So here I am with more of my humble news of my belle France… always excint bits of news of my own choosing in the media world of France. Oh did I say France…welcome back to my latest news from France….
Ahh and Happy New Year and best wishes to all in 2020.
And how about those French lol!! The circulation of metros, buses, trams and RER trains will still be difficult this Sunday December 29 2019. Thirteen metro lines will be completely stopped. In recent years, between December 31 and January 1, Ile-de-France region night owls could count on free public transportation that runs all night. With the strike, it will often be necessary to find a plan B to return home. Slow traffic: thirteen metro lines out of sixteen will be closed on Sunday in Paris, on the 25th day of the strike against the pension reform, before a “significant improvement” Monday, announced this Saturday the RATP. Monday, lines 1 and 14 will operate normally (of course they are automatic no conductor lol!) , 11 metro lines will be partially operated and one RER A and B (RATP zone) on two will run between 6h30 and 20h. For its part, the SNCF announces an average of six TGV out of ten and one Transilien out of five in circulation until Sunday evening. The railway company also plans to run four TER out of ten on Sunday, and an average of three Intercités out of ten over the weekend. Stay tune if coming as the unions claim will have stayting power on the strike beyond January 11 2020.
Another dear subject that I have written several posts on it to alert the readers of its renovation takes another turn , the Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris is moving on.
The immense crane of Notre-Dame Cathedral enters the landscape of Paris. This astonishing yellow spire rises 75 meters above the top of the old roof of the destroyed cathedral. It will be an essential tool for the consolidation and reconstruction phases. The dismantling, which will last several months, should start in February 2020 , but it takes a dry climate, not too cold to advance in this work. The forecourt should be gradually reopened from the end of January. The interior of the cathedral was emptied using robots. The elements have been sorted, inventoried, stored in tents on the forecourt. The inventory is finished for the nave and the transepts.
But there is a lot of rubble left on the vaults. From the upper floor that has been built, rope access technicians will activate. This will involve vacuuming up debris with special devices, but this has not yet started. The choir stalls have been protected by a temporary roof, and will be taken down for cleaning before being reassembled later. We will also have to place the large organ intact, and clean the pipes one by one, to remove the lead dust. When the nave reopens for worship, a temporary wall should be erected before the transepts. In the northern belfry, which had been licked by the flames, the eight bells will have to be lowered before being reassembled later. This is not the case for the two bumblebees in the southern belfry which was not affected by the fire.
The event sale took place in Senlis in late October 2019 . It is the first time in decades that a Cimabue has passed under the hammer. And the painting, estimated between 4 and 6 million euros, has soared to more than 24 million euros, including costs, becoming the most expensive primitive painting sold in public sale in the world. It was the Alana private collection, belonging to a couple of Chilean collectors based in the United States and specializing in Italian Renaissance art (part of which is currently on display at the Jacquemart André museum in Paris until January 20 2020), more here: https://www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com/en/node/2172 which had it finally swept away, in front of the Metropolitan Museum of New York, the last sub-bidder.
The egg painting and gold background on poplar panel, 25.8 cm by 20.3 cm, was hung between the living room and the kitchen of an old lady in Compiègne (Oise dept 60) and had been appraised at during a move. The expert opinion revealed that it was a very rare work by Ceno Di Pepo, known as Cimabue one of the greatest figures of the Pre-Renaissance. We know at most eleven works executed on wood, none of which is signed. “La Derision du Christ” is believed to be part of a year 1280 diptych depicting scenes from the Passion on eight panels of similar size. Only two of the scenes were known to date: “The Flagellation of Christ” (Frick Collection, New York) and “The Madonna and Child enthroned and surrounded by two angels” (National Gallery, London). More on the connaissance des arts here in French: https://www.connaissancedesarts.com/peinture-et-sculpture/un-rare-tableau-de-cimabue-maitre-de-giotto-decouvert-dans-une-cuisine-de-loise-11126423/
You still have time to go ! Perched 110 m high, the Grande Arche ice rink welcomes visitors every day until January 5. But with the strikes, skaters have considerably become less. More here: https://parisladefense.com/fr/actualites/evenement/animation/patinoire-sur-le-toit-de-la-grande-arche
Beer from Saint-Ouen is anything but cat piss! Thanks to cutting-edge technology allowing it an infinity of recipes, the Saint-Ouen Paris brewery wants to distinguish itself by high-end beers. It also relies on partnerships with renowned artists, such as Monsieur Chat, to design its labels. Ok creative different try it! More here: http://saint-ouen-paris.com/
Château de Compiègne (dept 60 Oise) a great start for the exhibition of incredible racing cars. Open to the public for just one month, the concept car event in the heart of the castle of the imperial city is very attractive. More in French here: https://chateaudecompiegne.fr/evenement/concept-car-beaute-pure
The Bottin or telephone directory turns the page, finally. Appeared several decades before the phone, it had survived the Minitel (old network of information in France). And it is the Internet that will have had its ending. The last telephone directory of individuals (or white pages) in paper version will be delivered in late 2019. For the business yellow pages, the chopper will fall in late 2020. Frankly hardly notice I always use the internet!!
