Well news in my belle France happens fast and need to tell you more, always more. Therefore, time again to tell you my latest rants about some news from France. An eventful post in my blog that I have enjoyed together with you for the last 12 years now!! And for those non Roman CCCLXX is 370 ! , another dandy round of news of my belle France , of course, chosen by me; there are many others. We are in Fall season ! ,and temps came to 19C, rainy humid time changing. Times like this are great to be in house warm and tidy and a glass of wine, and we will come back eating in dining room! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
Pascal Faracci, new director of the Cognacq-Jay museum The former director of the museums of Poitiers (Vienne 86) highlights the permanent collections of the 18C museum of the city of Paris through a new hanging to discover from October 1st 2022, Mr Faracci first exercised in the years 1990-2000 the functions of administrative and financial director in multinationals such as BNP Paribas, Essilor, Bonduelle, etc. webpage: https://www.museecognacqjay.paris.fr/en
The Place des Vosges! Built in the 17C and lined with 36 private mansions with illustrious inhabitants, it is the oldest of the royal squares in Paris.If it was Napoleon who gave it its definitive name in 1800, it was King Henri IV, great urban planner, who had the idea of creating the Place des Vosges , Taste the charms of the green lung of the Marais district, astride like the central statue of Louis XIII, the 3éme and 4éme arrondissements, is for sure offering oneself a suspended moment. Normal: upon arrival, a very special scent of eternity takes hold of the walker. Indeed sublime spot of my eternal Paris,webpage: https://en.parisinfo.com/transport/73189/Place-des-Vosges
Perched at the top of the Montparnasse tower, discover the sensational exhibition that celebrates the streets of the capital, to the delight of fans of unusual images! On the program: a colorful and vertiginous “infinity room”, improbable and yet very real street intersections and works by street-artists in love with Paris. Every Saturday at 16h30, you can also attend two street dance shows by the Juste Debout School. Paris Montparnasse Observatory, 33, avenue du Maine, 15éme,until mid-November 2022. info webpage : https://www.tourmontparnasse56.com/en/ce-qui-nous-lie/
This Autumn, Maison FRED opens the doors to its first retrospective exhibition. You will be invited to dive into its solar universe and its jewelry full of light and joie de vivre, during an immersive journey inspired by the life and personality of its founder, Fred Samuel. More than 450 jewels and emblematic accessories of the house will be exhibited. Among them, iconic jewelry from Hollywood stars, such as the famous necklace from the movie Pretty Woman, the swords of academicians or jewelry worn by Grace Kelly. You will also discover unique drawings and archival documents, photographs, videos and even exclusive testimonials. Fred Joaillier, designer since 1936, Palais de Tokyo, 13, avenue du Président-Wilson 16éme From September 28 to October 24, 2022. webpage: https://palaisdetokyo.com/evenement/fred-joaillier-createur-depuis-1936-retrospective/
If Claude Monet and Joan Mitchell did not live at the same time, you will nevertheless see them in dialogue with each other within the Louis Vuitton Foundation, through their respective works. Artists who marked their times but also generations of painters after them, Monet and Mitchell show their singular perceptions of the same composite landscape, often expressed in particularly immersive formats. Monet – Mitchell, Fondation Louis Vuitton, 8, avenue du Mahatma-Gandhi 16éme .From October 5, 2022 to February 27, 2023,webpage: https://www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr/fr/evenements/claude-monet-joan-mitchell
From the first edition of Tintin in the land of the Soviets in 1929 to the most recent releases, Tintin, the immersive adventure will honor the famous reporter with the powder puff, whose adventures around the world have been part of popular culture for nearly 100 years old. Promising a singular and immersive reinterpretation of Hergé’s work, this digital exhibition will allow young and old alike to (re)immerse themselves in the creative and fictional universe of one of the greatest comic strip authors of 20C cartoon. Tintin, the immersive adventure Atelier des Lumières, 38, rue Saint-Maur 11éme .From October 21 to November 20, 2022 webpage: https://www.atelier-lumieres.com/fr/tintin-laventure-immersive
