Here we go again with another humble but good episode of my some news from France in its version CCCLX or 360! The nice cool weather is back in my neck of the woods and we have done some minor garden work in our house, getting ready for Spring and bigger work. Anyway, this is the latest of my favorite news of my belle France.
Two years after the start of the covid restrictions, we see the light at the end of the tunnel. This past Monday, March 14 ,2022 (yeah!!), the mask is no longer compulsory in closed places, and the vaccination pass is no longer in force… With a few exceptions! Restaurants, bars, nightclubs, cinemas, museums, theaters, performance halls, stadiums, fairs, shows… All these places are affected by the lifting of restrictions. No more masks, but also no more compulsory vaccination passes, The mask will no longer be required either in administrations, public services, in stores, but also in businesses. Note, however, that certain places are excluded from these arrangements. , such as public transport or health facilities. It’s not over yet, but we’re on the right track!
The Castles are no longer passed on in the family and the number of these character properties placed on the market has exploded over the past ten years. Among the buyers, wealthy individuals, hotels and companies specializing in the sale by cutting prices . For about ten years, castles have not been transmitted in families, according to the expert. « Children are inheriting later and later, you have to skip a generation that is not interested in such properties », explains Patrice Besse, real estate agent specializing in character properties near Paris. There you go a nice time to get one cheaper and enjoy a castle of France!
The real estate project is the only way to save the Château de Fontenay-Trésigny. Abandoned for several years, the Duke of Épernon’s castle dates back to the 12C and was rebuilt in the 17C. Their delivery is scheduled for 2025, Before falling into disrepair, the castle had belonged to the same family since 1936, Since then, the castle has been abandoned , We will not be able to visit the interior of the castle, but the public will be able to walk around. City of Fontenay-Trésigny on the castle: https://www.fontenay-tresigny.fr/index.php/Ch%C3%A2teau-du-Duc-d-Epernon?idpage=89&afficheMenuContextuel=true
On the Château de Crespières, the Angelys group will transform the castle into 12 comfortable apartments ranging from T2 to T5. (T2: Two rooms: the main one + bedroom + kitchen apart from (T5 housing of 5 rooms 4 bedrooms + 1 living room/living room OR 3 bedrooms + 1 living room + 1 dining room) + 1 kitchen + 1 bathroom or + (with separate or included WC), This is a 17C building, surrounded by two square towers, located in Crespières (Yvelines 78), which will be completely renovated with respect for noble materials and the exterior facade. Elsewhere, the building permit has been approved by the architects of the Bâtiments de France. More info Urbexsession webpage: https://urbexsession.com/chateau-de-crespieres-grand-hotel-de-sautour/
Parking in on street spots has become expensive. Drivers parking in the streets of Paris, explain having received their increased fine several months after the date of the offense… and without first notification. For others, there was “neither letter nor reminder”, only a “notice to third party holder” before seizure on the bank account. The amount of the post-parking package (FPS) amounts to 75 euros in zone 1 (from the 1éme to the 11éme) and 50 euros in zone 2 (from the 12éme to the 20éme) ! Everything to drive cars out of Paris, thanks to presidential hopeful Anne Hidalgo (2% vote intentions!!).
At the Notre-Dame Cathedral work site, an important discovery during archaeological excavations before the reconstruction, It is a small miracle. Several burials, including a lead sarcophagus probably dating from the 14C, were discovered during an archaeological excavation operation prior to reconstruction work on the spire of Notre-Dame de Paris , the Ministry of Culture announced on Monday. Among these burials, an anthropomorphic lead sarcophagus, fully preserved, has been unearthed. It could be that of a high dignitary, probably dating from the 14C. The operation also brought to light, immediately under the current paving level of the cathedral, the existence of a pit in which been buried polychrome sculpted elements identified as belonging to the old rood screen of Notre-Dame tribune forming a stone or wood fence and separating the liturgical choir from the nave], built around 1230 and destroyed at the beginning of the 18C. During its work, in the middle of the 19C, Viollet-Le-Duc, designer of the spire, had found other fragments of this rood screen, now on display at the Louvre Museum, This excavation was undertaken by the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) prior to the assembly of the scaffolding necessary for the reconstruction of the spire, since February 2 2022. The public establishment responsible for the conservation and restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral has made it possible to continue them until March 25, according to the ministry, which could not provide details as to their future.
