This is my latest from my belle France; And it 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 16 years , And for those non Roman CCCXCIX is 399 !! ,I have come back to new posts and continue the saga of this series some news from France , part CCCXCIX !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The latest installment in the “Spider-Man” saga drew 2.5 million moviegoers to French theaters between Wednesday and Sunday. It marks the biggest opening of the year, outperforming even “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which was released in late 2021. At this stage, the new film—starring Tom Holland and Zendaya (as Spider-Man and Peter Parker’s girlfriend, respectively)—is doing even better than the previous entry in the franchise. In December 2021, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” sold “only” 2.1 million tickets over its first five days… before ultimately finishing its French box-office run with 7.3 million admissions.
The Montparnasse Tower renovation project is moving forward despite internal disagreements. On July 31, the owners met to vote on launching the massive renovation of the Montparnasse Tower Paris’s tallest skyscraper and an iconic landmark of the city located in the 15éme arrondissement. Plans include an agricultural greenhouse at the summit, a transformation into a glass-clad tower, hotels, and retail spaces. The cost of this transformation stands at €800 million, up from €300 million when the project began in 2017. This has not deterred the stakeholders, however, who voted by a large majority to “continue the ongoing operations” to remove asbestos.
The world’s most famous avenue could see the return of its Christmas chalets, ten years after the last edition organized by Marcel Campion. The City of Paris has just issued a call for expressions of interest for Christmas 2026. It was 2016 when Marcel Campion’s 240 chalets lit up the lower Champs-Élysées for the last time. The “King of Fairground Operators” did not yet know it, but his reign over what is dubbed the “most beautiful avenue in the world” was drawing to a close. Ten years later, the City of Paris having been “approached by a project developer” has just published a call for expressions of interest (AMI) to set up a new Christmas market on the lower section of the avenue, running from November 22, 2026, to January 4, 2027. Applications are open until August 10, 2026,.
The Museum of the Liberation of Paris – General Leclerc Museum – Jean Moulin Museum is benefiting from the “de Gaulle” effect. Located at Place Denfert-Rochereau in Paris (14th arrondissement) directly above the 1944 insurrection headquarters, the museum is enjoying a successful summer, riding the wave of the two “La bataille De Gaulle” films. Released in early and late June respectively, *La bataille de Gaulle : L’âge de fer* and its sequel, *La bataille de Gaulle : J’écris ton nom*, have together surpassed the 4-million-viewer mark and are aiming for 5 million by the end of August; these films are inspiring the public to explore the subject further.
Inhabited since the Gallo-Roman era, the heart of Melun was home to a royal residence during the Middle Ages. Today, students, shopkeepers, and pike fishermen cross paths there between the Notre-Dame collegiate church and the botanical garden. Île Saint-Étienne, in the Seine-et-Marne department, is perhaps one of the Seine’s most inconspicuous islands. One need only cross the Jeanne-d’Arc Bridge to attend the annual Melun Brie festival.
In the Middle Ages spanning the territory between the Kingdom of France and the Duchy of Berry, or the Vendée bocage and the Duchy of Savoy gardens designed for utility, symbolism, or pleasure existed alongside abbeys, monasteries, and castles. Modern-day medieval gardens are sophisticated contemporary recreations or reinterpretations of those ecclesiastical and seigneurial gardens. The new garden at the National Museum of the Middle Ages, enclosed by Haussmann-style railings, lies in the very heart of the Latin Quarter, at the intersection of the Saint-Michel and Saint-Germain boulevards. It serves as a green setting for the town house of the Abbots of Cluny, which itself adjoins the Gallo-Roman baths of Lutetia. The original 15th-century Flamboyant Gothic building has been fitted with a contemporary extension, allowing for the creation of a new visitor route.
Noise-monitoring cameras to combat road noise: whether you’re driving a car, motorcycle, or truck on Île-de-France roads, you’re being monitored. Acoustic cameras are being rolled out across 27 towns in the Val-de-Marne, Hauts-de-Seine, and Seine-Saint-Denis departments. There are no fines involved; instead, the aim is to inform and encourage drivers—particularly those with modified motorcycles—to ease off the throttle.
The “Petite Mer” of Gâvres: A shifting landscape tucked away in the Lorient roadstead in Morbihan, a small 566-hectare inlet forms one of the most distinctive landscapes along the Breton coast. Its formation is a long and mysterious story. Driven by ocean currents, the surrounding sands in perpetual motion accumulated to create a long dune ridge known as a “tombolo,” a formation dating back twenty thousand years. Today, this tombolo connects the Gâvres peninsula to the mainland. The “little inland sea” itself is the body of water trapped behind this dune ridge a semi-enclosed bay where Atlantic waters continue to flow in through a narrow channel situated between the towns of Port-Louis to the north and Gâvres to the south. Since 1774, a ferry has connected these two facing stretches of land in a journey of about ten minutes. At high tide, the water covers the edges of the inlet. At low tide, mudflats, salt marshes, and dwarf eelgrass beds underwater meadows are revealed.
The symbolic threshold of €2 per liter for diesel and petrol—viewed as a disaster just a few months ago—seems to have been accepted by service station customers. Nearly five months later, prices remain just as high. Worse still, they have settled well above a price point that, only eight months ago, we deemed unacceptable.
The “Coup de Poing” (rapid-execution) operation on the N3 has finally launched, aiming to ease traffic flow in northern Seine-et-Marne dept 77. Construction of a tunnel beneath the N3 national road in Claye-Souilly began this Tuesday, August 4. This marks a new milestone in a project designed to improve traffic flow between Meaux and Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle Airport. Despite weighing 1,600 tonnes, the 45-meter-long tunnel is advancing slowly but surely. In just three hours, it permanently took the place of the section of earth excavated the previous day at this spot on the N3, a road that had been closed in both directions since the weekend. Dubbed “Operation Coup de Poing,” this is the first of nine stages (including a viaduct) in a massive infrastructure project launched decades ago: a new four-lane road spanning approximately 6 km, connecting the D212 south of Compans to the N3 east of Claye-Souilly. Serving the Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle Airport–Meaux corridor, the new road will relieve congestion on the D212, with traffic volume expected to drop by 40% by 2040. My old road to get to Meaux and my eventual wife its about time as it is heavy with traffic nowdays,
Four weeks of major disruptions are expected around Montigny-le-Bretonneux. Ahead of the extended closure of the Saint-Cloud tunnel (Hauts-de-Seine) on the A13—scheduled to begin in November—residents of Montigny-le-Bretonneux and Bois-d’Arcy will need to adjust their usual commutes this summer. Starting this Monday, access ramp 8b from the N12 toward Paris, as well as the link between the N12 and the A12, are closed around the clock. This situation will last for four weeks, until Friday, August 21 2026. It will also affect the many commuters who typically travel to the Montigny-le-Bretonneux business district. According to the road operator, more than 100,000 vehicles travel along the N12 daily.
Since mid-July, Line 8 trains have been passing through République without stopping. The reorganization of transfers between the station’s four other lines is confusing passengers. The cause is a massive project involving waterproofing, station modernization, and the reorganization of underground pedestrian flows throughout the République complex—the first phase of which began on July 22. The work will be carried out sequentially across the five metro lines serving the République interchange hub (lines 3, 5, 8, 9, and 11) and will continue until 2034.
Just an hour from Paris by car or two hours by public transport lies the charming town of Milly-la-Forêt. It is a place that feels like a step back in time, bordered by the vast Trois Pignons forest massif and its exceptional landscapes. An ideal destination for a breath of fresh air and a countryside escape, it also harbors a unique surprise: one of France’s most astonishing artworks, *Le Cyclop* by Jean Tinguely, located in the Bois des Pauvres (Wood of the Poor). The town is full of charm, boasting a famous 15C market hall, a château, a bridge, a series of delightful old washhouses, and a chapel decorated by Jean Cocteau himself who lived and died in the village. He was not the only celebrity to settle here; Christian Dior also owned a home in the town for several years. *Le Cyclop*, *Le Bois des Pauvres* – Milly-la-Forêt The official Les Cyclop: https://www.lecyclop.com/
PLAYMOBIL®: History in Miniature. An exhibition that puts a smile on the faces of young and old alike, featuring historical scenes created using… Playmobil! From castles to battles, discover key moments in history alongside scenes of everyday life Reims-style! A fun and heartwarming exhibition, free to visit all summer long at Le Cellier. Runs until September 2, 2026. Free admission. Le Cellier, Rue de Mars, Reims.
Conceived in the late 1920s in Poissy (Yvelines dept 78), Le Corbusier’s architectural work has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site since July 2016 a distinction that helps attract international tourists. Announced in July 2016, the news was seen at the time as a promising boost for the profile of Poissy, positioning the town as a “must-visit destination in the cultural world,” according to municipal officials.
The Musée d’Orsay is set to pay tribute to Mary Cassatt, the independent-minded American Impressionist painter and activist. Although she was a key figure in the Impressionist movement, it is only now a century after her death that the Musée d’Orsay is presenting the first major French retrospective of her work. From October 6, 2026, to January 31, 2027, this temple of Impressionism will explore the significance and unique nature of her art, as well as a life defined by her quest for personal independence such as her purchase of an estate in the Oise , which provided both financial security and artistic inspiration, and her activism for women’s rights. The exhibition will feature works ranging from early paintings of her family and depictions of young women in social settings to her signature “mother and child” scenes, alongside a digital reproduction of *Modern Woman* a colossal (4 × 18 meter) work created for the Woman’s Building at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair that has since been lost. Musée d’Orsay, 1 Rue de la Légion d’Honneur, 7éme.
On Belle-Île-en-Mer an island that needs no introduction, you will find a magnificent sand-and-pebble beach: the Ster-Vraz cove. Nestled among cliffs on one of Morbihan’s most beautiful islands, this wind-sheltered beach offers the perfect setting for a sunny, sea-breeze-filled afternoon. Golf enthusiasts can also enjoy the island’s course, which boasts a stunning panorama of this Armorican oasis. Awesome !!
Moida, already known for offering the largest selection of Korean beauty products in Europe, has just opened the continent’s largest K-Beauty concept store ,a massive flagship location dedicated entirely to the genre. Following the success of its first shop in Châtelet, Moida decided to take things to the next level by creating a true temple of Korean skincare right in the heart of the city. Located on the Champs-Élysées, this vast store offers hundreds of products spread across two floors. In total, you can choose from no fewer than 80 brands including 28 exclusives, and 159 exclusive product lines available in France only at Moida. Moida Champs-Élysées, 30/32, Avenue des Champs-Élysées – 8éme
Bordeaux retains its appeal. According to the latest survey by the company Des Bras en Plus, the city remains the second most popular destination for residents leaving the Île-de-France region (Paris) ranking just behind Biarritz and ahead of Toulouse, Rennes, and Montpellier. More broadly, relocations to the Atlantic coast and the Grand Ouest (mine) region have risen by 10% compared to 2024. Thanks to its economic vitality, cultural scene, proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, and a TGV link connecting it to Paris in about two hours, Bordeaux continues to establish itself as a top choice for French people seeking a fresh start. Indeed go west go west !!!
Three years after taking over the three Avant-Comptoir de l’Odéon locations from his uncle Yves, Julien Camdeborde has expanded this small empire of wine and hors d’oeuvre bars to two new Right Bank addresses ,one near the Gare de l’Est (formerly *Pointe du Grouin*) and a stone’s throw from Les Halles while maintaining consistent quality and reasonable prices. The latter location is air-conditioned and adopts the brand’s signature décor long and mirrored centered around the aptly named counter that guards the bottles displayed in the refrigerated cellar. This is one of my top places to eat and drink in Paris over the years and always looking forward to be back, eventually,The official Camborde on my favorite of them all : https://camdeborde.com/en/restaurants/avant-comptoir-de-la-terre
Pierre Marcolini,a native of Charleroi, Belgium has built a stellar reputation for his fine chocolates and plump macarons, but it turns out he’s a master of ice cream, too! At his Lafayette Gourmet stand, you can choose from four continuously churned flavors (€5.50 for a small tub); alongside classics like vanilla, pistachio, and chocolate, there is a perfectly balanced mango-yuzu, where the citrus acidity electrifies the floral notes. A must anytime in Paris! Located at 35 Boulevard Haussmann, 9éme.
