Well I am back with some time after spending my days between the Morbihan and Yvelines departments in France. The weather has been beautiful no rain, sunshine, temps over 20°C, with lows of 5°C in the mornings. Traffic has been fabulous around Rouen, Caen, Rennes, and Versailles.
I will test Paris again with my car on Monday,and will have lunch with my family Sunday in my wonderful Yvelines at Bougival. Ready for a new beginning as it seems moving will be shortly, my jobs takes me all over France (lucky me) and some foreign countries as well (nice) ,however, I am in the process of securing a permanent high level management position in the Morbihan area, that if done (will know by june 1) might make me move there permanently, money talks and bs walks as we said. Its about 5 hours by car from Versailles so it will still be at driving distance for long weekends in this area.
The new thing going on in the Bretagne region is at Quimper, where the Musée des Beaux-Arts (fine arts museum) has until August 31,2011 the exposition, “De Turner à Monet, la découverte de la Bretagne par les paysagistes au XIXe” or from Turner to Monet, the discovery of the region of Bretagne by the painters of the 19C. This is the information to come and official webpage http://musee-beauxarts.quimper.fr/htdocs/infos.htm
If you are closer to Paris this weekend there is a celebration at all gardens in the area, its call the Fete de la nature or nature’s feast. For example, at bois de Vincennes, you will discover the biodiversity; at Jardin des Plantes, there are guide visits with the gardeners and visit of the tropical agronomy garden, search of treasures by the little ones at the Jardin d’Eole, etc. To know more of each celebration see the official webpage. www.fetedelanature.com
Many folks visiting Paris asked about flea markets and gadgets sales in Paris so these are call vide greniers or brocantesand they are plentiful with the nice weather we are having, here are some of my favorites places over the years.Paris 16 arrondissement
Vide-greniers
Saturday as much as 200 stands from 7h to 19h
at Avenue de Versailles , metro Porte de Saint Cloud line 10
Brocante
Saturday and Sunday about 100 stands at Avenue Mozart , metro Ranelagh line 9.
and this is the site in French with information about all vide greniers in France, I have it on my region Ile de France that covers Paris/Versailles.http://www.les-vide-greniers.com/brocantes/braderies/en/ile-de-france
If you want the authentic traditional bread ( pain de campagne cook in wooden oven) in Paris go to one of my favorites at Moulin de la Vierge, 64, rue Saint-Dominique, 75007. Tél. +33 01 47 05 98 50. This is their webpage and all their locations, the site is in renovation, http://www.lemoulindelavierge.com/ . One of the most active and best in the city with implantations internationally already is Eric Kayser, his bakeries are all over Paris but I have try the ones at the 16arr at 79 ave Mozart, and St Germain en Laye at 3 rue de Pologne/3 rue de Poissy. webpage http://www.maison-kayser.com/ He serves at the palais d’Elysée and Joêl Robuchon the chef amongst others.