The Magnus League ; welcome to the Cergy-Pontoise Jokers, the revelation of French hockey (the elite of French hockey made up of twelve teams) The team has 21 players, including 10 foreigners, The Aren’Ice Inaugurated in 2016, the Cergy ice rink is home to the headquarters of the French federation and the training center of the French team, Today, the club with the largest number of licensees in France (600) is putting together the ingredients to aim for a rise among the elite. The highest salary is 1500€ net with an average of 1200€ and accommodation (as well as transport) is taken into account. Helped by an American-style show, the club has been able to retain a large audience. This season, the Jokers occupy the top 5 attendances in Ile-de-France in collective sports with an average of 2,300 spectators, including peaks at 3,000 (the maximum capacity) in recent weeks. The hockey players of the Cergy-Pontoise Jokers meet during the morning in the enclosure of the Aren’Ice for their daily training. Two years after their first step in the Magnus League, they play for the first time the final stages for the title of champion of France. Webpage ; https://www.lesjokers.net/
A skatepark in the shadow of the Château de Versailles. The equipment, whose inauguration is hoped for next May 2022, will see the light of day in the parking lot of Europe, (one of old parking spots in town!) opposite the Préfecture and close to the Palace. It will offer a sliding area of 800 m2 and landscaping of 300 m2, i.e. 1,100 m2 in total. The Antidote Skateparks company, designer of such equipment. Between concrete, wooden terrace and vegetation, it is also part of the landscaping of Avenue de Europe with the creation of a long cycle path from Avenue Saint-Jean Hulst to Avenue de Paris, the rehabilitation of the Place des Manèges, the future creation of the Molière garden, the new Tourist Office (on which work will begin in September 2022), and the transformation of the old post office into a multimodal municipal space. Watch it coming here: https://antidoteskateparks.fr/projets/
And read more of what’s coming in sportmag here: https://www.sportmag.fr/paris-2024-un-skatepark-au-coeur-de-versailles/
He knits local history with scraps of paper Alain Bourrée, president of the Memory and History Association of Beynes (Yvelines 78, past by it on the D191 many times on my way south to France and Spain), has just made a moving acquisition. documents discovered in the Guiochet bakery, an establishment established in this village since the beginning of 1900 and closed since the 1980s. Postcards, administrative papers, but above all, family correspondence, which Alain Bourrée decided to return to the descendants of the latest baker, Roger Guiochet, Randomly from the correspondence, the local history enthusiast noted the little gossip of the village, slices of daily life which draw the small story in the big one: I went dancing at Lemaitre’s, writes for example this member of the family to another. Chez Lemaitre was a hotel: the Modern Hotel, located on rue de la République. This little sentence reminds us that at the time, all the hotels in the area had a pool table and a dance hall. The association Memoirs and History of Beynes has already published eight books. Webpage: http://www.memoires-et-histoire-de-beynes.fr/436111315
Three years after taking over the management of Jean-Jacques Rousseau park in Ermenonville, (crossing of roads D922 and N330 road warrior territory) the Oise departmental 60 council, owner of the premises since 1985, is preparing for the summer season after several years disrupted by the Covid-19 epidemic. ,It was from 1763, and for more than ten years, that the Marquis de Girardin modeled the landscapes around the Château d’Ermenonville. Breaking with the regular garden, this picturesque garden, designed as a poet and as a painter, offers a succession of “paintings” inspired by the painting of Lorrain or Nicolas Poussin. Jean-Jacques Rousseau Park was so named in the 20C in honor of the philosopher who spent the last weeks of his life there and was buried there on the Ile des Peupliers between 1778 and 1794. The Oise dept 60 on the park: https://www.oise.fr/actions/culture-et-patrimoine/culture/parc-jean-jacques-rousseau