And to finish a bit of historical gourmande history I like tell us that some of nicest gourmand choices in my belle France is the Croissant, the symbol of the French breakfast, Its origins goes back to Vienna Austria on the siege by the Turks in 1683. Introduced a hundred years later in France by Marie Antoinette. Initially done with bread dough , it was early in the 20C thanks to the Parisians pastry makers who worked with raised dough leavened and puff pastry all butter. A must! Yesteryear, the majority of pastries/bakery shops were concentrated on rue des Oubloyers, in the Ïle de la Cité. Here they served flat waffles as well as niules, scalded, sorry waffles, and flavored beugnetes today gone. A bit of history I like is in order here, for a clarification. Several historic professions in Paris are designated: the oubloyers: they made forgetfulness, small pastries, pastry chefs: they made meat pies, cheese pies, fish pies. Oubloyers are the oldest. There are statutes dating from 1240, later revised in 1397 and 1406. They produced oublies, small pastries that Parisians appreciated, but also hosts and bread to sing, marketed during festivals but also in periods of forgiveness in front of the door of the churches. Pastry chefs appeared in Paris in 1440 and generally managed to live in harmony with bakers (some of whom also acquired mastery in pastry), especially since the latter had previously produced meat pies. With the statutes of 1566, pastry chefs and oubloyers came together , In 1596, gingerbread manufacturers appeared. In fact, they are former oubloyers who did not find themselves in the profession of pastry chefs.
A standard is the Brioche de Paris. The brioche has a head that is push up by the yeast and not because of the sourdough bread. The now famous Paris-Brest done with a filled crown dough with praline cream filling. It has its origins by a pastry maker of Maisons Laffitte (78Yvelines) in 1909. However, name after the fame race in 1891 when the renown bicycle race was born going from Paris to Brest in Bretagne. Another classic we like is the one call the Parisien, a meringue cake golden in oven, a lemon biscuit covered of frangipani and candied fruits. And the more recent discovery of the Pavé de Marly, a meringue sponge cake with candied fruit, Take a shot at the Saint Honoré done in honor of the patron Saint of the bakers and pastry makers. It is done garni simply in creme chantilly or creme de Chiboust where the creator was installed in the rue Saint Honoré of Paris.
Do try the Talmouses de Saint Denis a salty cake offered to the bishop of Paris in the Middle Ages. It is still with us with several variations. The name comes from the one given to bakers at the time not boulangers but talemeliers. Generally these small tricornes of puff pastry contain a soufflé device with matured or fresh cheese. The famous Champignons de Paris or mushrooms cultivated originally in humid cellars from the Middle Ages of white or briste aka layers, Its cultivatin was increased from the 17C by the agronomist La Quintinie , but it was under Napoléon I that it was baptised of Paris. It was grown in the quarries of the 15éme arrondissement. The mushroom of Paris is eaten young and can be eaten raw ; it is small and its use in decoration of the dishes and garnishement of sauces, too big it is stuffed. And here is something we did recently, the entrecôte Bercy ! Recipe for 6 persons, we look up the cooking book lol ! 3 entrecôte steaks of 400 grams , salt and pepper ; For the sauce Bercy : 500 grams of beef marrow, cut in two spoons the cut shallot 4 dl of white wine, 200 grams of butter, one spoon of chopped parsley ,the juice of half a lemon salt and pepper, Preparation for the sauce Bercy, poach the marrow in salted water without letting it boil, Put it aside, Then reduce the white wine with the shallots until dry take out from the fire and put in the blended butter until a cream, the juice of the lemon, the marrow and the parsley, then add salt and pepper to taste.
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 on some news from France , part CCCXCIX !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 