Archive for January 26th, 2022

  |  
January 26, 2022

Wines news of France XV !!

And again wines, my newest series in my blog but an older hobby from yours truly! Let me share with my readers and followers this wonderful heavenly liquid we enjoy so much in my family. There are many wine regions of the world, and performance is going up all over including my beloved Spain. However, when it comes to decision, France is tops me think. Therefore, here is my newest Wines news of France.

I open with a bang with the second Grand Cru Classé of Margaux, Château de Brane-Cantenac belonging to Henri Lurton, renowned for its exceptional terroir, discreetly cultivates racy wines at very affordable prices. Its clientele is made of 70% sold in Europe, including 40% in France, A nugget of 75 hectares in one piece where Cabernet Sauvignon dominates (55%). The heart of the vineyard is located on the dominant ridge of Brane whose plots are among the most beautiful of the legendary AOC with the estate and its pretty chartreuse with a double tower remains the place to be, Wonderful property and one of my favorites, webpage : https://www.brane-cantenac.com/

Château d’Issan 2018 Margaux, another of my dandies , The 2018 vintage, as dense in the mouth as it is to the eye with its dark color surrounded by purple, will perfectly complete the tasting. On the nose, aromas of cedar, floral dried rose escape while the palate of great freshness, mineral, juggles with smoothness, complexity, maturity and salinity. The whole evokes richness and courtesy, playing on velvet from the attack to the finish. A lively and creamy wine with well-integrated silky tannins. A delight ! Webpage : http://www.chateau-issan.com/

The Château Malactic-Lagraviére ,Cru Classé de Graves has been developing a visibility strategy for several years by multiplying screen appearances, particularly in Hollywood productions. Latest: the adaptation of “Death on the Nile” by Kenneth Branagh, in theaters on February 9, 2022. Hercule Poirot will come to solve one of his most famous cases in a new version of “Death on the Nile”: Agatha Christie’s novel is adapted by British director and actor Kenneth Branagh, who also finds himself in front of the camera decked out in mustaches of the famous Belgian detective, and surrounded by a four-star cast, including Gal Gadot, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, and Letitia Wright. Spectators who flock to the cinema to see this sparkling production will be able to see, during a sequence, the characters revel in a bottle of Château Malartic-Lagravière 1920. Suspense, exoticism, glamour, intrigue which takes place aboard a boat (symbol of Malartic-Lagravière), The Malartic-Lagravière also appeared in the English series “Riviera” with Poppy Delevingne, and in the French comedy « Mes très chers enfants » or My Very Dear Children in 2019, Malartic was also invited to the American Cinémathèque’s tribute gala dinner to actress Charlize Theron; and, last November, it was another star, Scarlett Johansson, who posed with a magnum of Malartic signed by them, on the occasion of the thirty-fifth ceremony of the same American Cinémathèque.webpage : https://www.malartic-lagraviere.com/

Even if away from Burgundy lately, this was one of my first properties and well deserving house in Beaune. Here is a bit of history i like

The history of Bouchard Père et Fils. In the 18C, Michel Bouchard ran a cloth trade with Flanders. This activity regularly leads him to stop off in Burgundy with hosts who, on the way, sell him wine. Once he arrived in Flanders, he quickly realized that his customers always asked him for more Bourgogne wine. Gradually, Michel Bouchard abandoned his drapery business to devote himself exclusively to the sale of wine from the Beaune vineyards, which he considered more profitable. In fact, in 1731, he moved to Beaune and founded the Bouchard house. His son Joseph Bouchard bought in 1775, a first plot of 3.76 hectares of pinot noir grape variety, in Volnay in the climate of Caillerets , Later, the sales of the national property of the Burgundian clergy and monks expropriated by the French revolution was an opportunity to purchases to extend the estate, including the Vigne de l’Enfant Jésus, in Beaune. This plot will become the emblem of Bouchard Père et Fils. The company also obtains the monopoly of the Clos Saint Landry cru. In 1820, the descendant Bernard Bouchard bought the prestigious Château de Beaune, a former royal bastion of the 15C leaning against the ramparts of the city, built during the reign of Louis XI. The galleries with fortified and isolated walls were then transformed into aging cellars. The Beaune du Château cuvée, made from a blend of Beaunes 1er crus, was born in 1907. In 1995, the Bouchard heirs, some of whom were far from the wine world , collectively resell plots of the family business to the Champagne house Henriot, which undertakes in return to develop the wine-growing activity of Bouchard Père et Fils. Joseph Henriot thus made acquisitions in Côte de Nuits and Meursault, then bought the William Fèvre house in Chablis and the Château de Poncié in Beaujolais, among others. The house can be visited at 15, rue du Château,Beaune, Webpage : https://www.bouchard-pereetfils.com/

