This is my latest from my belle France ; as we are imoving right along in Winter and the sun is out ! We can have 6 more weeks of winter due to the marmotte so they say, However, is that 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 , And for those non Roman CCCLXXXI is 381 ! ,with another dandy round of news of my belle France , of course, chosen by me; there are many others. We will be tidy and drinking a nice glass of wine ! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
Strike against pension reform: the unions are already heading to Saturday, February 11 for the next round so be aware if coming to France especially on disturbances of transports.
Paris is one of the densest capitals in the world. Its inhabitants begin to feel cramped, at the time of heat waves. Since 2012, more and more of them are leaving. Resulting in the closure of school classes. Projections for the start of the 2023 school year are already worrying parents and teachers. And since 2012, more and more of them are leaving for soaring real estate and apartments that are too small are getting the better of their Parisian life. What a timing we left sold our home june 2012 !!! In any case, since 2012, more and more of them are leaving. According to INSEE, (French statistical service) this trend does not seem about to be reversed. Paris has lost 123,000 inhabitants over the past ten years. I told you so long ago…
According to the Fondation pour la Recherche Medicale in France of which I am a proud donor, there were 382,000 new cases of cancer in 2018 36.4% more than 2000 !! And, there were 157,000 death by cancer in 2018, (including my dear wife Martine) 4.6% more than in 2000, Yet not much media attention to what has become the No 1 cause of deaths in France, Time to wake up !!
Who remembers that a Breton was a general in the American army? Armand Tuffin de La Rouërie, (see full post on him) ,an aristocrat with liberal ideas, companion of Gen Washington, was the head of an association aimed at restoring its rights to Brittany (association Bretonne) during the beginnings of the French revolution. Armand Tuffin de La Rouërie was born in 1751 in Fougères, before spending his youth at the family castle of Saint-Ouen-La-Rouërie, in the current town of Val-de-Couesnon. More here on his former castle: https://www.valcouesnon.fr/les-manoirs-et-chateaux/
The 52nd edition of the Interceltic Festival ticket office opens this past Tuesday, February 7, from 11h. This year confirm performers will be Suzanne Vega, HF Thiéfaine, I Luvrini or Clannad had already been announced, as headliners of the 52nd edition of the Festival Interceltique de Lorient, At the the Espace Jean-Pierre-Pichard traditional Irish music: the founders of Planxty, Paddy Glackin, Mike McGoldrick and John Doyle. At the Moustoir stadium, the price for the 1st category bagadoù championship .The Festival still has a few surprises in store and will announce the entire program on March 23 2023. webpage: https://www.festival-interceltique.bzh/billetterie-en-ligne-2023/
The Maison des Jardies, last refuge of Léon Gambetta, the illustrious politician spent the last years of his life in Sèvres (Hauts-de-Seine 92 ), in this pretty residence with old-fashioned charm. A way to (re) discover the popularity and tragic death of the founding father of the Third Republic. A stone’s throw from Sèvres train station , climbing Avenue Gambetta, you quickly find yourself in the middle of opulent villas. The house of Jardies, labeled Maisons des Illustres,(Houses of the Illustrious) looks like a pretty country farmhouse. webpage: https://www.maison-des-jardies.fr/en/
I have to admit when I first visited Bercy Village, thought nothing of it way back in 2003. Over the years and coming back for pleasure or business began to like it. It is now one of the consequential places to be in Paris. There is more …
Bercy Village, this atypical living space located in the 12éme arrondissement of Paris. A universe apart, where fashionable boutiques, reference brands, cafés-restaurants and leisure spaces in the former cellars and warehouses of Bercy follow one another. Without ever altering either the identity or the atmosphere of a place steeped in history and dear to the hearts of Parisians, the Village innovates every year for the pleasure of regulars and walkers. The Aux 2 Balais café-boutique is for all Harry Potter fans who wish to immerse themselves in the world of the most famous sorcerer’s apprentice in the world. brings together more than 1,500 references: disguises, magic wands and other chocolate frogs, these famous sweets appreciated by the most gourmet wizards. On the coffee side, the curious can savor a butterbeer, the favorite beverage of Hogwarts students, taste a homemade pastry or sip a bubble tea. 200 square meters of magic, which attract families and enthusiasts. Aux 2 Balais is added to the spaces inaugurated in 2022, like the 3Bis, opened in the fall of 2022, which rolls out its red carpet to games with a capital J: board games, karaoke, quizzes, retro games, darts , table football… On two levels and 500 square meters, play areas and spaces follow one another in an urban atmosphere of New York style. Decorated according to different themes (80s, sitcom, dollhouse, etc.), lounges can even be privatized by reservation, for quizzes with friends, karaoke with colleagues or