In my new life as retiree my blog is my biggest entertainement and before anything else, I like to thank everyone of my readers and followers to stay with me over the years since November 26 2010 !!! Thank you !!! I decided to trim some of my older posts in my series Some news from France and condense them as not to lose the most important parts, me think, of them, Therefore, this is my new work, the condense news of my belle France, Hope you enjoy it as I.
Some news from France CXXXX September 3, 2016
First the annual wonderful event on this year from September 17 -18 is Heritage days in France again, many buildings of historical value will be open when usually they are closed to the general public. The jardin de l’Observatoire (14C) has reopen its doors!!! From September 5th. open Mondays to Fridays from 16h15 to 19h, and you go in by 98 boulevard Arago. For instance the great department store BHV Marais will celebrate it’s 160 years with shops in the basement and exhibition on the history of the store on Saturday the 17th september from 10h to 19h ,free admission The mythical room Elysée Montmartre built in 1807 will opens its door after renovation on September 15th at blvd de Rochechouart. This is the birth of French cancan and will have 1000 seated seats and 1400 standing
At the Porte Dauphiné, you see the renovated Pavillon Dauphiné, this is the old Chinese pavillion for the Universal Exposition of 1878. It has 7 reception meetings rooms with private terraces giving to a nice garden capable of hosting 60 to 1000 persons and even double that for cocktails. Nice building indeed on the Paris skyline once again. The musée maison Victor Hugo of Paris is transforming into a house as in the times of the writer and family until September 18. Wonderful stories See Hergé on Grand, the great cartoonist(real name George Remi of Belgium) no longer with us but his wonderful work continues on . For four months at the Grand Palais rediscover the adventures of Tintin and many more. From September 28th to January 15 2017 Until September 20th,the national tapestry of France is showcasing the “Le maître de la tapisserie” or the master of the tapestries. 50 years of his passing the Galerie des Gobelins du Mobilier National is given a big exposition on Jean Lurçat, painter, designer, ceramist, known as the renovator of the contemporary tapestry. The expo is call in French « Au seul bruit du soleil » On until September 18. by metro Gobelins line 13 at 42 Avenue des Gobelins.
At my beloved Versailles 2 Rue Jean Houdon you have the Royal Factory theater, only Five minutes from the palace up ave de Paris; wonderful for an alternative see in the royal town ,More closer to my heart ,the Château de Versailles and the city of Arras (nord 62) will showcase an exposition on the life of Napoléon. It will be held at the museum or Musée des Beaux Arts of Arras between October 2017 and November 2018. In order to spread the works all over France, this initiative has already permitted about 400K visitors to the museum of Arras to see the expositions of « Roulez Carrosses » ride the carriages and « Le château de Versailles en 100 chefs-d’œuvre » the castle of Versailles and its 100 main works. The museum at Arras is house a wonderful old abbey of Saint Vaaste. the new shows wll be on from September 17. Now going on the Académie équestre nationale de Versailles can be visited this weekend too with the show « La Voie de l’Ecuyer », created by the great one Bartabas. you can visit the stables and the gallery of carriages until Sunday from 14h to 18h
One of my boys pleasures was ,when living in Versailles go to the Val-de-Seine aqua park at Verneuil-sur-Seine. It’s a wonderful park for all the family, that we found superb. From Paris to get there; take the train at Gare Saint Lazare direction Mantes la Jolie but stop at the station in Verneuil-Vernouillet. Get out taken the secondary exit ,turn left along the lake of the park on the cycling path walking for about 35 minutes or you can take a taxi. Take a look at a less known castle that of Pierrefonds , the flag blason traces it back to 1309. The castle was built end of 14C by the duke Louis d’Orléans,and was demolished in the 17C. Napoléon III see in ruins and asked for its reconstruction to the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc , that made it into an ideal castle as it was in the middle ages. The flowers of lys on a blue background that we see in the flags of arms of France since the reign of king Louiw VII and the symbol of the French royals today. A wonderful property to visit, After two years of work on renovation the national school of decoratives arts of Aubusson turns into the Cité internationale de la tapisserie, (international city of tapestries) and at the same time a museum and training center. The building is in a cross style of architecture with a nave of 7 meters, and strings of designs emblematic of the 16C Aubusson production, and many tapestries from the 20C signed by Lurçat, and his followers such as Le Corbusier or Braque At Rochefort, they are celebrating 350 years of the Arsenal. Created by king Louis XIV in 1666. I know was late on this one as it is happening now see if Rochefort tells you a story with historic recontructions , parades in costumes ,equestrian shows , baroque val dance, picnic and many more
Some news from France , CXLI September 8, 2016
The Château de Fontainebleau is looking for donations to save about 46 works of arts . You can see the collection at the Galerie d’Art Aveline in front of the Palais de l’Elysée in Paris, they will be shown there until October 9th. These pièces were done at the Manufacture de Sévres.