The Champagne Wine Museum on the avenue de Champagne, Epernay. The museum exhibits unique pieces dating from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages,in the Château Perrier, it is only about champagne. We won’t complain. In Épernay, after a long renovation and its inauguration on May 29, 2021, the new Champagne Wine and Regional Archeology Museum, located in the prestigious premises of the former Château Perrier, on the fascinating Avenue de Champagne, offers the opportunity to admire one of the most important national archaeological collections. In total, the establishment has more than 100,000 objects. A unique collection that brings together 80,000 regional pieces, from the Paleolithic to the beginning of the Middle Ages, 4,000 objects and documents relating to the history of Champagne wine, bearers of its geological, archaeological, historical and cultural identities. Built from 1852 to 1857, Château Perrier is the first testimony to the architectural diversity of the region. The interior decorations, the parquet floors in marquetry or the neo-18C grille were made by craftsmen who created the decorations of the Opéra Garnier or the Paris City Hall.Nice indeed Webpage : https://archeochampagne.epernay.fr/en/home/

Something to indulge while looking at the Louvre, there is a lot more than works of arts, the wines are also a work of art !! The Caves du Louvre offer you a fun and interactive journey into the world of wine, It is right next to the famous Louvre museum that we meet another temple dedicated to culture. Two streets away at 52 Rue de l’Arbre Sec off rue de Rivoli, stands a magnificent mansion dating from the 18C with one of the most beautiful facades in Paris! It was erected by André Eynaud, a great wine merchant who supplied King Louis XV and his court. Its architecture houses magnificent vaulted cellars which, according to history, allowed wines to be discreetly transported to the Louvre Palace. The hotel was then bought by Jacques-François Trudon, head of the royal wax factories. The latter provided the candles needed to light the Louvre Palace and the Palace of Versailles. He will also open, within his cellars, a grocery store offering wines, Today, Les Caves du Louvre has 600 m2 accessible to visitors. The key: guided tours by a sommelier, workshops, tastings, for an immersive initiation into the world of wine. Along the way, you will discover different spaces awakening all your senses: the terroir room for touch, the aroma room for smell, the laboratory for taste, the bottling room for sound and finally the label room for the view. Throughout this experience, a multitude of notions will be explained to you (vineyard, vinification, flavors, label, etc.). The visit will end with a tasting of three to six selected wines. And if that’s not enough for you, you can opt for a workshop…Les Caves du Louvre cellars webpage : https://www.cavesdulouvre.com/en/

You can tell the wine by its color ,yes indeed, Here is a sampler in my technical side of the post:

Yellow Green, This yellow-green color reminds me of a wine with notes of dried grass, straw, citrus. .

Green gold, I am thinking of white wines high in sugars, sweet sweets, A wealth of candied fruit aromas with a well-balanced sweetness.

The pale gold evokes the sun, the heat and especially the grape in its most beautiful diversity. With its finesse, its roundness

Straw yellow is a delicately macerated and slightly cloudy, almost orange white grape juice. Aromas of freshly fermented fruit, tangy and crunchy, such as nectarine and not quite ripe pineapple. A delight.

Doré à la Stéphane Tissot from Château Chalon is more saline, En Spois, more honeyed. I was just entering the world of wine and discovering what this liquid gold harbored intense emotions…

Almost black nature does it right. A wine often shares the same color as the aromas it releases. With this almost black, I imagine a sunny mouth of black cherries, or rich and surprising wines that play with time,

There is in the word purple, in its very pronunciation, a certain heaviness. I have in mind the image of a thick hanging that nothing makes move, then in places a reflection would appear, like piled up velvet… When the purple is in the glass, we manage to see light there according to the wrist movement. There you have it, a diaphanous breakthrough!

Until the 1970s, in Ancy-sur-Moselle, most of the “elders” owned a few ares of vines and produced wine for their personal consumption, Drawn from the barrel, they had this purple coloring. and I remember their scents of Moselle quetsche and small plum, masked at first by a volatile acidity, formidable in some years.

Garnet, for me, is pomegranate: matter, structure, but also light. The powdery velvet of chocolate ganache. Garnet, pomegranate, ganache, grenache ,and more !

Raspberry , Seeing this color, I first thought of 100% grolleau but it may be more warm red. I will therefore stick to the Bordeaux claret, oh yes !

