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The fleeting moment when day transitions into night, or night into day. Across the sky, a natural phenomenon occurs when the sky and all that the lingering light rests upon, or the first light begins to appear, casting a blue glow, regardless of the color of the buildings, fields, or objects, onto its recipients.
This deep blue-hue-scatterings of the last remnants of daylight, or before the day begins, reminds us each to soak up its beauty or carve out time to do something ever so ritualistic to savor it all the more.
I was first introduced to this term by Susan Hermann Loomis, who shared in our conversation on episode #192 that it was a regular ritual of hers to go for a bike ride when the blue hour arrived. Taking a regular circuit around her small hometown in Louviers, up in Normandy, even though it was the same route, the experience, the light, the beauty, was uniquely different each time. Have a look at her quote below:
A bit of history about this term. Occurring when the sun is at a significant depth below the horizon, so the glowing orb of light isn’t visible, but leftover or hints of light appear on the horizon. Known as the Rayleigh Scattering when the color that is splayed across the horizon and onto the land and sea differs from the color of the sky on a clear day.
The term itself, coined by the French, has its origins in the art world, as landscape painters, specifically Impressionist painters, were observing and capturing how the natural light created different shapes, forms, and colors. Since the 19th century, it has gone on to be a term that perfumer Jacques Guerlain chose for his perfume of the same name to convey his love for his favorite time of day having said, “It’s the suspended hour… The hour when one finally finds oneself in renewed harmony with the world and the light…when the night has not yet found its star”, created in 1912 (see below). The term is also tied to Paris just before WWI, a period described as being one of relative innocence.
House of Guerlain’s L’Heure de Bleue perfume
Description of the perfume: “It’s that time of day when day embraces night and silence fully envelopes the world. An expression of harmony, a moment of stillness and grace tinted with deep blue echoed in L’Heure Bleue, composed in 1912. Painting an impressionistic olfactory canvas, Jacques Guerlain merged the violet accord and iris with the creamy ivory of vanilla, leaving a bewitching fragrance trail of both fresh and warm nuances. Through this ambery floral, a tale of eternal love is told. In this moment of suspended time, when the night is “yet to find its star”
A phenomenon that can be witnessed year-round, so the time of day will be different depending on when the sun rises and sets. It is quite special to witness, and wherever we live in the world, we can experience its magic.
The secret to finding the most magical exhibition of this light, which typically only lasts between 20-30 minutes, is to find constrasts – where the ‘cool’ tones of the blue light meet warm features on the ground – think brass, gold or anything ‘glowing’ from the sun hitting it – windows for example. Monet demonstrates this capturing of cool and warm tones perfectly in his painting below found in his series of the Rouen cathedral. Find those locations, and what you will observe will be quite awe-inspiring.
Claude Monet’s Rouen Cathedral, Facade (sunset), harmonie in gold and blue
1892–1894, seen at the Musée Marmottan
Below are a few ideas for how to savor it, exercising our ‘marveling’ muscle as we explored the five different ways to deeply, and with thoughtful intention, savor in the four-part seasonal savorings series posted throughout this past year. I would also include it in the ‘luxuriating’ section, as we take in this magical sight with our sense of sight.
L’Heure Bleue dans le soir
1. Taking a walk, a stroll with eyes gazing to the horizon and all that the light touches.
2. Wherever there is an expanse of water – ocean, lake, a river – especially if the water meets the horizon, make a point of being near it to experience the full ‘blue’ of twilight.
3. Photographers, make a date with Mother Nature or the town and city you find yourself to seek out the sparkling natural effects on objects, capturing them with your lens.
4. Especially during summer, when the sun sets late into the night, make a ritual to entice you to go to bed all the more. Maybe you have the namesake perfume from Guerlain, so why not spritz it on your sheets or bed linens to welcome you to bed? Any soothing scent – lavender, sandalwood, you choose – and a restful night of slumber awaits.
5. If in Paris or any city with stunning architecture, especially bridges over vast waterways, plan to stroll through the rues and boulevards and over the Seine to observe the effects of the light on the buildings.
6. Speaking of water, plan to be atop the water on a water cruise, or any boat on any water and still yourself to watch as the light gently fades to sleep.
