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 !!! Especially my first likes from former travel forum friend Jeannette 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, CCXCIII December 7, 2019
The movement against pension reform seems set to last, at least several days. As a result, unions are organizing to ensure the financial “survival” of the movement, while a second day of events is announced this coming Tuesday, five days after the first. The most classic solution: the strike banks. Some unions have historically set aside a portion of membership dues, and the common pot is then redistributed among strikers according to their needs. Therefore, most will be paid nothing is free oh là là là. The SNCF has called yesterday Friday ,the Ile de France region to avoid commuter trains on Monday, the fifth day of the transport strike, the expected affluence can make the stations dangerous Several highways are blocked this Saturday (today) by truckers protesting against the increase of 2 cents of taxes on diesel fuel provided for in the draft budget law for 2020. These events, which affect eleven regions, are organized at the call of the the European Road Hauliers Organization (OTRE), the third organization in the sector. The actions take the form of filter dams or snail operations. The transport network in Ile-de-France will be disrupted on this coming Saturday and Sunday, and will remain so on Monday. The RATP is planning extremely disrupted traffic for today Saturday, December 7, Strong of the success last Thursday of the mobilization against the reform of the pensions (806.000 demonstrators in all France, according to the Ministry of the Interior, and 1,5 million according to the Unions), the trade unions opposed to the reform call the French to be mobilized again on Tuesday December 10th. Objective: to try to bend the government and entail the outright withdrawal of the reform that Édouard Philippe plans to unveil next Wednesday.
Some news from France, CCXCIIII December 16, 2019
Due to the 13th day of strike in public transport and the third national interprofessional day of strikes and demonstrations against the pension reform, the users who wish to move this Tuesday December 17 must still expect multiple disruptions. L’Express journal takes notice. SNCF plans 1 TGV on 4, three TER on 10 and 1 Transilien on 5. Only 5% of Intercités trains will be in circulation. The SNCF called on Monday the Ile-de-France residents to particularly avoid the commuter trains on Tuesday, on the thirteenth day of the transport strike, the expected crowds could make the stations dangerous, Given the current social movement and the events planned for tomorrow, transport conditions will be “particularly difficult” on the RATP network. Only lines 1 and 14 will run normally (of course they have no conductor are automatic!), While eight lines 1 2, 3bis, 5, 6, 7bis, 10, 12, will be stop. A third of the buses will run. Tramway traffic will be 50% insured. Traffic will also be “very disrupted” for RERs with one RER A in two and one RER B (CDG airport usual way) in three only during peak hours for the two lines. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation indicates that it has asked airlines to reduce their flights to and from Orly Airport by 20%.
But as all is not lost, we are indeed leading up to Christmas always a magical moment The Grand Palais des Glaces is back, for a fifth and final edition before major works. It is the largest skating rink in France, with its 2700 m². Indeed is a treat enjoy if you can! For the first time, the Galeries Lafayettegot involved into ice skating as well. On the rooftop of the department store on Boulevard Haussmann 8 floor (9th US), it is also possible to slide in peace. The place, with its exceptional view of all of Paris, is truly conducive to an enchanted break on ice. Here, however, no actual glass on the 176 m2 of sliding surface, but a special plastic coating which reproduces the feeling of sliding wonderfully. Open daily and free,The Brasserie d’Auteuil 16éme, which has also installed a mini-ice rink on its roof terrace, to particularly appeal to its weekend clientele. You can also skate in the Jardin des Tuileries , the jardin du Trocadéro and on the roof of the Grande Arche de la Défense. The Plazza Athénée hotel hosts an ice rink and a mountain chalet in its private garden. If you are really wealthy, the palace hotel Peninsula Paris offers an ice rink to its customers with an incredible view of the Eiffel Tower on the huge private roof terrace of the Katara suite.