Cooking and wines the best combination. We cannot eat at home without wine on the table. This is a nice recipe from Taillevent restaurant in Paris, of one of our favorite foods ,oysters that goes well with the local Muscadet Sévre et Maine sur lie white wines!

Natural oysters, figs, Colonnata bacon and wild carrot seeds For 4 people 2 Solliès figs, 4 very thin slices of Colonnata bacon, wild carrot seeds (3 seeds per oyster), 10 cl of port, 1 tablespoon of red vinegar. Cut the figs into quarters and marinate them in port and red vinegar overnight. Then dry them gently in the oven at 100°C for 2 hours. Open the oysters keeping the foot. Arrange the fig pulp on the oyster. Cover with Colonnata bacon previously melted in the oven at 100°C. Sprinkle with a few wild carrot seeds. Delicious!!! Great for Valentine’s Day coming up !! restaurant for reference webpage: https://letaillevent.com/fr/

There you go folks, another dandy culinary tour of my belle France! It is all over really not just Paris mind you, go out into the countryside you will be amazed of things not even Hemingway knew about! Hope you enjoy the post as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!!

Posted in Europe, Food and Wine, France | Leave a Comment »

Tags: , ,
January 26, 2022

Some news from Spain CXIX

And back to my beloved Spain, on a cold day here and Madrid. My stadium Santiago Bernabeu is almost done and can’t wait for the green light to go visit the new stadium. In between, here are my some news from Spain series, and thanks for reading me.

The Casa del Ataud or Coffin House, the unknown predecessor of the Metropolis Building (see post) that was inaugurated exactly 111 years ago and converted into a symbol of the Gran Vía, the space on which it stands today was previously occupied by a most atypical construction, a very different building occupied the site that existed between Calle de Alcalá and Calle Caballero de Gracia. The Coffin House, popularly known for the narrowness of its façade, barely reached five meters in length. It was built in 1851 from the Calle de Alcalá, its façade measured 15 meters, from Calle Caballero de Gracia it did not exceed 14.90 meters. The Casa del Ataúd was demolished when construction began on Gran Vía, conceived as one of the largest urban interventions in Madrid at the time. The commissioning of one of the busiest arteries in Madrid involved the demolition of a total of 312 houses. In addition, 44 plots of land were leveled, 8,856 meters of sidewalks were de-paved, and more than 20,000 square meters of paving were removed. Yes Madrid is a lot different today even from my time in the early 1970’s.

The Prado Museum has just inaugurated an exhibition that proposes a journey through the American artistic culture that arrived in Spain in the Modern Age. The exhibition is made up of 107 pieces, of which 95 are kept in cultural institutions, religious spaces or collections in our country. The objective is to know the reasons for the journey during the Modern Age of these works of Ibero-American origin. The first room revolves around the concept of “square” as an urban element. Through it, the first two sections dialogue, “Geography, conquest and society” and “Images and cults of round trip”. The third section, “The crossings of art”, is articulated around domestic and ecclesiastical trousseaus while those typical of the Indian identity are under the umbrella of “Impronta indiana”. Prado webpage : https://www.museodelprado.es/en/whats-on/exhibition/return-journey-art-of-the-americas-in-spain/5c0fe35b-44d3-56fb-a4ba-c192aab9266c

The town of Nuevo Baztán, in Madrid’s Alcarria, 50 km from the city, was chosen a year ago as one of the most beautiful in Spain. Today triples its visitors attracted by the palace of Churriguera , Juan de Goyeneche with the help of his friend the architect José Benito de Churriguera built between 1709 and 1713 a small city of new plant that he called Nuevo Baztán in homage to his homeland . It was the first time in Spain that a town was created to house a group of manufacturers and their workers. You should pay attention to the Tritons fountain, also in Churriguera, before heading towards the Plaza del Mercado, which preserves the original cobblestones. And peek at the Plaza de Fiestas, with a square floor plan. Bullfighting shows are no longer held, but concerts and summer cinema are. « El Zorro » was filmed here with Alain Delon, Madonna was never in Nuevo Baztán, but in the video clip of La isla bonita you can see several images of the town. The Plaza de la Cebada, where the humblest houses are like matchboxes, where factory workers and farmers lived. Across the road, an agricultural center served to supply them. Today it is the Fourth Lot winery, so called because it was within a quarter of the assets that Goyeneche’s heirs shared out. The Nuevo Baztàn tourist office : https://turismo.ayto-nuevobaztan.es/oficina-de-turismo/#

