Louvre Visitor Guide by Cathy Wilcox

Somehow this escaped my attention until today – a new McDonald’s restaurant and McCafé due to open in the Louvre next month! It will be housed at the rather dashing Galerie du Carrousel (du Louvre), which I must admit to find hard to imagine how the McDo fits in, as claimed by museum spokeperson.

According to London Telegraph :

… the museum told the Daily Telegraph it had agreed to a “quality” McCafé and a McDonald’s in place by the end of the year, which it said was “is in line with the museum’s image”.

“The Louvre welcomes the fact that the entirety of visitors and customers, French or foreign, can enjoy such a rich and varied restaurant offer, whether in the museum area or gallery,” the museum said in a statement.

The McDonald’s would represent the “American segment” of a new “food court”, and would be situated “among (other) world cuisines and coffee shops,” it wrote.

It added that the franchise owner “has taken the utmost care in ensuring the quality of the project, both in culinary and aesthetic terms”.

Riiiiiiiight.

How?

Seriously, how does a fast-food restaurant fit in the image of a world class museum AND a former palace? This is not just about McDo. Had this been Quick or any other fast-food chain, I’m still going to think along the line “goodness, this is blasphemous!”.

For so long, the boutiques at the Carrousel du Louvre have been mainly home and beauty products, newsagents, watch shop and the likes. The divergence into fast-food is pretty stretched, in order to have common ground. (I have never been all that pleased with Autogrill that’s currently there either but that’s another story.)

Moreover, why would fast-food be promoted in this day and age within a cultural centre when obesity is a global problem? The bottom-line is profit margin I guess. Feed the masses, herd them in and out quickly, make it self-service so less employees are needed (I believe premium space like Louvre should be awarded only if there are job created and maintained) etc.

I can’t help but feel, this is a dark day for arts and culture, and well-being.

“There is but one Paris and however hard living may be here, and if it became worse and harder even – the French air clears up the brain and does good – a world of good.” – Vincent Van Gogh

• Do you know about the scheduled change of colour of the illumination of Eiffel Tower as part of the programme of Saison de la Turquie? The event will take place between 6th-11th October.
• In honour of Brigitte Bardot’s 75th birthday, a special exhibition is running from 29th September 2009 to 31st January 2010 at the Espace Landowski (Boulogne-Billancourt).
• Some of the best chefs of Paris were at Le Fooding event in New York last week. Wish we were there.
• I adore the books of Petit Nicolas and the movie Le Petit Nicolas is now in the theatres! Follow the film trail in Paris with this PDF guide (French/English bilingual).
• Will the presence of a Windows Cafe (and free internet) generate enough buzz to market the upcoming Windows 7 in the city of light?
• Foodbloggers house-swap! Heidi (101 Cookboks) and Clotilde (Chocolate and Zucchini) move to each other’s gaff for 10 days, and this is the account of Heidi’s adventure in Paris.
• 5 day trips from Paris recommended by Viator Travel Blog.
• An innovative idea to get to know Paris, and to see it from a new perspective. See some of Ami Sioux’s Paris by map recommendation.
• The Paris Cycle Show 2009 takes place this weekend at Porte de Versailles. Unfortunately the Paris Motorcycle and Scooter show for this year will not take place and have been rescheduled to next year.
• Last but not least, don’t forget, tomorrow is Nuit Blanche 2009. Check the full programme and plan for a long cultural night out. You can even tour Paris with famous French actresses! ;-)

In this cultured city, the abundance of exhibitions that one could attend can be rather overwhelming. But if you have some time and money in your hand, your effort will be richly rewarded, for the curation of these exhibitions means dispersed work of arts are shown together for a short period of time. The window of opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.

Marguerite Gérard : Artist, 1789 in the Workshop of Fragonard
(10th September 2009 – 6th December 2009)

Over 60 portraits and drawings, from a female artists revered in her time, the works of Marguerite Gérard are on exhibit at the Musée Cognacq-Jay. Living in Louvre during the period, her works feature portraits of her family, friends, and people of consequences.

Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese – Rivals in Renaissance
(17th September 2009 – 4th January 2010)

Rivals these artists may be, but the competitive streak between them resulted in some of the most amazing works of Venetian Renaissance. Inspiring each other to push their talents to the maximum, hundreds of years later, the world still marvell at their genius and appreciate the beautiful pieces that they’ve created and presented.

Renoir in the 20th Century
(23rd September 2009 – 4th January 2010)

This is an exhibition that one must NOT miss. In fact, book your tickets ahead because the queue at the National Galleries of the Grand Palais will be insanely long. Exploring the works of this Impressionist artist in his later years, this collection comes from both public and private loan, including paintings, drawings and sculptures.

Bruegel, Memling, Van Eyck… The Brukenthal Collection
(11th September 2009 – 11th January 2010)

Exhibiting at the Musée Jacquemart-André is a wonderful collection of Flemish arts, by the grand masters of 15th to 17th century. The fifty pieces on loan from Muzeul Naţional Brukenthal of Romania are shown for the very first time in France, and you can even download the podcast (in French) prior to your visit.

Another week, and with a blink of an eye, it’s the end of September. As autumnal weather sets in, amusingly enough (at least for a non-fashionista like me), it’s the Spring Summer 2010 Ready-to-Wear collections that will be showcased in Paris Fashion Week (30 September 2009 – 8 October 2009). So how about some links that caught our attention in the last week? (See, we don’t plan seasons ahead) ;-)

• Vogue on Champs-Elysées! 90 years of Vogue covers, some 80 chosen to be exhibited, from 1st October to 1st November 2009. See how fashion evolved, admire the iconic figures gracing the covers and the photographic talent behind them.
• Some 18-19 months after the release of the movie “Paris” in France, it is quite strange to read that the film had just opened in USA on Friday 18 September 2009, with limited release no less. Have you seen it? (I did, and I loved it.)
• Richard Nahem has some recommendations of what to do, when you find yourself with some one hour to spare at a train station in Paris.
• Do you have a question about the French? Ask a Frenchman! And last week his round of bonus answers laced with wonderful wit and tongue-in-cheek responses made my day.
• We love Paris and we’re all for showcasing the city to the world. EnjoYourParis aims to do that, but for visitors to the site to not be able to see anything unless a registration is completed is rather cumbersome in our opinion. What do you think?
• Did you get any free milk on last Tuesday? A rather unusual way to try to win public support by the dairy farmers, but definitely better than just taking to the streets and have a demonstration/strike.
• It’s Fête des Jardins this weekend (26-27 September 2009) so check this interactive map on this portal page and take advantage of the mild autumnal weather to stroll the parks. Take a tour, enjoy free concerts, get gardening tips, etc.
• From 22nd September to 22nd November, let’s honour Iranian photographers among many others from all over the world. Photoquai is exhibiting at Quai Branly (free, open daily) and other galleries around the city (check information here, some are free, some are ticketed).
• Tori Amos and Emilíana Torrini are playing gigs in Paris next week and they shouldn’t be missed. (Links are to FNAC ticketing)
• Last but not least, do you know this Cool French Dude? The search started 7-8 months ago, to no fruition (for now). Can you help? Please pass on the words!

N’oubliez pas ! Plein d’endroits sympathiques et / ou culturels sont accessibles au grand public !

Quleques photos d’une visite passée au Palais du Luxembourg / Sénat…

Salut! We return a little early this week with a few more links that caught our eyes in recent days. From “user guide” to Parisians (yes, Parisians) to dining in the sky to kissing intervention (except for the girl who didn’t get the memo).