Bringing the essence of French chic back to life is the creative bet that the Mobilier national has taken on. From October 12 to January 29,2023, we come to discover nearly 200 works on the theme of decorative arts and furniture from 1930 to 1960, in a scenographed route full of charm. CHIC ! Decorative arts and furniture from 1930 to 1960, Mobilier national – Manufacture des Gobelins, 42, avenue des Gobelins 13éme. From October 12, 2022 to January 29, 2023 webpage: http://www.mobiliernational.culture.gouv.fr/fr/expositions-et-evenements/toutes-les-expositions
It will still take a little patience to find the connection between RER B and C at Saint-Michel. The station will remain closed until mid-December 2022 due to renovation work. There had been nothing since 1989, when the RER B interconnected. There will be a large influx of travellers. We have therefore launched these heavy renovation works now in preparation for Paris 2024. Because in Saint-Michel ( 5éme / 6éme arrondissements), 30 million people tread the quays on average: It’s more than Lille, Strasbourg or Austerlitz train station. But dark and a little dilapidated, the station deserved a facelift. Indeed
Faced with the density of transit traffic at rush hour, the city of Beynes (Yvelines 78) is testing an astonishing device: it has decided to dot a portion of the D 191 road with stop signs, even if it means creating a certain mess at first. The aim is to encourage drivers to use other routes. The Rue de La République is regularly saturated, and will no longer be a priority, which should force motorists to change their usual routes. Aha this was my short cut to go south when living in Versailles and I guess many others have found the way to cut time and km even better than Michelin lol !! Be aware or be square.
And here is a twist on travel. Undisputed stars of this initiative of the French Federation of Bicycle Users (FUB), the big cities act as gondola heads. The best-rated category in the barometer, many cities have benefited in recent years from the gradual commissioning of increasingly qualitative cycling networks. The barometer of cycling cities has once again designated Grenoble as the best-equipped large city in France for cycling. According to the sensors installed by the metropolis, the practice of cycling would have increased there by 32% between June 2020 and June 2021. Strasbourg, the heavyweight doubled during the second edition of the barometer by Grenoble, it nevertheless remains number 1 in the category of cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants. Strasbourg has a total of 560 km of cycle paths, with the added bonus of a very strong cycling culture among its inhabitants. Rennes, bronze medal! While there is still a lot to do to catch up with the two leaders in the category, the cycling policies initiated jointly by the city/town hall and the metropolis are already bearing fruit. The transitional arrangements made in the context of the health crisis, and since made permanent, play a significant role in improving infrastructure. The city of Rennes even boasts of a 66% increase in bicycle traffic in 2021 compared to 2019. The FUB webpage: https://www.fub.fr/
Occupied for more than fifty years by the Health Insurance Fund, the Château des Tourelles of Bois-Colombes at 98, rue Paul-Déroulède, (Hauts-de-Seine 92). has been completely renovated to accommodate a new artistic space. It opens its doors this weekend with two exhibitions. This building which sits in the heart of Square Franklin-Roosevelt has been renovated from top to bottom. This municipal building dating from the 19C has three levels and a basement for a total area of 500 m2. webpage: https://www.bois-colombes.fr/agenda/inauguration-du-chateau-des-tourelles/
The Château de Montgeroult was the home of a talented musician with an extraordinary destiny at the time of the French revolution. It has been inhabited by the same family since 1831. The Friends of Hélène de Montgeroult association is participating in the Baroque festival of Pontoise, which opens this weekend, has thus decided to ring out again the notes of the composer who worked on a pianoforte (the ancestor of the piano). Born in 1764, Hélène de Nervo has indeed married the Marquis André Marie Gautier de Montgeroult. The couple spent time in their Vexin castle before the French revolution. If their work is, by dates, between Mozart and Beethoven, it embodies in the eyes of specialists a real bridge to the Romantics. Webpage: http://chateaudemontgeroult.com/
At the Château de Pierrefonds, discover the monumental model of the Salle des Preuses. The artist Camille Bloch has just inaugurated, after five months of preparation, the exhibition of his model of the Salle des Preuses. It now sits at the heart of the mythical castle of the Oise (60). webpage: http://Château de Pierrefonds
