This is my latest from my belle France; the year of the Olympics ! 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 14 years , And for those non Roman CDI is 401 ! ,Of course, chosen by me; there are many others. Hope you enjoy the post as I.
If you are planning to be in or around Paris during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games be aware it will be a mess lol ! Here is some news to help out if questions let me know,
For the games of Paris 2024 all will be change roads streets trafic etc these will be close to the public: Invalides, Trocadéro, and Concorde … The circulation closings at the place of Concorde will be entirely closed to traffic from this Saturday, June 1,2024, it will be impossible to circulate on the Set of the Place de la Concorde, whatever your means of transport. As a reminder, the square around the obelisk will host women and men 3×3 basketball tournaments, which will take place on July 30 and 31. But also the Freestyle BMX on these same dates, early in the afternoon. For the breakdance, meet on August 9 and 10, and on July 27 and 28 and 6 and 7 August for skateboarding, new Olympic discipline. To go from the right bank to the left bank at this level, it will be necessary to go up almost to the level of the Alexandre III bridge (also closed) by the rue de Rivoli, before going down to the Concorde bridge.The Place de la Concorde will have time to become a distant memory, because it will only reopen to the public on … September 7 2024!
To join the Olympic sites of Saint-Denis from Paris, the RCO (Olympic cycle network) will therefore invite cyclists to pass through the East, via the Porte d’Aubervilliers then the new two-way track which has already been set up on the left bank From the Saint-Denis Canal Transport in Île-de-France, the extension of metro line 14 will relieve the RER B, in particular to access the Stade de France.The Tramway 3B in Porte-Dauphine from the Porte de Saint-Ouen as well as the extension of the RER E to the west, between Haussmann-Saint-Lazare, Porte-Maillot, La Défense and Nanterre. Finally, metro line 14 will arrive in Orly, in the South, and Saint -Denis – Pleyel to the north, at the end of June in general, line 14 will allow us to unload RER B in the south and north, also line 13 . As for the extension of the RER E in Nanterre, it is not essential, but it will be a security valve. It will comfortably transport users to the Arena de la Défense or ideally replace the RER A, in the event of a problem, The RER E has just opened a whole new portion between Haussmann-Saint-Lazare and Nanterre. The brand new and two -story trains circulate at 120 km/h in the tunnels. It now serves a carrier, where the press center will sit, as well as the defense – Grande Arche. A pleasant and less requested complement than line 1 or the RER A for Paris La Défense Arena, where the swimming events will be played from July 27 to August 4, Water-Polo finals from August 5 to 11 then those of Paralympic swimming from August 29 to September 8. Thanks to the Tramway 3B, inaugurated last April, tourists will be able to circulate around Paris, to the Porte Maillot and Porte Dauphine, in particular, without going through the center of the city. During the games, no less than half of the Ile -de -France network will be extremely requested: lines 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 14 for the metro, the T3A and the T3B on the tram, the J , L, N, P and U on the Transilien and the RER B, C and D. and certain stations, such as Gare-du-Nord, La Fourche, La Motte-Picquet-Grenelle, Saint-Michel or Garibaldi, on the edge of saturation. At the worst of the day, it will take fifteen minutes just to access the quays. To avoid, therefore, as much as possible. Indeed !!!
The Govt site to anticipate travel plans during the Paris Olympic games 2024 : https://anticiperlesjeux.gouv.fr/carte-interactive-impacts-deplacements-ile-france
The Périphérique or beltway of Paris was still talked about this past Thursday during the presentation of a report dedicated to decentralization, written by the (Renaissance party in power) deputy of the Oise dept 60 Éric Woerth. The document proposes, among 51 suggestions aimed at “bringing more clarity to our territorial organization”, to nationalize the coveted periph. Today a municipal road managed by the city of Paris, the Périphérique boulevard “should be recentralized as are already all the strategic axes connecting the city (A1, A4, A6, A13, A15, A86, etc.), advocated the report. This transfer would make it possible to ensure the continuity of all these strategic axes, especially since its exploitation is part of the Paris police headquarters, “it also specified in the proposal.Something of course Paris does not want to get away from its power but it seems rational to me, hoping to be done,