• Financial Times published an article, sort of an “user guide” to understanding Parisians. Do you agree/disagree with their points?
• The privilege to dine in the air over Tuilleries Garden is €924 per person. Great for the view, terrible for freedom of movements. And great for l’Alliance Maladies Rares that receives a slice of the monies.
• Still keeping to dining with a view, another unusual alternative is to head to Nomiya at the rooftop of Palais de Tokyo. This temporary restaurant will be in place until 1 July 2010, each time (lunch or dinner) seating only 12 person max. The price is more affordable at €60/80 per person for lunch/dinner respectively, wine included. Reservation (do it here) within a month’s time period is essential, and unless you book out all 12 places, expect to share the communal table. You may also book for tours/workshops on the same website.
• No more la bise until the H1N1 flu clears up? The folks are not happy with this recommendation.
• A Taiwanese girl, Yang Ya-ching, however, didn’t receive the no-kissing memo as she’s half-way through her project to kiss 100 men in Paris. She also said on her blog that she wants to write a book, assuming she’s hoping this unconventional project of hers will be published as “Around Paris in 100 Kisses”. Or something like that. On a positive note, the photos look editorial. She has a good photographer.
• During a Dublin-Paris flight, an error made in a turbulence announcement when the cabin crew accidentally played an emergency landing clip prompted panic among French passengers (who either didn’t pay attention or didn’t understand the English announcement). Ops.
• Think of a black and white photograph in post-war Paris, usually of lovers or the theme of life and joy. Chances are, it was the work of Willy Ronis, who sadly passed away last week, at the age of 99.
• For anyone who’s still reminiscing about the 90’s, here’s a party that’s for you! (FB announcement here)
• As Journées du Patrimoine are coming round (19-20 September 2009), Adam (the Invisible Man) recommends the following places to visit.
• Last but not least, some muppets broke into the catacombes and destroyed them, and therefore the place is now shut for the foreseeable future.

The name Tiffany is synonymous in popular culture as the great jeweller. From Holly Golightly with her Breakfast at Tiffany’s, to Marilyn Monroe’s best friend – the diamonds, to Ugly Betty’s Daniel Meade who loves to shop at Tiffany’s & Co., this reputation has long been sealed.

However, one must also not overlook the marvellous works of Louis Comfort Tiffany, the son of the founder of Tiffany’s & Co., whose life was that of a celebrated artist, innovator and glass designer. His renowned art nouveau panel of glass window The Four Seasons won a gold medal in Paris during Exposition Universelle 1900, and to this day, is still much admired (although it is now in several panels instead of one magnificent piece). And if you’ve heard about Favrile iridescent glass, well, it was something that he had patented.

The Morse Museum in Florida houses the most comprehensive collection of his works.

Now though, you get a chance to take a closer look at some 160 pieces of his works, in an exhibition entitled Louis Comfort Tiffany : Colors and Light at Musée du Luxembourg.

Window of Bella Apartment

The exhibition is divided into several themes, exploring his early career and his interest in the art of glassmaking (as opposed to his family trade of jewellery and silverworks making), the recognition of his works in Europe, the stained glasses, the Favrile pieces, and the expansion into decorative art pieces including lavishly coloured lamps.

It was his unique and innovative style of glassmaking, by incorporating various impurities to create a bloom of colours within the glass pieces, rather than merely painting stains onto transparent glasses, that brought the attention of the world to his genius. Is it any wonder then, till this day, his pieces are still coveted as collectors’ items and fetch great values.

The exhibition runs daily from Wednesday 16 September 2009 till Sunday 17 January 2010, with variable opening hours depending on when you plan to visit. Check out the reservation page for more details.

It’ll be techno madness and unbelievable crowd in Paris on Saturday 19 September! Oh yes, Techno Parade is back for it’s 11th edition, with special floats and showcases of electronic scene from Turkey and Reunion Island (for that extra zing of “electropical” festivity).

Starting at 12pm, from Place Denfert-Rochereau, the parade will move along the following streets to get to Bastille between 5pm-8pm.

• Avenue Denfert-Rochereau
• Boulevard Saint Michel
• Boulevard Saint Germain
• Pont de Sully
• Boulevard Henri IV

For the passionate technoids, this is your time to put your party shoes on! It will be extravagant, it will be loud, people will climb the poles and the bus shelters and whats not, but most of all, it’s a rave in the open broad daylight and there’ll be dancing aplenty!

Check out this video from the set of DJ Greg Cerrone last year.

[Update : We apologise for the date previously published in error. The information is now corrected.]

Welcome to the 2nd edition of Metlinks of the Week. Here are some tit-bits from the past week, as well as other general links. Enjoy!

