Muguet de Bois

Pronounced "moogay de bua", it translates to the lily of the valley. I am not sure why the "bois" in this case is not the woods but the valley. Anyways, the wood is the meaning you get if you use Google Translate or Reverso. After looking up the meaning, it is very clear whenever I see the word Bois on the map of Ile-de-France. Now I also know why Robinhood is Robin de Bois over here!

Let's get back to where we started. It is a French custom to present Muguet de Bois to a dear one when the spring arrives. It is supposed to bring good luck. Well, it is a tiny lily flanked by two or three green leaves wrapped in plastic. At least that is what I received on Friday. If you are wondering who my dear one is, I have to tell you it was the same question on my mind when a beautiful lady handed over the flower to me. Who is she? How does she know me? Believe me, it was big boost to the male ego. In this city of love, my dearest ones are all those who work in the public transport system namely RATP and SNCF. It was the SNCF employee giving out the lily of the valley to all the passengers.

Do you remember me talking about lilies bring luck? In my case, the lily did not bring luck. My trains were all delayed because of a mishap and I had to take an alternate route to work.




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