Paris1972-Versailles2003

Well we have a wave of cold glacier weather and folks here are jumping literally! Even total strangers are telling me this morning (day off ::)) that it was chilling cold; ça caille!  Well c’mon it is about 17F not that bad from one who had lived in minus zero Fahrenheit’s , here it was -8C windy in Vannes today. Anyway, the beat goes on.

Even snow was felled in the west ! not here…. it was in the Paris region of Ile-de-France. My old département 78 of  Yvelines was the worse hit by snow falling according to Météo France. They anticipate having 1cm to 3cm in the country side (that is max 1 inch folks)  of lower Normandy, and Pays de la Loire.  The region of Hauts-de-France  to the Pyrénées  passing by Paris ,the snow will be humid so it will go away quickly and it did.  Higher than 500 meters the snow fall could reach 5 cm to 10 cm ( for info  2,54cm = 1 inch) .  In Paris the police is advising folks not to use the car lol!! they will make a mess if they go out ::) , and of course use public transport if enough space lol!  on all the western part of the region of Île-de-France. At the old school on the rue de Monceau (8éme) the city of Paris has setup beds refuge for the homeless ; which according to a recent survey , they are 3000 in Paris alone, well I think it’s a government conservative figure.  The region of PACA = Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur, and Corsica have clouds bringing snow storms where even Nice has been covered in white even extending to all the coastline.  The snow here will be 2cm in city to 5 cm in the interior lands with winds of 60 KPH or about 36 MPH. Here in my lovely Brittany we have no snow, but it’s unusual cold with temps down to minus 8C and very windy especially in city center Vannes that makes it for even lower temperatures due to the wind chill factor.  There small cloudy waves with snow in the Grand Est region and the point of the Cotentin. snow storms at the foot of the Pyrénées  with sunny skies.  The cold there will be  -4C to  -8C inland and  -8C to  -12C on the highs and  -1C to  -4C by the sea. Excepting the Mediterranean coastline we expect to have maximums of 2-5C  with no further warming so be careful on the roads; the temps will be higher than -4C to 0C in the plains. All from Méteo France weather report.

And Disneyland Paris just announce a 2B € investment over the coming years !!! in Seine-et-Marne dept 77. The new expansion plan calls for the transformation of the Walt Disney Studios park including three new themes zones such as those dedicated to Marvel, The Snow Queen, and Star Wars as well as new spectacles and attractions.  The work will be done in phases starting in 2021 to enlarge the Walt Disney Studios park; including a new lake, theater of new spectacles that will be link to the new themes zones . the second park of Disneyland Paris, the Walt Disney Studios opened in 2002 after the opening of Disneyland in 1992; that celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. More here: http://www.france24.com/en/20180227-france-disneyland-paris-2bn-upgrade-star-wars-zone

Ok ok so once in a while we get visitors to the Grand Canal of the Chateau de Versailles, and wild pigs are the most numerous . As they go in not realising there is no slow wave early in the morning the waters takes them in and find it difficult to get back up , the pigglies . The wild pigs or sangliers were each of 100+ kg each so kind of big and they end up drowning. The park worker will need now to wait a few days for their bodies to surface again on the lake to be able to pick them up .  Of course, this after they made a mess of the garbage cans, and fences holes and causing damages to the nearby wonderful Arboretum de Chèvreloup  that is just alongside the Castle domain.  This park, the Arboretum already has several wild pigs that hides in the holes during the day and come out at night when there are no visitors to do their work. Here is a picture from the Le Parisien journal.

Another good news to save a wonderful French heritage. At the parc naturel regional de la Haute-Vallée de Chevreuse there is the Château de la Madeleine  in bad condition and no gov money to save it. The castle looks over the Chevreuse for over thousand years .  The Yvelines council ,its owner since 1982 look for a solution and found it.  Without putting it for sale, the castle will be given to a renter who in exchange will make the expenses necessary; the work should begin by 2020, and will require the park management now in the castle to find a new home, tant pis ;it’s all worth it. The Castle already was attracting over 60K persons per year.  More here in French with gorgeous photos better than I. https://www.parc-naturel-chevreuse.fr/destination-parc/chateau-de-la-madeleine-maison-du-parc

A new great movie on the Nordistes or the folks of the Nord or the Ch’tis. The movie is in French, La Ch’tite Famille directed by great French actor/producer/director Dany Boon and starting himself and Laurence Arné, Guy Lecluyse, Line Renaud ,Valérie Bonneton, and François Berléand, out this year. The story of a couple of architects designer very famous at the turn of their best moment in their careers. a retro expo at the  Palais de Tokyo in Paris will change their lives. Everybody thinks Valentin (Dany Boon) is Parisien to help fit in in a very snob world without telling that he was from the nord or region of Hauts-de-France. His mother, brother, and sister in law want to give him a surprise  and land on a day of showing arts or  vernissage.  For Valentin the risk of been discover is a catastrophic.  While leaving the museum (Tokyo) , he is hit by a car and by consequence finds his accent; his wife will do anything to make sure he loses the accent of the Nord lol!!! hilarious, you need to know France has many dialects, accents ,languages etc. and funny things are done to them.  A movie site here in French and a trailer : http://www.allocine.fr/video/player_gen_cmedia=19576950&cfilm=235236.html