The Paris Aquarium by the Trocadéro will host red fishes like those you keep in your house or back patio pond. For bowling go to Strike Beach at Bercy from September 5th to 30th Inside the hotel Pullman Paris Centre Bercy . It will be held from Monday to Friday from 11h to 22h, Sundays 11h to 16h ,the admission price is 5€ for a game of bowling or the Package Pastis & bowling 8€ . Pastis drink in various levels, the full address is at 1, rue de libourne 75012 Paris (Line 14 stop Cour Saint-Émilion). The Parc de la Folie Saint-James 16 avenue de Madrid, Neuilly sur Seine has reopen after years of work 2 hectares and about 6000 plants nicely done ,it recall the 18C origins of anglo chinese gardens here.
The famous Café de Flore reunited the artists of each generation such as Guillaume Apollanaire, Jean-Paul Sartre, Robert Doisneau, Françoise Sagan, and Serge Gainsbourg. The Galerie Anne & Just Jaeckin shows an exposition to honor these periods in a mythical place. From September 22nd to December 2 2016; 19 rue Guénégaud, 6éme “Carl Andre, Sculpture as Place, 1958-2010” , expo from October 18 to February 12 2017 at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (16éme). One of the great minimalistic exponent of the art will put on display about 40 sculptures, poems, photos, works on paper and unclassable objects. Manolo Valdez of Spain will come to the Place Vendôme until October 5th with the Marlborough Gallery with 6 monumental works inspired from the 20C from Matisse to Picasso ,The Musée d’Orsay is not left behind, the expo “Spectaculaire Second Empire” from September 27 to January 15 2017. And the Musée du Quai de Branly-Jasques Chirac, will have from October 4th the exposition; “The Color Line”. It retraces 150 years of Afro American art history showing more than 200 works of artists like David Hammons, Jacob Lawrence, Aaron Douglas, Elizabeth Catlett, and Ellen Gallagher.
And the lingerie queen Chantal Thomas will invade the Crazy Horse ,12 Avenue George V with four portraits of belles showing the new collection from October 5th The department store the Bon Marché is showcasing Paris of course until October 15. You will see it on the Windows of the store all decorated with themes of Paris, nice.
Some news from France ,CXLII September 28, 2016
the Centre Pompidou, you have the exhibit “René Magritte, la Trahison des images” until Jan 23rd 2017 Soul Train of old !!! remember the show, now the Mona Bismarck American Center comes back to the source with a program November 12 on films and presentations such as Shabba Doo, and Jean-Paul Goude The opera of the Fantôme de l’Opéra will now be shown in by before November at the Théâtre Mogador… This after a fire on last Sunday morning at the theater touching the main salon as well as the decorations. You can see « Faust » in the Théâtre du Châtelet, open door with performers with rock of Robert Wilson going on until tomorrow The survivor from the Colonial Exposition of 1878, the old aquarium of Trocadéro needed to closed in 1985. It opened again built underground in 2006. This year it has 17000 fishes and 4 million liters of water to celebrate its 10th anniversary .Aquarium au jardin du Trocadéro The concession for the Jardin d’Acclimatation has been extended for an additional 25 yrs to a group which includes 80% LVMH and 20% by Compagnie des Alpes (also handles Astérix). The gardens were opened by Napoléon III in 1860 and has 60 hectares along the Bois de Boulogne. 18 new attractions will be created including 9 free and 26 existing attractions will be renovated. The goal is to reach 2,5 million visitors per year. One of my family favorite parks in Paris for years…
And coming up is the Nuit Blanche or white night in France. From October 1 to the 2nd overnight that is 19h to 7h. The transformation is the theme this year and the place tops will be the berges de Seine or along the river Seine. The love theme of course will be here as there will be a walk starting from rue Lobau, just behind the Hôtel de Ville all the way to the island or ile Saint-Germain, at Issy-les-Moulineaux. Many institutions participate on this year themes such as the Musée du Quai Branly, Pavillon de l’Arsenal, Petit Palais, Théâtre du Châtelet, Monnaie de Paris, or the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts.
king Charles X rests since 1836 in the convent of Kostanjevica, present day Slovenia. The last king of the Second Restauration ruling from 1824 to 1830 before taking exile. There is a group trying to bring the rests back to his native France and to the Basilica of Saint Denis, Charles X, the last of the Bourbon kings ,but also his son Louis de France and niece Marie-Thérèse (oldest daughter of king Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette) to be alongside at Saint Denis royal necropolis. The others that were brought back from outside of France are those of emperor Napoléon Ier, died in island of Saint-Hélène (south Atlantic) in 1821,to joined the Invalides during an official ceremony in 1 840. Those of king Louis-Philippe Ier, called the king of the French or « roi des Français » in 1830 (under a constitutional monarchy), died in 1850 at Claremont (UK), and transferred to the chapel of Saint-Louis of Dreux in 1876.
There you go folks, a big task but a work of love to keep the best, me think of these wonderful older posts over the years, These are what I think worth keeping of my older Some news from France series, and I thank you, Again, hope you enjoy this post as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 