At the Château de Chantilly,(Oise 60) you can “adopt” a book from one of the most beautiful libraries in the world. The famous castle is calling for crowdfunding to speed up the restoration of the Book Cabinet. The public is invited to “adopt” works by participating in their maintenance or restoration. 14,000 volumes dating from the end of the 10C to the beginning of the 19C are kept in the Book Cabinet of the Château de Chantilly. Henri d’Orléans, Duke of Aumale , the “prince of bibliophiles” bequeathed the Chantilly estate and all its collections in 1884 to the Institut de France to preserve its integrity. The bequest was transformed into a donation in 1886. The condition of the donation was the opening of the château and its collections to the public. Materials that react to the humidity of the air and that must be protected from a whole fauna of insects and a varied flora of molds. For 200 euros, you can contribute to the maintenance of the bindings, for 500 euros to their restoration. From 3,500 euros, you will be offered to adopt one of the treasures of the book cabinet by participating in the restoration of a remarkable volume. I am in Friends of the castle since 2008; worthy cause and keeping a beautiful library alive for generations to come,do it if you can please. Webpage: https://chateaudechantilly.fr/en/
The Friends of the Chantilly castle: https://www.amismuseecondechantilly.com/home
Medieval, fortified or troglodyte… The exceptional villages are reputed to be difficult to access. This is to forget that some of them are served by train or bus. Ok so see not only road warrior but given you some alternatives ways to see my belle France. These are some of my favorites:
Belvès (Dordogne 24) Besieged during the Hundred Years War and the wars of religion, the “city of seven steeples” keeps miraculously preserved vestiges. Among them, underground troglodyte dwellings inhabited since the 13C, a 500-year-old wooden hall and Renaissance-style mansions. At the gates of the city, the forest of Bessède is an ideal playground for hikers and mountain bikers who wish to venture into the Périgord Noir. Access: Belvès train station, 1h15 from Agen and Périgueux.
La Roche-Guyon (Val-d’Oise 95), Unique “Most Beautiful Village of France” in the Paris region, La Roche-Guyon is located on a meander of the Seine, at the gates of Normandy and the Vexin Regional Natural Park. It stands out for its medieval castle leaning against a white chalk cliff. Now owned by the La Rochefoucauld family, the building was frequented by the kings of France and the philosophers of the Enlightenment. Below, the 3.5 hectare vegetable garden, restored in 2004, uses the original plans dating from the 18C. Access: Mantes-la-Jolie (78) train station on Transilien J and N from gare Saint Lazare Paris, then bus 95-11,
Montsoreau (Maine-et-Loire 49), Alexandre Dumas made it the location of his novel La Dame de Monsoreau. Subsequently, several film adaptations of The Three Musketeers were filmed there. Welcome to Montsoreau, a medieval village located 15 km from Saumur. Its 15C castle, which houses a museum of contemporary art, dominates the confluence of the Loire and the Vienne rivers, After a walk in the flowery streets of Montsoreau, follow the Loire for 2 km to the neighboring town of Candes-Saint-Martin (Indre-et-Loire 37), also labeled “Most Beautiful Village of France”. Access: Saumur train station, then bus line 1 or summer line of the Agglobus network,
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (Pyrénées-Atlantiques 64), Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is an unmissable stop on the way to Santiago de Compostela. The Basque village was awarded the “Plus Beau Village de France” label recently, in 2016. It owes its name to its location at the foot of the Roncesvalles pass, the pass being nicknamed “port” in the Pyrenees. Founded in the 12C, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, also called “Donibane Garazi” in Basque, was part of the Kingdom of Navarre. The Notre-Dame-du-Bout-du-Pont Church, the second Gothic building in the Basque Country, and the citadel remodeled by Vauban are among the must-sees in the village. Access: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port train station, 1 hour by TER trains from Bayonne.
One hundred and fifty years later, what remains of the Seine of the Impressionists? The Chatou, Bougival, Louveciennes.etc, In the 21C, can we still find the rural charm of the 200 magnificent works created along these banks that Monet, Sisley and Renoir frequented assiduously? Yes we can, a tribute to France love of the arts and wonderful history and architecture to be seen all throughout, This is my contribution to let it known to all the world!