For those looking for after movie Paris, well since 2010, you have Le Pompon nightclub right in a old synagogue. The place had change hands and names before a group got together and got this portion of the rue des Petites-Écuries. They open the  Hôtel Bourbon, a house of  insomnious. Between re done shiny furniture, benches, low wooden tables and encrusted on walls, with Rougier lamps on a very contemporary style  with graphics and neons models on two levels .  a wonderful menu of numbered cocktails (10€) to drink on an ambiance disco rock , Chicago house  and even hip-hop in the basement played by different groups.  see it all at the Hôtel Bourbon , 39, rue des Petites-Écuries (10éme). From Wednesdays to Saturdays and from 23h to 5h mornings. More here:   http://hotelbourbon.fr/

How about some dancing in Paris, and not in the rain ::)

Éléphant Paname , has dance nights from the folks who choreograph the famous Single Ladies that made the world tour. Now just for starter in a sexy mood you can go for two hours of training and a final 3 minutes, an intense dance course to get you to the level of a  Queen B. This is one of favorite nights spot in Paris for many years in the area, Elephant Paname , 10 rue Volney (2éme). Tél. +33 (0) 1 49 27 83 33.  the dance course lasts 2 hours on Sundays March 25 and April 15 from 14-16H price 40€.

you can enjoy waltz in Paris too.  They organize events so you can dance without fancy clothing or finding your place and many formulas on the webpage as well as the opportunity to participate in the Bal des Parisiennes next June 16th. You find the place Votre Bal, Place du Louvre (Iéme). 10 classes of 1h30 from 150 € to 195 € ; one class without commitment for only 19,50 €. More on the courses here: http://www.votrebal.com/apprendre-a-danser-la-valse-viennoise.html

On the dance competition Bal des Parisiennes here: http://www.baldesparisiennes.com/

located not far from the parc des Buttes-Chaumont, the small room welcome the lvoers of Tango for about 15 years now. One Saturday per month the debutants with or without partner can start on the fundamentals of the Argentinian dance and participate for their first Bal ( next stage is March 10th at  15h to 20h, price 66 €). Or you can come to tango for pleasure every Tuesdays and Fridays from 16h to 19h, for  6€ only! At the La Casa del Tango ,11, allée Darius-Milhaud (19éme). Tél. +33 (0) 1 40 40 73 60. More in French here: http://www.lacasadeltango.net/

Lots of new places to tell you, and good ones in Paris.

You have Le 975 ,25, rue Guy-Môquet (17éme). Tél.+33 (0) 9 53 75 67 71. open every day except Saturdays and Sundays ;menu Formules lunch: 17 € (Entrée-Plat or Plat-Dessert).  there is a Menu at 39 €.  Straight from the menu Carte: 40-50 €. The dining room is cozy in the form of a V, and the lunch menu is unbelievable, coffee included ! More here: http://www.le-975.com/

In while landing by the Gare du Nord in the spring of 2016 with its décor of broken floor, old buffet tables, zinc and bistro tables and its good service, the nice cellars from natural wines also to take home and the bread from neighbor Thierry Breton. Les Arlots, 136 rue du Faubourg-Poissonnière (10éme). Tél. +33 (0) 1 42 82 92 01. open everyday except Sundays and Mondays. menu Formules lunch for 19 € (Entrée- plat or plat -dessert) , and 23 € (Entrée, plat, dessert. menu Carte: 30-50 € for dinners.

You have nice ballet like the all time famous Bolero version Maurice Béjart that was declare vulgar by the Americans is always an event here. the opening by Daphnis and Chloé  of Benjamin Millepied with a choreography of Daniel Buren at the Opéra Bastille, until March 24, More here: https://www.operadeparis.fr/saison-17-18/ballet/benjamin-millepied-maurice-bejart

The work of Tchaïkovski (Fr) Onéguine  played by the Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris at the wonderful Palais Garnier opera house until March 7th.  More here: https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/season-17-18/ballet/oneguine

And the wonderful Romeo et Juliette, the nice version of Sasha Waltz with the music of  Berlioz. the symphonic ballet is full of images that gives passion to the play and it continues in a nice flux all this at the Opéra Bastille from April 10 to May 4 2018. More here: https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/season-17-18/ballet/romeo-and-Juliet

Now,then ,enjoy France and Paris the best 1-2 combination in the world…well do not forget Brittany ::) enjoy your week, Cheers!

Here we go again with news of my belle France. Now days around my neck of the woods have been cold ,grey and rainy , temps down to 1C and then quickly now is up to 12C , on a cloudy Sunday in the beautiful Morbihan.

I start you off with the glorious chocolates of the Maison Bonnat. The great Madagascar 75% cacao sweet fruity and balance, the suttle and delicate Ecuador with flower aromas and honey; or the delicious Hacienda El Rosario, from Venezuela; delicate, powerful and simple; all just for the chocolate experts and lovers. you can, also try the tablets milk chocolate 55%. See taste buy at the new Paris boutique of Maison Bonnat Chocolatier; 189, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré (8éme). Open Mondays to Saturdays from 10h30-19h30. You can have hot chocolates for two glasses from 6,50€ or four glasses from 11,40€. More here: https://bonnat-chocolatier.com/en/contact

Bad news for those wishing to have Sundays open for shopping in Paris. The administrative tribunal of Paris has cancelled the attempts to open on Sundays in tourist zones like Olympiades. From their birth in 2015 the ZTI=zones touristiques international applying the law Macron could benefit from this Sunday opening in 12 areas of Paris as well as by Disneyland Seine et Marne and shopping Val d’Europe. This law allows shops to open evenings until midnight every Sunday of the year. Some of these areas are the Champs-Elysées, les Halles, Haussmann, Le Marais, Montmartre, and Olympiades. Only those that were not opening on Sundays but were thinking of doing so will have no right to open now. Those that were already doing it can continue to do so; exceptions and new areas the ones around Haussmann (for the great deparment stores etc) and Beaugrenelle (the new wonderful shopping center IN Paris).

