drops of a delicious meal. This technique also expedites dishwashing.

Man eating end of a baguette in Paris, France, illustrating rules of baguettiquette, a word invented via wordplay with the French language. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Can anyone resist biting off the crunchy end of a baguette
on the way home from the boulangerie?
© Meredith Mullins

Experiencing Déjà Rue

The magnetism and magic of Paris is to be able to walk down an endless number of streets, always discovering some treasure—whether it’s layers of history, local characters, or new cafés and tiny shops.

Woman in a Montmartre alleyway, illustrating wordplay in the French language (deja rue). (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

An interesting character at every turn when you’re flaneuring
© Meredith Mullins

From medieval alleyways to broad avenues, people have cultivated the art of flaneuring for many years—wandering without destination or purpose.

There are some streets where, even if you’ve never been before, something feels familiar. You’ve been there in another time, another life. You’ve been there in a Victor Hugo novel or a Baudelaire poem. You’ve been there in a symphony or in a saxophone solo under a streetlamp. That’s déjà rue.

You know you belong there.

Rue de Rivoli in Paris France, illustrating some wordplay (deja rue) in the French language. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

The famous Rue de Rivoli, but seen in a different way—without traffic!
© Meredith Mullins

Finding Véliberation

The speedier version of flaneuring is velibing—flying freely through Paris on one of the bikes available from the city’s bike-sharing system.

It is indeed a liberating experience, especially when the traffic is minimal. (“When is that?” you might ask. Early Sunday mornings, or perhaps between 3 and 5 am . . . or in August when most of the locals are on vacation.)

Three velib riders in Paris France, illustrating the wordplay in the French language of veliberation. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Véliberation!
© Meredith Mullins

The Vélib system is now more than ten years old in Paris and is undergoing some important changes under Mayor Hidalgo, who wants Paris to be the most bike-friendly capital in the world.

The number of bikes and bike lanes is expected to double. Electric bikes will be added to the fleet. And signs will be added to the streets allowing cyclists to go through red lights and turn right on red.

A new system for parking the bikes will be installed to allow two bikes in one parking space. Arriving at your destination and not finding a parking space has been a recurring problem.

Despite challenges over the past 10 years (including a high rate of theft and destruction of the bikes), the system has been deemed a success. It is an environmentally-friendly way to move around the city, with the added bonus of that elusive feeling of véliberation.

Bakery (boulangerie) window in Paris France, illustrating the concept of eclairity, wordplay in the French language. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

So many choices. We must seek clarity.
© Meredith Mullins

Seeking Éclairity

Gazing in the window of a boulangerie or patisserie is a tough job, but someone has to do it. The array is artistic, colorful, mesmerizing, and tempting or taunting (depending on your health regime).

Some mornings are destined for croissants. Some evenings cry out for tartelettes. Often, there are a thousand small voices singing the song of the millefeuille.

But it is those days of éclairity, when the choice is clear. The éclair.

Éclairs are now omnipresent around the world, but they did, in fact, originate in France. They are believed to have been created by 19^th century royalty chef Marie-Antonin Carême.

He liked to create structures, such as the Charlotte and the Napoleon. The éclair was a masterpiece of exterior and interior magic.

Chocolate and coffee eclairs in a bakery (boulangerie) window, illustrating wordplay in the French language. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Traditional éclairs in chocolate and coffee.
© Meredith Mullins

Éclair means “flash of lightening” in French. It is believed that the pastry was so named because the confectioner’s glaze glistened or perhaps because it was quickly gobbled up . . . by both royalty and common folk. Either way, it caused a stir in the world of French pastry.

Now, the flavors of chocolate, vanilla, and coffee are the foundation of tradition, but also the precursor for more creative approaches—for example, truffle, lemongrass, matcha tea, and pistachio.

Éclairity. Is it a flash of lightening or a way of life? Only you know the answer.

Offering a Sincere “Bone Appétit”

The French enjoy the pleasure of food and good company. Before you begin a meal, your host, friends, or waiter may offer a “Bon appétit,” a sincere wish to enjoy the meal that will follow.

It literally means “have a good appetite,” but more likely than not, that’s a given when you sit down to a delicious French meal.

Dog with a bone, illustrating wordplay in the French language. (Image © Igor Terekhov/Hemera.)

Bone appétit!
© Igor Terekhov/Hemera

Bone appétit? Well, it speaks for itself. The French love their animals, especially their dogs. You’ll see dogs strutting by the Seine, eating in Michelin-starred restaurants, and wearing the best of canine haute couture. (See the Travel Tails story in OIC Moments.)

They deserve the best, so Bone appétit.

The “Oh, I See” Moments

We can learn a lot about French culture by looking at the French language, even when using imagination to invent a new lexicon. And so today, have a laugh on les bons mots of this French language wordplay and look beyond to gain appreciation for the simple pleasures of French culture: Baguette etiquette. Flaneuring. Free-flying bike riding. Éclairs . . . and more.

Thank you to the Boulangerie Martin on the Ile St Louis. For more information on éclairs, follow the trends with David Lebovitz.

Comment on this post below.

Meredith Mullins 2 Comments

France/Language & Culture/Wordplay

Oct

Traveling the World in Search of Weird Animals

by Meredith Mullins on October 30, 2017

Demonic eyes from one the weird animals found while traveling the world. (Image © Bastetamn/iStock.)

A parade of the weirdest Halloween animals
© Bastetamn/iStock

Creatures Destined for Halloween Fame

It all started with a Jerboa sighting . . .

This desert hopping rodent recently won the heart of the internet (and my heart as well). More cute than scary, Jerboas inspired me to expand my fauna horizons and begin virtually traveling the world in search of weird animals. And, apropos to the season, the results are creative fodder for last-minute Halloween costumes.

Four-toed jerboa, one of the weird animals found while traveling the world. (Image © Reptiles4all/iStock.)

The Jerboa—An Experiment in Mix ‘n Match

Long-eared Jerboas are such a mixture of parts, it’s as if they were drawn by a halluncinatory cartoonist. A rat head, cat whiskers, owl eyes, jackrabbit ears, kangaroo back legs, prairie dog front legs, and an oddly long tail.

They are found in Asian and African deserts. When fleeing from predators (or hurrying to an appointment), the Jerboa leaps and lands and leaps and lands (up to 10 feet with each hop), with kangaroo precision, appearing to be flying. You can almost see the cartoonist’s words floating above—Boing! Boing!

I thought not much could be weirder than the Jerboa, but I kept searching.

Tarsier, one of the weird animals found while traveling the world. (Image © Haveseen/iStock.)

The Tarsier—The Eyes Have It

This wide-eyed, tiny primate is, like the Jerboa, more cute than scary. It’s also a jumper and can jump more than 40 times its body length.

The Tarsier is found in the forests of Malaysian, Indonesian, and Philippine islands. It has the distinction of being able to turn its head 180 degrees in each direction—a truly all-seeing creature.

Does it remind you of anyone? (Hint: Star Wars)

While some say Yoda was based on Albert Einstein or was born directly from the creator’s imagination, the similarities between the Jedi master and the Tarsier have sparked some interesting discussions.

A Wolffish, one of the weird animals found while traveling the world. (Image © Paylessimages/iStock.)

The Atlantic Wolffish—A Fish with a Fang

There’s something about a fish with teeth that’s a bit disconcerting, especially one with fangs.

The Wolffish, sometimes called a devil fish or seawolf, looks ferocious with its large canines, powerful jaws, and thick eel-like body.

It is an aggressive predator, with a particular penchant for crunchy invertebrates such as sea urchins, shellfish, and crustaceans.

Wolffish don’t get out much. They keep to themselves in rocky cracks and crevices primarily in the cold water of the North Atlantic. The good news: they are so shy, they rarely take a bite out of a human.

King vulture, one of the weird animals found while traveling the world. (Image © Miroslav1/iStock.)

The King Vulture—Look Out Las Vegas

Let’s move from scary to showy.

The King Vulture looks like a Vegas showbird, with piercing red-ringed eyes and all the flash and color that might appear at the festivals of their habitat in Central and South America. Their face looks as if it’s adorned with an array of military braided cord as well as other striking splats of color.

They are the ultimate scavengers in their tropical lowland forests, and are called King because their size allows them to win a territorial fight over other, lesser, vultures.

In Mayan mythology, King Vultures often carried messages between humans and gods, a fitting task as they can soar for hours on air currents with very little effort.

Aye-aye, nocturnal lemur, one of the weird animals found while traveling the world (Image © Javaman3/iStock.)

The Aye Aye—Just Another Wide-Eyed Weirdo with Witch-Like Fingers

The Aye Aye lemur from Madagascar just begs for jokes about its name.

Knock. Knock.
Who’s there?
Aye Aye.
Aye Aye Who?
Aye Yai Yai Yai Yai. Will you stop with the knock knock jokes. (Bad lemur joke)

Aye Aye look cute and cuddly, but they are actually the world’s largest nocturnal primate. When they’re full-grown, they are around three feet in length, including their long tail.

They spend most of their time in the upper canopy of the forest—eating, sleeping, traveling, and mating in tree tops.

A knock knock joke is not completely out of line since they use their extra long 3^rd and 4th fingers to tap on trees to look for grubs and then extract them (a technique called percussive foraging).

They are endangered, primarily because the local people believe that an Aye Aye sighting will lead to the death of a villager. They also believe that the only response is to kill the animal as quickly as possible.

Hairy frogfish, one of the weird animals found while traveling the world. (Image © Atese/iStock.)

The Hairy Frogfish—A Fish that Fishes

One minute, the Hairy Frogfish looks like a sea monster having a bad hair day and the next it looks exactly like an ocean sponge or drifting seaweed near a coral reef. These pom-pom-like, spikey-haired creatures are masters of camouflage.

Hairy Frogfish are found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. They are voracious carnivores, eating everything and anything that comes within reach of their lightening mouth. Size doesn’t matter. They’ll eat fish even bigger than they are. They will even eat one of their own.

Oddly, they don’t much like to swim. They use their fins like legs to amble along the ocean floor, looking a bit like prehistoric dinosaurs thundering through a forest. You can almost feel the ocean floor shake.

They plant themselves in a prime feeding location and dangle their built-in wormlike lure to attract innocent passersby. Then . . . the big gulp, one of the fastest strikes of any animal on earth.

If this video does not display, watch it here.

A Parade of Weirdos

Traveling the world in search of weird animals yields an endless supply of fascinating creatures. The “Oh, I see” moments come quickly as we marvel at the range of animal life on our great planet . . . and the wonderful ways the strangest species adapt and survive.

Are they creepy or cute? You be the judge.

And, on a Halloween note, which one of these peculiar creatures will inspire your Halloween costume?

Knock. Knock.

Who’s there?