 Fitur, the international tourism fair ,In its pavilion 9, it is possible to tour the entire region, including the capital Madrid, since the Community and the City Council share a stand. For the first time, in addition, there is the Los pueblo de Madrid space,(the towns of Madrid) which details the news and leisure plans for the next 12 months in the 179 towns of the region. The fair already happened but here are my favorites! Colmenar Viejo (see post), for its part, praises two of its popular festivals, La Maya, of literary origin, and La Vaquilla, in which 25 figures pretend to be these animals walking through the streets of the town amid dances and cheers. Its next edition is this January 29 2022. One last plan: get to know the first national museum of the Spanish Tercios (miitary units) in Villarejo de Salvanés (see post), which opens in February2022. Webpage : https://www.ifema.es/en/fitur

A wonderful place already written on it in my blog, see post. More than 180 years old and with monumental facilities, González Byass Tío Pepe is one of the most important tourist attractions in Jerez de la Frontera. Its history, its legends, the beauty of its facilities, the centuries-old cathedrals where fortified wines age and its privileged location in the heart of the old town of Jerez de la Frontera, between the Cathedral and the Alcázar, are some of the reasons why it has been become the most visited winery in Europe and the best wine tourism destination in the DO Sherry of the planet, as published in The World’s Best Vineyards , We discover six curiosities of this legendary brand that in 2010 received the award for Best Winery in the World at the International Wine & Spirit Competition. Behind the Cathedral and at the foot of the Alcázar de Jerez, the gate at number 12 on Calle Manuel María González opens to invite the visitor on a journey through time. The seven-hectare site where Tío Pepe is located lacks vineyards (these are on the outskirts), however, in this small town there are old houses with white facades with Andalusian patios, 2,900 square meters of gardens with more than 400 trees and plants of 40 different species, spectacular centuries-old cathedrals where generous and brandies age, different wineries, a cooperage and beautiful narrow cobbled streets whose walls and ceilings are covered with vines. One of them is Los Ciegos,(the blinds) a magical corner considered one of the most beautiful streets in Spain. the Hotel Bodega Tío Pepe, a 27-room boutique hotel in a recovered building, more than 150 years old, made up of four houses that were once home to the workers of the winery. From the rooftop pool of the main building, you can almost touch the Cathedral of Jerez. Another curiosity of the Tío Pepe complex is that it houses the offices of the consulates of Sweden, Italy and Denmark, in addition to those of the González Byass group, which brings together Tío Pepe and ten other wineries from different denominations of origin throughout the Spanish geography. . At the entrance of the enclosure is the Real La Concha winery, a spectacular building with a semicircular floor plan and a metal structure whose design was attributed (there are discrepancies in this regard) to the prestigious French engineer Gustavo Eiffel. The large space with albero floors was built in honor of Queen Isabel II of Spain in 1868. Inside, 206 La Concha amontillado boots are arranged in a semicircle and each one has the flag of the 115 countries to which it has sales ;González Byass wine is exported. Another of the facilities considered an architectural jewel is the Gran Bodega Tío Pepe, in a modernist style, designed and built by Eduardo Torroja in 1964 in concrete, the only one in the Jerez region with this material. Up to 15 million liters of fino can be stored in it. The beautiful Los Apóstoles room, where important receptions and dinners are held, houses huge barrels that are more than 300 years old. The barrel of El Cristo stands out, an immense barrel with a capacity of 16,500 liters (33 barrels of 30 arrobas), which was ordered to be built in Germany. The name is related between the capacity of boots that it contained and the age of Christ when he died. Around it, there are another 12 barrels of 6,000 liters each, known as The 12 Apostles, although the name of Judas Iscariot was replaced by that of Matías. In El Cristo there is fine Tío Pepe made from grapes trodden by Queen Isabel II herself during her visit to the winery in 1862. The Bodega Los Reyes is dedicated to the Spanish royal family and houses the brand’s most precious and oldest wines, such as the Oloroso Methuselah, Del Duque amontillado or Pedro Ximénez Noé. There are also those classified as VORS (Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum or Very Old Rare Sherry), wines with more than 30 years of aging and exceptional quality. Most of its boots are signed and dedicated by the members of six generations of royalty in our country who have visited the wineries at some time, such as Isabel II (1862), Alfonso XII (1877), Alfonso XIII (1904), Victoria Eugenia (1927), Juan Carlos and Sofía (2000) and the Infanta Elena (2006). Other monarchs who have visited are Edward VIII of England (1927), Naruhito of Japan (1992) and Simeon of Bulgaria (1999), Reservation visit webpage : https://www.tiopepe.com/es-es/reserva