The above park is located near the La Mer du Sable serves as a gateway for people visiting the department. The tourist office, previously located just opposite the park, has been relocated to the entrance. From the opening of the park on April 1, 2022, The program will revolve around “seven highlights” with concerts of classical music, contemporary music and theater, La Mer du Sable western park webpage : https://www.merdesable.fr/
The best neighborhoods/quartiers to live in Paris…The JDN (Journal du Net) has identified them, in partnership with CityScan, The best is Saint-Merri, in the 4éme arrondissement comes in first place, with an average of 69.45/100. Bordered by rue Rambuteau, rue des Archives, quai de Gesvres and boulevard de Sébastopol, this area shines in particular for its accessibility to amenities, in particular to shops and outlets, with 50 bars, 64 restaurants and 90 shops, all within walking distance. less than 5 minutes walk. The district which claims the 2nd place in the ranking is just on the other side of the Ile de la Cité: it is the Sorbonne. Inevitably, this sector of the 5éme arrondissement, Perched on the 3rd step of the podium, the Palais-Royal in the arrondissement/district (1éme) is distinguished not only by its accessibility to shops, but also by a low exposure to the nuisances represented by noise and olfactory pollution on the one hand and the saturation of population and vehicles on the other hand, Anyway, here are the top 10 in order best to less best with number district or arrondissement, Saint Merri (4), Sorbonne (5) , Palais Royal (1), Saint Gervais (4), Archives (3), Gaillon (2), Vivienne (2), Chausée d’Antin (9), Arsenal (4), and Odéon (6).
The Paris is the capital of espionage with more than 15,000 active agents, Metro, stations, hotels, Paris is the theater of espionage and all this before our eyes and without us even realizing it. the documentary broadcast on France 5: Paris, secrets of spies, by Nicolas Bourgouin and Amandine Stelletta. They estimates between 10,000 and 15,000 the number of intelligence agents working in the French capital today. With these 157 embassies, Paris is the place of espionage, manipulation and machination. Yes, it’s literally the bureau of legends coming to life. The documentary juggles with its sources. Between archive images, reconstructed scenes and enlightening testimonies from former spies, he takes us on a fable that is indeed reality. it is available for free until March 20 on the France TV website, You need to have login/password to see it, Webpage : https://www.france.tv/documentaires/politique/3130661-paris-secrets-d-espions.html
As it will soon blow out its 133 candles, the Eiffel Tower continues to grow. With the installation of a new antenna on March 15,2022 , the iron lady should take a few more meters. From the top of its 324 meters, the Eiffel Tower continues to magnify the Parisian landscape. With the addition of a new 6-meter radio antenna, it will reach 330 meters during this month of March When it was completed in 1889, it measured only 312 meters. webpage: https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/news/events/eiffel-tower-grows-330-meters-tall
Saint Patrick’s Day is a Christian holiday that celebrates the patron saint of Ireland every March 17. The man who is known to be the founder of Irish Christianity was the son of a deacon, kidnapped when he was only 16 years old before becoming the slave of an Irish druid, Accompanied by a delicious fudge, these delicious little Irish confectioneries, halfway between a candy and a caramel. To honor St. Patrick’s Day, we go to the kitchen to prepare a little aperitif with friends, a delicious Irish cake and a nice platter of crackers and vinegar chips to enjoy while sipping your Bushmills cocktail: then you’re more Black Fashioned and its fruity taste, or Caribbean Highball and its tangy notes? Here is the Bushmills Highball recipe that will allow you to play mixologist in front of your friends:
1/5 Bushmills Original, 3/5 sparkling water, 1/5 lemon juice, Ice, a slice of lime, add ice up to 3/4 of the glass then a measure of Bushmills Original whiskey. Pour a good line of sparkling water to the top of the glass, stir and serve. It’s ready! In the Irish pub we nibble on fish and chips… all while enjoying a little whiskey. did you know that St. Patrick was actually dressed in blue? It was not until the Irish Rebellion of 1798 against British rule that the shamrock became a nationalist symbol, and the color green a symbol of independence. Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Now all over the world!! I will get a pint at the La Cervoiserie of Vannes, webpage: https://lacervoiserie.com/les-cervoisiers/vannes/