The good news sort of, is that the Hôtel Lambert has been totally renovated on its façade , the rotunda and the gardens. This mansion is located at 2 rue Saint-Louis-en-l’île right in the corner of the Île Saint Louis, Paris. It was built in 1640 by architect Louis Le Vau with paintings by Charles Le Brun (the guys from Vaux le Vicomte, Versailles etc!!!)Now as many in Paris fallen to foreigners belongs to the Prince Hamad Al Thani,(also owner of football/soccer club PSG) brother of the emir of Qatar.

And as I wrote extensively on the flooding of Paris well now its time for the cleaning, and a few more days of dirty wharfs of Paris. At the foot of the Hôtel de Ville, the pedestrian quays are not yet open ; but the road or voie Mazas has already open in the 12éme. The important road voie Georges-Pompidou, from Garigliano to Grenelle (16éme) are already clean. There still work to do in the section from Grenelle to Bir-Hakeim to have it open for circulation. The quays or quai Valhubert in the 13éme has already been cleaned and open. The quai des Bateaux-Mouche boats is also accessable and the first boat has departed ok and full this past Friday morning. On the famous Quai des Grands-Augustins (6éme) the sun is out and a huge vaccum is at work with a pump to clean the roads; yesterday Saturday the boat or péniche ,Belgrand was to arrived in Paris for push the water from the Seine river and jet spray the pedestrian quays where the truck and wash machines cannot enters. Some of the work going on in Paris, and the job is still far away from finish; plan ahead if need to pass by this areas or Paris in general. The city can inform you. pictures with info on the work in French: https://www.paris.fr/crue

One of most emblematic and romantic buildings in Paris, its a tower! Speaking of the tour Jean Sans Peur or john without fears tower. It was in the middle ages the highest inhabited buildng in Paris. It has remined entirely intact, this building tower of the 15C houses today a museum of daily life in the medieval period located at 20 de la rue Etienne-Marcel (2éme)). It has a donjon tower of 27 meters high square on top ,the equivalent of 8 floors. Today it remains the last witness to medieval civil and fortified architecture in Paris. You can from the top of the tower see the beautiful city of Paris. The building was first built in 1420 by Jean Sans Peur, aka Jean Ier de Bourgogne (duke John I of Burgundy). The tower was put in the middle of a beautiful mansion of the dukes of Burgundy that was here since the 13C. The huge palace that had the space taken from Montorgueil to the rue Saint-Denis, falls in disrepair from end 13C where only the donjon tower remains Intact. Here while the king Charles VI, falls very sick and incapable of ruling that his cousin takes the power, son of prince Louis d’Orléans, that takes the continuation of the kingdom. Jean Sans Peur goes as far as ordered assassinated the uncle and rival in 1407, in order to take over the royal finances for enlarged his principality , the Burgundian State. However, the wind change on the diplomatic games and the master of the donjon was finally killed in September 10 1419.

You can visit the tower floor by floor, the biggest is the grande Salle , the bedroom of the squire that of Jean Sans Peur, and common rooms with furniture from his last 20 years there as identical as they were done by artisan artists of today. The museum has a trail of figures in costumes of the 15C as well redone by modern masters. You see a huge mantle cover richly decorated, military decorations pants, jackets, ladies robes, or hats. At the street level or rdc here and on the vaulted cellars you see an exposition of the wine and its role in the middle ages with illustrations, objects of the period, instruments for vineyard work. A real passionate exposition; worth seeing it. The tower museum again is at 20, rue Étienne-Marcel, Open Wednesdays to Sundays from 13h30 to 18h, admission is 6€,guided visits on Saturdays and Sundays at 15h. You can reach it by metro line 4 stop/arrêt Étienne Marcel; RER A,B,D arrêt/stop at les Halles or bus 29 arrêt/stop Turbigo/Étienne Marcel. More on the region ile de France tourist page here: http://pro.visitparisregion.com/en/Destination-guide/Paris-Region-guide/Tours/Castles-and-monuments/Tour-Jean-Sans-Peur

The hops are coming back to Paris, yes beer. Leave branches that go up to 10 meters high enrolling around a support such as a pole, cable wall, are back. They already are in the island of Cité in the rue Saint-Sauveur or rue Buffon 5éme; in the walls of schools such as the Château des Rentiers 13éme or sports center such as Déjerine in the 20éme or the Fillettes in the 18éme will be vegetative as well. A total of 86 000 liters of beers could be brewed due to this initiative this year. The city hall of Paris already contributes with about 1 600 liters of beer of Paris where the barley is cultivated in the land by the bois de Vincennes with the Association Brasseurs de France. You know that in the 19C ,Paris was the European capital of the beer?  Done here by the Alsacians, well back to the source. More on this site in French: http://maltsethoublons.com/2017/11/13/la-ville-de-paris-et-brasseurs-de-france-brassent-a-bercy/