The first Salvaje (wild) , a signature Japanese fusion cuisine business with cocktails and music, opened its doors in Panama, and later, Colombia. Today it has three restaurants in Madrid, in the recently reopened Hotel Bless, after moving from Calle Velázquez itself, in the wealthy neighborhood of La Moraleja, and the Galería Canalejas food hall, also a novelty. In addition to Barcelona, ​​in Only YOU Valencia and planning new locations, for example, in Marbella and Ibiza, Spanish destinations that move luxury. They have scheduled the opening of Paris in April, and after summer, they will open in Milan and Lisbon. In the US in 2022 ,they will open in Atlanta, Dallas and Denver. They are also going to reach the Arab world, first of all, to the city of Al Khobar around May, to Qatar to coincide with the World Cup and to Egypt, where they have planned a very special location in Cairo. In addition to the show, another the strong points is an eclectic decoration that also calls the mobile phone camera If there is something that hooks about Salvaje and makes you come back again and again, it is its Japanese cuisine with Latin roots, the result of the vital and professional experience and the creative personality of the Venezuelan chef Fermín Azkue, from a Basque father and with experience in some of the best restaurants in Europe, including some Michelin stars in Barcelona, ​​Paris and London, on the French island of Saint Barth, in the Caribbean, and in Panama. The Mixology is also a fundamental section Borja Goikoetxea, one of the most valued bartenders in our country, is the company’s head bartender and currently runs the national Salvaje or wild bars. Salvaje Madrid webpage : https://madrid.salvaje.world/

If you want to see palaces in the strictest definition of the word palace then take a tour of these:Palacio Real de Madrid, Palacio de la Granja de San ildefonso in Segovia province , Palacio de Aranjuez in Madrid province ,Palacio de la Magdalena in Santander , Palacio de Larrinaga in Zaragoza, Palacio de los Leones in Granada, Pamacio Episcopal de Astorga in Léon, Palacio Municipal de la Coruña, Palacio de San Telmo in Sevilla , Palacio de Chavarri in Bilbao, Palacio de Sobrellano in Cantabria ,Palacio del Infantado in Guadalajara , Palacio de Santa Cruz in Valladolid, and Palacio Gûel in Barcelona. Something to plan ahead all wonderful.

Love dogs had them since childhood and glad my boys do too and help out a lot, Madrid is moving on!!pet friendly !! Nearly half a million pets currently live in homes in Madrid. The number of animals registered in the Identification Registry coordinated by the Department of the Environment and the Official College of Veterinarians of Madrid has increased by 30,000 pets in just five years. Between 2019 and 2020, 8,595 dogs and cats found a new family in the region, a rebound marked by a pandemic that seems to have made society aware of the advantages of living with a pet. In the case of public transport, movement with pets has been made easier in Madrid. In the municipal buses they can travel in their carrier. In Cercanías trains, dogs that are not in cages can travel, although it is mandatory that they travel with a muzzle, leash or non-extensible chain with a maximum length of 1.5 meters. Animals can travel on the Metro during the entire service except from 7h30 to 09h30, from 14h to 16h and from 18h to 20h. On weekends, holidays and the months of July and August, access is free. Of course, the journeys must be made in the last car of each train with a muzzle and a leash that, in this case, does not exceed 50 centimeters in length.

Its designation as World Design Capital 2022 is one more reason to enjoy new spaces by the sea or in the pedestrian heart of the Mediterranean city of Valencia! Veles e Vents is a verse from the great 15C poet Ausiàs March, the name of the building futuristic port of Valencia, designed by David Chipperfield and Fermín Vázquez, and the headquarters of the organization of Valencia World Design Capital 2022, This enclave is also a good starting point for touring the old maritime towns of the city and entering from the El Cabanyal The boutique hotel Balandret has established itself on the beachfront of Las Arenas, paying homage to the famous painting El Balandrito (1909), in which Sorolla painted that same sea , In a territory that last November declared paella An Asset of Cultural Interest, you cannot miss rice The Lavoe restaurant, next to the stately Calle de la Paz, embroiders it. The plaza del doctor Collado a newsstand and now, under the name of News & Coffee, it offers excellent coffees and design magazines under the nearby and hypnotic gargoyles of the Lonja to the spectacular and modernist Mercat Central of fresh products and full of decorative allusions to the orchard and gardens of Valencia, and even more so now that its entire heritage environment is being pedestrianised, The Buenavista store, already in the night-owl neighborhood of Carmen, brings together objects of ingenious and practical native design. The old Turia riverbed, converted into a garden, crosses Valencia and leads to a bike path whose route is full of contrasts and attractions. The path runs through the open seams of the outskirts, with the port cranes in the background, and through the surviving remnants of the orchard until it advances between pine trees and the El Saler sea and reaches the Albufera lake natural park. The Valencia tourist office: https://www.visitvalencia.com/en

