Well here I am back and another glorious passing by Paris so time to write about some things going on in la Belle France.
First of all, a lot of people here ask me where to stay in they go to Havana, well, traditional places are the Saratoga at paseo del Prado, ,the neo classical facade goes back to the 19C, enjoying fame from the 1930’s. The best room faces parque de la Fraternidad or fraternity park. http://www.hotel-saratoga.com ; and of course for a drink go to the famous and now back Sloppy Joe’s , the original at the corner of Zulueta and Animas Streets, now open at Calle Empedrado 207. It goes back to the 30’s and back on top again with a bar 66 feet long or 20 meters! IT was closed in 1959 and since reopen, some of the famous visitors were Ramon Jacinto Herrera “Ray Tico”, John Wayne, Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable, Ignacio Jacinto Villa y Fernandez “Bola de Nieves”, Mario Moreno “Cantinflas”, Jose Antonio Mendez “The King”, and many other personalities of the time. Just for my French friends.
Coming back home, do you know this year is the 100th anniversary of the Hôtel Negresco in Nice: the history of France is there.6000 works of arts spread over 117 rooms. See it at 37 promenade des anglais, NIce, http://www.hotel-negresco-nice.com
You can come and relieve history at the Invalides with a video call La nuit aux Invalides, showing the historical past of post 1914 and liberation of Paris of 1944. You can see until May 25th at the Cour d’Honneur de l’Hôtel National des Invalides, see more at http://www.lanuitauxinvalides.fr
Chantal Thomass, the lingerie queen of France will have the design of the coca cola light can in 2014. I try it at the salon Air France at CDG!!!
Have you seen the la librarie boutique du Petit Palais, in the pavillion north of the museum, a collection of works from its collections, very nice at ave Winston Churchill. http://www.petitpalais.fr it is closed on Mondays.
Another wonderful property recently opened and commented on previous posts is the Le Carreau du Temple, 4 rue Eugéne-Spuller, a metallic space of 6500 m2 now open with a main gallery of 70 000 square feet, closed on Sundays and more info here http://www.carreaudutemple.eu
Go to the new chic place in La Jeune Rue around the Streets of rue Volta, rue du Vert-Bois, rue Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth on Paris 3éme arrondissement, beauty and good living abound, with top designer, chefs and grower producers, about 20 shops and a cinema are Under construction, see more at http://www.lajeunerue.com
Classy hotel from my friends in the business, hôtel Bourgogne & Montana, 3 rue de Bourgogne, 7éme. the building is from 1791 and Inside found deco with photos from Eugéne Atget, see more at http://www.bourgogne-montana.com and how about dinner in a train wagon in Paris!!! right out of the Orient Express at 1 rue des Fossés-Saint-Bernard, 5éme; the chef from the institut du monde arabe is doing some wonderful créations until July 31th dinner serve from 19H, menu Anatolie 120€ see more at http://www.yannick-alleno.com
Have a taste of our wonderful Lille famous Meert now in Paris at 3 rue Jacques-Callot, 6éme, closed Mondays the great waffles from 2,50€ a piece see more at http://www.lagaufremeert.fr
Have you ever ask me for an outlet store in France, we have been to those from McArthur Glen all over even the one in Luxembourg, great shopping, my kids were grown on clothing from them! http://www.McArthurGlen.fr ; and if you want to know , the very first one we visited was at Roubaix as we have family in the Nord-59!