There is a project up for vote to allow the swimming in the lake of Daumesnil. The city of Paris under the project swim in Paris or « Nager à Paris » wanted by the mayor Hidalgo is coming along. After the bassin de la Villette (19éme), this project by the shades of the  Bois de Vincennes, on the lawn of Reuilly, and the Zoo will be presented as a family seasonal swimming offer with 8 490 m², of open air space, free and with lifeguards open from June 15 to September 15 and from 10h to 20h. It will allow a maximum capacity of swimmers of 2 023 per day with a total visitors of about 75K swimmers per season. There is a beach projected for the south bank of the island or île de Bercy given access to three pools with different depths fed by the water filter with biological filtration techniques and apart from the lake by a geomembrane and a inflatable structure. City estimated cost of all this for the happy taxpayers is 9,5M€ TTC. The file is under consultation in the mairie or mayors office of the 12éme arrondissement , 130, avenue Daumesnil.  The review commission will be available for public questioning on Feb 22 ,Marc 8, from 16h30 to 19h,then on Feb 28 9h to 12h, and Saturday March 3rd from 9h to 12h.  More here in city of Paris webpage: https://www.paris.fr/nager

Hey talking about food, what about France abundance of goodies such as the chicken of the Gâtinaise now trying to come back in vogue spearheaded by the harvesting house or Maison de l’élevage du Mée-sur-Seine (Seine-et-Marne)  http://www.elevageidf.fr/   and the natural park regional or Parc naturel régional du Gâtinais since 2003. The park here: http://www.parc-gatinais-francais.fr/annuaire-des-produits-du-terroir/   The chicken was here since early the 20C but had slowly disappear giving way to more productive hens. This year there are already about 550 chickens that provides  2 000 chicks per year . About 300- 400 of them arrive by Vincent Morisseau, at one day old.  This farmer established the farm of ferme de Filbois d’Aufferville (Seine-et-Marne), been one of three harvesters of the chicken of gâtinaises that has the territory of the natural regional park. The best way to cook this wonderful hen that I have tried many times is just roasted with a bit of garlic, butter, salt and pepper,and herbes of Provence ; it will please everybody. http://www.ferme-de-filbois.fr/

The Château de Pierrefonds is ongoing renovations. The new campaign by the Centre des monuments nationaux is on to restore the four bridges of the castle. The work will begin today with the covering of the structures in scaffolds and will be done by the end of November 2018. These bridges dates from 1870 and were in bad conditions . The three bridges gave access to the main courtyard of the castle and a new visitor circuits will be done by March 12. The work will be done by firm from Brest (Finistère/Brittany) that will restored them in their shops same way they did for the statue of the archangel in the top of Mont-Saint-Michel (Manche). These structures are composed of metal and wood and were first done by architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in person !!. The work will allow to increase the capacity of the bridges for the passage of vehicles especially those of emergency personnel.  The mechanism of the raising bridge will also be renovated so that it can be open in an exceptional manner. The sleeping bridge that gives access to the lices will be  restored on site, and a temporary passearelle will allow pedestrians and vehicles to enter the main court or Cour d’honneur, during all the period of the work. Unfortunately for reasons of security , the castle will be closed to the public from March 12-25 2018 and from October 1-19 2018 . The Centre des monuments nationaux is also counting on doing other works in the castle such as souvenir boutique to come back to its original location  and the floor of the Salle des Preuses , the biggest in the castle will be reinforce. More here: http://www.chateau-pierrefonds.fr/en/

The gare Versailles Rive Gauche will have a space Véligo. This will allow to rent bikes online ahead of your arrival in station, more here:  http://veligo.transilien.com/fr/articles.php

According to a survey by Les Echos, the finance journal , the best companies to work for in the eyes of the French are : Decathlon , Cultura , Picard , FNAC, Amazon, Sephora, Grand Frais, Yves Rocher, Leroy Merlin, and ikea

And come to see the orchids with the expo Orchidées Mania in the jardin des Plantes. On the famous greenhouses of the garden hosting the 7^th edition of the thousand and one orchid or « Mille et une orchidées ».  This is done every February to the orchid lovers to discover the extraordinary collection in the museum of natural history or Muséum d’histoire naturelle.  Joined by specialize gardeners that will allow you to come away with a pot;all this until March 5 2018 more info here:  http://www.mnhn.fr/fr/visitez/agenda/exposition/mille-orchidees-2018

And he is back to the avenue des Champs-Elysées, talking of Pierre Hermé the great pastry/chocolat maker and now teaming with the great house of cosmetics of L’Occitane ; store and dessert bar with sales counter. A concept store to share friendship of the pastry king to  Olivier Baussan, founder of  L’Occitane (already in Paris with the maison Hermé). 21 years later Pierre Hermé is back on the Champs-Élysées, after clashing and leaving the maison Ladurée. The goodies are a bit pricey but you know where they are coming from ; 9,50 € cappucino, 20 €  ice cream cup etc etc. You can take it home too almost everything in the boutique. L’Occitane-Hermé, 86, av. des Champs-Elysées, 8éme. Tél. +33 (0) 1-70-38-77-38. Open every day from 7h30,except Saturdays and Sundays at 8h30, and closing late at 23h30, even 0H30 Fridays and Saturdays. More here: https://fr.loccitane.com/bienvenue-au-86-champs-pierre-herme-loccitane,74,1,91244,1184739.htm

