Now, here’s something you shouldn’t miss. And frankly, there’s no excuse to miss it either – you’ll see later what I mean by this. I know we have talked a good bit of the famous Parisian tower in recent months, but it is just such a significant landmark for celebratory events that we couldn’t help ourselves.

Tonight, a new fête begins.

Eiffel Group and its party/commercial partner Citroën are bringing 10 weeks of spectacular light show on the Trocadéro façade by using state-of-the-art LED spotlights. The colours will change and shimmer and do all the pretty little things in between. Against the dark night sky, it’s going to be fa-bu-lous.

For the opening night (i.e this evening!) the shows are running at 9pm, 9.30pm, 10pm, 10.30pm and 11pm. That’s every half-hourly between 9pm and 11pm. For 12 minutes (each representing 10 years of Eiffel Tower’s existence) of colour fest, it’s worth taking a pause to take in this eye-candy.

If you’re not in Paris (or whatever reason can’t make it all the way to Trocadéro), then login to Citroën Opération Tour Eiffel which will be streaming the show from 10 key viewpoints nearby. See, told you there’s no excuse to miss it. ;)

After tonight, there’s still plenty of time for you to catch the show in person. Until the 31st December, the light performance will be taking place on the hour between 8pm and 11pm, on a daily basis. And if you wonder what will happen to the bright sparkles, good news – they’re going to sparkle as usual for the first five minutes.

Now, that’s what I call double the merriment, double the joy, double the fun! Ah yes, and the Iron Lady will bask in full blown glory. :D

Ps: for more info, here’s the linky to Eiffel’s website.

Eyes on Ile St Louis by JR

JR’s outdoor instalment of Women are Heroes is nothing but inspirational, as they tell not only by image but also through stories narrated by the women behind the scene themselves (with a little help of a local-rate-call audioguide).

The outdoor exhibit (from 3rd October to 2nd November) around Ile St Louis is complemented with a secondary exhibit at the Pavillon de l’Arsenal at 21 boulevard Morland (4ème) (from 3rd October to 23rd October) which showcases JR’s stint for the Women series in Rio earlier this year.

Both exhibits are free.

Ps: I wonder what project he’ll be working on next. His works are story-telling of life and emotions. They move me. I would love to get involved.

Les petits glaciers ambulants à l’entrée du Luxembourg (côté station RER) sont de retour pour cet été ! Avec leurs parfums qui mettent l’eau à la bouche et nous font le choix difficile !

Mon parfum préféré je crois bien c’est “fraise feuille de menthe” Mmmmmmmmm. Et vous ?

- la Ronde Infinie des Obstinés, voir leur blog ou cette petite photo prise hier sur le parvis de l’hotel de ville où l’on devine la ronde des marcheurs :

- la bataille de mails, voir le blog sciences² par exemple. D’après les organisateurs, qq 2600 mails auraient été envoyés à Mme Pécresse en une journée, de nombreux extraits des mails envoyés sont disponibles sur le site.

Par ailleurs, les panneaux “fac en grève” ou variantes sur le thème sont toujours abondamment présents à l’entrée d’un bon nombre de lieux d’enseignement et/ou de recherche…

I walk by this graffiti every day on my way to work. /sigh
And I still go all the way there anyway!

This blog suggests that we follow the author through “urban exploration” of Paris. Going on the roofs or underground… in places where you don’t expect to meet many people…

Illustrated with many pictures, it’s a very interesting read! You should go take a look ;)

Also, I’d like to mention the fact the this blog is available both in French and in English, which I find most admirable. Even though it’s not an exact translation: there is, from what I gather, basically a French blog and an English one, which do not contain the same posts. Still a most brave endeavour :D (You may remember how torn I was / am about which language I should use here…)

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…

But I thought: Paris is so much more than just “intramuros” as we say (basically “inside the walls”, or Paris sensu stricto if you will). Paris is also about all the wonderful places you can go to so easily from Paris!

So here is a glimpse at Fontainebleau forest. Just some 30 min train ride out of Paris! Perfect for a day out in the sun and the trees :D Lots of nice boulders to climb too!