The Can Jubany restaurant in Calldetenes (Barcelona) has been chosen as the favorite of the Spanish in 2021, according to the ranking just published by TheFork, (el tenedor) following it in the top 5 of the ranking La Casona del Judío, located in a 19C Indian house (Spanish returning from America) in Santander with a Michelin star, in third position is Venta Moncalvillo, the project by the Echapresto brothers in Daroca de Rioja, La Rioja, followed by the Amós de Jesús Sánchez gazebo in Villaverde De Pontones (Cantabria) and L’Ó-Hotel Món Sant Benet, in Sant Fruitos De Bages (Barcelona), also with a Michelin star, Catalonia is the region with the highest representation of Spain within the ranking, with 26 restaurants in the top 100, of which 20 are in the province of Barcelona . For its part, the Community of Madrid follows with 16 restaurants, while the Valencian Community and the Basque Country register a total of nine each.

Pizza Hut has just landed in the Plaza Mayor (Calle Gerona, 3), and to celebrate the opening of the new establishment in one of the most emblematic and traditional places in Madrid, the American fast food chain is launching its peculiar Pizza Chulapa for a limited time, a tribute to one of the gastronomic icons of the capital: the squid sandwich. One more reason to be in Madrid for us!! Webpage : https://www.pizzahut.es/pizzeria/madrid/madrid/plaza-mayor-06189

There you go folks, another dandy opening window to Spain, everything under the sun! Hope you enjoy the post as I, and always looking forward to visit my beloved Spain and my dear Madrid!!!

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

Posted in Europe, Madrid, Spain | Leave a Comment »

Tags: , ,
January 26, 2022

Some news from France, CCCLVI

Therefore, here I go with my regular series on some news from France. This has become my longest running regular series and I thank you all my readers and followers. The days are now wintery with temps in 32F or 0C gray well winter at least we have no snow!! Let me get off these news report for you and me. Hope you enjoy it as I.

From this Monday, January 24, 2022 the vaccination pass comes into force and replaces the health pass ! Here we go again folks!! Concretely, this means that presenting a negative test is no longer enough: it is now necessary to justify a complete vaccination schedule, i.e. one or two doses depending on the vaccine. , and its booster dose. And that concerns anyone over the age of 16; minors aged 12 to 15, for their part, remain with the simple health pass. This vaccine is now in force will be requested in all restaurants, bars and cafes, like its big health brother. But it will also be necessary to count on it to access all the leisure activities, from the cinema to the sports hall, as well as to transport, that is to say all the planes and the coaches and interregional trains, except in the event of compelling reason. We are forcibly taken all the shots and we are ready to go out! Even if the demonstration against the pass are gaining ground,

The travel site Tripadvisor (one I left long ago) has compiled its list of the world’s 10 best eating cities by compiling data shared by its users. Rome takes first place, followed by London then Paris. (this is no surprise as after it all is heavily influence by the readers there), Paris closes the top 3 with food critics who nevertheless praised the quality of the French products such as cheese! London has seduced the hearts of its travelers with its unmissable fish and chips, its Borough Market or the Hand and Flowers, the only two-Michelin-starred pub in England. Finally, Rome takes first place with its famous pizzas and authentic pasta recipes. The ranking with my experiences in black are 1. Rome, 2. London, 3. Paris, 4. Dubai, 5. Barcelona, ​​6. Madrid, 7. São Paulo, 8. New York, 9. Bangkok, and 10. Singapore.

Placed under the supervision of the Commission des Monuments Historiques, the museum covers the history of the arts from Antiquity to the Renaissance. Since 2015, the museum has been engaged in a vast modernization project: creation of a new reception building, accessibility and resumption of visitor routes which will allow, by 2022, to bring the museum into the 21st century. The Cluny Museum, the medieval world is reopening during Spring 2022 , 6, place Paul Painlevé 5éme, webpage: https://www.musee-moyenage.fr/en/