children’s birthday parties in gaming mode. In the room called Le Triangle, climbing enthusiasts, novices and specialists, can measure themselves against one of the 90 possible routes (and renewed each week) spread over six levels of difficulty. The Triangle is accessible to everyone, regardless of level and objectives: regular training, dotted sessions or simple relaxing afternoons. To climb much higher, go to the “Moon” area of Science Experiences, an immersive place dedicated to science, and opened in October 2021. Equipped with a virtual reality helmet and harnessed in a gravity simulator, visitors can walk, or almost, on the Moon. Half-museum, half-amusement park, Science Experiences uses new technologies (virtual reality, video mapping, multisensory presentations) for educational, fun and spectacular workshops. Bercy Village, Cour Saint Emilion 12éme. webpage: https://www.bercyvillage.com/tourisme
While the Centre Pompidou is preparing to sign a contract for a new museum in Saudi Arabia, other projects in China, Belgium or the Canary Islands are experiencing mixed fortunes. After being exported to Malaga, Shanghai and Brussels, while awaiting the prospect of creating a cutting in Jersey City, New Jersey in the United States, in 2025, the Centre Pompidou will soon put its expertise at the service of Saudi Arabia. French institution will contribute its know-how to the construction of a contemporary art museum called Perspective Galleries on the Nabataean site of Al-Ula, in northwestern Saudi Arabia. This is not the Centre Pompidou’s first cultural engineering mission. The Parisian institution is thus supporting the development of an artistic center for young people in Melbourne, Australia. An agreement has also been reached with the State of Parana, in Brazil, to develop a museum of modern and contemporary art near the Iguaçu Falls by 2025. Well receive and so much works of arts not shown many need more spaces and to attract people all over the world, of course. Stay tune for more in your friendly news from France!
Well a friend in Paris alerted me to this one. I have post on how to be a Parisian really, some nuances huh! But what about the districts or arrondissements well my friend lives in the 11éme and I pick some of the most notable expressions on how to be from the 11 of Paris! You know you’re from the 11éme arrondissement of Paris when… You have everything nearby. Really everything. The Main bar and at Brutus are your best companions for aperitifs, Besides, you hardly do your shopping at the supermarket anymore, so much the little local wine merchant is your new best friend .You don’t really understand the people who go to Ober Mamma when they have Les Deux Amis or Osteria dell’Anima literally a stone’s throw away. You’ve lived here almost forever and sometimes you still have trouble telling Boulevard Voltaire from Avenue de la République. And Boulevard Richard Lenoir from Boulevard Beaumarchais. At the same time they start from the same place and go to the same place, how are we supposed to find each other seriously? (this one is funny even to visitors) . You are used to doing everything within 15 min on foot and you really have to really want it to get you out of your neighborhood. The smell when you pass early in the morning in front of the Terroirs d’Avenir bakery on rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud . The Perchoir Ménilmontant is seen and reviewed… but once in a while it’s cool anyway . Like all your fellow 11éme arrondissements, you have a passion for Septime. Even if you can’t go there often for obvious wallet reasons, You swear by the Oberkampf market and its tip top fruits and vegetables. You need to know Paris more but I think the above are funny lines lol!!
It’s time for me bragging again about my dear Versailles, sublime !!! Many posts to tell you about these places in my blog but this is a quick roundup for you to see away from the palace; as I said, Versailles is a lot more than a palace or Château de Versailles!
It’s Versailles here too…! Yes of course, the sublime come and enjoy it I love so you too will love it. The unmissable castle imposes its sculptural presence and venerable history on this city of Yvelines (dept 78). Even if Louis XIV did not necessarily live there very long (he stayed as soon as he could in his residence in Marly-le-Roi Yvelines 78), this king legend has forged the city’s identity for three centuries. Nevertheless, the city conceals other places to discover. the royal stables (écuries royales). When you turn your back on the palace and the treasures that hide behind, the building on the left shelters on nearly 1,000 m2 of a sumptuous collection of ceremonial coaches. In this vaulted gallery are exhibited genuine works of art, privileged witnesses to the history of France. Cabinetmakers, painters, bronze workers, gilders, upholsterers, embroiderers the most distinguished in their respective eras participated in the creation of these vehicles which were used at the wedding of Napoleon I, the baptism of the Duke of Bordeaux (was to be Henri V) , the coronation of Charles X or the funeral of Louis XVIII…In the Grande Écurie , the National Equestrian Academy of the Domaine de Versailles, a corps de ballet unique in the world created in 2003 by Bartabas, (was there !!) offers paying shows that highlight the art of horse training.
