So even thus not done with my beloved Madrid on my wonderfully enormous vacation back in August 2019; I need to switch gears and tell you something about my belle France! yes of course, we are all citizens of Planet Earth and Humans first of all! My weather here is sunny windy at 70F or about 21C while in my eternal Paris is sunny at 67F or about 18C. For kicks in my beloved Madrid is 87F or about 27C and cloudy right now.
Now let me tell you some bits of news from my belle France ok. Why not start with a bang on the 130th anniversary of the Eiffel tower!
The Tour Eiffel icone and symbol of Paris was built in two years, from 1887 to 1889,but it keeps a lot of secrets some will detail here briefly.
It could never have been born without the World Expo ; but the expiry of the 1889 World Expo, an exceptional showcase for all the discoveries of the time, forced the engineers to work twice as hard to built it. Gustave Eiffel was not at the origin. It was two of his collaborators, Emile Nouguier and Maurice Koechlin, who imagine and designed the Tower. Once convinced, Eiffel will take a patent, with his two engineers. The artists of the time were opposed to the project published in the newspaper Le Temps, in February 1887. It is signed by Charles Gounod, Guy de Maupassant, Charles Garnier, Victorien Sardou or Alexandre Dumas ,son. There was no death on the construction site, except … a worker, mounted outside working hours, to impress his girlfriend. It must have been ephemeral. Eiffel first obtains a concession for twenty years. But in 1909, the engineer cannot bring himself to see his tower destroyed. It finances the first weather stations, installed at the top, makes tests with clocks and radio transmissions for the military authorities . Bet won. He obtained an extension of the concession until 1979. It made it possible to foil a German attack in 1918. In the middle of World War I, the radio antennas of the Eiffel Tower capture an encrypted German message. It reveals that the imperial army is preparing to attack the French in the forest of Compiegne (Oise). The General Staff is warned and the assault foiled, in March 1918. It was from its summit that the first television programs were broadcast. In 1942, it broadcast live entertainment programs for troops, especially in hospitals where are treated wounded. There were then only a few hundred television sets throughout the country. It is covered with 17 layers of paint. To protect the tower from corrosion, it must be painted. But painting is eroding and you have to go back every seven years on average. Problem: all this painting weighs 50 tons. A construction site should soon completely strip the monument, before repainting it with a lighter layer.Again! It was assembled partly in Levallois-Perret. The Eiffel workshops were located in the city of dept 92 Hauts-de-Seine. The pieces were then placed on carts that crossed Paris to the Champ de Mars. A giant wind tunnel on the forecourt. Eiffel had a passion for aviation. He installs this device at the foot of the tower to test the resistance of aircraft structures. All the pioneers of the air force passed through this wind tunnel, transferred in 1912, in the 16éme of Paris.And voilà another angle on the lady of Paris, the Eiffel! More info here: https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/news/130-years
As mention briefly in previous post of a great discovered by luck, this painting of the 17C has been restored and now sits in the middle of the dresses of the first Parisian boutique of Oscar de la Renta, at 4, rue Marignan, just steps from the Champs-Elysees 8éme, which has just opened the first Parisian boutique Oscar de la Renta. On the floor of this luxury fashion house, where the welcome is particularly warm, you will discover in the living room of the wedding dresses the painting, dating from the 17C, one of the painters of the school of Charles-Le -Brun, close to the Sun King. A work of 6 meters long and 3 meters high, forgotten for a century behind a partition and found, by chance, on the site of restructuring of the premises. The painting depicts Charles Marie François Olier, Marquis de Nointel, ambassador to Constantinople for Louis XIV. He had started a tour of the Middle East in 1673. He was then shown with his escort in front of Jerusalem. Riders are dressed in the fashion of the Grand Siècle. The walls, the mosque of Omar and the Wailing Wall are very distinctly visible in the distance. The spirit is orientalist and lush vegetation. The painter remains a scientific uncertainty. The mansion of 4, rue de Marignan would have belonged in 1850 to the banker Mosselman who installed the canvas in his living room. With time, the painting was walled up. But not miraculously destroyed. Today, it is visible to all … without any obligation to purchase one of Oscar de la Renta’s creations.! The store locator here: https://www.oscardelarenta.com/find-store
The Opera Garnier ,9éme arrondissement has used the finest crafts to restore its original luster to the prestigious lodge. The Emperor’s lodge, built for Napoleon III, the patron of the prestigious Palais Garnier, located on the left of the stage and opposite that of the Empress, has regained its original brilliance. While “La Traviata” triumphs on the stage of the Paris Opera, the monumental lodge served by a staircase and preceded by a guard room, antechamber and lounges, proudly displays its magnificence. It was Mac Mahon who inaugurated it in 1875, Napoleon III had to go into exile five years before the end of the construction of the Palais Garnier. The project launched as part of a partnership for the 350th anniversary of the Opéra national de Paris. The original material chosen by Charles Garnier – in brocatelle, more precious than the damask reserved for other boxes – was reproduced identically by the Manufacture Prelle, silkers in Lyon since 1752. The curtains were sewn entirely by hand and the beech benches have been cleared, repaired and upholstered. The trimmings will be done in early 2020. To be seen next to my previous work office! More on the Opéra Garnier here: https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/artists/discover/the-paris-opera/the-palais-garnier
Robbery at the Château Vaux-le-Vicomte where Patrice and Cristina de Vogüé, a couple who restored the luster of the castle. The 91-year-old count has owned the place since 1967. With his wife Cristina, they opened the site to the public a year later. The perpetrators acted before dawn. This morning, shortly after 4h (4AM), six burglars, hooded and gloved, have entered the castle of Vaux-Le Vicomte, Seine-et-Marne dept 77 through a window. The thugs surprised in their sleep the couple, tied them up before forcing them to give them the code of the safe. They seized jewelry and cash. The damage, being consolidated, would be around two million euros The Castle, meanwhile, remains open despite the robbery having taken place in a private wing. The wonderfully gorgeous official site here: https://vaux-le-vicomte.com/en/
In total, there are 23 sites in Ile-de-France that will received this past Wednesday the label Heritage of Regional Interest. A Selection of my favorite places.