7. If you have a balcony that looks west, or know someone who does, or perhaps a restaurant or public place has a terrace to view the sun setting, be sure to be outside at this fleeting moment.
8. While visiting one of the many châteaux throughout France, linger in the evening to see the light dance on the architecture, moats, lakes, and water features.
L’heure bleue à l’aube
9. If you are in Paris, wake up early and head to the stairs at Sacré-Cœur. The sun will creep above the stairs and cast its ink-blue light down the steps.
10. Will you be in Normandy at Mont St. Michel? All of that water makes for a magnificent l’heure bleue in morning or evening.
11. In Aix-en-Provence, the city of fountains. Known for all of the many fountains found around the city, seek out one (the dolphins fountain is often a favorite and most well-known – see right) early in the morning and wait for the sun’s emerging light to gently touch the water and limestone.
12. Spend time in a garden, yours or a garden open to the public. Step outside or arrive early and discover Mother Nature perfectly illuminated, fresh, and soothing to the senses as the gentle light hints at the day to come.
13. Watch the sun’s light slowly inch to the horizon over the lakes of Annecy found in the Alps.
14. Watch Tte morning light in Provence draped over the lavender in early summer.
15. While inside your appartment in Paris, take in the view of the early morning light streaming through the Parisian windows and bouncing off the blue copper rooftops and neighboring glass across the way.
Please do share how you enjoy savoring L’Heure Bleue in the Comments’ section below.
Explore all of the Posts shared during this year’s French Week
I will be going to France in September and cannot wait to experience the Blue Hour. 🙂
Have a wonderful and magical trip Lydia 🙂 What a beautiful time of year to be there.
My favorite thing about blue hour is looking out a window and seeing the trees, bushes, etc fade to black against its backdrop, making the blue display all the more intense as it continues to deepen into a cobalt hue eventually joining everything else in the dark cover of night. I’ve also heard it called lantern time, which conjurs up an equally romantic mood, when the last light of day gives way to the cozy glow of candlelight.
I do love that term. Lantern time. Thank you for sharing it with us Melissa 🙂
Oh, Lantern Time! Perfect🤗
Lantern time, how lovely. xx
The last time I was in Paris was just before the pandemic, in October 2019. I had not been in Paris in October since I had been a university student and had forgotten how especially L’heure bleue was at that time of year. It came a bit earlier and lingered a bit longer, it seemed, casting beautiful shadows over everything and lighting the sky with all of the beautiful shades of that time of year – blues, purples, pinks; both light and dark at the same time. Thank you for reminding me of this wonderful memory, Shannon. 🙂
Adrienne, thank you for painting this beautiful, romantic picture of Paris in our minds. Now an October visit is calling. What beautiful memories to have. 🙂
Shannon – October in Paris is a MUST (although do try to steer clear of Fashion Week!) because all of the wonderful sales are happening then. The French, in all of their wisdom, don’t do end of season sales as much as we do in the States, but offer the month of the October as sale time, albeit with lower discounts, for you to restock your wardrobe with the season’s best. As well, the weather is glorious – warm enough to spend the day wandering and yet cool enough at the bookends of the day to enjoy a sweater or jacket and some tea in a cafe. 🙂
Adrienne, I am going to Paris for the first time this October. When I see this, I will think of you! Your words are so poetic!
Oh, I’m SO excited for you! I promise you’ll love it, and I would be so happy if you remembered me when you experience L’heure bleue in person! 🙂
I live just a few minutes away from a wine region and I occasionally enjoy driving out through the vineyards in the evening after dinner. Susan’s idea of biking in the evening sounds like it would be very nice once our temps cool down a bit. And, as I mentioned, I’ll be in France during October so I look forward to visiting several of the places that you mentioned above. Thank you for the inspiration and for this thoughtful article. Merci!
Vickie,
Thank you for sharing with us that indeed l’heure bleue is available wherever we call home. That would be a stunning sight to see while being amongst the vines. May your time in France this coming autumn provide many occasions to witness this stunning natural spectacle where it originally was coined. 🙂
What a lovely post Shannon! I love to experience the gifts that nature gives to us – we just need to be aware and take notice of all the beauty that is around us.
Exactement ! 🙂
Such a lovely way to begin or end our days. Different areas of the city or countryside can become magical in the blue light. Thanks for reminding me. I live in a city of bridges and and local photographers capture all angles of light so well. Some of my favorites have been during and after snowfall. That blue light is like no other.