You walk past wonderful architecture and history of France in the antiques district, Saint-Louis district with its cathedral, Notre-Dame district (mine !!) and the market active in the morning, from Tuesday to Sunday, and its Notre Dame Church (unique) which includes several chapels and many paintings and sculptures. Lose yourself in the alleys and take the many pedestrian passages that radiate around the market square. In the Montbauron-Montreuil district, accessible on foot from the castle only 2 km walk via Avenue de Paris, the domain of Madame Elisabeth (No 73 of the avenue de Paris sister of Louis XVI) is a pleasant haven of greenery, with many panels punctuating the route, on which are inscribed poems celebrating the city. Opposite the Orangery (Orangerie )of the castle, the very beautiful and huge Swiss pond (pièce d’eau des Suisses ) surrounded by century-old trees fascinates with its lawn that encourages laziness. Finally, Balbi Park is a pleasant, very bucolic English garden with a small river, a gazebo, a cave and ducks. In the time of Louis XVI, the Countess of Balbi, mistress of the Count of Provence (the king’s brother Louis XVIII) resided here, in a destroyed property, but of which this garden remains Created by Jean-Baptiste de La Quintinie, the King’s Kitchen Garden (Potager du roi) of 9 ha , a few streets from the Place d’Armes (10 minutes on foot), where Louis XIV liked to learn the art of pruning his fruit trees, fed the guests of the castle. Le Potager du Roi produces 15 tonnes of fruit and 25 tonnes of vegetables every year. A shop allows you to buy often old and little-known varieties, as well as processed products (jams, fruit juices – the rhubarb one is delicious –, honey, etc.). From there, do not hesitate to go to the Lambinet Museum (1.5 km), a former private mansion which is worth a look and which is full of works of art. Recently renovated, it has been reopen to the public since December 2022. In the extension of the Grand Trianon, the Petit Trianon and the Hameau de la Reine or Queen’s hamlet, a huge park often goes unnoticed. The Versailles-Chèvreloup arboretum is however worthy of the greatest interest. On 200 hectares, we discover 2,500 species of trees distributed according to their habitat zone: Europe, Americas, Asia…This was part of the old domaine of Versailles which was broken up after the French revolution. This is Versailles all worth a kingdom me think. The Tourist Office which was Avenue de Paris has moved, find it now on Place Lyautey! This is the square in front of the RER C Château-Rive-Gauche train station. Webpage: https://en.versailles-tourisme.com/visiting-the-city.html
You want to go to a real canteens? We have plenty all over and in Paris some of my favorites where to have lunch were/are: La Guinguette d’Angèle , 34, rue Coquillière – 1éme. Echo 95, rue d’Aboukir 2éme. Café Berry 10, rue Chapon 3éme. Crumble & Compagnie 14, rue Descartes 5éme. Le Saigon d ‘Antan 24, rue Monsieur-le-Prince 6éme. Khua Nong Mai 10, rue Condorcet 9éme. Rose Bakery 46, rue des Martyrs 9éme. Jimmy’s Street Food 4, rue Pierre-Fontaine 9éme. Oh my Bao 11 , rue de Paradis 10éme. Le Grand Bréguet 17, rue Bréguet 11éme. Crêperie de Quiberon 53, rue du Montparnasse 14éme. Chez Nelly 39, rue Jean-de-la-Fontaine 16éme. Bon appétit!
And hear all about it folks, loud and clear, my favorite chain of hamburgers in the USA will be finally coming to France !! Yes better than the rest me think. The American fast-food chain Wendy’s has announced plans to expand into Europe and plans to open its first restaurants in France. After conquering the United Kingdom, the American giant wants to expand its presence in continental Europe and in particular in France, reports BFM Business. Founded in 1969 in Ohio, Wendy’s, an American hamburger chain, now has more than 7,000 restaurants around the world. Absent from the Old Continent after a few commercial failures, the fast-food giant, represented by a little girl with red pigtails, announces a new development strategy after its remarkable arrival in the United Kingdom since 2021. Distinguishing itself by the square shape of its steaks and its frozen dessert, the Frosty, The burger is enjoying a meteoric rise in the hearts and stomachs of the French, with around 2.6 billion units consumed each year, according to Socopa Restauration-CHD Expert. Oh yeah is an invasion, again welcome lol!! BFM Business: https://www.bfmtv.com/economie/consommation/wendy-s-la-chaine-concurrente-de-mc-donald-s-aux-etats-unis-veut-s-installer-en-france_AN-202302030053.html
There you go folks, another round of my some news from France coming to you freely by the road warrior travel guy . Hope you enjoy this post and do take care of winter but still not feld as much, and the white one, well has stay away from me , great,,, And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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