It’s surely very useful when it’s 3am , there’s no more metro running and you don’t want to take the night bus… Except that between 3am and 4am some of the station “reboot” during 15min…

Since that experience, I wonder if I should buy a bike… And then comes the good news : next saturday (12th september) a second-hand bikes sale will take place  near metro “Pont Marie”. Actually that will be the opportunity to see lots of animation around bicycle !

All useful informations are on the Mairie website.

Another exchange/sale of second-hand bikes will take place the week after (19th september) in front of “Mairie du XIV”, there again, go to their website for all informations.

See you on the bicycle lines!

Comme chaqué été, il y a bien sur Paris-plage pour ma part, si vous trouvez les quais de Seine trop peuplé pour être agréables, allez voir du coté de la nouvelle “extension” le long bassin de la Villette (métro Jaures ou Stalingrad) où a aussi lieu L’été du canal. Transat, partie de pétanque ou “bal barge” vous trouverez forcément de quoi vous occuper.

Si vous êtes sportif ou plein de bonnes résolutions, je vous conseille de tester la gym suédoise des courts gratuits ont lieu jusqu’à la fin du mois dans les parc de Choisy (mardi, jeudi à 19h) et Montsouris (lundi, mercredi à 19h, samedi à 11h). C’est mon coup de coeur de l’été ! L’ambiance est sympathique, on se défoule en musique et en plus pas de courbatures ! enfin à part après le 1er cours…

Et vous vous faites quoi cet été?

Yesterday we, Parisian metblogger (Lil, Bij and me) , met for a picnic lunch at “luco” (=luxembourg garden in parisian language). I was told the day before that I might be kidnapped… So I was ready.

It happens that Lil decided to make me a surprise for my birthday…  and the girls took me to the subway and to Andre Citroen Park… When we arrive in the park I still thought that Lil wanted to visit a park she has never seen before.

And guess what’s was the surprise?

We were about 10 persons taking place in the nassella and as soon as everybody was in, the “baloon” was starting to move.

The experiment is quite hard to explain, the movement is smooth, there’s almost no noise, and the view is incredible. A little disturbing actually, since we were all used to see Paris from point like Montmartre, Hausmann or Montparnassse…

You can walk around above the park (150m high!) and have a 360° view on Paris.  The experience was great but too short ! (as always when you’re having a good time). Lil was expected some comment about what was in sight, but none were displayed… We asked for nothing but I guess the pilot might have answered our questions.

If you also plan to surpise a friend with that experience, I send you to their website (in french). And good news, if you’re living in Paris and you child is less than 12, it’s free for him/her (you need to justify your adress and the child’s age).

Other view of Paris?

- Eiffel Tower (of course!)

- Montparnasse Tower

-  Montmartre

- last floor of Printemps and Gaeries Lafayettes (department stores on Bd Haussman)

La mauvaise surprise vient elle des quais de Seine.  Je suis en effet descendue sur les quais ouverts aux piétons (rive droite) pour profiter du soleil et continuer ma ballade.Tout va bien jusqu’au tunnel des Tuileries ou apparait un gyrophare… La première idée est celle d’un accident, mais nous entendons bien vite des klaxons… Les voies sont en cours de réouverture à la circulation alors que des centaines de promeneurs de tous ages sont encore sur les quais !

A postériori j’ai cherché les horaires d’ouverture des berges aux piétons, et il apparait qu’elles ne sont ouverte que j’usqu’à 17h (heure vers laquelle je suis descendue).  Mais aucune information sur les descentes, ni sur les berges n’est affiché!!

Bien que “personne ne soit censé ignoré la loi” il me semble utile que ce genre d’information soit clairement indiqué ou au moins rappelée. Pourquoi n’ai-je pas vu de patrouille de police passer vers 17h pour évacuer les quais?  Pourquoi l’évacuation se fait-elle en même temps que l’ouverture ce qui génère l’exaspération des automobilistes “coincés” deriière les voitures de police et la mise en danger des promeneurs ? Une foi remontée, j’ai par exemple assisté à des seine inquiétantes, comme ces deux touristes japonais qui ont du tranverser la circulation (quasi à l’arrêt heureusement) pour rejoindre les escaliers ou cette grand-mère qu’il a fallut porter pour passer la barrière permettant de se mettre en sécurité!

J’espère que le problème que nous avons observé hier soir n’esy qu’un “cafouillage” passagé.

The 4th edition of “Les nuits de l’Alligator” blues festival is starting on friday. Be careful, all concerts are NOT in Paris, but lots of them will take place at “La maroquinerie” (on the 16th, 18th ,19yh, 21st,22sd and 24th of february).

For the complete festival details check the festival website.

Booking can be made directly on “La maroqionerie” website.

As it’s a street carnival, there will be lots of traffic jam… so use tram or velib (plenty of stations/bicycle at porte de choisy).

Edit: link restored

Bij, Lil and me finally manage to see that exhibition!

It was great but crowded. The internet website says opening is at 10am during week-end… but it seems it might be 9. We arrived at 9:30am and finally get into the museum at 11:45. After initial entrance, they wait until people get out to let more people in… so waiting time depends a lot on your time of arrival.

According to what we saw when we went out of museum, queuing might be reduced around midday.  They are still few ticket to buy on the fnac website, from 3am to 4:30am on the 2sd of february.

I first thought that this opening could’nt be bought in advance, but today I discover that they are sell online. Unfortunately only few tickets are still avalaible : from 2am to 5am on sunday the 2sd of Ferbruary…

So if you’re  a night owl and you haven’t seen the exhibition, that’s your last chance… As for me I will be queuing in the cold and the rain next week-end.

BUT it seems there’s differences depending on the “arrondissement” you’re in. When my bus was in the 14th, everything was withe outside and I experienced the sliding sidewalks. And as soon as we enterred the 6th : no snow anymore, the sidewalks are not even wet… If anyone has an explenation, please, feel free to comment…

Le sapin devant Notre-Dame