• So he wears “man-heels” and stand on little podium and buses in shorter people. Nonetheless, there were – way – too – many – articles on the height of Nicolas Sarkozy. Does this really qualify as a “deepening row”?
• Having a bad day? C’est la Vie de Merde. Maybe, after reading, you day won’t seem so bad anymore…
• The staff at Le Figaro identified 9 buildings/monuments that are under threat. Do you agree?
• A delicious read for chocolate lovers.
• Better still, mark your calendar for 14-18 October. Salon du Chocolat is back for another chocolicious expo.
• David Lebovitz is having a book signing tomorrow, Saturday 12 September, from 2.00-3.30pm at A la Boîte (31 quai de Conti). Foodies should not miss this!
• This is perhaps unavoidable, as horribly kitschy as it could be. The rickshaw is now serving Paris too.
• If you plan to visit Paris, why not have your own personal greeter to show you around? If you live in Paris and know it well, why not consider volunteering as a greeter? For more information, check out Parisien d’un jour.
• In commemorating 50th anniversary of Cuban Revolution, a photography exhibition is taking place at the gallery of Brownstone Foundation (26 Rue Saint-Gilles).
• Admire the works of great Flemish artists at Musée Jacquemart-André from 11 September 2009 to 11 January 2010.

I’ve done it! I finally tried Velib!!

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!

This is a new feature that we’re trying out for Paris Metblogs, called Metlinks of the Week. These were discovered over the course of the last few days, which we think may be of interest to you :)

• Muse has announced that they’re playing a secret gig in Paris on Tuesday 8 September, location currently still unknown. Keep an eye on it.
• Beth Arnold spotted some colourful bunnies. Have you seen them?
• Flea markets of Paris – how did Lisa Grainger fare with her exploration? (Incidentally, David Lebovitz went antiquing outside of Paris.)
• La Cocotte presents Pâtisseries de Paris on Saturday 5 September, from 6pm, at 5 rue Paul Bert.
• Picasso Museum is now closed (since 23 August) for a 2 years, €30 million renovation. This is also the chance to update the catalogue, digitise artworks, etc since loans will also be put on hold.
• Newsweek has just listed Top 10 Paris Expat Blogs. What say you? (Previously, they also posted Top 10 Paris Food Blogs.)
• Festival d’Ile de France starts today and will run until 11 October, and its spotlight this year shines on women and their roles in society.
• So, Parisians, how much do you like cherry tomatoes?
• A stunning night photograph of Champs de Mars, from the Eiffel Tower, by Raf Ferreira.
• We’re new to Twitter (@ParisMB) so do you have any recommendation of other Parisian Tweeps that we must not miss?

You’ve no doubt by now noticed that the sites got a bit of a re-design and some things got changed around last week. We wanted to highlight two changes to make sure everyone knows what changed.

The first and biggest is COMMENTS! Registration is no longer required to post a comment on any post. Of course if you already have an account you can still login to ensure your comments are attributed to you, but those who don’t can now post a comment without any long term commitment. Also, on the right you can see some of the recent comments so you’ll always know what the active discussions are. This was the most requested thing we’ve heard from people since our last redesign and we’re excited to see where it leads.

The next change is also something that was heavily requested, and that is a change to the ADS on the sites. You’ll immediately notice fewer of them, but what might not be as obvious is those smaller square ones to the right are specific to this city only and are being sold for a flat rate for a period of time rather than a confusing CPM/traffic/network model. Depending on the city, these range from $7-$175 for a full week. If you purchase one, during that time your ad will be the only one in that spot and will show on every page. We set these up both to make it easier for smaller local businesses to get their ads on our site, and also to help us bring in ads that relate better to our local audiences. Also, keeping these sites online is expensive and every little bit helps.

There are a bunch of other things we changed (including this broadcast function so we can more easily update everyone) but we’ll leave those to you to investigate and take advantage of. Hope you like it, and we look forward to seeing you in the comments!!

Love,
The folks at MBHQ

What to expect with the rentrée so close?
Lots of things, I’d hardly know where to start!
Here are a couple things off the top of my head:

Starting on Sept. 15th, the Festival d’Automne
Starting on Sept. 18th, a new exhibit at the Cernuschi museum “Les buddhas du Shandong”
On Sept. 19th, there’s the Techno Parade.
On Sept. 19th and 20th, there will be the Journées du Patrimoine.
From Sept. 18th to 20th, it’s Sud-Ouest sur Seine.
On Sept. 26th and 27th, it’s la Fête des Jardins.
Until Sept. 27th, go to the CLAMP manga exhibit.

