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 CDIII is 403 ! ,Of course, chosen by me; there are many others. Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The influx of tourists in Olympic Paris is not particularly felt in department stores. The timetable of spectators is as tight as their budget devoted to shopping. The Parisian department store district , three days after the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games of Paris. When on average, each week, the Haussmann area is crossed by 300,000 people. Also, in neighboring cities such as Aubervilliers, Saint-Ouen or Pantin, the attendance of businesses during the Olympic Games was not up to expectations. Of course, the crowd for the games is not the same as a normal tourist !!, me think,
The 2024 Fan club installed at the foot of the Château de Vincennes attracted 155,000 people in two weeks, more than the visit to the castle in one year. After the Olympic fever, calm in Champ-de-Mars
nearly half a million spectators went to the Eiffel tower (7éme) on the Stadium Tour to attend the Beach Volley during the Olympic Games. From now on, the district is back to calm, while waiting for the
paralympic games. The Stade Tour Eiffel, erected in the middle of the Champ-de-Mars for the 2024 Paris Games, received nearly 450,000 spectators who came to attend the Beach-Volley Olympic events. From now on, the 13,000 -seat ephemeral arena is the subject of some transformations upstream of the paralympic in order to host the Cécifoot tests.
The basin (vasque) in the Jardin des Tuileries is over … For the moment! The Tuileries site which houses the vasque 30 meters high and 7 meters wide, and which has already welcomed 200,000 people since July 27 , is therefore closed. But do not dispair those who have not yet seen the vasque are reassured, it will be visible again in a few days. The site will once again host the public from Thursday, August 29, the day after the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, which will be held on the avenue des Champs-Élysées. The flame will be on again on this occasion. Spectators will then be able to enjoy the show during the twelve days of the competition, until Saturday September 7,2024 before the official passage of September 8 between Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028, the next host city of the Games.
The massive increase in prices, set up for the then Paralympic Olympic Games, remains in force between the two fifteen sports in Île-de-France the massive rise in prices (4 euros for a metro ticket per unit against 2, 15 euros in normal times, and 6 euros for a suburban ticket, whatever its destination) which was set up, from July 20, by Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) to finance the additional costs of the transport offer during the Games, will indeed remain in force until the departure of the last paralympic athlete, in a month. And without return to the classic pricing grid during the two weeks which separate us from the opening ceremony of the “2nd round” of Paris 2024. Got get money from somewhere, poor souls coming and needing transports there !
The skatepark installed during the Olympic Games on the Esplanade de la Defense is being dismantled. It arrives in spare parts on the Île de Puteaux, where it will be added to the existing Skatepark. The inauguration is scheduled for October 2024. This extension of around 500 m2 will almost double the surface of the skatepark.
The Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte will be free for those who have the first name of a French gold medalist since Friday, August 9, the management of the site erected by Nicolas Fouquet in the 17C in Maincy (Seine-et-Marne 77) , It has an offer the entry as soon as you wear the first name of a French gold medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games! And it is a reduced price for those who have the same first name as a holder of the silver and bronze medals! Bravo VLV !!!
With the Olympic Games, the Palace of Versailles had 20% less visitors … but incredible visibility, Some folks, feared that the site, with the reception of equestrian competitions from July 27 to August 6, 2024 was inaccessible, others probably have feared of transport or parking difficulties. Nevertheless, 839,700 visitors,came in to discover the castle, the Domaine de Trianon, the gardens or the galleries of sculptures and moldings and coaches exceptionally open every day and free of charge during the summer -, and the Jeu de Paume room !! Awesome offer !!!
Great company and sharing spot assured at the Nations Parc, the impression of having gone to the end of the world, Throughout the period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris 2024, the 55 ha of the Parc de la Villette (19éme) are transformed into a Nations Park. On the spot, about fifteen countries offer an immersion in their country as close as possible to their athletes. Just after leaving the Paris metro, the globes trotters of a day can be found in Mexico, Serbia and even Mongolia in a few steps. Nice !!
