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Stopped by the Gendarmes
It is Covid-19 time and I am out for a beautiful, blue-sky morning walk with my camera. The delivery men on bicycles are collecting bags of chocolate for Easter from the chocolate shop on La rue du Pas-de-la-Mule. Walking past Places des Vosges, I passed a cinematographer and a director/producer filming for the gendarmery television network. Two mounted gendarmes were being filmed while questioning and chatting with locals about the document...
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Charlotte Perriand, Architect/Designer/Artist at FLV
Are you interested or curious about the synthesis of architecture, art and design? Two noted artist/architects who fit that description are Charlotte Perriand and Frank Gehry. Charlotte Perriand "imagined an 'art of living' that broke the codes of the time." The Charlotte Perriand exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton may be closing February 24, 2020 but you have time to download the audio guide! This exhibition and audio guide have a "use-by date" and will not be available once the next exhibit opens April 1. Listen to the stories of her career in interviews and exhibit descriptions. You will find them fascinating. Charlotte Perriand was a member of the Le Corbusier…
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Shuttle Arc de Triomphe to Fondation Louis Vuitton
Do you prefer light, airy, electric transportation? Would you like a scenic ride along the fashionable Avenue Foch to and from the Arc de Triomphe? When you plan a visit to the Fondation Louis Vuitton (FLV) you have alternatives: Line 1, Buses 63 or 244 or the FLV shuttle. The requirement to use the shuttle is to have an admission ticket to the museum. Oh my! What if you decide to go to the museum on a whim and have not purchased a ticket!?
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The Food Lover’s Guide to Paris: Tempting!
When is the last time you read a food guide in one sitting? The Food Lovers's Guide to Paris is the first food book I ever read cover to cover in one day. I can personally recommend it and say, "delightfully delicious". You are introduced to the book with a casual overview of then and now and reassured that French cuisine is here to stay. The guide is simply laid out and begins with a map and arrondissement locations of places mentioned in the guide. In the "How-to-Guide" section Helen Massy-Beresford gives essential courtesy tips. She then moves shows you to your table of dining or specialty shop pleasures with…
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Fixed Taxi Fare Between Paris and Airports – Strike Tips
Strikes getting the best of you? Book a taxi on the G7 Book a Taxi page in advance to get to the airports. Usually you can either step outside and into a taxi or book the same day. With the strikes, you want to reserve a taxi, with G7 whether going to the airport or into Paris. Taxi stands are outside the airport and do not usually have to be booked in advance. Rates vary between Rossy-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly (ORY). After an expensive experience pre-fixed rates, I had a rude surprise. Being stuck in traffic to the airport Roissy-Charles de Gaulle one day, an anxious feeling came over…
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Find Wallace Fountains Find Paris
Have you walked around Paris and passed right by a water fountain from 1872 without taking a drink? Did you spend two Euros on a bottle of water instead? The non-profit Society of the Wallace Fountains is working hard to preserve the iconic Wallace fountains. The Paris water department (Eau de Paris) is responsible for their continued functioning. The water source differs throughout Paris. Where I live in the Bastille, ours comes from an aquifer. The fascinating story and a guidebook with maps and 21 self-guided walks is a great way for to hunt for the fountains. As Barbara Lambesis the author and President of the foundation says, “Find the Wallace…
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Madame Eiffel Tower Celebrates 130 Years
In May 2019, the Eiffel Tower turned 130; however, why not celebrate the birthday all year long. To celebrate this event, an interactive Fall Event is underway at the Eiffel Tower until the end of November on the esplanade, under a dome covering about 300 m2, is free and open to everyone. Visitors walk over screens on the ground that reproduce the image of the girders .... which feels likes walking over nothing, experience the monument’s wind resistance and become painters of the Eiffel Tower
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A Rare Moment in Paris with Frank Gehry
Frank Gehry had just left the auditorium in a conversation with Jean-Louis Cohen at the Fondation Louis-Vuitton. After listening to his architectural journey as it relates to the "free and independent" architect Charlotte Perriand, I walked up to him. I thanked him for sharing his thoughts and for his unique design of this Fondation Louis Vuitton museum shaped like a boat, which is the symbol of Paris. He touched my arm and asked if I had seen the Charlotte Perriand exhibit, which had opened the day before.
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Musée du Quai Branly – Timely Exhibition Opens
Musée du Quai Branly is free to visitors until October 11 in memory of Jacques Chirac. A timely exhibition of the acquisitions over the past 20 years opened September 24, two days before former President Chirac passed away. In 1990 while still mayor of Paris, Mr. Chirac wanted to highlight the African Arts. When he became president in 1995, the Louvre was his target for the collections from two other Paris museums: Musée de l’Homme and the national museum Musée national des Arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie. Employees of the Musée de l’Homme went on strike in 1999 against the closure. The Musée des Arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie closed in 2003.…