Lucy, Thank you for sharing both of these examples of where and how beauty of Mother Nature and in our hometown can be found. These reminders show us that it is all around us, all year long if we choose to look for it. 🙂
Very true, Lucy, snow adds a whole other dimension to blue hour.
If I’m not mistaken, I read that the perfume was a favorite of Princess Diana’s, so of course I had to get it. It does smell wonderful and lasts long. I often think when I’m out at that time, “Ahh, this is L’Heure Bleu” and just relax and soak it in. This feeling has stayed with me for many years; rather grounding.
Patricia,
Thank you for sharing your experience with the perfume. And how interesting about Princess Diana as I read that this perfume was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth II. 🙂 It indeed sounds to be a high quality perfume. The feeling it has evoked is inspiring to read. Thank you again. 🙂
Shannon – your writing paints such beautiful pictures. I was in Rome in November a few years ago (first trip to Italy) and the light over the golden domes was so beautiful! Thank you for a lovely French week!
Ohhhh, that sounds gorgeous! Thank you for painting that image in our minds Noreen. 🙂
Thank you for that timely reminder about L’Heure Bleue, Shannon, and to be present for it and enjoy it. I find August the perfect month for it as it is at a convenient time in the evening around 8-9pm. I am in Normandy at the moment, and very much noticing it. Sitting enjoying a simply prepared but delicious feast of Normandy seafood, charcuterie and cheeses, in a delightful, but rather ramshackle garden, during L’Heure Bleue, is just wonderful and what holidays are all about for me.
Krys, May you continue to have a most wonderful time in Normandy and may the l’heure bleue continue to delight. It sounds like a lovely time is being had. 🙂 Thank you for sharing with us even while on holiday. 🙂
My favorite way to experience this time of day is on my early morning walk. It’s just me and nature as I savor my moment alone with l’huere blue.
Sounds very nourishing Kristi. 🙂 Thank you for sharing how you thoughtfully incorporate this wonder into your daily life. 🙂
Here in the Midwest, I love to savor the L’Heure Bleue looking across Lake Michigan. We always called it “the lake sky”. Every once in awhile we have that even closer to home. However, there is just such magic when seeing it over a great expanse of water. I always feel like the world is calm in those moments.
Julia, Thank you for sharing this beauty with us and the feeling it evokes. I am loving all the different terms this special moment has been given. All adoring, all appreciative and bringing our attention to something to treasure. Thank you very much again. 🙂
You painted such lovely pictures, Shannon.
I love opening the curtains just before dawn so the house can catch the first rays of the day’s light and then being outside just as the light spills over its teacup, the grass and the dew going from purple to gold. In the evening, my husband and I like to sit with our aperos and watch as the sky begins blazing its colors of red t- orange to gold then purple and, if we’re lucky, we’ll see the bats flit in for their twilight feed. xx
You are very kind to say Rona. And thank you for sharing what you love about this special time of day and how you welcome enjoying of it into your daily life. The light really does ‘spill’ doesn’t it. 🙂 The bookending rituals of our days, you and your husband intentionality speaks volumes of a life well lived. Thank you again for sharing.
Yes and yes. I didn’t know the language and history references of this precious daily moment, and am grateful. Your WWI note leaves even now a catch in my throat. I try to time my cooking and serving of dinner to let me out at this time, and that does really affect our menu 🙂
Being away and experiencing refreshed vistas under that embrace of falling light connects us inextricably to everything. Part of longing for another place is the pull of its light. Thank you for the shared basking in it!
Such a good point Liz! There is a deepening of our connection to all that surrounds us. Thank you for sharing how you intentionally make space to savor this special moment in the day. And indeed, the historical tie to this phrase is sombering.
I read it twice and will go back again. Your beautiful descriptions of “The Blue Hour” brought a tear and a feeling of awe in picturing each of the places and moments. I’m going through a period of grief. This helped me realize how important it is to seek and appreciate the beauty of nature and look for things that will bring good feelings.
As a great-grandchild of French imigrants, I’ve been a fan of Impressionist painters and everything french and in my 20’s I splurged on a bottle of L’Heure Bleue.
