Paris1972-Versailles2003

This is the weather, always folks asking questions well the weather is hard to predict even by the pros. We are in Spring bu today is chilly, a Fall feeling still within us,and Summer well ,we will see.

Something to dream on are the gardens of France.  Giuseppe Penone of Italy is all over the Chateau de Versailles, he is the invited artist of 2013, until October 21st. His sculptures ,some especifically done for the exhibition will be presented to the public by the  Grande Perspective (big parvis going out to gardens back of castle) ,and in the Bosquet de l’Etoile. http://en.chateauversailles.fr/news-/events/other-events/a-year-to-celebrate-le-notre/annee-le-notre/expositions-1-en . Also,  the great garden and reading expo show going on http://en.chateauversailles.fr/news-/events/autres-evenements/lire-au-jardin-2013-en/lire-au-jardin-2013/accueil-1-en

At the Grand Palais, work by  Aude de Thuin back after an absent of 10 years, transforming the Grand Palais into a giant garden around the vegetables and small gardens such as  jardin de papier from parfumeur Francis Kurkdjian, potager vintage of Truffaut, etc. run is until June 3rd.http://www.grandpalais.fr/fr/evenement/lart-du-jardin-grand-palais

You have the beautiful  jardin-forêt de la BnF François Miterrand the 1 and 2 June from 13h to 18h. http://www.bnf.fr/fr/la_bnf/anx_visites/a.visite_mitterrand.html  and at Milly-là-Fôret you have the opportunity to meet  Cyclop of Jean Tinguely  that gives an eye opener on the environmental forest. June 1 and 2nd from 13h30  to 18h , réservation tel +33 01 64 98 95 18

 At Vallée aux Loups, 46-56, rue de Chateaubriand, 92290, Châtenay-Malabry, you have guided visits Saturday and Sunday from 14H30 to 16h, retracing the history of the du parc de Chateaubriand. Same activity at Saint-Cloud on the traces of  Le Nôtre, Contant d’Ivry ,and  Hurtault ( june 1 and 2 at 14h30) http://saint-cloud.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/ or at the garden of the Domaine de Villarceaux (june 1 and 2 from 14h to 18h) ,with the theme of contemporary arts into gardens ,http://www.iledefrance.fr/villarceaux/le-domaine/ . At  Gerard Garouste with the song of «Défi du Soleil» in Saint-Cloud to help children of ,http://www.associationlasource.fr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61:garouste&catid=36:contenus  or at Domaine de Chamarande with artists interventions . To note, in the  jardin des Douves de Marcoussis, you will have the possibility of seeing students of the work done on the project of gardening paysage.http://chamarande.essonne.fr/patrimoine-paysager/

You have all of the above and more at the culture gardening site of France http://www.rendezvousauxjardins.culture.fr/

at the Museum d’histoire Naturelle, you have rare plants and small animals given away many activities of the festivities of gardening for free. Such as initiation to naturalist designs, analyse the song of birds, construction of an insect mound,games, films, animation, and birthing of butterflies. http://www.mnhn.fr/museum/foffice/tous/tous/guidePratique/calendrier/calniv2/ficheExpo.xsp?AE_ID=10715&LIEU_ID=158&MAN_ID=17648&SITE_ID=10&TYPEEVT_ID=11&idx=24&nav=liste&cl=fr  All this in the running fo the Fête de la Nature or nature party on May 25 and 26 just around the corner. http://www.fetedelanature.com/

Secrets of gardens in the Essonne dept 91 south of Paris, you will find from June 1 to 9, activities at flower garden at Saint-Jean-de-Beauregard, Noces de Figaro at Courson, game of roots at Courances, and ,also, opening of gardens to the public such as the collection of roses at the jardin d’Igor and Tamara at Saclas,the collection of bamboos of the Symphorine at  Janville-sur-Juine. more here http://www.tourisme-essonne.com/fr/coups-de-coeur/fiche/secrets-de-jardins-en-essonne-edition-printemps/