Go to the sweetness of France with framboises sirup of the maison Lou Fenérêts coming from the Haute-Savoie. La Torchette a crusty biscuit of almonds and hazelnuts raisins ,algie and a bit of rum done in Melgven,the Finistère Breton by the  maison Georges Larnicol. How about  vinegar from  Rouillac, Charente, done with grapes of pineau blanc. Over  2 500 products like a tour of France ; this is at Le Printemps du goût recently open in two floors of groceries and cellars with fresh produce all made in France France. Done by such famous as  Akrame Benallal (star michelin chef), Gontran Cherrier (baker), Laurent Dubois (cheesemaker) ,and Christophe Michalak (pastry maker) all showcasing the best of France.  You are invited to go up to the 8^th floor to taste their recipes on site with a grand view like a postcard over the tour Eiffel. All sold in the culinary space of 1 500 m2 in the great deparment store of the Grands Boulevards.  Yes you know Au Printemps. http://departmentstoreparis.printemps.com/news/w/printempsdugout-47093

Back to the foodie, once a month in winter the restaurant Auteuil Brasserie is transformed into a terrace on the roof in a chalet style ;Sunday last there was a return to ski or « Retour du Ski » night with DJ and cocktails shops . Good place for the nights of Paris and good favorite area of the city for me. More here:  http://www.auteuil-brasserie.com/

Jacky Ribault awaited long for this and now its there, his second gastronomic restaurant named L’Ours (the bear). The chef has one star Michelin since 2014 and already head of the Parisian restaurant Qui Plume la Lune, located at Vincennes,in the middle of the island or îlot Fontenay, i twill have tables for about 20 folks. Once entering the resto you will the head of a Canadian bear on a space of 300 M2 all under a cover of Baltard metal and wood and silvery glass and walls.  The menus are at  45, 75 and 105 €, with a match food dish and wine averaging 50€ additionally. There is no carte so no need to look for one. Try it at L’Ours, 10, rue de l’Eglise. Tél. +34 (0) 1.46.81.50.34.email :  contact@loursrestaurant.com

The first resto site is here : http://www.quiplumelalune.fr/

A bit of tour of France coming up.

Imagine been in the Roman arena of Nîme end of April 2018 to host the 9e édition des Grands Jeux romains (the great roman games) ; that will be held for three days the legendary episodes of the times. You can see at simple eye view the amphitheater dating from the 1C of our times, one of the best preserve in the Roman world, spectacular!!!This is an oval of 133 meters long by 60 arcades on top of each other, a symmetrical building to perfection by Roman engineers. See the wonderful square house or Maison carrée, right in city center , the only antique temple in the world totally preserve with precise proportions and impressive columns. Continue your journey into the gardens or jardins de la Fontaine, built around the water source of the Nemausus. DO your rides in poneys and pedal cars on the ruins of the mysterious temple of Diana for the kids, then climb the tower or tour Magne,high on Mont Cavalier, the highest and most prestigious of the Augustinian tower walls. If you come early June 2018 you can see the new and very much awaited museum of romans traditions  or Musée de la romanité, that will show a futuristic building with all the collections of archeology of the city presented by Elizabeth de Portzamparc.  Museum here: http://www.elizabethdeportzamparc.com/en/project/musee-de-la-romanite/

More  on Nîmes here: http://www.arenes-nimes.com/en/node/1969

And this always amazes me since coming here since 1990 near my wife’s native town and on her department 77 Seine-et-Marne. The Royal edifice that hosted more monarchs than any other, total of 34 ! from Louis VI le Gros to Napoléon III, spanning almost 8 centuries. Spend a day at the Château de Fontainebleau, less than 45 minutes from Paris is to push the genealogical tree of the French royals. In the cour d’honneur, take a  selfie  in front of the horseshoe stairs where on April 20 1814 Napoléon  said his farewell to his imperial guard.  In the interior of the castle ,see the gorgeous apartments, the two small boudoirs of Marie-Antoinette, very refined. However, do what others failed to do, go out into the park and its four gardens and od a tour in horse wagon or a barque boat in the lake of carpes or étang aux carpes. Spend a bit more time and attends a grand vals like the one coming up on February 24^th , a carnival with swords duels , renaissance dances ,masks shops and princesss dresses . Adultes accepted lol!

More here: http://www.musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr/spip.php?page=sommaire&lang=en

Enjoy France 85 millions cannot be wrong, again No 1 in the world on visitors. Great start on my week! Cheers!

And the week 7 has started and so it’s time to tell you about things happening in my belle France. the weather has been ok early morning -3C coming home in the evening 3C no rain and cloudy as winter. life goes on, heading for another weekend, but first Valentin’s Day…. in France.