This is good! Taken over by the founders of the O’Sullivans pubs, the emblematic Le Pub Saint Germain founded in 1968 rediscovers the taste of beer and Irish pub. It reopens this past Wednesday at Rue de I’Ancienne-Comédie, 6éme. The iconic pub from the 1970s and 1980s will regain its DNA thanks to the founders of the Irish O’Sullivan pubs , In 2023, the H-Hotels.com group will open a 4-star hotel in the famous Saint-Denis Tour Pleyel tower. It will have 700 rooms and suites. The works will start in 2020. whose views will overlook the Eiffel Tower, the Stade de France and a large part of the Parisian suburbs. The practice is still very rare in France, where only the Hyatt Regency of the Porte Maillot 17éme peaks at 137 meters in height. Note that one of the Mercuriales’ two towers, the Twin Towers of Bagnolet, will also eventually house a hotel managed by Marriott.
The transformation project of the north and northeast part of the Hôtel-Dieu 4éme, unanimously qualified as a “heritage massacre” and “architectural vandalism” by the 55 heritage experts of the Old Paris Commission , in an opinion published last week, Specialists condemn both “the densification of the courtyards of the Hôtel-Dieu, on the rue d’Arcole side”, by the construction of two 4-story buildings and the creation of patios, but also the opening of a new entrance overlooking the quai de Corse. We need to keep our heritage!!!
Six castles of Île de France celebrate Christmas. The castles of Vaux-le-Vicomte, Champs-sur-Marne, Versailles, Fontainebleau, Rambouillet and Chantilly amaze visitors with pretty very professional Christmas shows. Château de Rambouillet (dept Yvelines 78) Visit the Castle with the Merchant of Dreams, a costumed animator who tells fables, eccentric tales and other stories to sleep standing up Féerie is the watchword of Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, transformed into an enchanting Palace colored with pink, yellow, blue, green, silver… Visitors are immersed in a wonderful world where illuminations, garlands, gifts and fir trees brightly decorate the whole of the domain. Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte. Maincy (dept Seine et Marne 77). Until January 5, 2020,A stroll through the large apartments and the Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors) immerses the visitor in the time of Louis XIV and its baroque atmosphere. At nightfall, the musics of Rameau, Moulinié and Sanz are mixed, by the ensemble of Folies françoises conducted by Patrick Cohën-Akenine, and the dances of the Compagnie de l’Eventail. In one part, the Galerie des Batailles (Gallery of Battles), a duel with the sword takes place while a little further, a Baroque Santa Claus sits in the middle of an illuminated forest. Visible through the windows, pyrotechnic effects flood the royal terraces. Château de Versailles (dept Yvelines 78). Les The royal residence of the Château de Fontainebleau is hosting a new Christmas spectacle in the Salle des Colonnes (hall of columns), which features the Fables of La Fontaine. Famous animals – lion, wolf, raven – magically come alive with the humorous play of actors from the Skull troupe in period costumes. The opportunity to revise his classics in the fifteen small plays that mix mystery and magic. Château de Fontainebleau (dept Seine et Marne 77). Les Fables de la Fontaine or The fables of the fountain. From December 21, 2019 to January 5, 2020 Parcours du roi or The King’s Course. Access door B. This year, The Midsummer Night’s Dream gives way to a reinterpretation of Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland adventures. Alice finds her friend the Hatter but also Snow White, Rapunzel or the Little Mermaid. Young and old will admire the equestrian prowess of the acrobats. Grandes Écuries de Chantilly or Great Stables . Rue du Connétable, Chantilly (dept Oise 60). Alice et le manège enchanté or Alice and the enchanted merry-go-round. From December 1, 2019 to January 6, 2020 The Château de Champs-sur-Marne immerses the visitor in an original Christmas with “Le Grand Réveillon”. The dramatized tours allow you to explore behind the scenes of the castle and cross several chapters of its history thanks to a thrilling “mysterious crate” plot. The route starts in the mysterious basements of the castle, then to the second floor, place de la domesticité The new Grand visiteur or big visitor option allows you to be received in Madame la Comtesse’s lounge for a cup of tea or coffee as in the 19C. Château de Champs-sur-Marne. 31, rue de Paris ( dept Seine et Marne 77). Le Grand Réveillon. Weekends from November 29 to December 1, December 6 to 8, December 13 to 15, 2019
Some news from France, CCXCV December 21, 2019
For the first time in 216 years, the eight-century-old Notre Dame Cathedral will remain silent one Christmas night: no ceremony or procession is planned on the outskirts of Notre-Dame de Paris. The Christmas mass will be celebrated at midnight by the rector of the cathedral, Mgr Patrick Chauvet, in the Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois Church, opposite the Louvre. The exhibition is displayed in rue du Cloître, a stone’s throw from the Notre Dame Cathedral. 37 photos arranged on the palisades of the building to devour with your eyes during a stroll in the neighborhood, until March 2020.