The sumptuous Hotel Madame Rêve opened its doors last October 2021, a revival for this luxury hotel with breathtaking views. This large five-star designed by Laurent Taïeb has come to nestle in the heart of the new Poste du Louvre, an iconic Parisian building. And because nothing is ever beautiful enough, perched high in this building, the rooftop gives you a dream view of Saint-Eustache, Notre-Dame, or even our beautiful iron lady -Eiffel. ROOF is the rooftop that will liven up your sunny days ,and your starry evenings. ROOF, Hotel Madame Rêve, 48 rue du Louvre 1éme, Webpage : https://madamereve.com/
It is in Paris ,Under The Sea , an immersive restaurant around the theme of the ocean, as if we were there. Screens, lights, a marine atmosphere, smells… Everything to give you a real experience. Under The Sea, the first immersive restaurant in France, opens its doors in the 13éme arrondissement this Thursday, March 10 in a hidden room at the BNF. more than a restaurant, we are promised a spectacular experience that includes video projections, sound and light and breathtaking decor to feel like you are on the seabed and break the codes of traditional restaurants a menu around the products from the sea, local and seasonal, and fish from French fishing. Thought up by three graduates of the Paul Bocuse Institute , the concept promises to be talked about. Under The Sea by Ephemera, Quai François Mauriac, 13éme, webpage : https://ephemerarestaurant.com/under-the-sea-restaurant
The millefeuille takes pride of place among the classics. It is undoubtedly one of the flagship cakes of bakeries and pastries in France. Apparently very easy to make, it is a cake that nevertheless requires real know-how and metronomic precision. It must be designed with top quality raw materials and absolute freshness. According to the gastronomic Larousse, the millefeuille is “a cake made of layers of layered puff pastry, often caramelized, separated by pastry cream with kirsch, rum, vanilla, etc., and covered with icing sugar or fondant”. As often, it is almost impossible to date the origins of millefeuille, some believe that the recipe was created in Italy in the 17C, while others lean rather for the following century in France, the first modern millefeuille recipe would have been designed in 1867 by the Seugnot pastry shop, rue du Bac, in Paris, I remember indulging on them in the Café de la Paix, my work place in Paris !!(see post) and never charge for it lol !!webpage: https://www.cafedelapaix.fr/en/cafe-and-terrace/
Regressive and invigorating, the pâtissier flan ,also called Parisian flan, a mixture of controlled smoothness and vanilla sweetness, remains an exercise in style very popular with pastry chefs. And this, even when their names are Quentin Lechat (Le Royal Monceau), Pierre Chirac (MAM by Stéphanie Le Quellec) or Kaori Akazawa, who signs the creations of Pages blanches, the new chic pastry shop in the Villiers district, in the 8éme arrondissement /district of Paris. No offense to purists, to take the turn of modernity, this classic invented in the Middle Ages has chosen to disguise itself ad infinitum. At Le Flanboyant, “the best flan in Lyon” is available in 29 flavors, while Doucetti, in Bordeaux, allows Sébastien Torres to reinterpret the comforting snack of his childhood. A challenge also taken up by “the flan influencer” Ju Chamalo, who publishes a book dedicated to his pastry obsession. Among its 50 creative recipes, Chamalo combines the illustrious dessert with other great classics (lemon meringue pie, rice pudding, etc.). The coffee or praline-black sesame version imagined with chef Desty Brami makes your mouth water. Reading it !! Mes flans pâtissiers (my pastry flans), Ju Chamalo, éditions de La Martinière, 19,90 €.
There you go folks, a dandy lineup of goodies of my belle France. There is a whole lot of more goodies waiting for you in my eternal Paris, and my France, a mouvable feast altogether. Hope you enjoy the post as I. And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 