French Car Company Citroën Celebrates 100 Years

This was a post that I meant to publish back in 2019, when it actually was the 100th anniversary of Citroën. It would have been doubly special to have done it on the anniversary, and during the actual year where, for the first time ever, I got to drive one during my last stay in Paris at the end of the 2019 European trip. But it is better late than never. 

Here's to 100 years (well, 101 now)!

Image courtesy of Martyn Wright's Flickr page - citroen logo 006:
https://live.staticflickr.com/1287/5186970693_94435507c6_b.jpg
Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/








The Citroën Charleston is my personal favorite. It is basically a 2CV, although it is painted in a very different style. Some have different color variations, but I prefer the more classic look of the maroon and black, which in my humble opinion, both makes this look sleek and cool, and yet also allows it to bear a resemblance to antique cars. Here is a picture of one:

 

Image courtesy of Michael Hanna's Flickr page - Citroen  A citroen in the parking lot of the park: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sidha/537791045/in/photolist-Pwjxp-556Hwe-38zj4m-29NWsKG-a6gAEd-2pdt6i-6CX2Yo-PyFEnn-2cSTcW6-97Yib-2b1ByRh-2cEe4ze-QqXkMe-2bvDKwD-2fCoL5Q-6CSUde-P1X8tZ-2aWyeGL-PXo3xn-26QGzRq-2eubeVG-246idmL-57USx9-2axkSSL-NzHQPx-2dSdpeX-KBxy7s-Q3wfpH-2evFuyV-2dYqySm-pF4XSV-7RCPbc-2avT6Aw-2fsjyci-2b1ByQL-2esFrKk-StNe4Q-2cUSghV-2daEXGA-24QinUp-RFsR7M-RZTcZy-2bYXoHj-SaixZ1-2bfpc17-2d1Z1YV-2e4qiPP-2eyT1C5-2f8funB-29J78if

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/



 

 Image courtesy of Guillaume Vachey's Flickr page -  Citroen 2CV Charleston  1987 Citroen 2CV Charleston at Chalon sur Saone:
Creative Commons License:





Image courtesy of Salim Virji's Flickr page - Citroën:
Creative Commons License:




 

Image courtesy of Guillaume Vachey's Flickr page - Citroen DS 19:
Creative Commons License:

Meant to publish this a long time ago. Like months ago, before I actually went on vacation in the summer, where I got to actually drive a Citroën for the first time in my life on my last night in Europe, which was in Paris.

It made me happy to be able to drive a French car while in France. Perhaps it gave me newfound respect for Citroëns in general. 

So, here is what I wanted to say about it:

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Citroën automobile company, the French car manufacturer that has made some of the most distinctive cars in history. My personal favorite would be the Citroën Charleston, which essentially is the Citroën 2CV, only designed in traditional looking maroon and black colors. I have long felt that if money were no object, this would be one of the two cars (a lemon yellow Volkswagon Beetle being the other) that I would want to have and drive on casual weekends, if I could. 

Indeed, I always enjoyed seeing a Citroën 2CV - especially the Charleston! - on visits to France, and especially on those rare occasions when I have seen them in the United States, and even once or twice in Canada.

Yet, Citroën has made some other very distinctive looking cars, as well. which was used by French President Charles De Gaulle

Now for the history: André Citroën created his Company "Les Engrenages Citroën" in 1901 in Paris,  yet for certain reasons, it was "on Monday July 7th, 2019, that our brand will have exactly 100 years.''

Here is a bit more from an article on this subject that I encountered:

It is reputed that the young André was inspired by the works of Jules Verne and had seen the construction of the Eiffel Tower for the World Exhibition, making him want to become an engineer.

Citroën founded the Citroën automobile company in 1919, leading it to become the fourth-largest automobile manufacturer in the world by the early 1930s (specifically 1932).

This one-off event will take place from the 19th to the 21st July 2019 in France’s Central Loire Valley region, at La Ferté-Vidame in Perche, an area favoured by tourists for its natural beauty as well as being steeped in the history of Citroën.

Eiffel Tower History

History of advertising No 103: André Citroën's Eiffel Tower ad On the night of 4 July 1925, thousands of Parisians gawped in amazement as 250,000 light bulbs burst into life on the Eiffel Tower, emblazoning the family name of the car-maker André Citroën across the French capital. June 5, 2014:

https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/history-advertising-no-103-andre-citroens-eiffel-tower-ad/1297020





Official 100th Anniversary of Citroën celebration:

INTRODUCTION - by: CITROËN CENTENARY CELEBRATION - 100 years - official website Partage  From 1919 up to 2019, 100 years of CITROËN !


https://en.citroencc.com/

https://en.citroencc.com/blog-detail-citron.php?BlogID=512





CitroënVie! page on André Citroën:

https://citroenvie.com/andre-citroen/

My Son the World Traveler 2020 Edition

Okay, I put some of these pictures together a little hastily, just to make sure that I publish this on time, before 2020 officially ends. But I have wanted to more or less put together a collection of pictures of places that my son and I managed to travel to over the years. So, here is an admittedly incomplete collage from our trips.

