The Revillon chocolates in papillote form are the chocolates of choice for a festive meal during the Christmas/New Years festivities in our part of France. There are many variations now on the original mix of dark and milk chocolates, but what they all have in common is that they are the French equivalent to the British Christmas crackers or the Chinese fortune cookie: you find a joke (in the children’s versions) or a quote wrapped neatly around every chocolate.
Here are the three quotes or aphorisms which particularly attracted me this year, my ‘motto’ for 2015, if you will, coupled with some of my favourite images of the place where I currently live.
Rester, c’est exister; mais voyager, c’est vivre. (Gustave Nadaud)
[To stay is to exist but to travel is to live. – Nadaud was a 19th century French songwriter, who died in poverty]

Lire, c’est voyager: voyager, c’est lire. (Victor Hugo)
[To read is to travel; to travel is to read.]

Ecrire, c’est une façon de parler sans être interrompu. (Jules Renard)
[Writing is a way of talking without getting interrupted. – Jules Renard was a 19th century French writer renowned for his witty epigrams – a slightly more earnest Oscar Wilde.]

My Fav:
“Lire, c’est voyager: voyager, c’est lire.”
Much deeper than it may first seem…
It is good, isn’t it? As an avid traveller and cultural anthropologist, this speaks to me too…
I’d never heard of these! Lovely quotations. They sound much better than crackers to me.
Rien de meilleur que les revillon!!Here english people love them first because they look “christmassy” but then they don’t understand the quote. Haha. Nevermind, I can translate (and steal the chocolate with it)…
I love those quotes, Marina Sofia! All three of them have both surface-level meaning and deeper meaning. Thanks for sharing.
Ah les papillottes! That’s really a thing from this part of France. The origin of this tradition is sweet (no pun intended), don’t you think?
There are writers we know mostly from these quotes: Renard is a star there, just as Courteline, Oscard Wilde and GB Shaw.
I just looked up the said origin and it is indeed cute: a chocolatier apprentice smuggling love letters to his beloved… I also love the quote from the managing director of the Revillon chocolate factory in Roanne: ‘Yes, we do export these things – to Bretagne and the North of France.’
Wonderful 🙂
Sounds like an excellent reason to eat more chocolate to me!
Yes, unfortunately it does to me too…
Fun quotes and delicious chocolates? We need to import these to the US as soon as possible!
They really should do an English language version – I’m sure it would be a hit for exports!
I love the quotes & chocolates are my favorites ~
Just also wanted to know if you have read the latest D’verse emails? Can you please write to me as I have something to check with you? My email is:
sometimesg@yahoo.com
Thanks ~
Beautiful photographs Marina, and I particularly like the Nadaud quote. Those chocolates sounds very nice! Lindsay 🙂
These are so apt and meaningful and with the photos just magic. Thanks.
Why, thank you!
xxx