07/02/09 by Paris-France | Blog, Exhibitions | Comments Off on Accessoires et Objets 1940-44
Budget wartime fashion.
Accessoires et Objets, Témoignages de Vies de Femmes à Paris 1940-1944
Above: Dunand, sandales en taffetas violet; semelle compensée en bois, 1941. (Taffeta sandals with wooden soles by Dunand in 1941) © © E. Emo et S. Piera / Galliera / Roger-Viollet.
Exhibition dates: 20 mai au 15 Novembre 2009
If you have time, do spend some time at this coloourful exhibition celebrating the fashions and objects created for Parisiennes during the difficult and dark days of Nazi Occupation.
The exhibition, “Accessoires et Objets, Témoignages de Vies de Femmes à Paris 1940-1944,” is on at the Musée Jean Moulin, on top of the Gare Montparnasse, and shows us how the human spirit managed to triumph during the difficult years of World War II.
When it was impossible to source luxurious materials, the creative artisans of Paris created shoes, scarves, purses out of innovative products in ways not seen before using a combination of wood, paper, straw etc in extremely attractive and classically elegant forms.
There are wonderful items on display, a prime example is these most exquisitely sculpted shoes by Jean Dunand – I love the purple taffeta and the striking yellow of the wooden soles.
Click here to read a French review >>
07/02/09 by Paris-France | At Night, Blog | Comments Off on Comedy in English in Paris
Looking for a great night-time treat?
I’ve recently interviewed Karel Beer who brought comedy gigs in English to Paris years ago.
Click here to read Karel’s interview with me – Teena Hughes >>
07/02/09 by Paris-France | Blog, Museums | Comments Off on French Resistance and the Liberation of Paris
Fascinating museum of history.
I recently heard about a museum dedicated to the French Resistance and the Liberation of Paris near the Gare Montparnasse, which piqued my interest and whet my appetite.
“Accessoires et Objets, Témoignages de Vies de Femmes à Paris 1940-1944,” at the Musée Jean Moulin, on top of the Gare Montparnasse, is a fine demonstration of, to use a clichéd expression, the triumph of the human spirit in the darkest hours of World War II.
Mémorial Leclerc et de la Libération de Paris
Musée Jean Moulin
23, Allée de la 2e DB, Jardin Atlantique
About the Gare Montparnasse, 75015 Paris
Métro: Montparnasse.
Tel.: 01 40 64 39 44.
Exhibition goes to November 15
http://www.ml-leclerc-moulin.paris.fr
View Musée Jean Moulin in a larger map
07/02/09 by Paris-France | 75018, Blog | Comments Off on Le Café qui Parle – 75018
The Speaking Cafe – Le Café qui Parle, at Montmartre.
What a delightful restaurant! Perfect too for vegetarians, and well worth the climb, even though a bit far from public transport.
Le Café qui Parle
24, rue Caulaincourt
75018 Paris.
Tel.: 01 46 06 06 88.
Métro: Abbesses.
Vélibs: 70-72, rue Lepic or 6, rue Damrémont.
Closed Sunday night and all day Wednesday.
You’ll find a fixed-price menu (covering lunch only) for €12.50 or €17.
A la carte: around €35 (3 courses, not including wine).
Brunch on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays: €17.50.
07/01/09 by Paris-Travel | Blog, Paris Museums | Comments Off on Paris Museums Free for Europeans
Paris Museums! It’s official!
The permanent collections of French national museums and monuments – which include the Louvre, Centre Pompidou, Versailles and Mont-Saint-Michel – now provide free entry to European residents who are under the age of 26 – or to grammar and high school teachers working in France.
Fantastic news!
Here’s a map to one of the most famous Paris Museums – Le Louvre
[mappress mapid=”8″]
06/20/09 by Paris-France | Blog, Exhibitions, Photography | Comments Off on Henri Cartier-Bresson: L’Imaginaire d’après Nature
Exhibition of photos by Henri Cartier-Bresson, always delightful in my humble opinion.
Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) – a master of his genre.Everyone must have seen at least one photo by this well known and well-respected photographer – clever, artistic, and timeless.
Thinking of when HCB (as he’s known by the French) was doing his best photography, there were no electronic gadgets or the internet, or special software to help him create his masterpieces.
Exhibition: “Henri Cartier-Bresson: L’Imaginaire d’après Nature”
When: April to September 13, 2009
Visit the Museum page:
Where: Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris11
Avenue du Président Wilson, 75116 Paris.
Métro: Alma-Marceau or Iéna.
Tel.: 01 53 67 40 00.
Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (Thursday until 10 p.m.). Closed on Mondays and public holidays. Admission: €6.00. http://www.mam.paris.fr
Did you have a chance to visit the Museum and see the photos by Henri Cartier-Bresson?
If you did, what did you enjoy the most?
Please do let me know – try any of these ways to connect with me:
Enjoy your armchair travel in Paris via my website, or if you’re planning your trip or are already there — have a fabulous time!