Dark facades, extreme sobriety, modular spaces … the new Théâtre du Maillon in Strasbourg has just opened its doors. Pasionaria, one of the first shows at the new Théâtre du Maillon, will soon begin. Mirrors reflect a cinematic exterior decor, with the cut shadows of the gray buildings of the European district of Strasbourg, whose first lights are already vibrating in the falling night. The physiognomy of the building, a black concrete box with walls over 10 meters high, reproduced the darkness of the room. The theater is bathed in natural light thanks to large glass facades, some of which slide. From the interior hall of the building, the visitor’s gaze navigates through a gallery of giant paintings on the subject of Strasbourg, or rather its rapidly changing business district, near the European Parliament. The outdoor courtyard, with the air of a Mediterranean patio, can thus become an open-air theater or an exhibition space. More info: https://www.maillon.eu/
And for more near the theatre you have to see the European Parliament: It is an institution in Strasbourg, but also an architectural gesture made in 1999 by the agency Architecture Studio. The Louise-Weiss building has recently been visited, including during the plenary sessions. Located at Louise Weiss building, 1, allée du Printemps. More info on visits here : https://europarl.europa.eu/visiting/en/visitor-offer?location=Strasbourg&type=5
The MAMCS: Designed by architect Adrien Fainsilber, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is to be discovered for its beautiful glazed interior nave, and its permanent collection made up of works by Rodin, Gauguin, Signac, Monet or Picasso…Located at 1, place Hans-Jean-Arp . More info here : https://en.musees.strasbourg.eu/museum-of-modern-and-contemporary-art
Les Haras: A magnificent spiral in wooden strips surrounds the central staircase of this Strasbourg brasserie hotel, located in the city’s former national stud farms. Listed as a historic monument, the place was renovated in 2013 by the architectural firm Denu et Paradon and the Jouin-Manku agency. Located at 23, rue des Glacières. More info here : http://www.les-haras.fr/?lng=en
And during the season end of year is always good to have a Champagne. Here is another story of an up and coming house. Keep an eye on it you read it here first
A small stone shelter on the hillside overlooks the village of Oger. On the left, we see Avize. On the right is Le Mesnil. It is there, in the heart of the Marne river valley, that Olivier Bonville, grandson of Franck, the founder of the champagne house, likes to accompany his guests, in the “Cabane des Belles Voyes”, named after his favorite plot . Behind the back wall, Chardonnay vines planted in 1965 thrive. He made a separate cuvée, “Les Belles Voyes”. He finds in this champagne with a very salty taste, superb freshness, an authenticity of the past, which he also recognizes in the production of the cult winegrower Anselme Selosse, whose advice he listened to a lot at the start of his work. He vinifies his 15 hectares of vines planted in Avize, Oger and Le Mesnil. He confines himself to the Chardonnay, does not buy any other grapes. The winemaker has offered since last year three plot cuvées, from the 2012 harvest: a “Pur Avize”, fleshy and vinous, a “Pur Mesnil”, iodized and tense , a “Pure Oger”, in balance between the two – salty and smooth at the same time. In addition to these three wines, which complement very neat “classics”, it creates a surprising cuvée, the demi-sec. In contrast to the succulent champagnes, this one is based on a 2005 harvest base. It gains elegant patina and length, ideal with a foie gras. More info on Bonville here: http://en.champagne-franck-bonville.com/en/the-bonville-champagne-house/our-location/
For my fashion readers, here is good news me think. The emblematic ready-to-wear house Sonia Rykiel, liquidated on July 25 2019 for want of a buyer, will be relaunched by two of the founders of the Showroomprivé site, who want to promote the brand, described as “flagship of French heritage”. The house Sonia Rykiel, famous for its knitwear and its colored stripes, was supported at the time of its liquidation on a network, in its own, of six shops and four outlets (destocking stores); it made just over 50% of its sales in France. More on the Showroomprivé site here: https://www.showroomprive.com/
And for the pleasures of culture here are my fav for the coming year
At the Théâtre Mogador 25 rue de Mogador 9éme one of my few theatres I have actually seen a show over the years. See Ghost. created in 2011 from the film of the same name by Jerry Zucker with Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg in the main roles. The show had received three Tony Awards nominations in 2012. A spectacular staging tends to demonstrate once again that we can perfectly combine popular success and artistic quality. More info here: https://www.theatresparisiensassocies.com/pieces-theatre-paris/ghost-le-musical-3975.html
A stone’s throw from the Jardin du Ranelagh garden, at the Musée Marmottan Monet, an exceptional exhibition allows you to discover a facet of the unknown painter, that of landscapes, churches and mills, nuanced colors and delicate features: figurative Mondrian. About sixty paintings, selected by Mondrian himself around 1920 for his collector Salomon B. Slijper, are to be discovered through a journey that highlights the major figurative work of the artist. Impressionism, luminism, wild animals and symbolism are at the heart of the exhibition. Rare cubist and neo-plasticist compositions complete the ride. Musée Marmottan-Monetn 2 rue Louis-Boilly 16éme. More info here : https://www.marmottan.fr/expositions/mondrian-figuratif/