So enjoy these last few days of peace and quiet ;)

It is very easy to walk along Boulevard St Germain and not give the Abbey of St-Germain-des-Prés a cursory glance. Afterall, in a city of grandeur and one that contains many magnificently ornated Gothic cathedrals, a small stone Romanesque church would have a difficult time competing.

The Tower of St-Germain-des-Prés

The Gothic choir of St-Germain-des-Prés

Windows designed by Flandrin

The church was built characteristically Romanesque, with thick stone walls, round arches, large tower, groin vaults, sturdy piers, Corinthian capitals, and latin cross floor plan, containing several chapels on the East end of the church. Nonetheless, the church also retain some early Gothic features, following renovations and additions, including flying buttresses and four-part groin vaulted roof.

The next time you find yourself passing by the area, why not drop in for a little visit. It is pleasant, silent, not overrun by tourists, and it’s free to enter. If there are performances scheduled, buy a ticket and marvel at the acoustics of the church.

At first glance, this is a photo competition that anyone (particularly photography enthusiast) who loves Paris would gladly take part in. Organised by Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau, it’s a competition that will attract both residents of Paris and visitors alike. There are no entry charges, and contestants are to submit 5 photos – making the task for contestants to choose their entries a little easier, since I’m sure one would easily have hundreds of wonderful photos and be torn about which to submit.

The prizes are quite attractive, and here’s the list of the prizes:

• 1st : Canon EOS 450D Compact Digital SLR Camera
• 2nd : Canon Powershot G10 Compact Digital Camera
• 3rd : Paris Dinner Cruise for 2 on Bateaux Parisiens
• 4th : A night for 2 at 3*** Exclusive Group Hotels
• 5th : 2 Tickets to Disneyland Paris

Now, why 5 photos per entry, you ask? Well, there are 5 different categories that one can submit their photos for, although you’re not obliged to submit 1 photo per category and instead you may choose to submit varying number of photos per varying number of categories of choice. The categories are:

• Paris Mythique : Concorde, Champs-Elysées, Tuileries, Louvre
• Paris Monumental : Eiffel Tower, Champs de Mar, Invalides, Trocadéro
• Paris Seine : River Seine, the bridges, the quays, the ports
• Paris Tendance : Marais, Montorgueil, Hôtel de Ville, Les Halles
• Paris Populaire : République, Bastille, Oberkampf, Père Lachaise

But, before you whip up your camera and roam the streets of Paris, or dig up your digital archive of photos that were taken this year, you must be aware of the following entry requirements:

For initial submission:

• Photo digital file size at about 3Mb
• Dimension approximately 10cm x 8cm (1200 x 900 pixels) at 300dpi
• Format : Jpeg

Final submission if chosen as winner:

• Photo digital file size of minimum 25Mb
• Dimension approximately 30cm x 20cm (3500 x 2500 pixels) at 300dpi
• Format : Jpeg

I am as casual a photographer as any amateur may be, and I have never taken any photo with my trusty compact digital camera that has final size of 2-3Mb, let alone 25Mb. It somehow makes me believe that, this competition is not really geared for just an average photographer. You’ll probably need to be shooting with a digital SLR in RAW format or something like that. (If someone can correct/confirm my assumption?)

If this is really the case, now look back at the prizes again. Do the rewards corresopond to the amount of effort put in? And if you do need more than just a digital compact camera to produce final photo of 25Mb (you must have that for submission after announcement of winners, within 5 days, or a new winner will be chosen), then how likely are any amateur/casual photographer be able to meet this entry rule? I understand that such huge size is required so that an exhibition of the photos may take place later on, but it is quite an imposition to anyone who would like to take part but do not have fancy high-end camera.

Nonetheless, if you have what it take, do submit your best shots. Take part in the competition here before 31 August 2009, and please do read through the entire competition rules before you get started. Bonne chance!