And Until June 2 at the grand jardin des Tuileries, where Le Nôtre grew up and died at the Tuileries after redesigned the gardens there ,you will have Jardins, Jardin to celebrate its 10the edition with an expo at the Louvre on  Le Nôtre and a new perspective on the new urban ideas. Demonstration of 14 gardens and 10 terraces by the gardeners paysagistes themselves on site. Next to this, 100’s of expo stand, designers and garden growers showing their creation from all over the area and France.  More here http://www.jardinsjardin.com/ 

To continue with Le Nôtre celebration, the Galerie des Puces shows many objects of arts life on gardens, tapisseries, garden utensils, tables chairs, dishes all design by Olivier Riols, founder of  Jardins Jardin, and extending over the  marchés Paul Bert and Serpette.all until July 29 ;more here http://www.paulbert-serpette.com/

La Galerie verte, will showcase advise on gardening from paysagiste Amaury Gallon, ,graduate of the école Tecomah (Jouy-en-Josas) ,who specialise in vegetable walls. The owner of the Jardins de Babylone, will present vegetable paintings in small and medium sizes (from 80 to 200 €),where the leaves and flowers have been fossilise thanks to the glycérine, that will allow to live for 10 years in the portrait. location: 6, rue des Jeûneurs,75002. Tél. +33 (0) 1 40 41 90 40. A field of Lin at  Palais-Royal, the American designer Hilton McConnico will plant a field of lin of about  1000 m²  in front of the  Louvre,from June 3 to 9.  An idea of the Confédération européenne  du lin et du chanvre (CELC) ,that helps build this form of art ,which had ask the previous decorator of cinema and scenary , lover of the vegetable world to come to do this here. La chaise Fermob, icône du Luco, the ambiance will be recreated at the Jardin du Luxembourg ,choosing 24 new colors from the mythical chair created in 1923 and redone by the designer  Frédéric Sofia for Fermob.  Lighter, bend ,the new model of aluminum is the latest vogue at about 169 €. Find it at Fermob, 83, av. Ledru-Rollin (75012) ,more info here http://www.fermob.com/

Not that the museum is not nice, but the best here is the Salon de Thé,right in the terrace gardens at the Musée de la Vie Romantique, 16 Rue Chaptal, (75009) . Info here http://www.paris.fr/pratique/musees-expos/musee-de-la-vie-romantique/p5851 . And last but def not least , the Le Relais du Parc  started the season with a new menu under chef  Stéphane Duchiron ,have lunch under the sun in a beautiful terrace ,ice cream sublimes under nice leafy trees. 55-57, avenue Raymond-Poincaré,(75016)  right inside Marriott hotel trocadéro,http://www.marriott.co.uk/hotels/hotel-information/restaurant/parsp-renaissance-paris-le-parc-trocadero-hotel/

Until next time, enjoy your week. Cheers.

Here is midweek, our house hunting continues and just cloudy,rainy ,cool nice typical Breton weather in May. Some of the new buzz around are;

The Cannes Film Festival is going on with the stars walking on the Croisette, Michael Douglas, Steven Speilberg,Nicole Kidman,Cindy Crawford, Georgia May Jagger,Bérénice Bejo,Alain Delon,Sharon Stone, Lana Del Rey,  and many others arriving. This year the President of the jury and the jury are

Président du jury :
Steven Spielberg

Les membres du jury :

Vidya Balan
Naomi Kawase
Nicole Kidman
Lynne Ramsay
Daniel Auteuil
Ang Lee
Cristian Mungiu
Christoph Waltz

the selection for this year’s films are;:

