Some of the issues that have divided Parisians to the point of bitter debate have been the Paris municipality’s decrees ordering the closure of some of its expressways to vehicular traffic and their conversion into pedestrian malls. The two most important were the Left Bank and Right Bank expressways.
The Left Bank expressway conversion was […]
In Paris we don’t talk about the weather unless something really unusual happens. Unusual by Parisian standards, of course. In the summer if the temperatures rise above 27° C (80° F), which does not happen often, everyone laments their lot, with constant bleats of “il fait chaud” (It’s hot !).
This week we got 10 […]
Paris is experiencing another flood, reminding us of a fact that we tend to suppress: the City of Light historically has experienced a super flood more or less every century, and the last one was in 1910, which now puts us in overdue territory. Could this be the start of the next big one?
It […]
Almost everyone who visits Paris has heard of Montmartre, but few know that the butte is such a storied place. So many fantastic events, many gruesome, have taken place on it for so long, since the dawn of time, that most tourists have no clue of its amazing history. Not many visitors even know that […]
If you are interested in porcelain, you will recognize the name Sèvres, a virtual synonym for exquisite porcelain ever since its factory was created in 1740. You might not know that in the same suburb of the same name, Sèvres, there is an amazing museum devoted to many of the different forms of ceramics […]
We all know about Normandy with regard to its history, monuments and touristic highlights: Mont St. Michel, the D Day Beaches, its Cathedrals, artists, and charming towns such as Honfleur. Within its very varied topography, there is an area that is unique and unlike the rest. It is not like Normandy ‘s flatlands and […]
Out of all Paris gardens, which number in the hundreds, there is an exceptional one that deserves attention, for it is not as known or as accessible as the others, such as the more famous Tuileries or Luxembourg Gardens. It is one of the 4 floral parks of Paris, and is hidden within the […]
Since the middle of the 20th century, the croissant has been one of the most emblematic elements of French breakfasts. However few may know that this national symbol has a foreign origin.
The ancestor of the croissant, the Kipferl, can be traced back to the 13th century in Eastern Europe. As early as the year […]
Buttes Chaumont, literally the &Mont chauve&, meaning bald hill, was a desolate mining site for centuries. In less than 150 years, it was turned from a bandits’ lair into one of the boiggest, most original and attractive parks of the city, welcoming hipster youth, families and romantics in search of atmosphere, which you will not find in any other green area of the city. The main reason is its topography, which derives directly from its historic function as a mining site. It is both beautiful and one of the less well known parks, given its isolated location and the fact that it is far from most Parisian touristic sites. Also, you need to take 2 metro lines to reach it from many parts of the city.
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