Summer Sundown in the City of Light

The eveing skies at Place des VosgesLe Trou beginsHow to Steal a Million at the Eiffel TourThe grooms’ “cake”

It’s quiet, it’s hot and no one is complaining. It doesn’t matter that the apartment is dustier than usual because of the open windows, that the whir of the fan is incessant or that the “poissoneries” (fish shops) are closed for the summer holidays (as are many things!)…August in Paris is turning out to be delightful after a long, cold, gray Fall, Winter, Spring!

Those who are taking advantage of the free open-air films spotted around the city between August 1st and 11th sponsored by the Forum des Images called “Cinéma au Clair de Lune” are seriously benefitting from this year’s magnificent weather.

At the Place des Vosges Friday night, we arrived early enough to get a perfect spot on the lawn for a 100% great view of “Le Trou,” a film by Jacques Becker from 1960 about four long-sentence prison inmates “planning an elaborate escape cautiously induct a new inmate to join in their scheme which leads to distrust and uncertainty.”

As the sun set over our picnic at the Place des Vosges, we watched with awe how the lighting changed the look of the clouds in the sky every few moments as the 400 year-old buildings became silhouetted in the background casting a memorable image.

The film itself was forgettable. In fact, as French films go, this one was torture (although I’m sure many of you will disagree) — I thought the incessant pounding on the concrete to make their hole and thereby escape to freedom would never end.

It didn’t matter. The setting was too divine, the not-too-cool night air unmatchable and a short snooze while the pounding droned on was welcome heaven.

Sunday night we hit the pavement again with our bags of picnic goodies to find a spot at the Trocadero to see Audrey Hepburn and Peter O’Toole in “How to Steal a Million” — set in Paris, of course! While the film is fun (Audrey is her usual gorgeous self in her usual gorgeous Givenchy wardrobe and O-Toole never looked more handsome) the setting is what it’s all about.

As the sun goes down, the Eiffel Tower in all her glory becomes silhouetted against the sun reflecting off the buildings behind her, then lights from within casting a glow and finally every hour on the hour, she sparkles. It was absolute magic.

There are five more films to catch this week in lots of beautiful Paris spots. Try to make at least one. Advice to potential Clair de Lune moviegoers:

1. Set up your picnic no later than 7:30 p.m. to find the best viewing vantage spot.
2. Take a sweater or wrap as it might get cool as it gets late.
3. Before the movie starts, wrap up your picnic so that when it ends you can hop up and leave quickly to avoid the rush to the Métro.
4. Take a small folding chair or seat if you’re not so comfortable on the ground.

In between the open-air evenings at the movies, Saturday night we celebrated with a big surprise to honor two friends who just got married in San Francisco after about 30 years of illegal partnership. They were shocked as everyone came out from their hiding places one by one and in unison singing “Going to the chapel and we’re gonna get married, going to the chapel, and we’re gonna get married, gee I really love you and we’re gonna get married, going to the chapel of love!”

At the end of a big buffet, having served many glasses of champagne and wine, and the opening of gifts, they cut the raspberry tarte topped with two grooms by joining their hands on the one knife…and we all cheered! Congratulations to two guys who deserve the benefits of marriage!

A la prochaine…

Adrian Leeds

Director of The Adrian Leeds Group, LLC

Respond to Adrian

P.S. What a surprise! July 31st, BuzzFeed.com posted “32 Signs That You’re Addicted To HGTV” with the subtitle “Sorry, I can’t do dinner tonight. There’s a new episode of House Hunters on”…and guess who is their 16th reason! Read all about it at buzzfeed.com. And special note: I am not a real estate agent! (What do they know?)

But if you are addicted to House Hunters International, then don’t miss our upcoming episodes: August 13 at 7:30 p.m. E/P see “Sizing Up the Parisian Suburbs” and a new one: “Becoming a Buyer in Nice” at 10:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. EST/PST. Another new episode will air on Wednesday, August 28th at 10:30 p.m. EST and 1:30 a.m. EST — “Planning a Future in Paris, France,” Episode HHINT-5612H.

Don’t miss them and find out why so many people have gotten addicted! Full details for each episode is available at Adrian Leeds on House Hunters International.

P.P.S. ATTEND THE WEALTH AND PRIVACY CONFERENCE IN ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND, August 11-14, 2013. If you are concerned about asset protection, asset growth, and international diversification, then you will want to consider this very exclusive event tailored specifically for you. You can join a panel of experts and concerned attendees engaging in a set of interactive discussions and presentations designed to arm you with the information you need to make prudent, long-term decisions about your financial future. On top of that, you’ll be doing it in one of the world’s oldest and most secure financial centers in the world, Zürich, Switzerland. For those interested in attending, visit hemispherespublishing.com/ for more information.