Behind the Candelabra de Steven Soderbergh
Borgman de Alex Van Warmerdam
Grigris de Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Heli d’Amat Escalante
Inside Llewyn Davis de Joel et Ethan Coen
Jeune et jolie de François Ozon
Jimmy P. d’Arnaud Desplechin
La Vénus à la fourrure de Roman Polanski
La vie d’Adèle de Abdellatif Kechiche
Le passé d’Asghar Farhadi
Like Father Like Son de Kore-Eda Hirokazu
Michael Kohlhaas d’Arnaud Des Pallières
Nebraska d’Alexander Payne
Only God Forgives de Nicolas Winding Refn
Only Lovers Left Alive de Jim Jarmusch
Shield of Straw de Takashi Miike
The great Beauty de Paolo Sorrentino
The immigrant de James Gray
Touch of sin de Jia Zhang Ke
Un château en Italie de Valeria Bruni Tedeschi

and the official site is http://www.festival-cannes.fr/ going on until May 26 2013.

This weekend is the nuit des musées or night of museums with many opening for free on May 18 saturday. Some of the best presentations will be of

Musée National de l’Orangerie, the students of the music conservatory will play pieces of jazz in the room or Salles Matisse-Picasso, from 21h30 to 23h30. THe Musée Carnavalet will show scenes of the Trois Mousquetaires of Alexandre Dumas in the gardens every three quarter hour from 19h30. Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature will have several artists , stories ,concerts until   midnite. Musée des Arts

23h. The Petit Palais will have some new works  from its reserves such as paintings by Félix Ziem,the sculptures of Jules Dalou, and the collection of medals. The Musée de la Franc-Maçonnerie, will have public conferences and guide visit to it s temple from 19h to 23h. The musée du Général Leclerc de Hauteclocque, Musée Jean Moulin in the 15éme arrondissement will have the theater presentation of Prémier combat:La Croix text from Jean Moulin from 19h to 20h30 reservation is obligatory at tel +33  01 40 64 39 44. Musée national des arts asiatiques Guimet, expo on the «Mystérieuses cités d’or» you will see dances and music of the students of the national conservatory. The Musée de Balzac, evening dedicated to woman as Balzac saw them. Musée national de la Marine, models and marine stories by the students of the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs.  This is all in Paris.

While in the region of Île-de-France, you have the following favorites;

Musée d’art et d’histoire de Melun in Seine et Marne dept 77, a theater spectacle at 20h30, 21h30 and 22h done by the company of the castles of sand or  compagnie Les Châteaux de sable. My nostalgic favorite the Musée Bossuet in Meaux also dept 77, passarelle of Venetian costumes until  23 h, and musical nights with carriages until midnite. Musée départemental de préhistoire d’Ile de France at Nemours,dept 77.  You will see the last mammouth found in France, baptise  Helmut. At the famous Chateau de Fontainebleau, dept 77, you will see the  grands appartements until midnite with an animation around the theme of lights and bulbs in the exterior gardens. Maison natale de Louis Braille at Coupvray dept 77, the native home of Louis Braille to start on his system of writing. The musée rambolitrain ,another nostalgic favorite in Rambouillet dept 78 Yvelines. collection of trains toys, and vapor train ride in the garden  from 20h to 01h only 1,50€. The musée français de la  photographie in Biévres dept 91 Essonne, guided visit ,and shops around the photo, creation of photograms with an inscription at tel +33 01 69 35 16 50. Musée des années trente-Espace Landowski, at Boulogne-Billancourt dept 92 Hauts de Seine, visit to the collections, the kids are invited to do their creations ,until midnite. Cité de la Céramique, at Sévres dept 92, porcelain expo on the music instruments in porcelain!done by Nicolas Frize. The musée de l’Air et de l”Espace at Le Bourget, dept 93 Seine Saint Denis; kiss the nose of the Concorde and an air orchestra playing music until 22h45.

and I close with a Bagel yes the popular American bagel is here to stay thanks to places like this one, you must stop by in Paris .L’Atelier du Bagel, 31, rue Saint-Lazare – 75009, Tél.+33 01 44 63 71 59. Open mondays to fridays from  11h30 to 14h30, and monday to Saturdays from  19h to  22h30 (eat in or take out as well as deliveries) webpage http://www.latelierdubagel.com/

Cheers Enjoy France!