We've also had a very good meal at the Maison du Jardin. This is an adult neighborhood restaurant, which is really a bit too quiet to take kids, which we did. ... It has delicious food, not a thing we ordered was anything worse than outstanding. ... The cheeses are sourced form a local shop called Rouge Creme and were all delicious. ... [From What a joy! - Review of La Maison du Jardin, Paris, France - TripAdvisor ]
A few good etiquette tips for tourists in France – Chris Pirillo
While to some the French may seem snooty, the world would be a nicer place if people followed a lot of these simple suggestions. with some of their etiquette rules Face it, no one wants to unknowingly embarrass themselves by being the ugly American. Here’s our short list of etiquette tips that function well throughout France and actually translate fairly well to your microcosm back home. Thanks to Renee from Travel Geeks, who also contributed a conversation that influenced this list – and to Imei for editing an compiling it: 1. A profuse use of “please” and “thank you” goes a long way. You will hear people constantly saying “merci beaucoup” or just “merci” even more than you hear “you’re welcome”.
UPDATE: Most Paris Museums Reopen After Strike
As reported in NYT, PARIS | Nearly all of France’s main museums and monuments were open to the public on Wednesday, including the Louvre, after a museum workers’ strike had shut their doors. The Musée d’Orsay was also open, with protesters blocking access to ticket booths. At Versailles, the royal apartments and temporary exhibitions were open at full price, though some rooms, like the Dauphin apartments, were closed. The Pompidou Center, the Arc de Triomphe and the Château de Compiègne remain closed.
... I hope the strike at gave some tourists motivation to see some of the "second tier" museums in Paris, many of which we would build a temple around if they were in the U.S.
Check another off my bucket list – I’ve lived on Paris’ longest street – the rue de Vaugirard
And here are a few other topographical and geographical high and lowlights: The longest street: Rue de Vaugirard (6th and 15th arrondissements): 4.36 km. ... The narrowest street: Rue du Chat-qui-Pêche (5th arrondissement): 1.80 m. ... Lowest point on a public street: 30.5 m (corner of the Rue Leblanc and Rue Saint-Charles, 15th arrondissement). Highest point: 148.45 m (40, Rue du Télégraphe, 20th arrondissement).
... The only other one I've seen, at least knowingly, is the rue Chat-qui-Peche.
5 Best nightclubs in Paris, France
There was a time when I actually stayed out 'til 4AM at Chez Castel (now very passé) and the Buddha Bar, but now midnight is late to get the kids to sleep. ... The drinks at this club are reasonably priced, and visitors will be able to order any drink or cocktail at this club on account of the variety of drinks served here. ... Le Galway - This is one of the best Irish pubs in all of Paris; it boasts a live Irish band that plays here every night. ... The best drink in the house is a pint of beer, however, the bartenders are fairly skilled and will be able to mix you any drink of your choice, should you require a cocktail. Le Galway has a good ambience, great drinks and incredible music and is a great place to visit to have a night on the town.
Alert 12/2/09: Many Paris museums closed due to strike
PARIS — On a gray, drizzly day just made for a Paris museum visit, workers at the city's premier art institutions went on strike Wednesday, leaving tourists out in the cold and some residents worried about the image that France projects. The Pompidou Center modern art museum and the Musee d'Orsay, with its famed paintings by the Impressionists, were closed Wednesday after workers angry over a government cost-cutting measure voted to strike. Workers at the Louvre, the crown jewel of Paris museums, also voted to strike, but by midmorning parts of the sprawling complex had been opened to visitors. The museum reduced its euro9 ($13.50) to euro6 ($9.00) for the day. [From The Associated Press: Many Paris museums closed due to strike ]
Sarkozy, the Left and the reburial of Camus at the Pantheon
Imagine a conservative President in the United States embracing a leftist intellectual figure (or several) in order to burnish his own intellectual credentials and position himself as a worthy heir to the 20th Century intellectual tradition of France. ... Given the Panthéon's function as the final repose for France's greatest heroes, it's perhaps not surprising that efforts are now afoot to relocate the ashes of writer and philosopher Albert Camus to a site beneath the 18th century Paris building's cupola. ... President Nicolas Sarkozy said last week that he wanted to add Camus to the giants of French history who are buried at the Panthéon — figures like Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Emile Zola and Louis Pasteur — as a way of revering an author whose defense of the downtrodden and veneration of the individual over the oppressive forces of society earned him fame and respect around the globe. But the announcement outraged Camus' son, Jean, who saw a motivation of a different sort — an attempt by Sarkozy to "requisition" the legacy of a ferociously independent thinker who has long been a hero of the intellectual left.
...As for myself, as a long long time fan and student of Camus, I think anything that keeps the memory of this thinking and work alive in the minds of the French and foreigners is a good thing.
Tokyo is the new Paris, says Michelin
So say the revered gastronomes at the Michelin Guide, who have awarded three stars to 11 restaurants in the Japanese capital, one more than in Paris. Yesterday's announcement, made days before the launch of the Michelin Guide Tokyo 2010, cements the city's deserved reputation as a spectacular place to dine. "Tokyo has become the world culinary capital, ahead of Paris," gushed Jean-Luc Naret, the guide's director general.
... But, I guess if they are giving the title of Paris to the city with the most 3-star restaurants, it might as well be Tokyo. ... I still would rather live, eat, and breathe in Paris for everyday eating than anywhere else in the world, even Northern California, where we live.
Touring “The macarons of Europe”
Again the Patisserie AOKI below our apartment gets the highest marks: Patisserie Sadaharu AOKI 35 rue de Vaugirard 75006 PARIS. €16 for 12 macarons approx AUD$2.60 each. ... They were a bit too crispy on the day we bought them, but by the time they travelled home to Australia – they were pretty perfect texture-wise. ... It’s around the corner from Pierre Hermé so we went there at about 10:30, but all I got was a photo of the outside of the shop. ... Luckily, we ended up back in the 6th later on in the day and I was able to pop in for my fix. I was told off for trying to take photographs in the shop though so you’ll have to trust me when I say that it was full of beautiful chocolates and dainties.
McDonald’s restaurant to be placed inside food court at Carrousel du Louvre
The first is that the Louvre, in a situation they can't control, will have to co-exist with the odeurs of a MacDo in its midst. ... PARIS — French culture and American convenience will come together in December — thanks to plans by the McDonald’s restaurant chain to hang its shingle in the shadow of the Louvre. ... The McDonald’s will be installed in the food court of the underground mall adjoining the museum, known as the Carrousel du Louvre, as the fast food chain fetes its 30th anniversary in France, McDonald’s France said.