The Paris Traveler

This is a guest post from Mary Jo Manzanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and blogger at Flyaway Cafe
 
As is often the case when travelers get to talking, the discussion soon turns to places we’ve been, places we’re going, and places we want to go.
One of my favorite recent trips was to Paris.

The photo was taken on a visit to the Louvre.  The statuary was in a garden atrium area of the museum, and is just one of hundreds of pieces on display.
I recently had the opportunity to watch some sculptors at work, and that has given me a …read more

Comments Off

A few days ago I received an e-mail from Arnaud Contreras and Alain Dister about their homage to the American writer, Jack Kerouac, who coined the term, “Beat Generation”. I was asked if I wanted to contribute something (a poem, a drawing, a song, etc.) to participate in this exhibit entitled, Memory Babe, A Tribute to Jack Kerouac. This is a celebration of the 50th year of Kerouac’s best known work: “On the Road“. The exhibit will take place on September 23, 2007 in Paris at the Cabaret Pirate in front of the BNF (Bibliothèque Nationale de France).
I, for one, …read more

1 Comment

 
September with a hint of autumn in the air. I love strolling along the Seine stopping every now and again to see if I can find a rare gem among the used books being sold by those ever present booksellers in Paris called les bouquinistes.
After hundreds of years of controversy, they finally became a permanent fixture as we know them today in 1891 on the Quai Voltaire and have grown to nearly 250 on both the Right Bank and Left Bank, selling old and used books, posters, post-cards, stamps, music albums, art prints, and more. What’s even nicer is having lively …read more

11 Comments

I really have to hand it to Salma Hayek, she could very easily have decided to spend her time shopping in all the luxury stores in Paris, or just lounging around eating bonbons and sipping expensive champagne! Afterall, the father of her baby (due any day now) and also her fiancé, is none other than French business mogul François-Henri Pinault! Pinault heads a conglomerate of successful businesses including the famous Printemps department store, La Redoute (think Sears catalog), the FNAC, several French newspapers, Christie’s, plus Gucci and Yves Saint-Laurent….shall I go on?!
Yes? Well what about Boucheron jewelry, Balenciaga, Stella McCartney, winery Chateau …read more

Comments Off

You might not know his work by name, but you’ve surely seen some of his most famous paintings. Arcimboldo was well ahead of his time to be the first modern painter hundreds of years before Picasso and the father of surrealism centuries before Salvador Dali.
Well there’s great news for everyone who loves this XVI century Italian painter! From September 15, 2007 until January 13, 2008 there will be an exhibit of over forty of his paintings, drawings, and illustrations at the Musée du Luxembourg. Although he was one of the most famous painters of his time, Arcimboldo’s popularity as a …read more

2 Comments

Every year the Nocturne Rive Droite assembles professionals from the art world. This year is no different with over eighty professionals taking part in the evening festivities that will be held on Wednesday, June 6 from 17h to 23h. Sixty exhibits and openings featuring ever style of art, tapestry, jewelry, etc. will be yours for the choosing.
It’s a perfect evening for mingling and meeting the artists, gallery owners, connoisseurs, and other art enthusiasts. Who knows, you may find yourself with a painting or a sculpture you just can’t resist. (Believe me, I speak …read more

Comments Off