Grand Paris Express: the tunnel boring ready to dig between Guyancourt and Versailles-Chantiers, the work is progressing on line 18 on Supermetro, which will link Versailles-Chantiers to Orly via Massy-Palaiseau by 2030. The tunnelier was baptized Wednesday: his name will be Awa, named after its sponsor, a local association. The section concerned is located at the end of the future line 18 of the supermetro. Before that, the first trains were nevertheless expected in 2026 between Massy-Palaiseau and the Saclay plateau, in Essonne (dept 91). The imposing tunnel boring 1,800 tons for 9 meters in diameter, should start digging before summer from Guyancourt station to stop at the stade des Chantiers stadium . Or 6.7 km in total. Guyancourt station (or Saint-Quentin-Est) must allow the supermetro to serve the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines basin, including the Renault technocentre. Connections with the other lines will be numerous on the three stations (Guyancourt, Satory and Chantiers), with possible correspondence with the RER C, the Transilien (N and U lines) and the TGV. Unloading the car but even this will not be enough too many folks and too many visitors lol !! Official webpage: https://www.grandparisexpress.fr/
For a more mundane nice news we have the gardens !! Île-de-France region is distinguished by a green heritage of incomparable wealth. On the occasion of the Rendez-vous aux Jardins, from May 31 to June 2, 2024 the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs (DRAC) of Île-de-France invites you to (re) discover the parks and gardens of the region and to use all your senses to explore the botanical treasures they contain. The 21st edition of the Rendez-vous aux Jardins mobilizes more than 230 private or public gardens in the region, 26 of which are labeled “remarkable garden”. This event, on the theme of “five senses in the garden”, aims to highlight the richness and variety of parks and gardens, but also to offer us a full -fledged sensory experience allowing each of ( re) discovering nature in its own way and in a inclusive manner. Among them, the Domaine de Saint-Cloud (92) offers a tactile discovery of the garden as well as a thematic visit focused on the five senses. The Boussard park in Lardy (91) is a recently labeled place where visitors are invited to come and discover an architect’s garden, a rare witness to Art Deco style gardens still remaining today.The garden of the tool museum in Wy-dit-Joli-Village (95), created in the tradition of the priest gardens and essential passage for lovers of Vexin, will inaugurate the exhibition “Herbier Bleu” and will animate several workshops, Including one to learn about the family cyanotype, an old photographic process. The meetings at the gardens offer the opportunity to exchange with some of them and discover the back of the decor. This is the case of the Park de Cluny in Thiais (94), where you will set off to discover the park orchard with the association “Les Croqueurs de Apples d’Île-de-France”.At the Château de Champs-sur-Marne (77) is planned an exceptional visit in the company of La Cheffe-Jardinier and the educational action manager of the estate which will allow more behind the scenes of the 85 hectare park. The Bagatelle park (75), will organize workshops around roses as well as a concert.The Arboretum of Versailles-Chèvreloup (78) will make known the olfactory subtleties of its fragrant pelargonium collection.The garden of the 5 senses in the Museum of Art and History of Saint-Denis (93) will lead you to meet the rose and its hidden, religious, macabre or romantic symbolism, to discover all the secrets.
The official Rendez-vous aux jardins : https://rendezvousauxjardins.culture.gouv.fr/en/
The Centre Pompidou opens this Wednesday, May 29,2024 a monumental exhibition, or even several, “comics on all floors”, around more than 130 artists. It will tells us the story of comics, from 1905 to 2024, through more than 130 artists and 750 originals, and again, these two figures only concern the large exhibition on the 6th floor, there are four others on the lower floors, and this gigantism makes you dizzy. Webpage : https://www.centrepompidou.fr/fr/programme/agenda/evenement/9htHbj4
In the footsteps of the men’s monuments, this battalion Savior of works of art during the war an exhibition traces the history of these “art officers” who tried to protect the works during WWII . Panels and windows were installed in the rooms of the castle, traveled by one of these soldiers in 1944. It takes you in the footsteps of these American and British officers who embarked on a mission outside common: save the cultural heritage threatened by the Nazis. As a very didactic course, walk in the steps of Georges Stout, James Rimer or Mason Hammond. . Because the Men monuments followed closely the soldiers of the Normandy landing to sink into France. Even in Val-d’Oise dept 95. The Château de la Roche-Guyon is well linked to their history. Webpage : https://www.chateaudelarocheguyon.fr/machinaxion/
At the Norman city museum, the work of the American painter James Abbott McNeill Whistler dialogues with those of artists that he influenced although he was not an impressionist, the American Whistler maintained close links with Edgar Degas and Claude Monet, whom he helped to exhibit in London. He studied with him and Renoir at the Academy of Charles Gleyre, friend of Stéphane Mallarmé and Oscar Wilde, Proustian model of the painter Elstir in the search for lost time, he influences his contemporaries and his continuators, so much so that we will even speak of “whistlerism”. First inspired by the realism of Edouard Manet or Gustave Courbet, his paintings slowly evolve towards abstraction. This season, the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen highlights one of its emblematic figurative paintings, arrangement in gray and black n ° 1, also called portrait of the artist’s mother, kept at the museum of Orsay. The works of Claude Monet, Jacques-Emile Blanche and Paul-César Helleu, all active in Normandy, are part of the exhibition. Webpage : https://mbarouen.fr/en/expositions/whistler-the-butterfly-effect