On August 24, 1837, the first French railway line to transport passengers was inaugurated: Paris Saint-Lazare-Le Pecq (Yvelines 78). The green setting of the department of Seine-et-Oise (which became Yvelines in 1968) attracts painters who lay on the canvas in fine touches of color luminous landscapes filled with poetry. Scorned by the critics, disdainfully nicknamed the “Impressionists”, Sisley, Renoir, Pissarro, Monet, Morisot paint the reflections of chestnut trees, birches and maples on the golden waters of this loop of the Seine. Today, their paintings proudly line museums around the world, including the Marmottan, the Orangerie and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. On the banks of the Seine, 35 enamelled replicas of their paintings allow you to shine in their footsteps. A thematic map of the routes is even published by the tourist office Webpage:https://www.seine-saintgermain.fr/fr/a-voir -to-do/outings-and-leisure/hiking-walks/on-foot/circuit-monet/
Renoir and Monet, innovators in Croissy-sur-Seine (Yvelines 78). La Grenouillère ,this is how the Conty guide to the surroundings of Paris describes this guinguette which you can get to by ferry. Even if since May 18, 1852, a municipal decree requires swimmers to wear a bathing suit, it is only slightly respected. Suffice to say that this naughty place is very popular. Side by side, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet together invent a new way of painting and produce a set of six paintings of the guinguette and its islet planted with a single tree connected to the pontoon boat by narrow and slippery planks. La Grenouillère burned down in October 1889. Rebuilt, the establishment was destroyed in 1920 during work to widen the Seine. Within the Espace Chanorier at 12, Grande Rue, the Grenouillere Museum houses reconstructions of life scenes (music, absinthe) with models in period costumes from the famous guinguette. Next door, the Local History Pavilion (free admission on Saturdays and Sundays from 14h30-18h) recalls the town’s market gardening past. The Grenouillere Museum webpage :http://www.grenouillere-museum.com/grenouillere/
The Pavilion of local history, memories of Croissy: https://lamemoiredecroissy.fr/le-pavillon-dhistoire-locale
Chatou, (Yvelines 78) the romantic Pierre-Auguste Renoir immortalizes the Luncheon of the Boating Party from the balcony of the inn run by Louise Fournaise on the island of Chatou. Her husband Alphonse, a boat carpenter, has set up a workshop and rents boats. Renoir will obviously paint these skiffs on the Seine. The balcony of the Maison Fournaise is identical to that of Renoir’s painting and the atmosphere on the banks of the Seine has not changed. The island now bears the name of the Impressionists. the Maison Fournaise, which has become a museum with immersive holograms, virtual paintings, videos featuring Renoir and his setbacks The Maison Fournaise webpage: https://www.musee-fournaise.com/www_musee_en
Bougival, (Yvelines 78) the bucolic. Installed in the hamlet of Saint-Michel, Claude Monet represents the bridge of Bougival inaugurated on November 7, 1858. In the evening, the sun tints the Seine with silver reflections, which he paints tirelessly. Alfred Sisley comes to join him: barges, locks, Marly machine, Île de la Loge are his favorite areas. Berthe Morisot spent all her summers there from 1881 to 1884, renting a house surrounded by a very large flower garden of hollyhocks where she painted her husband Eugène Manet and their daughter Julie. Two arches over the river and an aedicule that housed wooden needles responsible for protecting the machine from floating objects. The Hameau Saint-Michel winegrowers’ houses are as typical as when Monet lived there. Hollyhocks bloom on the sidewalks. At 4 rue de la Princesse where Berthe Morisot lived, which has become n°1 avenue de la Drionne, will become a space dedicated to the artist at the end of 2023. webpage: https://www.tourisme-bougival.com/en/visit-bougival/berthe-morisots-house/