Built in 1920 on the plans of Clamart train station in the Hauts-de-Seine (92), Villennes-sur-Seine (78) train station is known for its decoration and its large glass roof. It is also one of the rare examples of Art Nouveau train station in Île-de-France. I have taken this line several time and the town is very nice indeed not just the station. Official Transilien here: https://www.transilien.com/fr/gare/villennes-sur-seine-8738664
This small train station located on line H of the Transilien network ,built in 1926, the train station of Saint-Leu-la-Forêt (95) has been the subject of major restoration projects for 4 years. The exterior facades have been restored, as are the exterior carpentry and the Marquise. Another good looking transportation site. Official Transilien here: https://www.transilien.com/fr/gare/saint-leu-la-foret-8727660
A secret Chapel in Taverny (95). Built in the mid-19C on the site of a former priory, this hidden chapel shelters 16 burials two meters below ground. Hidden in the middle of the fir trees. See the Chapelle de Rohan-Chabot Chapel ,9, rue Jean-XXIII , Taverny ,Val d’Oise dept 95. A bit more in French at the dept site here: http://www.valdoise.fr/784-taverny.htm
The city of artists of the 15éme arrondissement of Paris built in 1902 by the famous sculptor Alfred Boucher, La Ruche is the only unknown place in Paris to benefit from the Heritage of Interest label. Today, the city of artists on the southern edge of Paris has become the passage de Dantzig. A private place in which no visit is organized. It will be necessary to count on the kindness of a inhabitant to be able to penetrate there. Worth the try and the walk is very nice indeed. La Ruche , Passage de Dantzig 2, 15éme arrondissement of Paris. Official La Ruche here : https://laruche-artistes.fr/informations/
A brand new food festival arrives. In the program ? The best specialties straight from the Philippines. And as had the opportunity to visit this nice country several times (see my posts) it is a great idea to do a food festival. Which will be on October 6th,at the Point Ephémère. This day will celebrate the culinary specialties of the Philippines for a food festival of the most original. The association La Petite Manille (Little Manila association) decided to remedy this, by creating the first event of its kind. This big festival will be centered around the Philippine cuisine but also around its culture. There will be tastings and something to delight all gourmands, but also shows, creative workshops and discovery, as well as DJ sets to dance until the end of the night. The festival is free for all. Food Festival Philippines, Point Ephémère, 200, quai de Valmy , 10éme On Sunday, October 6, 2019 from 12h to 23h. Free admission . Official Point Ephemere site here: https://pointephemere.org/event/Food-Festival-Philippin-Paris-Syluec8UH
A nice combination idea me think. At the entrance of the store you have a second-hand clothings. From 80s sequined jackets to polka dot dresses from the 60s to classics from the’ 90s, all the epochs go on to dress up the most nostalgic. In the middle, a mini-hair salon, straight out of a movie, for those who would indulge in a scissors, neither seen nor known. In the background, surprise: a kitchen transformed into a canine-like tea room. The student canteen, the little ones come to buy second-hand clothes while drinking tea after school. L’Atypique, Friperie et Cantine, 46, rue Chanzy, 11éme Tel. : 06 36 97 53 79; Open Monday – Friday from 11h30 to 19h, Saturday from 14h30 to 18h30. Facebook page on it: https://fr-fr.facebook.com/pages/category/Cafe/Latypique-671415169642422/
And last but not least my town is in the news!! A Belgian air force F16 airplane crash off the d16 road between Landaul and Pluvigner on a wheat field of the village of Le Guernic chopping some section of a roof with people in the house! The two pilots were save even if one landed on high tension electrical cables of 250K volts! The F16 was on a routine training flight un armed from Florennes , Belgium to the naval base of Lann-Bihoué near Lorient (which also serves as a commercial airport). There is a security perimeter under investigation and the road D16 direction Landevant is closed. Well I live in the other direction so we are safe and sound and ready lol! More in French with pictures here: F16 Belgian Air Force plane crash near Pluvigner
Hope you enjoy the Some news from France posts, and thank you for reading. And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 