The movement against pension reform continues on Saturday for the 17th consecutive day. The unions have rejected any truce on the occasion of the RATP holidays, as well as the SNCF, with the exception of the Unsa-railway but the staff continues. Eight lines of the Paris metro are still not running. Air transport threatens to join the strike in early January calling to strike for the day of 3 January. Like many liberal professions, air transport as well as seafarers fear that the pension reform will cause major changes in their supplementary pension fund. Air transport then gave the government an ultimatum for December 23. If the latter refuses, the strike could extend beyond January 3 …to be continue and check for air travel plans ok
Some news from France, CCXCVI December 26, 2019
First a few chosen spots to wait for the New Year 2020 in Paris. New Years Eve masked ball Eyes Wide Shut. Pavillon Wagram . 47, avenue de Wagram (17éme). Tuesday December 31, 2019, from 22h. to 05h. Formula 5 drinks + open bubbles + evening: € 60.48. 10 drinks + open bubbles + evening package: € 66. For New Year’s Eve, the Pachamama turns into a circus track. At the same time restaurant, club and cocktail bar, the majestic place of 3000 m2 located in Bastille will fill your taste buds with a special Pachamama circus menu. 46, rue du Faubourg Saint Antoine (12éme). Tuesday December 31, 2019, from 22h. Entrance: 30 € with a drink. Dinner € 130 per person (excluding drinks) from 20h. This is the old Barrio Latino The Aquarium Club invites you to wake up around 10,000 fish in a magical setting unique in the world. Facing the Eiffel Tower, wiggle around on the dancefloors and sip your glass of champagne (at will from 00h to 01h) in front of the biggest pool in France which has thousands of exotic fish and around thirty sharks. Aquarium’s New Year “tour Eiffel”. The Aquarium. 5, avenue Albert de Mun (16éme)
Warmly applaud the 5 crazy comedians From around the World in 80 days and realize, above all, that it’s great to laugh out loud (Théâtre de la Gaîté Montparnasse 14éme, until January 4). Attend the new equestrian show at the Grandes Écuries, Alice and the enchanted merry-go-round at Domaine de Chantilly (Oise dept 60, until January 5, by reservation) Hear the delighted little cries of baboons, wolves or lemurs who will discover during the holidays, savory and sweet treats distributed as gifts (Paris Zoological Park 12éme, until January 5) Get to know the Queen of France, wife of Louis XVI through the exhibition “Marie-Antoinette, metamorphoses of an image”. (Conciergerie 1éme, until January 26) o be dazzled by the paintings of Pietr Mondrian in his figurative period from the Salomon B. Slijper collection at the Musée Marmottan-Monet (16éme, until January 26) Stroll by night in the crypt and the nave of the Pantheon (5éme) by the light of a flashlight, accompanied by the music of your choice. (Sept. exceptional nights until January 29).
Some news from France, CCXCVII December 29, 2019
And how about those French lol!! The circulation of metros, buses, trams and RER trains will still be difficult this Sunday December 29 2019. Thirteen metro lines will be completely stopped. In recent years, between December 31 and January 1, Ile-de-France region night owls could count on free public transportation that runs all night. With the strike, it will often be necessary to find a plan B to return home. Slow traffic: thirteen metro lines out of sixteen will be closed on Sunday in Paris, on the 25th day of the strike against the pension reform
he immense crane of Notre-Dame Cathedral enters the landscape of Paris. This astonishing yellow spire rises 75 meters above the top of the old roof of the destroyed cathedral. It will be an essential tool for the consolidation and reconstruction phases. The dismantling, which will last several months, should start in February 2020 , but it takes a dry climate, not too cold to advance in this work. The forecourt should be gradually reopened from the end of January. The interior of the cathedral was emptied using robots. The elements have been sorted, inventoried, stored in tents on the forecourt. The inventory is finished for the nave and the transepts.