Further ,some good books on Paris, do we have books on Paris, you bet, some friends have built a Library on them lol!!! in French , Cafés,Restaurants, & Salons de thé de la belle époque à Paris, by Evelyne Saêz, et Jean-Yves Grégoire,editions Ouest-France, 13,50€
if you do not know where to start, or no time to read my blog, then get on the Paris Walks recommended by the Paris tourist office and done for English speaking visitors, , like to see the 108 Wallace fountains in Paris! from the first one in 1872 by donation of Sir Richard Wallace at boulevard de la Villette. see more at http://www.paris-walks.com
Some of the public transport ideas in the works in the Paris region are long and varied to create a grand Paris express project. the line 14 of the metro will be extended from Saint Lazare to Mairie de St-Ouen by 2017. A line 15 from Pont de Sévres to Noisy-Champs in 2020. Line 16 from Saint Denis-Pleyel linking with Noisy-Champs in 2023. Line 17 from Le Bourget RER to Triangle de Gonesse and line 11 from Saint Denis Pleyel passing by Rosny Bois Perrier to Noisy Champs by 2025. Line 14 extension from Villejuif IGR to Aéroport Orly, and line 18 from Orly to Massy and beyond by 2027. Line 18 extension from Orly to CEA Saint Aubin and onwards to Versailles Chantiers by 2030! More in English here http://www.societedugrandparis.fr/le-reseau
You need a Wi Fi service in Paris , and who wouldn’t nowdays, lol!!! well the city of Paris has it with a map in French but easy to read, http://www.paris.fr/pratique/paris-wi-fi/localisation-des-points-wi-fi/rub_7799_stand_29274_port_17981
Do you know in 2013 83 million people visit France, tops in the world, yes I know we can’t please everybody but been first since Un WTO studies since 1949 is awesome. and of course 27 million past by Paris with 17 million foreigners! top top top!!! And we will increase the number of Greeters! and here we are, http://www.francegreeters.fr/?lang=en
And don’t forget the next tennis event Roland Garros is from May 25 to June 8 at Paris, http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/index.html?promo=LANGUAGE ; a new retractable roof is coming soon
do you know what is Mouzaîa? in Paris? well is heaven on the city, by the Buttes Chaumont, a Paris countryside ride. It is also called the quartier d’Amérique or Americas district. IN the 19éme arrondissement or district of Paris. You can even have a nice drink at the Le Café Parisien, 2 place danube-et-danube.http://www.cityvox.fr/bars-et-cafes_paris/cafe-parisien_5082/Profil-Lieu . The name comes from a hill in the north of Algeria where in 1839-1840 combats were held between French and Algerian during the conquest of Algeria by France. You can eat here at La Table de Botzaris, 10 rue du Général Brunet, http://www.latabledebotzaris.fr/
For something romantic in Paris, try the Vedettes du Pont Neuf boat rides on the Seine. Square du Vert Galant, metro pont neuf or châtelet. They wll have concerts in the Seine 25 and 26 June 2014.violin cruise or croisiére en violon from 18H and romantic cruise ro croisiére romantique from 20h, apéro offert ride last about 1h30, see and read more at http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com
Of course not all is Paris;one of favorite visits traveling all over France is at the Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée in Marseille. see it at http://www.mucem.org
In my beloved Versailles, the Grandes Eaux Nocturnes de Versailles come back from June 23 to September 13 2014.starting at 21h (9pm). see more at http://www.chateauversailles-spectacles.fr/en/spectacles/2014/fountains-shows-versailles
The Fondation Claude Monet at Giverny is now open until November 1st ,this is where the great Claude Monet lived from 1883 to 1926. You see the restored rooms where he lived, collection of Japanese prints, the famous gardens of Monet, see more at http://fondation-monet.com/en/
Some tipbits, Paris takes its name from the Gallic tribe the Parisii. The Bastille was a fortress protecting the east of Paris. The grands boulevards in the rive droite follows the route of the wall of Charles V; in January 21 1793 king Louis XVI said goodbye to Marie-Antoinette for the last time from the Temple tower since destroyed. The winged statue on top of the Bastille means the Genius of a nation since 1840. IN 1852 ,Aristide Boucicaut founded the Bon Marché department store in Paris. At the Palais Royal some of the folks who lived there were Colette and Jean Cocteau. The tour Eiffel and Trocadéro have in common that both were built for a world exposition. And this is France, and Paris, and all. Cheers.
Paris1972-Versailles2003 