This new wasteland is the work of Yes We Camp (the co-founding collective of Les Grands Voisins), Plateau Urbain, Ancoats, Coups deousses and Aurore who won a call for tenders. For the moment, it’s a vast wasteland in the Bercy-Charenton ZAC, but to make the place more fun and lively than ever, there could be biodiversity, bars, barbecues in a few months in self-service, an urban garden, yurts and culture, here you go… A great program in perspective! Stay on for more news! Wasteland Les Grands Voisins, 22, boulevard Poniatowski, 12éme, Nearest stop metro line 8 Porte de Charenton and Tramway T3a, More info contact webpage: https://lesgrandsvoisins.org/les-lieux/

From this Monday, January 10, 2022, the Navigo pass is transformed into a cultural pass in more than 300 places in Paris. Using public transport offers you many advantages and discounts from this Monday ; among the addresses concerned are: 147 cinemas, 63 museums, 52 performance halls, 26 cultural centers and 12 festivals. To enjoy the benefits, your pass will simply be scanned at the entrance to the facility to verify its validity. Welcome gifts, preferential rates, invitations to openings and other discounts are yours! Webpage : https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/navigo-avantages-culture

At the Maison de Balzac, the artists to the test of the “unknown masterpiece”, Disparate works, Picasso or Bernard Dufour in particular, illustrate the famous news of the writer, dialogue with him or refer to it. The unknown masterpiece is a news of Honoré de Balzac, whose first publication dates from 1831 and the final version of 1847. The protagonists are three painters: the imaginary Frenhofer, the real Pourbus (Frans Pourbus) and Poussin (Nicolas Poussin) as well as the friend of this one, the beautiful Gillette. The young Poussin visits his elder Frenhofer , which Balzac presents as a student of Mabuse , the Flemish Jan Mabuse, which is more often called Jan Gossaert and who died in 1532, webpage : https://www.maisondebalzac.paris.fr/en/discover-museum

On January 21, 2002 was inaugurated a contemporary art center in the Tokyo Palace in Paris. Twenty years later, the pandemic questioned a once winning model, based on the rental of space and patronage. The building was built on the occasion of the 1937 World Expo. The Bureau of the President of the Palace of Tokyo only resembles that of a President of French Cultural Institution. Of course, the view of the sky of Paris gives a prestigious impression. And the folders to sign and to parapher pile up. But here there is nothing ceremonial that we find elsewhere. There is strictly not even a desktop, but a huge circular table that invites disorder and collective meetings. Palais of Tokyo, the largest center of contemporary art in Europe, needs help=visitors, webpage : https://www.palaisdetokyo.com/en/list/whats

This is the impression that this new fashion season autumn-winter 2022-2023, which took place in Paris from 18 to 24 January: 59 of the 76 houses listed in the official calendar played caution with a video or presentations (appointments face-to-face between designer and professionals). Only 17 brands organized physical parades with guests. So again , a new way to see the Fashion Week in Paris ! There is more coming here ,Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode webpage : https://fhcm.paris/en/paris-fashion-week-en/dates-3/

The gardens of Luxembourg and the Tuileries offers are of real very popular bonuses, but are not determining factors to develop or stay in Saint-Germain-des-Pres. The Saint-Germain-des-Prés , quartier or neighbohood no 24 and on the 6éme arrondissement or district of Paris, is a very privileged area with its old buildings and its proximity to many and famous green spaces. Only nature at hand does not seem to be a criteria determining and staying in the neighborhood. Although they occupy a small square in the daily lives of its inhabitants, green spaces do not always ever in first place when it has to skip the footsteps and invest. Living here, you hope to have a beautiful view of the Seine, on Saint-Sulpice. You want a Haussmann building to see older. But you do not think about parks. squares, there are everywhere. Here you look for a certain way of life in a bourgeois district. But this “way of life” also has its disadvantages. Everything is expensive, the pharmacy at 61, rue de la Seine is the most expensive of all Paris ! Yes even in the most beautiful city in the world, you cannot have it all !!! The Paris tourist office walks in the neighborhood : https://en.parisinfo.com/discovering-paris/walks-in-paris/A-walk-in-Saint-Germain-des-Pr%C3%A9s

The future of Orlyval compromised after the extension of metro line 14 to the airport, the opening, in 2024, a direct connection between Paris and Orly (Val-de-Marne 94 ) will remove a lot of its interest , At this automatic shuttle that connects the airport to Antony Rer B Station (Hauts-de-Seine 92 ), already low frequented. Ile-de-France Mobilité has not yet decided on its future. From 2024, to go from Paris to Orly Airport , public transport users will have the choice. Either a direct trip by the prolonged line 14 at the price of a metro ticket. Either a correspondence route to Antony by RER B, then the Orlyval automatic shuttle at the price of 9.30 euros (the shuttle price, not included in the Pass Navigo) plus the ticket from RER … which will still choose option B, the longest and most expensive? Of not many huge price difference and time.