Unknown Date, probably somewhere between 2008-2011

2013:

Washington, D.C.

At the Lincoln Memorial on a cold spring day in 2013.

2014:

Trip 1 - Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA, Raleigh, NC, Richmond, VA

Trip 2 - Bangor, ME, Moncton-Diepe, New Brunswick, the Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Perce, Quebec, Gaspe, Quebec, St Lawrence Coast, Quebec City

Want to wish a very happy birthday to my son, who is 12 years old today! So amazing to think of how much he has grown, and how much he has transformed me. I feel so much gratitude for his presence in my life, and being a father is both the greatest responsibility, as well as the greatest privilege, that I could have ever imagined!

Thought this would be a nice opportunity to share some pictures of the two of us during some of our favorite road trips through the years - Enjoy!

A couple of pictures of my son with my brother during our trip to New England and the Maritime provinces earlier this year. The one above is at Stephen King's house in Bangor, while the one below is from a fish 'n chips place in Charlottetown, PEI.

My son and girlfriend pictured along with me at Forsyth Fountain in Savannah, Georgia, June 2014.

Taking a breather at the Vermont Welcome Center, just after crossing the border from Québec province, Canada back into the United States. I forget what the name of this particular Vermont town is, however.

Pictures from the crossing into Québec province. Here, there was a museum honoring the regional Acadian past.

Two pictures of him posing by a Prince Edward Island welcome area, with the Confederation Bridge (back to New Brunswick) in the background.

2015

Arizona Desert, Route 66, Grand Canyon (South Rim), Nogales, Mexico, Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park

2016

Las Vegas, Yosemite National Park, Sacramento, San Francisco, the Redwoods, Mojave Desert, Saint George (Utah), Grand Canyon (North Rim), the San Juan Range of the Rockies, Mesa Verde, Gallup (New Mexico), Arizona Desert, Nogales, Tombstone, Phoenix, Hoover Dam, Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas

2017:

Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City for the 150th Anniversary of Canadian confederation.

2018:

Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Denver, Rocky Mountain National Park, Garden of the Gods, the Manitou Cliff Dwellings

2019:

Trip 1 - Paris, Krakow, Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Bieszczady, L'viv, Ukraine, Budapest, Vienna, Bratislava, Brno, Katowice

Trip 2 - Montreal, Lake Placid and the Adirondack Mountains, Lake George

Lake George, October 2019

Montreal:

Lake Placid:

Europe 2019 Trip

My son in front of the Széchenyi Chain Bridge in Budapest, Hungary, August, 2019.

The Halászbástya, or Fisherman's Bastion, was my favorite site during our visit to Budapest, August, 2019. 

A couple of night pictures of my son and I cooling off at Gellért Hill in Budapest, Hungary, August, 2019.

My son and I pictured before the Schloss Belvedere in Vienna, Austria, August 2019. 

My son and I cooling off under a gardened arch on the grounds of the Schloss Schönbrunn in Vienna, Austria, August 2019. 

My son in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, Austria, August, 2019.

My girlfriend and her mom with my son and I, posing in front of the Opera House in L'Viv, Ukraine, August 2019. 

This was one of the first pictures of my son and I during our visit to Paris. Here we are in front of the Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre, one of my favorite districts in Paris. We visited this church, which I always thought was one of the most beautiful, and still reminds me a bit of the Taj Mahal in India. We also enjoy some crêpes and coffee for breakfast nearby.

Visiting the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées at the Place Charles de Gaulle, which I still remember mostly as l'Étoile, in Paris, France, August, 2019. 

Much like with me when I was a kid, my son really wanted to visit the most famous landmark in Paris, France: La Tour Eiffel/ the Eiffel Tower. August, 2019.

Cooling off shortly after a rainfall before the Pyramid and the Musée du Louvre, Paris, France, August, 2019. 

Relaxing on the Bateaux Mouche, which took us as close as we were going to get on this trip to the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, which had been at least partially destroyed from the first four months earlier. This picture was taken in mid-August, 2019. 

2020:

Watkins Glen Canyon, Chimney Bluffs, Eternal Flame, Japanese Garden of Buffalo, White Mountains, Maine Coast and Lighthouses, Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, Rural Vermont

Smaller Trips: Niagara Falls, Hoboken View of Manhattan

Summer 2019 in Western New York and New England:

At the Chimney Bluffs on Lake Ontario

The Eternal Flame, Orchard Park, NY

Bar Harbor, Maine