Soirée love February 14 from 19h to 23h at the Musée Rodin, with red carpet, and lights as well as rose petals jazz musicians will play different tunes in different rooms as well as will be shown a book showing the exchanges between Rodin and his muse Camille Claudel. The museum Rodin is at 77 rue de Varennes 7éme arrondissement.  Admission 20€ adults reservations a must at www.musee-rodin.fr

Following the trails of La Forme de l’Eau or the water form trails of the new work of Guillermo del Toro in the Aquarium of Paris. Two glasses of Champagne will be offered one upon arrival and another in half time of your night walks in the basins . By 20h Claire the sirene will await you in the big pool where sharks and rays co exist ; later two guides will tak about the secret love amongst the fish and a love book will be given on the subject  Saint Valentin à l’Aquarium de Paris, located at 5 avenue Albert de Mun 16éme arrondissement from 19h to 22h admission 37,90€ per person. More in French here: http://www.cineaqua.com/index.php/fr/saint-valentin-2018

And something would have love to be in Paris is the PSG vs Real Madrid Champions league match of the Valentin’s day. The hotel Le Royal Monceau  will show the 8th final game on its projections rooms private and during the match the love birds of the sport will have pop corn of Pierre Hermé , and beers. The projection room is a giant screen tv in leather chairs like you were in a cinema. At half time, 2 hot dogs with truffe will help keep up the exctiing game. Le Royal Monceau, 37 avenue Hoche 8éme arrondissement, tel +33 (0) 1 42 99 98 50. starting at 20h Feb 14, admission 48€ per person. More here: https://www.leroyalmonceau.com/en/offers/a-royal-valentines-day/

A choice of restaurants if not a football/soccer lover than head the Grand Cœur 41 rue du Temple 4éme arrondissement tel +33 (0) 1 58 28 18 90, open every day except Sundays evenings and Mondays. Menus from 23 to 30€ lunch For the St Valentin the chef starred Mauro Colagreco ( Le Mirazur , Menton) will have a special menu of   Burnt cauliflower, cauda bagna sauce, olive, candied lemon and anchovies; Cod, clams, coconut stew of paimpol and chorizo; Creamy white chocolate, yogurt and ice cream to the fruit of passion. More here:  https://www.grandcoeur.paris/

If a theater play is for you then my choice would be the Merchant of Venice or Le Marchand de Venice at the Lucernaire 6éme arrondissement. And going on until April 1 2018. You can reserve places on http://www.ticketac.com/ 

And the theater site here:  http://www.lucernaire.fr/theatre/2097-le-marchand-de-venise-.html

Of course, anything in Paris is love eternal more than Valentin. George Gershwin said “ There are only two possible subjects for a song ; love and  Paris”

In other front the Ground control  has open its doors with passionate food stalls with six offering a coffee shop and a grocery store. The food you can eat on the stand on lunch or on the big wooden tables inside  This is all happening at the Halle Charolais with 4500 m2 of covered space and 1500 m2 exterior terraces . La Halle charolais, 81 rue de charolais 12éme arrondissement  open Wednesdays to Fridays from 12h to midnight, Saturdays 11h to midnight, and Sundays from 11h to 22h. More here: https://www.groundcontrolparis.com/

The cabaret Crazy Horse opens up to the youngs, spectacles of Young & Crazy.The under 26 yrs old will be able to discover the temple of  sublime and assume and the girls every Wednesday evenings for 25€ only. Crazy Horse, 12 avenue George V 8éme arrondissement Reservations tel +33(1) 47 23 32 32 or email reservation@lecrazyhorseparis.com or https://www.lecrazyhorseparis.com/en/young-and-crazy-offer-2018/

The Louvre is open up to find the nazi stolen work of arts during WWII from the Jewish community. The MNR or  “Musées Nationaux Récupération”  are works of arts recovered from the nazis stolen from the original owners, they were given for safekeeping to the national museums and provincial ones as well.  They were supposed to be given back to the rightful owners if found or identified  It is estimated that 100K works were stolen from the Jewish in France and transferred to nazi Germany; at the end of the war, the European and American museums were able to recover about 47K of them. The orphanage works in the Louvre museum numbered about 1752 with 807 paintings and some loan to other museums in France. Only 31 will be exposed in the Louvre to the public for the moment still hoping to find the rightful owner descendants. This already creating waves in internatinal medias. https://www.louvre.fr/en/hours-admission

This is the site where they managed these the MNR or the recuperation national museums site name after Rose-Valland who helped track this down at one time. here in French: http://www.culture.gouv.fr/documentation/mnr/MnR-pres.htm

Between the plain of Buren with its columns in marbre and the palace garden of the Palais Royal, you will see wooden planches covering the floor , this is just to allow the workers to go underneath and fix the humidity below by the plains of Bury, between the columns and the galerie d’Orléans. The name Bury comes from the Belgian artist who did the nice fountains there in 1985. The French government or the taxpayers are helping to renovate it and will last until next Sept 18. More here: http://www.domaine-palais-royal.fr/en/

A peniche boat done by Le Corbusier anchored in the port d’Austerlitz on the Seine river has sunk Saturday last. The boat Louise-Catherine, un boat in cement of 70 meters long and 8 meters wide was in plan renovation to be a cultural museum according to the owner. It was tried to bring it up water but in 15 minutes it sank. Le Parisien newspaper in French here: http://www.leparisien.fr/paris-75/nous-allons-renflouer-la-peniche-de-le-corbusier-11-02-2018-7553700.php