Louveciennes,(Yvelines 78) the Pissarro family and Sisley lived in Louveciennes, a village of 900 inhabitants that Renoir also frequents, visiting his family and friends. Renoir immortalizes the Route de Versailles, the Rue du Village or the Promenades des Poules. Pissarro paints the streets of Voisins, the chestnut trees and Sisley, the Allée de la Machine and the Aqueduct. His painting represents very exactly the Tour du Levant where the water from the Seine arrived, pumped in Bougival by the Machine de Marly and transported to Versailles for the fountains of Louis XIV. He also painted the mid-side farmhouse, a forge intended for the maintenance of the Machine. The yellow house with green shutters of Renoir’s mother at 23, rue de Voisins is similar in all respects to that of 1870. The Allée de la Machine is strictly identical to the painting, the trees are simply taller and thicker. The mid-coast farm is in ruins and lush vegetation has taken over the place, but the paved path still allows you to descend to the Bougival lock. The Aqueduct is sumptuous. You can leisurely walk the 643 meters of the Aqueduct, admire the 36 arches and the work of the builders of yesteryear. Webpage: https://www.mairie-louveciennes.fr/DecouvrirLouveciennes/646/911
Marly, (Yvelines 78) .Sisley’s obsession .In flood, the Seine invades Port-Marly and Sisley seizes the sheets of water which surround the quiet house of a wine and spirits merchant (at St Nicolas). Resident of 2, avenue de l’Abreuvoir, he painted the watering hole in the park of the castle of Marly-le-Roi 17 times: summer, winter, under snow or frost, bathing horses…The name of the inn has changed, it is now a café for regulars, the Brazza. At the edge of the quays, house barges are permanently moored, with gates and letterboxes. A cycle path leads to Le Pecq or Bougival. In Marly-le-Roi, the horse trough dating from Louis XIV, the long wooded road that climbs along the park towards the museum of the Royal Estate of Marly… Everything is strictly identical, admire the shells of the trough, pond semicircular built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart in 1698 and restored in 2006. Port Marly webpage: https://www.port-marly.fr/index.php/Patrimoinehistorique?idpage=2093&idmetacontenu=36&iddossiercontenu=12
Marly le Roi webpage: https://www.marlyleroi.fr/Tourisme/5/
And I bet you thought Paris was all museums and parks, well there are some unusual places still around. Be safe. 300 prostitution parlors pinned in Paris, the 17éme particularly affected. Are there really a lot of massage parlors hiding places of prostitution in the 17éme? In any case, this is what the association Zéromacho (org for men against prostitution and for equality) asserts. The 17éme arrondissement would concentrate, on its own, around fifty prostitution parlors disguised as massage parlors . The district is certainly very affected, but it is far from being the only one . The 14éme, 15éme, and 9éme ,also include around thirty fake massage parlors each. According to the police headquarters, in 2021, four networks of pimps would have been dismantled in Paris, leading to the closure of only three businesses of this type in 2022, in the 17éme !! A far cry from the 53 fake salons listed by the Zéromacho association in this district/arrondissement. Oh those boys in blue need to do better, they are very easy to spot!
And now as usual some eat out in my eternal Paris!
The starred chef Yannick Alléno takes over the historic Prunier restaurant, in Paris opening on October 3, 2022. Webpage : https://prunier.com/en/restaurants
Jeffrey Cagnes, the former pastry chef of the historic Maison Stohrer is now flying on his own and this is anything but bad news. Free, he signs a range of inspired contemporary pastries without neglecting pastries. Like the brownie, the financier takes the form of a small domed corolla, sprinkled with icing sugar. Quite dense and with a good almond taste, it is available in two recipes: pistachio paste or caramel, each in a flowing insert, revealing itself when cut. Roasted pistachios for the first and hazelnut for the second give the crunchy side. 24, rue des Moines (17éme). Galeries Lafayette Le Gourmet, 35, boulevard Haussmann (9éme), webpage : https://jeffreycagnes.fr/
At the Hôtel Meurice ,Au Bar 228 until Saturday October 8, 2022 the caviar-smoked egg-brioche bread trio, staged on a small individual platter, accompanies a glass of Dom Pérignon vintage 2004 this Dom Pérignon “pairing”, designed as the marriage of a dish and a wine on the “by the glass” mode, includes a 30 gram box of caviar associated with a brioche tartlet garnished with a creamy smoked egg and horseradish surrounded by a lace of oxalis, fragile tangy aromatic growth. Webpage :https://www.dorchestercollection.com/en/paris/le-meurice/restaurants-bars/bar-228/
There you go folks, another round of my some news from France coming to you freely by the road warrior of this blog. Hope you enjoy the post and do prepare for a wonderful Fall season with a bang. And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 