At the Château de Chantilly, the Logis wing was a beauty for reopening, In the old owner of the duke of Aumale, in the Oise (60) the winter closure made it possible to operate renovations, and to restore certain works, in tight calendar to allow the reopening, this coming Saturday January 29. And expectations are large for 2022. Despite a rise in attendance in 2021, the past year was more marked by news related to the financial management of the Institute of France, the owner of the castle, strongly criticized. Managers would now like to focus on the cultural aspect. During this winter break, the big operation was therefore the Cabinet de Giotto, which brings together Italian works of the 14C to the 17C. This is one of the seven enfilade pieces that make up the paint galleries of the Logis wing. After the renovation of the private apartments of the Duke of Aumale, whose 200 years of birth are celebrated, it is the great project that will occupy the teams until 2024. What to put a little light on this part of the castle, less known than others. Watteau, Géricault, Delacroix or Ingres, however, there are all masterpieces to be shown ! Webpage : https://chateaudechantilly.fr/en/

The Saudade Portuguese resto is recognised as the embassy of Portuguese gastronomy in France. Saudade (given for good deeds, health, and prosperity) offers a setting faithful to its country of origin. Wooden furniture, earthenware on the wall and especially large tables, we go there to listen to fado, a traditional local song imbued with… nostalgia Saudade, 34 rue des Bourdonnais, 1éme, webpage: http://www.restaurantsaudade.fr/

Have you fallen in love with Portuguese pastry? If gluttony is a sin, it is easily forgotten when entering the shop. Also perfect at lunchtime, we leave with a dish (bacalhau a bras, baked chicken and baby vegetables, octopus with potatoes and salad…), a pastel and a drink for 11€. Café Nata, 58, rue Richer 9éme, webpage: https://www.cafenata.com/nos-adresses

Difficult to forget his passage as he marked the spirits. Mallory Gabsi, 23 at the time of Top Chef, had his audience languishing for nearly two years. In an interview with Sudinfo, the news broke: Mallory will soon open its first restaurant in the 17éme arrondissement of Paris near the Arc de Triomphe. Be alert webpage: https://mallory-gabsi.com/

A journey through time, from the 80’s to today, a scenography punctuated by ghetto blasters, jukeboxes, disco balls or collector skates while free access vintage consoles will bring together all retrogaming enthusiasts… As for food, beware the eyes: we travel around the world , minus the jetlag , with Asian burgers from Little BaoBei or street version fish from Père & Fish, passing through the recipes (pizzas in mind) from Magna and its chef Julien Serri or the Japanese-inspired rolls from Kantine (Kumo). iconik
28bis, avenue d’Italie, 13éme, Opened by December 9, 2021, webpage: https://www.iconik-paris.com/

Last but not least another great one fades away…Thierry Mugler or fashion as a total art, in the 1970s, the Creator had imposed a line exacerbating femininity, and had transformed his parades into disproportionate shows. Later, his perfume Angel had had a phenomenal success, (presented by Eva Mendes) opening the doors of haute couture. Producer of shows, choreographer, he died on January 23, at the age of 73 of natural causes in Paris. RIP. Webpage: https://www.mugler.fr/vision.html

Great Update, wonderful France! Historical scoop. The National Assembly, the first chamber of the French Parliament, has approved tonight the bill that will allow the return to the heirs of their first owners of the works that have been, for years, the property of the Louvre Museum and other great national heritage institutions, that you can return them to the heirs of their owners. They were looted by the Nazis. Fifteen works, including a Klimt and a Chagall, will be the first to benefit from the bill, after its final approval. The concordant works of several independent historians discovered, five years ago, that more than 100,000 works of art, among which were approximately a thousand masterpieces by great creators (Monet, Degas, Picasso, among others), were transferred from France to Germany, between 1940 and 1945. But the global importance of the works stolen by the Nazis that today are part of the national heritage. And the identity of the heirs of the victims of Nazi looting is also unknown. After its final approval, the new Law will allow an unprecedented historical review and restitution to begin. Great news I know of many works of arts in the Louvre; as I am friend of the museum since 2004.

There you go folks, another some news from France, and just great fun. Paris, one told us is a mouvable feast,and I said needs to be expanded to France is a mouvable feast. Hope you enjoy the post and do stop by will you!!

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

Posted in Bretagne, Food and Wine, France, Paris, Versailles | Leave a Comment »

Tags: , , , ,
  |  
%d bloggers like this: