French cuffs

November 27 2006

There is something about arriving in Paris that just puts a smile on one's face.  The drive from Gare du Nord to La Défense was like a tour of the city -- the amazingly wonderful Christmas lights and windows at Printemps and Galleries Lafayette were a special treat.

THALYS was a nice train ride from Köln, though there were a few chatterboxes in my compartment...thankfully alighting at Bruxelles.  A four-hour train ride is just perfect, and I got a lot of work (though no blogging) done, all while watching the countryside until darkness.  I'll do that again.

As for the title of this entry....I can't say I've ever considered myself at the forefront of fashion (though influences in my life are changing that a bit).  It finally permeated my brain a few weeks ago that American men are wearing dress shirts with French cuffs, so I decided to be a joiner.  Today was my first day wearing such a shirt -- on my way to France.  Très chic!  Maybe now that I'm all growed up, I need to go eat some French bread and French fries....or at least take the camera out to Tour Eiffel at night.  Au revoir!

Ed Brill | La Défense, France Category:  Travel  Add/View Comments [17]

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  1. 1  Flemming Riis  | 11/27/2006 2:00:36 PM

    - I need to go eat some French bread and French fries

    replace the fries with cheese and you have a good starter

  1. 2  JNK http://jnkwps.no-ip.org | 11/27/2006 3:46:10 PM

    hi Ed

    I don't know how long you will be in Paris, but I hope we will be able to see you in IBM office at La Defense, I'm pretty sure that a lot of Lotus's guy like me will be happy to discuss further with you [and with Alan as it looks like you are here together :-)]

    You have been pretty lucky with the weather today at it was surprisingly warm, I just heard that November 2006 have been the warmest november month since 1900. So enjoy your time in Paris with Le Louvre, Champs Elysees [the greatest avenue of the world], Montmartre, Orsay, Notre-Dame...

  1. 3  Ben Rose http://www.jaffacake.net | 11/27/2006 4:43:33 PM

    You bought some cuff links then? ;-)

  1. 4  Joel Demay  | 11/27/2006 4:56:13 PM

    Hey Ed,

    It's not French Fries, it's freedom fries. Je voudrais Un Big Mac et des Freedom Fries....

    Actually for fries, you should have stopped along the way in BE, Fries are not huge in France, neither is French Dressing by the way.

    u take care.

  1. 5  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 11/27/2006 5:34:33 PM

    @2 I will be in office 32250B from 11 AM to noon Tuesday (and yes, Alan Lepofsky will be in Paris tomorrow as well -- I suppose that lends weight to the theory that he and I are the same person...). I have no time for sightseeing, other than the two hours I went out tonight to take photos.

    @3 Yes, 5 quid at Marks & Spencer. Well, maybe more like 220 CZK.

    @4 I went through BE, but the train did not stop long enough for fries or a happy meal.

  1. 6  John Head http://www.johndavidhead.com | 11/27/2006 6:06:52 PM

    the english seem to dislike the name of French Cuffs ... hence why they call them double cuffs :)

  1. 7  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 11/27/2006 6:08:23 PM

    Anyway, it's 1 AM in Paris and all is well. I've been out with the Nikon tonight. No tripod, and it shows, but ok: { Link }

    Many more pictures to upload (well most of them) from the last week. But it's going to take a few days to catch up.

  1. 8  Jess Stratton http://www.mattandjess.net | 11/27/2006 7:58:58 PM

    Was I the only one that thought...

    "Fronch bread, fronch fries, fronch dressing, and to drink - Peru." :-)

  1. 9  Ben Rose http://www.jaffacake.net | 11/28/2006 5:04:59 AM

    @6 - You're right, when Ed mentioned to me in Prague that he had bought a shirt with French Cuffs but had no cuff links it was the first time I had ever heard them referred to as 'French' and not double.

  1. 10  Tim Brown  | 11/28/2006 7:44:10 AM

    @8 "Two...dollars"

  1. 11  Sean Jennings  | 11/28/2006 7:54:41 AM

    @3 - when you next visit the UK you should pop-into UK retail-chain Next... they're selling some very flash domino cuff-links with crystals for the spots ;o)

  1. 12  Roger Hintz  | 11/28/2006 8:09:47 AM

    @8 & @10 - LMAO, great movie reference. Let's hope Ed doesn't pick up the International Language (of Love) while searching for his pomme fris.

  1. 13  Ben Rose http://www.jaffacake.net | 11/28/2006 8:14:19 AM

    @11 - I actually live in the UK, I just happened to be in Prague over the Thanksgiving period.

    By fluke I happened to be in the Prague city centre branch of Next this week! Didn't see the Domino cuff-links though, will keep my eyes open.

    Prague now boast a Pizza Express, M&S, Mothercare, Accessorize and other well know UK chainstores.

  1. 14  Charles Robinson http://cubert-codepoet.blogspot.com | 11/28/2006 9:17:19 AM

    @Ben - That's interesting about the English calling them double cuffs. It's amazing that we speak the same language and still have a difficult time communicating. ;-)

  1. 15  Ben Rose http://www.jaffacake.net | 11/28/2006 9:45:03 AM

    @14 - Charles, the only people who think we both speak the same language are the yanks ;O)

  1. 16  Alan Bell http://www.fondoo.net | 11/28/2006 9:59:37 AM

    @14 two cultures separated by a common language

  1. 17  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 11/28/2006 4:07:20 PM

    I deleted a couple of comments here...this wasn't meant to be a political entry, just the whole thing we do in America with French dressing, French toast, French fries, French onion soup, French kiss....er.....