The Île-de-France region is also full of hidden places and small wonders that are worth seeing, Some of my favorites over the years are :
L’Isle-Adam, or the “earthly paradise” of Balzac. Here, beautiful houses, museums, events and river beach will contribute to your kiff. On the program of visits: the Valley of Impressionists, the Saint-Martin Church, the castle of Stors and its chapel … Enough to have a good day! L’îsle-Adam (Val-d’Oise 95)
The Jean Tinguely’s Cyclop ; this 25 -meter high sculptural work offers us a unique visual and sound experience! This giant of 300 tons of concrete and metal, erected in the middle of the forest of Milly-la-Forêt from 1969 to 1994 by a collective of artists led by Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle, seems to be out of another world. Le Bois des Pauvres, Milly-la-Forêt (Essonne 91)
A desert? Almost ! The Désert de Retz , Anglo-Chinese garden dating from the end of the 18C, is today 17 hectares and still has seven picturesque or extravagant constructions: the destroyed column, the tartare tent, the ruined Gothic Church, the temple to the god Pan, the almost ruined little altar, the theater discovered and the pyramid cooler. Between 1774 and 1789, François de Monville, man of lights passionate about architecture, botany and music, created the desert of Retz. The Anglo-Chinese Garden Désert at Chambourcy (Yvelines 78),
The abbey was ravaged during the Hundred Years War; It will take almost two centuries to the Cistercians to rebuild the whole. During the 18C, the Lys abbey gradually lost its renown. Only some parts of the church and transept of the church remain today, the foundations of the cloister and a staircase with nearly one hundred steps. Royal Abbey Notre-Dame-du-Lys, 407, avenue du Lys-Dammarie-les- Lys (Seine et Marne 77)
Troglodyte church of the Annunciation is the only church of this type in Île-de-France, hence the great interest of this oddity. Only the bell tower is in masonry, and even the exterior facade is none other than the chalk rock left in place as it is. The single nave is entirely excavated in the rock ,the Église troglodytique de l’Annonciation ,144, route de la Vallée, Haute-Isle (Val d’Oise 95)
If a “forest bath” session tempts you, and a little beach would not hurt you either, then we have the perfect address: the Fontainebleau forest. Not only is the name mythical-the cul-du-chien sands-but in addition the frame is idyllic. It looks like the Landes. 30 million years ago, an ocean of hot water deposited quartz, which became over time of sand. Les Sables du Cul-du-Chien ,Chemin des Sables du Cul de Chien, Noisy-sur-École (Seine et Marne 77)
The City of Saint-Cloud is transformed and adorns a pretty gourmet hall for spring. The marché des Avelines market is revealed and gets a facelift, in a large spacious and bright decor. And a brand new Food Court has appeared. On the program: 22 merchants, with butchers, fishmongers, early people, cheese makers, florists … including 7 which are completely new and some organic stands. Marché des Avelines, 44, boulevard de la République-Saint-Cloud, open Wednesday to Saturday from 8h to 13h, and Friday from 16h to 20h, Food Court Les Balançoires open every midday from Tuesday to Saturday and Friday evening, The City of Saint Cloud on the market : https://www.saintcloud.fr/actualite/le-nouveau-marche-des-avelines-ouvert-ses-portes
If coffee is an omnipresent drink in French culture, and this for more than three centuries, a real revolution has been working for a few decades historical brands, as well as new proposals, in Paris , in at heart to vary the preparation methods (filter, espresso and piston).
Oh love coffee and no need for an introduction these are magical sublime places need to be at least once in your lifetime coming or visiting Paris, These are : The Cafés Pfalt at Villenes sur Seine (Yvelines dept 78 !! ), Terres de Café ,4éme of Paris , and Café Caron 3éme of Paris ! Enjoy them as I have,
And to continue with the beautiful tradition of terraces in my eternal Paris some of my favorite over the year that you should be at least once in your lifetime of visiting or living in Paris, France,,, These are : The Grand Véfour , a change in this institution now with terraces took out its tables under the arcades of the Palais-Royal. 17, rue de Beaujolais (1éme), Le Nemours on the side of the Comédie-Française, the flora of the right bank and its terrace tirelessly run by the big little world of the Palais-Royal . 2-7, Galerie de Nemours (1éme), 404 yes it has a number !! opens its garden to invent a way from Riad to the Marais. 69, rue des Gravilliers (4éme), and Carette offering the privilege of being able to come and get your appetite between the arcades and the gardens of the Place des Vosges. 25, Place des Vosges (3éme). Enjoy them as I have !
There you go folks, my latest round of my some news from France coming to you freely by the road warrior travel guy . Again, hope you enjoy this post as I,
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 