Hi y’all well lovely sunny nice 16°C weather in Versailles. The days are summer again, and even folks heading to the beaches where during the week it even went up to 31°C!!! The next 10 days temps will be from 8°C to 26°C and sunny.
I am here just getting ready to pack my things for my moved to Brech,near Auray,near Vannes, department of Morbihan in Brittany, France. My next home for me and soon for the rest of the family. The schools transfers have been asked so paperwork heavens we are in. I was just exchanging with some friends in Paris by Chatelet yesterday, and told them it will be my record intact of a new home every 7 years since my birth. Amazing isn’t it? Well goes to show you ,I am a globetrotter for real!
The Chatelet area of Paris was loud ,noisy and full of folks, there were a congregation playing drums by the Place Victoire,and we had some nice beers in Au Trappiste, 4 rue St Denis, my all time best place in Paris for a happy hour. It will be missed but I am sure with my luggage new ones will be found ,and the rich history of pedmar10 will continue to grow.
Tonite will pick up my oldest son at his job in Versailles, and we all heading for a tex-mex dinner at El Rancho,just by the rive gauche train station in Versailles. Then tomorrow ,well its Mother’s day in France, May 29,and we will have a Champagne dinner at home with flowers and all compliments of me,and finish packing for my head trip to the Morbihan.
Had encounters with many friends over the last few days, saying until next time, never goodbye as I only will be 5 hrs by car and 3h52 by train ride away ,but the wisdom of the internet will keep us close, and we will meet again one day by Paris or in my area. I have only but great reviews of my new area, it seems every French person I spoked to love it.
In other country,area matters ,the Institute Great Place to Work (GPTW) came up with the best companies to work in Europe,and you guess it Microsoft came out on top. The next 2’4 places were by Amgen,Mars,Cisco Systems, 3M,NetApp, MacDonalds, SAS institute, WL Gore, Kelloggs, Diageo, Hilt, Pepsico, Accenture, Fedex,Novo Nordisk,Télefonica, Medtronics,Baxters, SC Johnson, Novartis,Abbott,Quintiles, Mundipharma, and Danone.
The Grand Paris Express, the automatic metro around Paris is a Go; the project will be from 2017 to 20275, and it will carry by 2025 2 millions additional passengers. It will circumvent Paris to connect with existing lines and carry the extend of travel well beyond the inner core of the city. Nice map here compliments of Le Figaro newspaper.
In the Domaine de Saint Cloud, a beautiful royal park just outside Paris in Hauts de Seine dept 92 you can have a nice brunch on weekends ,the fountain has 24 spouts of water at the allée de la Glacière. It is on every Saturday and Sunday from 11h30 to 18h,until October 30 ,2011. cost for the brunch all you can eat is 35€ adult, 20€ child.
Other great summer terraces in the city are Jaja, 3, rue Sainte-Croix- de-la-Bretonnerie, 75004. Tél. +33 01 42 74 71 52. every day from 12h -14h and 20h -23 h. Menus at 16 € and 21 € (lunch). Right in the Marais inside the courtyard of a mansion from the 16C, trés belle! Another by a quaint bohemian area near Canal St Martin is Philou, 12, avenue Richerand, 7501 . Tél. +33 01 42 08 00 13. Open every day except Sundays and Mondays ; lunch brunch at 25€. Try the mille feuille fruits rouges or napoleon with red fruits. If you want to be under the Arc de Triomphe and eat in a splendid terrace then come to L’Arc, 12, rue de Presbourg, 75016. Tél. +33 01 45 00 78 70. Every day except Saturdays(at lunch) and Sundays . Menu carte from 50-70 €. valet parking available of course. Webpage for a very chic place isat http://larc-paris.com/ . Another one in my favorite area of Paris is La Grande Verriére,at the Jardin d’Acclimatation, you enter at metro Sablons, bois de Boulogne, 75016. Tél. +33 01 45 02 09 32. open every day from 10h-19h. Menu-carte at 35 €. webpage http://www.jardindacclimatation.fr/article/la-grande-verriere/ Cant get any open air than this one in Paris, and great for kids too. And the more popular and central La Terrasse, 7e floor of the store Galeries Lafayette (Mode side), 40, bd Haussmann, 75009. Tél. +33 01 73 71 90 50. open every day except Sundays from 12h-18h. Carte from 20-35 €.
Tomorrow Sunday is Mother’s Day in France, this year it falls on May 29th. If not at home like us, as we use the day for packing, you can go to the great Pinacothéque de Paris and see the exposition by Hugo Pratts where you will see more than 150 aquarelles many not known to the general public and historic plaques including about 164 of the mythic “Ballade de la mer salée”. There until August 21st, webpage http://www.pinacotheque.com/en.html
As summer is coming some nice spots in the city for a picnic (pique-nique) and layout is allowed are the following places,Les Jardins des Francsbourgeois-Rosiers, 35-37, rue des Francs-Bourgeois (75004). Just behind the Maison de l’Europe, hidden a bit but wonderful place for a stop and snack. The jardin Catherine Labouré, 29, rue de Babylone (75007), just next to the old veggie garden of the convent Filles de la Charité de Saint-Vincent-de-Paul. A wonderful place, the Square Villemin, av. de Verdun/rue des Récollets/quai de Valmy (75010). Located between the gare de l’Est and the canal Saint-Martin, at the old location of the convent des Récollets,this square is the biggest green space in the 10éme arr. The Parc Floral , Esplanade du château de Vincennes, route de la Pyramide (75012) wonderful place indeed and a nice jazz festival from June 11 to July 31!! With a great views over the boats on the Seine and the tour Eiffel you can go to the Ile aux Cygnes, Allée des Cygnes (75015. You entered it by the pont Bir-Hakeim, at the foot of the statue of Liberty,just 11 meters wide( 36.3 ft) but gorgeous lookout and picnic. The Parc André Citroên, Quai André Citroën, rue Saint-Charles (75015). A great all time favorite and one of my first visits to a park in Paris back in 1990 is the Parc Monceau, 35, bd de Courcelles (75017); you go on the main alley from the dome ,past the fourth smaller alley into the great green area .The Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, 1, rue Botzaris (75019). And some not so obvious but available are, Jardin du Palais-Royal. around the main fountain, quick they are taken fast, Rue de Montpensier, 75001 . Jardin de l’Observatoire, two green areas are allowed for picnics at the end of the luco. Av. de l’Observatoire, 75006 . And ,the Pont des Arts. a great place to see Paris like a postcard hanging underneath the river Seine. Quai du Louvre (75001)or place de l’Institut (75006).
And lastly but not least, the Paris Air Show is coming to town!!! Love Aviation so this is big for me. My US University ERAU will be in town, and in addition to the festivities of June 22nd, we the alumni will be having a dinner at the prestigious and oldest aviation club in France, The Aero Club de France, 6 rue Galilée, Paris 75016. near the Arc de Triomphe. You will see me there ::) To see more take a look at this webpage http://www.paris-exception.com/uk/individuals/restaurants-in-paris/paris-hotels-particuliers/l-aero-club-de-france.html
Again do not forget the Grandes Eaux Musicales at the Chateau de Versailles nor the night events going on now.
I will probably, most likely, take a time away from my blog as will be moving, starting a new job in a new area ,and internet access might take a few days from my new home. However, I will be back better than ever ::) Stay tune, and happy weekend, and if French, Happy Mothers’s Day tomorrow May 29th. I wont have mine but she will be in my heart, thanks Mom.
Enjoy it, Cheers!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 