For one of the best club sandwich in Paris and excellent view of passerbyers, the must in Paris head for Café de l’Alma,5 ave de Rapp,75007.It has wifi and great tapenades as well from Provence. Great views, friendly service. webpage http://www.cafe-de-l-alma.com/ and right on the same area why not combine it with a great movie afternoon at La Pagode, now showing Minuit à Paris or midnight Paris the new Woody Allen movie about Paris and other things ::) located at 57, rue de Babylone,75007 ,metro Saint François Xavier, line 13 ,Vaneau line 10 , Sèvres Babylone,line 10 and 12 plus Invalides on RER C , webpage http://www.etoile-cinemas.com/salle/pagode/44/98-informations-pratiques.html
I had my tries at Locomotive the discotheque next to the Moulin Rouge, now the more younger tells me theMachine du Moulin Rouge (the Moulin Rouge owns now) ,the new name, it kicking well and high in the area nights under the moon. Great DJ’s of Paris plus a rock ,electro combination in music, with live concerts. Ideas in the near future to built a brasserie in its roofstop and a suite on top of it for a nice finish ::) located at 90, bd de Clichy (75018). Tél. +33 01 53 41 88 89. webpage http://www.lamachinedumoulinrouge.com/
Coming out a bit out of Paris just over the Seine river towards La Defense but first stopping at the city of Neuilly sur Seine in dept Hauts de Seine no 92. The city of Pres Sarkozy of France, and 37 hectares (91 .3 acres) of green spaces with the famous parc de Bagatelle ,and the well hidden but nice parc de la Folie Saint-James , at 34, avenue de Madrid, and undergoing renovations now. The elegant headquartes of Chanel are based here too at 135 ave Charles de Gaulle. Also the cinemas Gaumont with a nice museum on movie history Musée Gaumont, it is at the basement of the HQ of the company Gaumont at 13 Rue du Midi, 92200 Neuilly sur Seine, metro Porte Maillot line 1 and RER C, webpage http://www.gaumont-le-musee.fr/
The great pizzeria with the great views on the avenue and arches is Il Giardino at 144, avenue Charles-de-Gaulle, tél. +33 01 47 47 05 05, no web by Metro pont de Neuilly line 1. For a more refine seating and evening meal try the Vivin at 114 ave Achilles Peretti, no web tel +33 01 46 24 19 19, metro Pont de Neuilly line 1 as well. The avenue Achilles Peretti is the one behind the main ave CDG and is more of the city lifestyle area, the one I go most on business. Further more, for an authentic view of old Paris or nearby, and French tradition try the Guinguette de Neuilly (do come for the terraces). its an institution in the island in the middle of the Seine call île de la Jatte right over the Pont de Courbevoir, that preserves its authentic canoe or small boat stop of old, and gave birth to the tradition of these boats on the Seine. Located at 12, bd Georges-Seurat, tél. +33 01 46 24 25 04 . I have the gorgeous webpage in the directions page in English http://www.la-guinguette-de-neuilly.com/english/situation.html
And back in Paris proper the Aperos de Bordeaux are in town, this is wine tasting of course from Bordeaux region (simply the best !) around some amuse bouché or hors d’ouvres around the city, the two tempting this year for me are at L’Escargot Montorgueil, 38 rue Montorgueil,75001, line 4 metro Etienne Martel, now web; on June 14 with Flavio Nervegna. and on June 8 at the Point Ephémère , 200 Quai de Valmy, 75010 with an expo of vinyl records and books with the DJ of the set of Dirty Sound Système, with the founder of label Dirty. webpage is with directions at http://www.pointephemere.org/spip.php?article6
And going back towards the west this time Normandy at Caen the museum of Normandie there will have an exposition as part of the celebration of the 1 100 years of the founding of Normandy by the Viking Rollon with the treaty at Saint Claire-sur-Epte. The program is call the Viking Russia towards another Normandy. The webpage with the agenda is at http://www.musee-de-normandie.caen.fr/agenda/resultattotal.asp . The museums has tariffs from 3 to 7€ depending on the exposition, and you can get there once in Caen (Paris gare St Lazare) at Tramways A or B, stop or arrêts St Pierre or Université. The train and bus stations are about 5 minutes from the chateau by tramway which where the museum is.
And closer to me ,dont forget the Grandes Eaux Musicales are on throught October 31 2011. Discover the gardens of the sun king Louis XIV at the sound of baroque music and water spouting at great speeds from fountains and canals. Schedule is for the Grandes Eaux Musicales the Saturdays and Sundays from April 2nd to October 30th as well as June 2, and 14 july and the tuesdays of May 24 to June 28th from hours of 9h to 18h30. The Grandes Eaux Nocturnes (night time) are all Saturdays from June 18 to September 3 from 21h to 23h30 hours . The admission to these are as follows
Grandes eaux musicales from 6 to 8 € ,free for less than 5 yrs old.
Grandes eaux nocturnes from 18 to 22 € ,free for the less than 6 yrs old .official webpage in English for updates and current info is at http://en.chateauversailles.fr/homepage
Have a great rest of the week and weekend everybody.
Paris1972-Versailles2003 