And La Défense is coming to life again….at the foot of the hotel Melia with the towers First and Allianz One offering a splendid view over the bridge or pont de Neuilly and the Arc de Triomphe. However, the best is inside , name Oxygen, where the star chef Michel Rostang is opening a new restaurant. This is coming after last Sept17 the bar-exposition gallery and concert hall opened as L’Alternatif under the parvis (underground),  Another underground entity call Table Square is on schedule to open in front of the Agam fountain with two firms of fast food such as Bioburger, 100% bio , and the salad bar Prairie.  You will find a Pizzeria call Marco Polo, and finally a share work space call Icône , dedicated to the start-uppers and other nomad workers. More here in French: http://defense-92.fr/projets/coups-denvoi-des-projets-table-square-et-oxygen-a-la-defense-54909

Stay tune here on bioburger: http://bioburger.fr/restaurant.html#section-4

The Grand Paris Express, I have written on it several times in the blog and it is big news, more to come to change the landscape of the Paris region hopefully for the best for you and me ::) You can imagine crossing the region of Île-de-France in a metro going up to 120 KPH or about 75 MPH without passing by Paris ! and automatic !  Going from Boulogne to Champs-sur-Marne in 37 minutes vs one hour today or from Issy  to Cachan  in nine minutes instead of 46 today, or going from Villejuif to Champigny  in 18 minutes instead of 67 min today ! All will be possible starting in 2024 thanks to the project of the Grand Paris Express . It will be part of the landscape from 2030-2040.  Even the SeaBubbles flying water taxi will be tested this year over the Seine river . More on this here in English: http://www.seabubbles.fr/en/products

All because by 2030, Paris will have 12,8 millions inhabitants (not counting the visitors lol!!) Well more here in French,  and see the photo  https://www.societedugrandparis.fr/

More improvements galore Paris here we go. A fiber optic enters in the train stations of Paris. The council of Ile de France Mobilité has voted for it and should be official by Wednesday. It will installed fiber in the 387 stations where 112 do not have anything today.  This again in today’s Le Parisien newspaper.

A nice small museum in my Yvelines dept 78 west of Paris is the musée de la toile de Jouy  at  Jouy sous Josas.  Here cloths in cotton printed and teint from the  18C from a firm founded by  Oberkampf in 1760. Now nothing is left but in the courtyard of the city hall, a bell ringing and a museum installed in an old merchant house tell the story today.  Many financiers come to do this as it is the chic of the times to wear one but nobody in France mastered it. Here comes Oberkampf, coming from a tanners family in Germany . Jouy-en-Josas has it all, the Bièvre river runs below it to bath the teintures and rinse, vast fields to spread the cloths to whiting it under the sun and the water, the geographical situation at the door of Versailles and Paris a sure clientele. Oberkampf enlarge the business and when the company went bankrupt in 1843, more than 30 years after his death , almost 30K motifs have come out of the factory, and some continue to inspired the world of fashion. The  Musée de la Toile de Jouy, château de l’Eglantine, 54, rue Charles-de-Gaulle, Jouy-en-Josas (78). Open Tuesdays from 14h to 18H and from Wednesdays to Sundays from 11h to 18h ; guided visits each second Sunday of each month; closed from February 9 to March 8 2018. Admission  7 € adults. info at +33 (0) 1 39 56 48 64  or more here:  www.museedelatoiledejouy.fr

For info, this is a nice town and visited as friends at the fame Grand école HEC base here too. http://www.hec.edu/Masters-programs

And last but not least, do not forget the Chinese New Year on February 16, the year of the Dog !  The oldest parade in Paris! Done in the 13éme arrondissement or district.  This year will start from the avenue de Choisy and will finish at the avenue d’Ivry passing by the avenue de Choisy, avenue d’Italie, rue de Tolbiac, and blvd Massena.  The parade will be held on February 25 from 14h to 17h and the city hall of the district will hold spectacles, expositions, concerts and conferences from February 19 to March 3rd. More info at the city hall office in French , and you can print a program of activities too. https://www.mairie13.paris.fr/actualites/nouvel-an-chinois-fete-du-printemps-annee-du-chien-du-19-fevrier-au-3-mars-2018-268

And we are calling for crossed border Labrador puppy and hopefully if the owner is right we will get it for at vaccinations costs only. We are crossing our fingers!!! Enjoy your week, Cheers!!

Well and ….! the beat goes on in my belle France, snow is a tough subject to tackle. We had some snow lately as much as almost 6 inches or 15 cm.

Now let’s talk about an event that is made bigger than it should be. Snow in France in general and especially in the region of Paris , Île de France. I have been thru many snow storms in my life even monster ones in the NJ/NY area but here the snow and winter is milder yet the consequences are always histerical. This is what happened Tuesday to Wednesday night.

12 cm of snow felled in Paris proper and 11cm at Roissy CDG by Wednesday morning making the roads slippery as well as the railroad tracks. As of Wednesday morning at 7h30 ; the bus network has not started working because the snow on the ground, granted the numbers above in cm are about 4,7 inches : The tramways lines T1, T2, and T3a are stopped as well except between Charenton and Vincennes, the lines T7 and T8 are working ok. The lines T5 and T6 are stopped. The subway or métro is working normally even if there could be some difficulties like in line 8 and 13, and even if there are mostly underground ! The RER A, RER B and RER C, are having big problems and even stopped on some trajects in the central of the network; the RER D,circulation is stopped by the Stade de France to Paris. The traffic is normal on the RER D and RER E. The normal trains of the Transilien network are going out with big delays and sometimes 1 over 2. The lines H, K, N , and R are showing this impact. On the line L, traffic is stopped between Saint-Cloud and Versailles Rive Droite (lol ! my old line home) ,and on to Garches ,and Saint-Nom la Bretêche. On the line J, you have too one train over two between Paris and Ermont Eaubonne. The trains Paris to Les Mureaux have been cancelled. The trains Paris to Mantes-la-Jolie via Poissy are transfer to buses between Poissy and Mantes-la-Jolie. The trains Paris to Conflans-Sainte-Honorine are cancelled. There are no trains circulating on the line P between Paris and Coulommiers , and the traffic going East is very much slow down and delays between Paris, Meaux , and Château-Thierry. The train line U is cancelled as well.

