Paris Events
Bringing in the Chinese New Year in Paris’s 13th arrondissement
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2008
It may be the Year of the Rat, but in Paris’s 13th arrondissement, dragons were in abundance. The New Year began Thursday (Feb 7,’08), but Saturday afternoon, many of the businesses along Avenue de Choisy (Metro: Porte de Choisy) received visits from dragons of many colors to bring good fortune for the entire year.
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2008
You can tell where a dragon has already passed because of the red confetti sprinkled along the sidewalk and you can tell when a dragon is about to arrive by the noise of drums and symbols which announces his imminent arrival. A smart shop owner will be sure to have a fresh green salad hanging from the second floor balcony. When the dragon arrives, he gives his blessing to the shop by taking a little stroll through the shop (and hopefully not breaking too much bric-a-brac in his wake). When he exits he stands up on his hind legs to reach bring down the suspended salad which he eats and then regurgitates into the shopkeepers bowl. If you’ve never seen a dragon eating salad, this is something not to be missed.
The feeding frenzy was contagious - feeling similar hunger pangs, Mark and Angelique took us to one of their favorite restaurants in the neighborhood (they have several). Restaurant Imperial Choisy, 32, Avenue de Choisy specializes in Chinese and Cantonese cuisine.
Date: February 10th, 2008 |
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February - the month for blooming romance in Paris
“The Bewitching Hour - Sunset at Versailles”
Where patriotic red, white and blue blurrs romantic: Blue, White, and rose.
Photo by Lori Bertolini ©2007
Was there ever a more romantic time to be in Paris than February? Judging by the recent events of this past weekend - President Nicolas Sarkozy’s Saturday marriage to Carla Bruni and the nip to the air that has most of us wanting to stay under the covers an extra hour - February is most definitely becoming the most romantic month to be in Paris.
If you were one of the fortunate tourists to be wandering through the Versailles gardens this Sunday (Feb 3,’08) you might have had the opportunity to ask President Sarkozy for an autograph as he and his new bride snuggled into cafe seats at the Versailles garden’s Cafe Flottille - opposite the reflecting ponds. The photo of this newly-wed couple splashed across Monday morning’s Le Parisien looks like the typical cafe couple you’re likely to see on a crisp Sunday afternoon in February.
Date: February 4th, 2008 |
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February in Paris
Fabrice Luchini - Rue de la Gaite
Photo by Chris Card Fuller 2007
Come in out of the cold! February may be cold and drizzly in Paris, but what better place to cuddle, curled up in the crisp sheets of a Paris hotel, bed and breakfast, or apartment?
Outside, the skies may be gray and gloomy, but during the winter months, the Paris party just moves indoors. February might be voted the darkest and dreariest of months, but it can also be the most romantic of times. You’ll …
Date: January 17th, 2008 |
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Marvelous Monstor or Monstrous Marvel? Arcimboldo
The two hot tickets for museum-goers this Fall are the Giuseppe Arcimboldo show at the Musee du Luxembourg and Gustave Courbet at the Grand Palais. Both are temporary exhibits, gathering together a considerable array from the works of two extraordinary artists. Although separated from one another chronologically by several centuries - but both artists are iconoclasts of their respective eras. Arcimboldo might be described as a 16th-century Audubon on steroids, and Courbet as a 19th-century ‘in your face’ realist.
Date: November 4th, 2007 |
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16th Century Precursor of Modern Art: Arcimboldo
The Musee du Luxembourg is quickly becoming one of my favorite museums. Although we unfortunately missed the Lalique exhibit which was highly praised by friends in Paris, I will make it a point not to miss the Giussepe Arcimboldo show which will be running until January 13, 2008.
What’s the big deal about Arcimboldo? If you’ve never seen an Arcimboldo painting, you may wonder whether or not he’s a contemporary artist. He isn’t. He died in 1593. His most famous oils are are portraits where faces of aristocrats become a …
Date: September 23rd, 2007 |
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Paris en Couleurs
Robert Capa’s photo of the ‘New Look’ (greatly enlarged as an exhibition advertisment in front of Hotel de Ville)
The photo exhibition at Hotel de Ville (Paris’s City Hall) is a definite can’t miss show. It’s worth the wait in line on a sunny afternoon in February - but some of the star attractions are surprisingly bypassed by the majority of visitors.
I’m referring to the wing devoted to the photographer Peter Cornelius, a German in Paris who has been overlooked in past years, partly because of his early demise in …
Date: February 7th, 2008 |
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Birdsongs: Olivier Messiaen
When I was still a student in Paris, a friend sent me on a quest. He wanted me to get the autograph of a composer named Olivier Messiaen.
He told me that Messiaen was a genius, that he used birdsongs to compose some of his music.
He told me it should not be such a hard task because the composer was an organist at the Trinite Church. He played the organ for mass every Sunday so if I could find the church, I could also find the composer.
I discovered the hardest thing about finding Monsieur Messaien would be trying to pronounce his name.
Date: January 29th, 2008 |
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Photo Paris
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007
Paris in black and white? Is there any better time to appreciate the ‘Paris mood’ than in fall and winter? For amateurs and professional photographers, this is the ideal time to not only take advantage of the fall light, but November is also the month for Photo expos. One you won’t want to miss is the annual Paris Photo which opens November 15th through to November 18th. The show brings together international exhibitors and collectors.
In addition. don’t miss …
Date: November 9th, 2007 |
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Salon du Chocolat in Paris
Is it ever too early to start thinking about chocolate? Never. That’s why I’m giving you plenty of advance warning for the 13th Annual Salon du Chocolat in Paris.
Mark these days on your calendar: October 19-22, 2007.
Porte de Versailles. That’s where you’ll be able to sample chocolates from an international array of chocolate makers ranging from French to Swiss to Belgian, Mexican and Japanese, just to name a few. For the complete list of participants, you can check out the Salon’s program.
The annual event celebrates chocolate in all …
Date: September 25th, 2007 |
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Rugby Bars in Paris
Marie Linton from Le Parisien takes us to the Le Sous-Bock for a video interview with Sous-Bock’s owner, Frederic Beurq and amateur rugby player Dominique Champ.
The video called ‘Pizza’ discusses some of the French expressions you might encounter while watching the upcoming games with French friends
Date: September 18th, 2007 |
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