The Paris Traveler

 If you happen to be heading over to Paris this month, be warned that you are going to see an amazing amount of signs similar to this one, telling patrons that yes, indeed, it is August, we are French and by God, we are going on vacation for the entire month!!  That’s it.  Shops and cafés will draw the curtains, their owners will flee the city in search of sun and fun, usually in the south of France where chances are, the sun will actually shine and the city will feel different–quieter.  I moved to Paris in August and the …read more

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Starting July 21 and running until August 21 the banks of the Seine will become a sandy beach oasis inviting all to soak up some of that elusive summer sun that shines down on Paris.  Entering its seventh year, Paris Plage, once again suggests you grab a beach chair and work on that tan, get a beach volley ball team together or take advantage of the entertaining events the city has in store.  
Two “beaches” have been set up this year–one at voie Georges Pompidou (in the 4th) and the other from the Bassin de Villette to Salingrad (the 19th). …read more

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 Bastille Day or “quatorze juillet”–July 14th, much like our Independence Day, is France’s most important national holiday.  It is celebrated in honor of the storming of the high security prison by the same name, Bastille, holding political prisoners whose views and subsequent writings angered the monarchy.  While the historic moment freed only 7 prisoners and destroyed the entire prison,  this event was viewed as a symbolic act of rebellion and solidarity and marked the beginning of the French Revolution.  
In modern times, the day begins with a military parade held along the Champs Elysée, led by the President, followed by …read more

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 As you may or may not know, us bloggers have our wily ways of discovering certain things about our blogs:  readership for the day, popular posts, where in the world some of our readers come from and which bloggers have linked to one of our posts in order to make a point or add extra information to their post.  Tuesday, The Paris Traveler was linked to an article and I am going to send you right back there!
Alexander Lobrano is the European correspondent for Gourmet magazine–can you say “dream job”??? Oh my goodness.  Eating my way through Europe and then writing …read more

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More than three centuries after being torn down by revolutionaries, wanting their king’s head, the gates at Versailles have been recreated in all their original splendor.
 This past Monday, officials unveiled these beautiful golden gates that have been painstakingly replicated over the past two years, bringing back to life the Barouque artistry originally created by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, architect to Louis XIV.  It was Hardouin-Mansart who was responsible for creating many of the significant buildings of this period that were meant to convey the king’s wealth and power.
 At a cost of eight million dollars, generated by private donors which is rare in …read more

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 Actually, we are starting with Argentina in New York.  This is Enrique Muthuan, a native Argentinian which explains his wonderful accent, now living in New York.  I met him at the corner of Green and Wooster in Soho which sounds a bit bad but really was all quite good.  Enrique was just setting up a table displaying his fabulous handmade jewelry, which he sets up on the above mentioned corner on a regular basis in case you happen to be in New York.   We chatted for a bit while he tried to get things put together and since I …read more

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What do you think??
 
Photo credit: Paris-live 

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 The Paris Traveler, that would be me, Kim, finds herself in New York.  That is always a good thing, not as good as being in Paris, but I have decided that since I need to be here I am going to seek out all things French:  restaurants, cafés and shopping and report my findings so in the event that you find yourself here, you too can seek out Paris without needing a passport.    
The Statue of Liberty, certainly one of the most recognizable symbols for our nation, was in fact a gift of friendship from the people of France. …read more

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 The City of Light is planning on turning down the wattage a bit in an attempt to save energy (more greening of Paris) and address the disturbances it is causing to nature and astronomers.  This light pollution issue is felt throughout Europe and is causing migratory birds to lose their bearings, vegetables are behaving badly and certain insects are dying out.  
France, the worst offender is working to replace their street lamps with low-energy ones but still burns 1,200 megawatts which is the output of one nuclear power station.  Just a bit scary.  Already there is resistance (one more thing …read more

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The Eiffel Tower workers are at it night and day getting ready for their new lighting arrangement. This view was taken at 1:45am.  At last check, only 5 of the 27 stars were up. 
 
Photo credit:  Paris-Live 

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