Greetings again from Laos, one of the most pleasant and peaceful countries I have ever visited. The people here do not believe in drama, in hurrying, in raising their voices, or in bad feelings. They live life as peacefully as they can. We should all take some lessons from them. Now on to today’s topic.
You all know what a French twist is, right? The glamorous stars of days gone by wore them so eloquently in the movies. Think Audrey Hephurn in “Breakfast at Tiffany”. Princess Grace wore one on her church wedding day (as opposed to her civil wedding day.) If you have ever watched old movies on AMC, I am sure you have seen a French twist here and there on the lovely starlets. There are also a bunch of these hair styles on “Mad Men.”
Well, Laos has its own French twist, thanks to the French colonization of this country from 1893 until 1949. You can see it in their architecture, taste it in their food, and witness it on the streets. Take a look at the following photos and enjoy a French twist.
The street signs are written in both Lao and in French.
The French had a major impact on architecture as in this French colonial house where Carol Cassidy’s weaving shop is located. Her products are sold in many upscale U.S. shops like Barney’s and the Guggenheim Museum Shop. There will be an upcoming blog entry on her amazing work.
This is the Lao version of l’ Arc de Triomphe.
One day we had lunch at the Lycee de Vientiane and ate croque monsieur (fancy ham and cheese sandwich), pomme frites (French fries) and salad vert (green salad.)
This was a sandwich de jambon (ham sandwich.)
Oh la la! A croissant from Cafe d’Or.
Congrats to Carol who is our winner in the wire contest. Thanks for all the guesses, and Random.org picked Carol as the lucky winner. Carol ,I’ll send you an email to get your address to mail you the gift. Please keep reading for more contests in the future.