Reading your post evoked memories and thoughts of possible better days. For me, it was a gift.
I send you a heartfelt thank you.
What beautiful memories, thank you for sharing them, Den. I send you much love and a very large hug. xx
Den, how true that the constancy and beauty of nature can comfort and encourage during times of grief. I have experienced this and understand the value it holds. Thank you for the reminder, much peace to you.
Den,
I deeply appreciate your comment. And am sending love as you journey through your time of grief. Please do accept my condolences as grief is a unique experience for us all and we are at its mercy. It sounds, if I may venture to guess, that the love felt is immense and thus why it aches as intensely as it does. Thank you for bravely sharing all that you have. I am moved by your sharing of how this post spoke to you as you read it and your connection to this concept with your intimate connection to the French culture.
May Mother Nature’s gifts provide comfort and know that we are thinking of you here at TSLL and sending love and support. xoxo
Grief is our most simple and complicated emotion, I hope that you can find some respite in nature, it has been lifesaving for me.
What beautiful memories, thank you for sharing them, Den. I send you much love and a very large hug. xx
Dear Shannon,
This post is so dreamy and romantic. Your words illicit a dreamlike emotion. My favorite way to experience l’heure bleue is by water either a lake or the ocean. The light, water and reflection on the water are pure enchantment. Monet was a master at capturing light in his works of art. I feel so fortunate to have seen the Cathedral in Rouen that you featured in the post. It is a magnificent structure both inside and out. 🌕🌑🌙
What a lovely and quite magical way and place to experience this phenomenon Jamie. That reflective quality, and Monet. Goodness, his love for the light gave us all so much to marvel at. And so tickled you saw this cathedral! It’s is a triumph isn’t it? Just that fact that it is still standing is a miracle with all that it endured during WWII. To have Monet’s paintings prior to this, and know that it still is there, heart of the city. Thank you for sharing your experience. I did like Rouen very much. What else did you do in the city, if I may ask?
Since a little girl, I have been fascinated with this time of day. My mom would remind me in the evening to head outside to catch dusk’s magic. Not only did I find the light intriguing, but the feeling of day lying down to rest and night taking over was safely mysterious. Thank you for expounding on this magic and gifting ideas, especially including water features, to continue savoring L’Heure Bleue.
What a most special and wonderful childhood directive from your mom! Thank you for sharing this memory with us. It has brought a smile! 🙂
Lovely writing by all. Shannon, you’ve painted such a lovely picture and introduced me to a term/concept that I was totally unaware of even though I’ve experienced it. As others mentioned that magical pre-COVID time for visits to Paris, I was also there in October of 2019. Stayed in La Marais and so enjoyed wandering the side streets morning, noon and night. Now I have the words those more eloquent have shared to label my experiences!
J
Thank you for sharing your experience with us all Jim. Just to wander, to let our curiosity guide us, and then to see the light dancing upon the buildings, art created in real time! 🙂 You’ve painting a wonderful reminder to trust that curiosity.
A beautiful post. I am drawn to the end of the day, and have always loved the golden hour. To be able to put a name to the slow deepening of day into night will add to savoring the evening.
Thank you. 🙂 It really is a special time of day, and aren’t we fortunate to have it daily! A gift given freely by Mother Nature. Her generosity is an inspiration of how without asking for anything in return she provides inspiration, awe and deepens appreciation for everyday life if we choose to remember to do so! 🙂
How wonderful to see the lake in Annecy noted here! I experienced this there in December and not just the sight but the feeling stays with me. It’s unparalleled.
This lake, town and location in France just sounds wonderfully special. I am so tickled you were able to experience it and in winter it must be doubly magnificent with all of the snow! Thank you for sharing your first-hand memory of this place in the Alps with us. 🙂
This post reminded me of my mom; she loved that time of day. I remember her calling it Twilight 💕 🥰
A beautiful memory. Thank you for sharing with us. 🙂
Shannon–Thank you for sharing this. I have seen that glow but never really contemplated the reason behind it. the scientific background explaining this change is fascinating. It would be fun to smell the perfume and imagine why Guerlain chose the name.
Robin
It makes it all the more special, if that is the right word? 🙂 But most definitely, making a bee-line to Guerlain to enjoy this scent the next time I visit Paris or London. 🙂