To observe how the development of mass sports practices in the 20C transformed the emblematic place of the stadium, direction the Cité de l’Architecture. In Spot24, the light is put on urban sports that entered the games in 2024 (skateboarding, sports climbing, BMX freestyle, surfing, 3×3 basketball and break). The centenary of the Paris Olympic Games is commemorated with the 1924-2024 imprint exhibition, 100 years of Olympic inheritance in the Jardin des Tuileries. Finally, the Musée d’Orsay has decided to celebrate its history by offering a sports sculptures course, to return to the original ideal of the Olympiads, The information details follows :
Il était une fois les stades or Once upon a time there was the Cité de l’Architecture stadiums, 1, place du Trocadéro-et-du-11-Novembre 16éme Until 16 September 2024, Cité de l’Architecture info : https://www.citedelarchitecture.fr/en/agenda/exhibition/once-upon-time-there-were-stadiums
L’exposition olympiqueor The Olympic exhibition,Spot 24, 101, quai Jacques-Chirac 15éme, Until December 31 2024,Paris tourist office for info : https://parisjetaime.com/eng/article/spot24-paris-a1122
Empreintes 1924-2024, 100 ans d’héritage olympique, or Imprints1924-2024, 100 years of Olympic inheritance,Jardins des Tuileries , Until September 22 2024, webpage info : https://cnosf.franceolympique.com/exposition-empreintes-19242024-cent-ans-dheritage-olympique
Autour des Jeux Olympiques de 1900 : sport et idéal, or Around the 1900 Olympic Games: Sport and Ideal Musée d’Orsay, Esplanade Valéry Giscard d’Estaing 7éme, Until September 22 2024, Musée d’Orsay info : https://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/whats-on/exhibitions/around-1900-olympic-games-sport-and-ideal
The Maison Elysée in Paris, (near the presidential palace) an object of tourist curiosity, the presidency opened at the end of July, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, a place with an exhibition space, a cafe and a souvenir store, intended to satisfy the curiosity of tourists. These are some of the three hundred products, sometimes kitsch but still made in France, on sale at the store which opened on July 30 at 88, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, just opposite the cour d’honneur de l’Elysée.This space of 600 square meters, which also includes a small museum dedicated to the presidential palace and a coffee of around forty spaces upstairs, aims to have the excellence of the manufactured in France shine. It is also and above all, according to the press release from the presidency, to bring every French behind the scenes of a house which belongs to it by destination. At the heart of the exhibition, the office created in 1740 by the cabinetmaker Charles Cressent and on whom worked Charles de Gaulle and François Mitterrand, in particular, sits in the middle of a reconstruction of the golden room. Official webpage : https://www.elysee.fr/en/maison-elysee
The Passerelle Bir-Hakeim pedestrian bridge, which adjoins the bridge of the same name and spans avenue Kennedy, has closed its doors-or in any case its access, faults of the beating strictly speaking-for 3 days now. Indeed, the passage, which was taken by storm in the night from Saturday to Sunday, showed very big signs of weakness, forcing the police to evacuate it urgently to close it immediately. The Passerelle Bir-Hakeim bridge, which had been signs of deterioration for a few years, will therefore have not resisted the craze of Parisians thoroughly in the Olympic Games. This is now under study for the needed renovations,
The Jazz Festival in La Villette is a must for the season for this 15th edition, the programming distills us suave melodies, soul or hip-hop songs, Afrobeat, and jazz of course. The 23rd edition of Jazz in La Villette opens the season with a concert marathon, where styles and generations dialogue. From August 30 to September 10, 2024, Official Jazz à la Villette : https://www.jazzalavillette.com/en/
Rock en Seine, it’s more than a festival, it’s messy memories, dust on shoes, market miles not to miss anything, smiles to the ears, pogos do you want, Here, liters of beer descended, artists all crazier than each other … This year is obviously no exception, with a program of madness: Lana Del Rey, Fred Again .., LCD Soundsystem, Maneskin, Massive Attack, PJ Harvey, The Offspring, The Smile… and many more! Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, from August 21 to 25, 2024, Official Rock en Seine : https://www.rockenseine.com/en/
A wind of novelty blows to Disneyland Paris (and we are watching it closely!). Shortly after announcing the creation of an area dedicated to the Snow Queen, the Park in Marne-la-Vallée still reveals a new project: that of creating an attraction on the theme of the Roi Lion. An area and an aquatic type attraction, The Lion King will soon open in Disneyland Paris they will be in the heart of the extension of the Walt Disney Studios park (soon renamed Disney Adventure World) alongside the future zone La Reine des Neiges or the Snow Queen all this in the Kingdom of Arendelle All this transformation will almost double the area of this park , The Lion King’s attraction will only open after that dedicated to the icy world of Ana and Elsa, scheduled for 2026. Official Disneyland Paris site for more info : https://disneylandparis-news.com/en/disneyland-paris-will-welcome-the-worlds-first-attraction-and-immersive-themed-area-inspired-by-the-lion-king-and-reveals-that-world-of-frozen-will-open-in-2026/
