The Paris Blog: Paris, France Expat Tips & Resources » Free

Francophile V-Day Cards!

Laurie — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:31:07 +0000

Say “I love you” to a friend or lover with French-themed Valentine’s Day cards. This collection was created by The Paris Blog for our friends at Hipster Cards. We love that site because it doesn’t require registration in order to send fun and cheeky greetings to friends for FREE. Check out the rest of the collection here.

Giant Blossoms

Paris Weekends — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 05:13:20 +0000

Although the exhibition of the work of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama at the Centre Pompidou ended on January 9th, three of her works can still be seen in the Jardin des Tuileries. Called ‘Flowers that bloom at midnight’, these monumental creations add a big splash of color to a park currently wearing its dark winter clothes!

>more weekend art and activities

Paris Metro Hangman Game

Laurie — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:48:38 +0000

How cute is this? A fellow named Michael contacted me to show me this Paris Metro Hangman game. Curious how he programmed it? Here’s how.

Paris Double Rainbow!

Laurie — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 18:02:18 +0000

Winter blues have set in over Paris. But try to look on the bright side! The cold months bring their own visual charm to the City of Light. Have a look at the amazing photo essay at Secrets of Paris for a reminder of the the stark beauty of l’hiver.

Ice Skate IN the Eiffel Tower!

Le Best of Paris — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 21:51:10 +0000

What better way to experience the beauty of Paris in the winter than ice skating? Here are some places around the city that offer such fun.

The Eiffel Tower’s first-floor skating rink has just opened. Rent or bring skates and cruise on a mini-rink with a fantastic view of Paris. It’s open 10:30-10:30 daily through January 31, 2012. You can buy hot chocolate, pretzels, and—this being France—spiced wine.

Every year the Hotel de Ville rink is packed with locals, as well as tourists who want to experience this winter activity in front of the achitecturally fabulous city hall. Admission is free, and it is 5€ to rent skates. Centrally located along the river in Le Marais, this rink is open Mon-Sat from 12pm-10pm and Sun from 9am-10pm through February 17.

>click here for info on the Tour Montparnase rink

Heritage Days Picks

Paris Weekends — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 03:02:56 +0000

One of the highlights of September in Paris is the annual Journées du Patrimoine (heritage days) weekend, where access is given to a wide range of normally closed to the public locations. Popular opinion will tell you that the event can involve nightmare 2-hour queues to visit some places (the Palais de l’Elysée, or President’s residence for example), but my recommendations are a little more out of the ordinary, and I can promise you that you won’t queue at all!

(Re)Discover the Train Stations of Paris
The theme of this year’s event is ‘Le Voyage,’ so what better place to start than at one of the city’s train stations? Amongst other discoveries, you’ll get a view of the city from the balcony of the Gare de l’Est, and at the Gare de Lyon you’ll be able to climb the famous clock tower.

Mémorial du Bazar de la Charité Built on the spot of a terrible fire that cost the lives of over 150 members of the aristocracy (with around 95% of the victims being female), this chapel is always open to the public daily. What is more rarely seen though is the memorial section at the rear which explains the tragedy in more detail and celebrates the lives of the victims.

Rue Jean-Goujon, 75008 Saturday – Sunday 14:00 to 17:30
Our Daily Bread The Du Pain et des Idees boulangerie near the Canal Saint Martin is not only a superb example of a 19th century establishment with its ceramics and painted glass, but also one of the best in the city today. To celebrate the fact that the shop is listed as a historic monument, and also the fact that baker Christophe Vasseur also uses 19th century techniques, the boulangerie will be open for the weekend for a series of events, including the chance to make your own dough!
>more

Free and Clean

ParisDailyPhoto — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 04:27:10 +0000

Those of you who were in Paris in the 80′s (and even later) probably remember a mythical dance club called Les Bains Douches (public baths) named so because it was located in a former public bath house. What is less known is that there are still public baths in Paris (18, if I counted correctly) and that it is still possible to wash yourself for free in one of them if you don’t have a bathroom of your own (or if you’re homeless). I photographed this one in the 19th arrondissement at Quai de la Gironde.

Under the Stars

Le Best of Paris — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 04:13:23 +0000

Outdoor movie screenings take place in Parc de la Villette where moviegoers can enjoy the big screen while sitting under the stars. From tomorrow through August 21, movies run everyday except Mondays, beginning at nightfall. Celebrating its 21st year with the theme “The Street,” popular movies include Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, Woody Allen’s Manhattan, Mathieu Kassovitz’s La Haine, Robert Wise’s West Side Story, or less-known masterpieces such as Keren Yedeya’s My Treasure, Elia Suleiman’s The Time That Remains, or Jhang Ke Jia’s Pickpocket Xiao Wu). The best thing about this is that it is FREE, so grab your blankets, a bottle of wine, some snacks, and make your way to the park for a warm night at the cinema!

Parc de la Villette, 75019, Métro: Porte de Pantin or Porte de la Villette
>more

Surviving the Fete de la Musique

American Girls Are — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:34:59 +0000

Here are some of the musical and not so musical highlights of my Fête de la Musique education:
1. Parisians signing in English. From Bono to Lady Gaga, accents and warbly voices never get old.
2. Little kids dancing. I think I watched a future Chris Farley tap dancer do his thing.
3. Spontaneous parade of revelers following a marching band composed of very, very old band campers. Awesome.
4. Enough smoke to make Smokey the Bear nervous coming off the food carts selling merguez sausages.
5. A band performing Peter’s Dracula song from the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It sounded that similar, trust me.
6. Weed, weed, weed, and more weed wafting through the streets.
7. Open containers of alcohol in everyone’s hands. Bottle of wine anyone?
8. No police presence. Zero. Zilch.
9. French rapping. You try to listen to it.
10. No music after 2AM. YAY! Sleep!

>more

Photo Winners at Alaia Gallery

Prete-Moi Paris — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:52:11 +0000

The World Press Photo 2011 expo is hosted by (fashion designer) Azzedine Alaïa, in his gallery in the Marais. These are the photos of 2011 that have won World Press Photo recognition. This is photojournalism with a push towards creativity. The contest to select the top photos was held in February, and over 108,059 photos were submitted in the 9 different categories. Press photographers, press agencies, newspapers and magazines were able to submit photos. Those that were recognized are up on the walls of Mr. Alaïa’s gallery.
The building is normally home to The fashion designer’s showroom. It was build just before the Eiffel tower, and has that very distinct architectural design that came out of that era. The space was originally built by the owners of the BHV to become a people’s class restaurant. After that it became a place for BHV to store things, until Mr Alaïa purchased it for his fashion house. I love the opaque white glass ceiling which lets in so much light that no artificial light is really needed at all. And then there’s that typical juxtaposition of sculpted metal and glass that is so common to Parisian architecture from the Art Nouveau period (one of my favorites along with Art Deco).

18, rue de la Verrerie, 75004
>more