It is the first time in decades that a Cimabue has passed under the hammer. And the painting, estimated between 4 and 6 million euros, has soared to more than 24 million euros, including costs, becoming the most expensive primitive painting sold in public sale in the world. It was the Alana private collection, belonging to a couple of Chilean collectors based in the United States and specializing in Italian Renaissance art (part of which is currently on display at the Jacquemart André museum in Paris until January 20 2020), The egg painting and gold background on poplar panel, 25.8 cm by 20.3 cm, was hung between the living room and the kitchen of an old lady in Compiègne (Oise dept 60) and had been appraised at during a move. The expert opinion revealed that it was a very rare work by Ceno Di Pepo, known as Cimabue one of the greatest figures of the Pre-Renaissance. We know at most eleven works executed on wood, none of which is signed. “La Derision du Christ” is believed to be part of a year 1280 diptych depicting scenes from the Passion on eight panels of similar size. Only two of the scenes were known to date: “The Flagellation of Christ” (Frick Collection, New York) and “The Madonna and Child enthroned and surrounded by two angels” (National Gallery, London).
Château de Compiègne (dept 60 Oise) a great start for the exhibition of incredible racing cars. Open to the public for just one month, the concept car event in the heart of the castle of the imperial city is very attractive.
The Bottin or telephone directory turns the page, finally. Appeared several decades before the phone, it had survived the Minitel (old network of information in France). And it is the Internet that will have had its ending. The last telephone directory of individuals (or white pages) in paper version will be delivered in late 2019. For the business yellow pages, the chopper will fall in late 2020. Frankly hardly notice I always use the internet!!
At the Théâtre Mogador 25 rue de Mogador 9éme one of my few theatres I have actually seen a show over the years. See Ghost. created in 2011 from the film of the same name by Jerry Zucker with Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg in the main roles. The show had received three Tony Awards nominations in 2012. A spectacular staging tends to demonstrate once again that we can perfectly combine popular success and artistic quality.
A stone’s throw from the Jardin du Ranelagh garden, at the Musée Marmottan Monet, an exceptional exhibition allows you to discover a facet of the unknown painter, that of landscapes, churches and mills, nuanced colors and delicate features: figurative Mondrian. About sixty paintings, selected by Mondrian himself around 1920 for his collector Salomon B. Slijper, are to be discovered through a journey that highlights the major figurative work of the artist. Impressionism, luminism, wild animals and symbolism are at the heart of the exhibition. Rare cubist and neo-plasticist compositions complete the ride. Musée Marmottan-Monetn 2 rue Louis-Boilly 16éme. And the National Museum of Natural History in the Grand Gallery of Evolution you have an expo on Oceans. The ocean covers most of the planet but is still largely unknown. This exhibition offers an unusual dive into the heart of an original biodiversity, far from the coast and the usual figures. The constraints of the marine environment as well as the challenge of its exploration are highlighted in particular through projections, an important iconography and a selection of atypical specimens. Located at 36 rue Geoffroy St-Hilaire 5éme At the Grand Palais of Paris 3 avenue du Général Eisenhower 8éme see the expo on Toulouse-Lautrec, Résolument moderne . . The work of Toulouse-Lautrec is often reduced to the culture of Montmartre. If the artist wonderfully represented the electricity of the Parisian night and its pleasures, he was especially animated by the aesthetic ambition to translate the reality of modern society under its multiple faces. This exhibition; co-produced by the museums of Orsay and the Orangery as well as by the Rmn-Grand Palais, with the support of the city of Albi and the Toulouse-Lautrec museum; offers to rediscover a great artist.
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 !!!
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