And time to catch up on some of my favorite news from France. It has been a slow sad period for many, and we are still fighting with the light at the end of the tunnel better. In my neck of the woods all is clear for the rentrée or the coming back from Summer vacations. The weather has been rainy cooler already we have 12C now and was up to 20C during the day.
September 1st 2020 is the rentrée or re entry or working after the long summer Vacations in France so therefore, historically, new changes and new laws come into play as well. Some of these are
The entry into force of the wearing of the compulsory mask in middle school, high school, and in business offices. It’s back to school for thousands of schoolchildren, middle school and high school students. But one of the biggest changes initially announced for Tuesday, the implementation of the second part of the unemployment insurance reform, has been postponed due to the economic crisis. Regulated gas sales tariffs applied by Engie will increase by 0.6%. On the electricity side, this Tuesday will mark the end of the measure to suspend any reduction or interruption in the supply of electricity and gas and late payment penalties for all customers. The prices of cigarette packs will change slightly, following a decree published in the Official Journal on August 11, 2020. Some packages at 9.20 euros will increase by 10 cents, others, at 9.60 euros, will on the contrary decrease a little. From September 1, and until October 15, the Scolarité – Services portal is open to applications for scholarships for students enrolled in high schools and regional adapted education establishments (EREA). Declined over six income levels, these grants vary from 441 to 933 euros and will be paid quarterly. The partial unemployment scheme for home-based employees, set up in March to help individual employers in difficulty to pay their home-based employees and childminders, is coming to an end in mainland France. This September 1, the fixed fine is generalized for drug consumption. What does it mean? That the consumers arrested will no longer go to court, provided they are of legal age, recognize the facts, and be in possession of less than 10 grams of cocaine or 100 grams of cannabis: they will be fined directly, and will therefore receive a ticket and a fine, as for a large number of traffic offenses. This is set at 200 euros, but can be reduced to 150 and increased to 450. September 1, fairs, shows, but also a number of shows, except concerts in standing configuration, should be able to resume without authorization or gage.
With its 50 km of temporary cycle paths, Paris is transforming to become a more cycling city. To the point of looking like Copenhagen one day? Not that easy ! A bicycle traffic jam on a cycle path. It was still unimaginable in Paris some time ago. But today, at the time of leaving the offices and on certain major axes, Paris almost looks like the European cycling capital. In Copenhagen, 28% of all daily trips are made by bicycle. And almost one in two people cycle to work or school every day. In Paris, even though bicycle use has jumped 52% in one year, cycling only accounts for around 3% of all daily trips.
Julian Alaphilippe, closer to the Tour de France stars! Winner of the second stage on Sunday in Nice and a new yellow jersey, the French rider, who paid tribute to his father who died at the end of June, returns to his exploits of a year ago. “I promised myself to win for him”, he said. “ I wanted to dedicate this first victory to him. We have all had a difficult year. ” Bon vent Julian.
The Grand Rex, the pharaonic cinema designed by producer Jacques Haïk, camped in the 2éme arrondissement of Paris, has experienced many adventures. It is the only cinema where the public looks up… to the sky. How difficult it is not to be ecstatic, silent, in front of these Greek statues, these gigantic trees and this wall covered with plants with candlesticks. This 5,000-seat juggernaut, whose shape is inspired by atmospheric theaters in the United States. And with the largest screen in France. A 300 m² canvas hanging from the ceiling. From the outside, a protuberance culminates on the gray facade. It’s the projection booth. At the top of a staircase, a Charlie Chaplin dressed as a clown detonates on a fresco of corsairs painted by Mahé . Jacques Haïk was born in Tunis in 1893. From modest origins, he arrived in France with his brother as a teenager. Very studious during his studies, he quickly turned to the cinema and began by exercising small trades as a delivery of reels. At 20, he invested in his own distribution of American films and was the first to introduce Charlie Chaplin in France. He produced around forty films between the 1920s and 1930s. He gave their first roles in talking cinema to Annabella, Arletty, Jules Berry. He made Danielle Darrieux, Harry Baur, Victor Boucher work… He became one of the three biggest French producers. The Grand Rex ,an institution of Paris to see. More in English here: https://www.legrandrex.com/en/
Visit the Tour Jean sans peur or fearless John tower. This fortification, built in the 15C, is the last vestige of the hotel of the Dukes of Burgundy. Furniture, decoration and costumes allow the public to immerse themselves in the daily life of the Middle Ages. Open Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. 20, rue Etienne-Marcel 2éme arrondissement. Admission price adults 6 euros.More info in French here: https://tourjeansanspeursite.wordpress.com/
Lick your chops at the Chocolate Museum. Discover the 4000-year history of cocoa through a unique collection of thousands of objects. You will learn that the Mayans laid the foundations for the use of cocoa but also that the Aztecs considered it to be food for the gods. A tasty journey. 28, bd de Bonne-Nouvelle 10éme arrondissement. Admission price adults 12 euros. Have contact tel +33 (0) 1.42.29.68.60. More info here: https://www.museeduchocolat.fr/?lang=en
This year, the inhabitants of Saint-Cloud will not see 120,000 festival-goers disembark in their park. The Rock en Seine festival, which should have been held next weekend, has been postponed due to the health crisis. Instead, the organizers have mounted a “Festival of festivals”, a large concert that will be broadcast on France 2 and France Inter, this Thursday evening. The poster is beautiful: Alain Souchon, Camélia Jordana, Christine and the Queens, Philippe Katerine… And the consequences on life in Saint-Cloud will be minimal compared to the usual festival lol!. More here in English: https://www.rockenseine.com/en/
At Brie-Comte-Robert ,Seine et Marne dept 77. Participate in the restoration of a fortified castle! takes part in a volunteer workcamp at the Château de Brie-Comte-Robert. The Friends of the Castle association welcomes volunteers who take part in the restoration of the medieval castle. The castle and its friends webpage is here: https://amisduvieuxchateau.org/
The residence Arcades du Lac and les Templettes designed by Ricardo Bofill celebrates its 40th anniversary in Montigny-le-Bretonneux ,Yvelines dept 78. A sound and light show will take place on the walls of this emblematic place in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines with its unique architecture. More from SQY here: https://www.saint-quentin-en-yvelines.fr/fr/sortir-et-decouvrir/envie-de-culture/le-musee-de-la-ville-et-le-patrimoine/le-patrimoine-et-le#scrollNav-4
Mon Grand Plaisir is off to a flying start, as can be seen from the crowd observed this Saturday. Plaisir , this Saturday forty-eight hours after its official opening, the 39,000 m2 shopping complex is always full. Always was packed, we shop here plenty of stores spread all over,now with this huge place no surprise for me. Great spot!More info here: https://mongrandplaisir.com/
However, different story for language programs as less international travelers and students due to covid19. For language travel organizations, a catastrophic summer! Business losses of around 80%!!!