Still as of this late morning there are 25 department between the Pays de la Loire and Lorraine in Orange alert (second highest level) ,these are the Aisne (02), Ardennes (08), Aube (10), Cher (18), Eure (27), Eure-et-Loir (28), Indre (36), Indre-et-Loire (37), Loir-et-Cher (41), Loiret (45), Maine-et-Loire (49), Marne (51), Mayenne (53), Oise (60), Orne (61), Sarthe (72), Paris , and the small beltway around it such as departments (Paris 75, Hauts de Seine-92, Seine Saint Denis-93 and Val de Marne-94), as well as further such as Seine-et-Marne (77), Yvelines (78), Yonne (89), Essonne (91) , and Val-d’Oise (95).

The TGV has reduce the speed considerably almost in half and the suburbians buses are in terminal ,nothing out. The region of Paris or Île de France has not seen this snow since December 2010 when almost 8000 automobilists were housed in the shopping center at Vélizy (Yvelines 78) to sleep the night. This caused 739 kms of traffic jams just after 19h30 (7:30pm) an absolut record not yet seen this time. I remember the Dec 2010 episode as my boys were in school at Versailles and the mayor’s office had ordered closed all roads into the citylol! My boys were in the bus stop by Europe near the castle; and I got on the car went around the roads around the castle not seen by police got in the city and got my boys out yeah!!!

An episode that is repeated and do not understand why nothing is ever done is the traffic jams and abandon vehicules in the N118 at the section of Vélizy-Villacoublay (Yvelines), direction Paris. There is no warning by the authorities, no salt trucks nothing and these people go by there and again got stuck on the snow waiting long hours to be clear ,and once again buses were sent to bring them to a nearby gymnasium . In the middle of the glacial cold some drivers decided to spent the night inside their cars with engines on to keep warm while the outside temperature was – 2 °C (about 28F). Even at 3h in the morning folks abandons their cars to get on foot the shopping center of the centre commercial Vélizy 2…2 km away!!! About 1,2 miles…

Yesterday Tuesday evening the gare Saint-Lazare around 19h30,hundreds were caught trapped in the tunnels of the metro line 13, which I have taken and it is an inferno, see photo.

The Eiffel tower is closed to visitors yesterday Tuesday as always in bad weather and strong winds they close it for prevention. The managing firm is asking visitors to check the webpage and social network to ascertain it will be open when they arrive on these days. My trip to Paris Thursday cancelled ! The SNCF has advised folks to delayed their trips if possible so I did, for me been here Paris can wait!!!

Already in the social networks here the folks are very upset about the lack of information on the travelers on the traffic conditions. The internet sites of the SNCF, Transilien, and RATP do not work! And the information flash on the train stations are not given in good time ; nothing new. Those visiting are lucky to come in good working orders of the public transport system but the poor folks that live here find them very bad but no other better solutions to go to work are available. I am lucky out of that mess in lovely Brittany!!!

The news flash in the Paris region where the traffic was stop all night to this morning already many folks taken refuge in the train stations of Montparnasse (my entry now to Paris) and Austerlitz, about 700 of them ; as well as about 230 at the airport at Orly According to the police report from Paris.

The situation can become critical as the night from Wednesday to Thursday the temperature will drop to less than 10 degrees Celsius or about 14F and icy condition on the roads and rails. The snow is probably to stay on the ground for several days with accumulations going in places as much as 15 cm or about 5,9 inches. And by Friday, we will have another snow storm coming from the northwest to areas of the north or now Hauts-de-France down to the Limousin ,and passing again by the Paris region of Ile-de-France.

Latest news coming on is that on the N118 by the crossroad of  Vélizy (Yvelines)  going to the south with more than 300 vehicules blocking the highway and 650 on the sides parked!! The snow felled 30 cm in the department Eure–et-Loire with very low temperatures, 8 cm at Tours (lol just left there ok), 12 cm in Paris, 11 cm in Blois, 13 at Roissy CDG and Orly airports, 14 cm in Orleans, and 15 cm in Chartres in early morning today.

On a historical note the cold front of February 1956 happening from February 1st to the 27th the minimum temperatures were of -15 °C (about 5F) during 15 days in the NorthEast. When the average for the country in this month is lower than 9 °C (about 48F) monthly for the period 1981-2010,placing February 1956 as the most colder since the early 20C ; so where is the climate change lol !!!

Of course we were not spare at least in the morning hours, then it cleared up nicely sunny.

Stay tune for the white one, is news here, big time, well at least in Brittany we had some in the morning but by now all is sunshine lol!!! Be careful on the roads …… and happy travels. Cheers!!