As you might know, the scale of France, Paris is far, very far from being at the top of the ranking, with its 105 km². For example, the city of Arles is equivalent to 7 times the area of Paris, but even if we only consider the Île-de-France region, the city is only second in the top, behind the charming city of … Fontainebleau ! YES ! Located in my dear Seine-et-Marne dept 77, this charming flower city has 172 km², 67 more than Paris and for good reason, it is no less than 22,000 hectares. Beyond its honorary title of the largest city in Île-de-France, Fontainebleau, is a small corner of paradise less than an hour from Paris, accessible directly , It is full of good little restaurants-or window shopping , and gigantic and magnificent forest park . And we can only recommend the visit of the castle itself, a small shack of 1,500 rooms listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.In short, Fontainebleau is a real haven of peace, on the verge of overcoming Paris in every way. Yes believe it I agree, Official City of Fontainebleau : https://www.fontainebleau.fr/
The Grenouillère swimming pool finally knows its destiny, which could not be better in the summer and Olympic period which takes place in Paris. The pool located south of the Sceaux departmental park in Antony, Hauts de Seine dept 92 will be completely renovated to offer the public a large -scale complex , Already work began with the foundation stone of the building laid in June 2024, The project provides three interior basins and two outdoor basins, aquatic play areas, relaxation, well-being, catering, solarium, hammam and sauna, as well as play areas such as Beach Volley. The new pool of Grenouillère is part of an environmental approach: islets of freshness will complete the services of the building, which will recover water to water its green spaces. In total, 71 % of the complex will be green, The reception of the center is scheduled for June 2026, followed by an opening to the public in November 2026. The Aquatic center of La Grenouillère, Parc de Sceaux, 148, avenue du Général de Gaulle – Antony ( Hauts de Seine Deppt 92) Official City of Antony on the pool : https://www.hauts-de-seine.fr/mon-departement/les-hauts-de-seine/les-grands-projets/les-projets-dequipements-sportifs/la-grenouillere-a-antony
Update wonderful news cannot wait for next post on the series so here it is!!! The hôtel Les Lumières
opened on last MondayJuly 15, 2024, in Versailles (Yvelines 78), not far from the castle. A place of excellence and steeped in history. Precisely at 5, rue Colbert, a stone’s throw from the castle, many of them have walked the floor of the great hall of the old Hotel de France. A place sometimes compared to the Galerie des Glaces, in smaller of course. Now, this room now has welcomed customers of the hôtel Les Lumiéres for their breakfast. The 2L collection group has carried out work for more than three years to transform the site into a high -end establishment. The building links the Pavillons Gramont and Villacerf (former Hôtel de France), offered by Louis XIV to Édouard Colbert and Antoine III de Gramont. It is now a hotel with 31 rooms, with a restaurant, a bar, a spa, a library and an adjoining Pierre-Hermé boutique, attached to the Café Hermé. The sumptuous establishment, classified Relais et Châteaux, awaits the end of the work of the second building to win five stars status! Each room is thus named the name of a personality of the Age of Enlightenment (1715-1789), from Diderot to the Montgolfier brothers, who made the Château de Versailles the first flight in ballon in 1783. The restaurant La Table des Lumières with chef Erwan Le Thomas who said “In the kitchen, we use all the products, French, from the short circuit, in a locavore logic. Wine is also French. The bar only offers French products like Breton whiskey for example” By 2025, the hôtel Les Lumières will also have a terrace, allowing the castle to be admired while tasting macaroons signed by the star pastry chef or stamped Erwan Le Thomas. As for the Pierre-Hermé store, it is accessible to everyone, and not only to the hotel customers, with direct access from rue Colbert. The official Hôtel Les Lumiéres: https://www.leslumieres.com/
For my local anecdote on the above and see post: this address house a restaurant La Tavern de Maître Kanter that I took my family while living in Versailles, then it was change to the Pavillon Colbert restaurant and now the hôtel Les Lumiéres! Hoping for a better ending.
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 