Two beer enthusiasts near Lille transformed the old textile factories buildings to create the Brique House. A hybrid place where it is good to drink homemade mousses, taste the best pizzas in the area or just hang out on soft sofas. In Saint-André-lez-Lille, on the outskirts of Lille, stand the Halls de la filature, a convention and exhibition center popular with local businesses, set up in old textile factories, all in red bricks. and with a beautiful height under ceiling. At the beginning of March, in this area – which is industrial in name only , the Brique House settled, a living space attached to a craft brewery on some 1,700 square meters. Give a beer and is pack lol! Their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Brewery/Brique-House-Brewery-110428033727280/
Manifesta invests for the first time in a French city, with a 13th edition necessarily turned upside down by the Covid-19. The exploration of new forms of being together is at the heart of the three aspects of the Marseille event. The main program, “Traits d’union.” thus devotes many projects to public space, based on an urban interpretation of the city like a puzzle. “Les Parallèles du Sud” brings together projects led by certified local actors, including the regional contemporary art fund of Provence-Alpes-Côte d´Azur or the Friche la Belle-de-Mai, but also more alternative places. Finally, the “Third Program” invites artists to work with the inhabitants of the most disadvantaged districts of the city. Places and exhibitions will gradually open. Among the proposals presented during the opening week: a hybrid boat from Forlane 6 Studio, as an exit from the industrial revolution, but equipped with the latest technologies in terms of ecological transition (at the Old Port and Port-de-Bouc), Olivier Millagou’s totems created from waste collected in the sea when he surfs (at the Borg shipyard), or a plastic opera by the duo of “Displace” (Marie Ilse Bourlanges and Elena Khurtova) on the notions of migration and identity in a psychiatric hospital in Aix-en-Provence. Until November 29 2020, More info here : https://manifesta13.org/fr/home/
The refined art of Léon Spilliaert at the Musée d’Orsay “Digue la nuit” (1908), by Léon Spilliaert , ink wash and watercolor on paper, Paris, Musée d’Orsay, preserved in the department of graphic arts from the Louvre Museum. Orsay Museum, How sad, Ostend, at night! At least when it’s Léon Spilliaert who paints it. It’s sad, but it’s beautiful: refined, minimal, his views of the Belgian seaside city where the artist was born in 1881 (he died in Brussels in 1946) are unlike anything known, even if we have attempted to classify their author among the Symbolists, perhaps because of his friendship with the poet Emile Verhaeren . As for his portraits, most often full-face, haggard, hallucinated faces, they are akin to expressionism. You can’t miss the exhibition of an unclassifiable painter, especially since it is the first in France for forty years. More at Musée d’Orsay in English0 :https://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/events/exhibitions/in-the-museums/exhibitions-in-the-musee-dorsay/article/leon-spilliaert-1881-1946-50012.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=254&cHash=fbd8f79872
Good news for Parisians and professionals who have been hit hard by the health crisis. The ephemeral terraces of bars and restaurants will be perpetuated until June 2021! In total, no less than 8,000 restaurateurs have installed extensions on sidewalks or parking spaces. Ephemeral terraces that will be extended for ten months! Bars and restaurants in the capital will be able to occupy parking spaces and sidewalks until June 30, 2021.
With its 12 million inhabitants covering an area of 12,000 km2, Île-de-France region is the most urbanized region in France. However, more than 78% of its surface is made up of plant, agricultural, forest and horticultural spaces.! Of course, they do! And yes they do have a webpage in French:https://www.iledefrance.fr/tourisme
The department 67 of Bas-Rhin is home to the new national reserve of the Robertsau and Wantzenau forest, on the northern outskirts of Strasbourg. Almost all of the Robertsau forest, military land and part of the La Wantzenau forest. And two new regional nature parks are added to the 51 existing in France, that of Mont-Ventoux in the Vaucluse dept 84 in the PACA region and the Baie de Somme Picardie Maritime regional nature park in the Somme dept 80, region of Hauts de France.
More on Bas Rhin here: https://int.strasbourg.eu/en/forests
More on the Mont Ventoux: http://www.ventouxprovence.fr/en/home.html
More on the Baie de Somme: https://www.baiedesomme3vallees.fr/pnr-baie-de-somme-picardie-maritime/
And there you go folks, enjoy my belle France. Until next time in this your favorite channel and mine’s ::) And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Like this:
Like Loading...
Paris1972-Versailles2003 