And the National Museum of Natural History in the Grand Gallery of Evolution you have an expo on Oceans. The ocean covers most of the planet but is still largely unknown. This exhibition offers an unusual dive into the heart of an original biodiversity, far from the coast and the usual figures. The constraints of the marine environment as well as the challenge of its exploration are highlighted in particular through projections, an important iconography and a selection of atypical specimens. Located at 36 rue Geoffroy St-Hilaire 5éme .More info here: https://www.mnhn.fr/fr/visitez/agenda/exposition-evenement/ocean-voie-illumination
And a must to see and we love it, enough said. At the Grand Palais of Paris 3 avenue du Général Eisenhower 8éme see the expo on Toulouse-Lautrec, Résolument moderne . . The work of Toulouse-Lautrec is often reduced to the culture of Montmartre. If the artist wonderfully represented the electricity of the Parisian night and its pleasures, he was especially animated by the aesthetic ambition to translate the reality of modern society under its multiple faces. This exhibition; co-produced by the museums of Orsay and the Orangery as well as by the Rmn-Grand Palais, with the support of the city of Albi and the Toulouse-Lautrec museum; offers to rediscover a great artist . More info : https://www.grandpalais.fr/fr/evenement/toulouse-lautrec
The cult program Intervilles will make a comeback in 2020. The last program was broadcast in 2013. Intervilles is the program putting two French cities in friendly competition through a series of physical tests and games of skill, on land, in the water and in the air and the opportunity in passing to revise its geography in an atmosphere full of good cheers. The new version will be presented by former Miss France Valérie Bègue, as well as Bruno Guillon and Olivier Minne. Recall that Intervilles is one of the longest-lived French television games (it was broadcast from 1962 to 2013) and is one of the most suitable French programs abroad.
And finally, something those that live or work there but also maybe some visitors feel it . The metro and its inconveniences are known only too well. Normal, taking it morning, noon, evening, again, again and again for years, we begin to be prowled. Come on, Parisian friends, and if we identified what makes us all mad in the underground, just to be sure that we are all the same? Would that reassure you or not? Whatever your answer, here are 30 reasons to go home and piss your cat off!!!
1- To be tight against odorous people lol!
2- Being forced to wait for the next metro because we didn’t have the courage to … see the time.
3- The long corridors that never end (cuckoo Châtelet) oh yeah!!!!
4- Piss smells in these same corridors
5- Rats (but mice are cute by cons)
6- Pickpockets; QUIZ: “Warning, pickpockets may be present on board” = which station? Hahaha the usual warning for nothing yes!!
7- People who play bad music, you can never be quiet!
8- The metro, which stops for several minutes, in a tunnel. We are not claustro, but if you really insist on RATP, we might well become one.
9- The people who don’t let out, or rather who make no effort for us, WE want out
10- People who blow because they are drunk JUST IN FRONT OF US (what did you eat, man ?!)
11- The people who steal your place, when strategically, you were closer. It’s not fair play, oh! cardboard Mr. referee!
12- The oppression of the people who stick you in front, behind, right and left.
13- When the metro stops between two stations, and NOBODY tells us why putaaaaiiiin! Oops won’t translate………
14- Those who fall on you because like your smell
15- Those who want to defraud by passing with you, without having asked you. Accomplice by breaking and entering, that’s abused right?
16- Those who remain seated on the folding seats while we are in Saint-Lazare at 18h30.
17- People who carry backpacks
18- All the Marlboro mafia which monopolizes the exit of the Barbès metro and blocks your way
19- All those who speak on the phone believing they are at home. We don’t care about your life conn ****! Oops won’t translate.
20- The drivers of the line 4 who know how to stop other than brutally before saying “sorry, the braking was a bit brutal”. When they apologize.
21- Children who MUST be seated. It stands up at that age normally, right?
22- Elderly people who look at you badly because you did not get up to give way to them. Hey respect for elders, it works on other continents, Asia, Africa. Here we are in Europe, the old folks don’t you understand?
23- Sitting in the middle of a family in a square of 4 (I swear I don’t listen)
24- The people who stagnate in front of the doors when they are going to close and you NEED to return
25- When the waiting time for the next metro is not displayed on the tables
26- When you have to wait 11 minutes for your metro on a Sunday afternoon (next time, take the bike)
27- Wipers, the worst *****
28- People who leave their bag on a seat, of course monopolizing the last place. “Parcel trap alert, blow up this gentlemen bag hin hin.” Hahahaha!
29- The people who push you to go out before the metro is even stopped, and you go out too. Old people often.
30- The people who lean against the bar. Where do we stand now Einstein? Hahaha!
Well hope you get the picture of public transport. And remember I did this too. And remember , happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
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