I love Paris! XOX
Teena Hughes in Australia
06/03/09 by Paris-France | Blog, Tourist Tips | Comments Off on Luggage Tag Tips
Make sure your luggage tag is keeping you safe
You’ve packed your bag, got your carry-on ready, passport in hand, and you head off to the airport.
You’ve probably diligently put luggage tags on everything (I hope you have), but what exactly have you written on your tags?
In this technology-aware era, I recommend that you only put your NAME and your TWITTER NAME and/or your EMAIL NAME.
(BothTwitter and Gmail. are free.)
Once upon a time you might put your address and a phone number, but there are too many shady characters gleefully reading your tags while you have a coffee at the airport.
If you already have an email account (and doesn’t everyone these days?), you might also consider getting yourself a Twitter name at http://twitter.com – this is possibly the fastest way someone can contact you if anything happens to your luggage.
Even if you have a cellphone or a mobile phone, it’s possible you may not be travelling with them, or that the reception’s not great at your destination, or that your phone’s ‘roaming’ doesn’t work. This all makes it harder for you to be contacted.
Rethink putting your destination hotel name and phone number on your tag – this could also alert a thief at the other end, especially if you have a tag on your carry-on bag or handbag or day pack.
At least there are internet opportunities everywhere — unless you’re in the jungle, and you may not need your luggage there :-) — so you can be quickly contacted in case of emergency.
This also makes it harder for thieves to do anything with the info on your luggage tag – they can’t locate you by your address or phone number and ransack your home while you’re away.
Feel safe – only put your name and email name and/or twitter name on your luggage tag; you’ll be so glad you did.
Additional Tips
- staple or attach another tag inside each bag you have, with the same details, in case the tag on the outside is removed
- to find out more about buying the Paris-flavored laminated luggage tags with my photos on them, please contact me
- read more Travel Packing Tips about all kinds of things you might like to consider for your trip.
Have fun! Bon Voyage!
Tags: moo, moo.com, luggage tags
02/06/09 by Paris-France | Blog, Women | Comments Off on Club Au Bonheure des Dames
Club: Au bonheur des dames
Looking for a girls’ night out?
I’ve just heard about this club – a ladies-only evening (soirée) which includes a buffet dinner with drinks, a make-up booth (not sure about this yet), and evidently some very sexy male striptease artists … this is a free show which starts at 9:30pm.
If your men-friends would like to join you, they are more than welcome from 11:30pm until dawn.
If you’d like to check out this great show, you really need to reserve a table:
- by phone 06 21 70 52 56
- or by sending an email to contact@bonheur-des-dames.com
.
.
On the website:
Tous les jeudis, le club “Au bonheur des dames” vous accueille au 40 rue du Colisée, 75008 Paris.
Translated: Every Thursday, the Club”Au bonheur des dames” welcomes you at 40 rue du Colisée, 75008 Paris
http://www.bonheur-des-dames.com
09/11/08 by Paris-Travel | Blog, Getting Around in Paris | Comments Off on Paris Transport Bus
Paris public transport system is great
Paris transport bus systems are easy to use and get around.
I found Paris transport bus stops everywhere, are easy to find, and so easy to understand.
When I first started catching the bus in Paris, I was pretty terrified I’d miss the stop, or I wouldn’t recognise where I was when I looked out the window, and it was extremely nerve-wracking.
I then started to notice the two best things about buses in Paris [which should be duplicated in bus systems all over the world … in my humble opinion … if they’re not already].
Best bus thing #1
Along the centre of the bus and suspended from the roof, I found a map for the bus route of the bus on which I was travelling. It took me a while to work out what it meant, but once I figured it out I felt MUCH better :-) and I travelled safely without worrying about where I was.
I could look at the simplified map and recognise street names, or bus stop names which matched streets etc, and then the mystery disappeared.
Now I was happy to take buses all over the place.
Oh – almost forgot! Best bus thing #2
… was a clock placed at the front of the bus so everyone could see it — what a wonderful thing. Why don’t they do this in other cities around the world? Beats me :-)
Getting around Paris by bus
The RATP website is your one-stop spot for all info regarding métro, buses, and trains outside Paris – http://ratp.fr.
- Click the little English flag in the top right to read the site in English.
- Now click the GETTING AROUND button to work out how to get from Point A to Point B.
On the site you’ll find a form where you can put in your ‘from” and “to” locations, which method of transport you prefer, and a few other things, and you get the best instructions, directions and locations.
As an added bonus you can also find info on eating out, hiring Velib bikes, and even info on latest movies. If you have access to the internet this will be one bookmark you’ll keep.
Paris after hours bus service – the Noctilien
There’s nothing worse than being out late, having fun, and then not being able to get back home.
Taxis might be rare, but if you knew about the night bus service – the Noctilien – you wouldn’t have to worry at all.
Would you like to ask about or recommend great ways of getting around in Paris?
Please post your comment or question about the Paris transport bus system in the Comments below – many thanks indeed!
06/14/08 by Paris-France | 75018, Blog | Comments Off on Delicious Budget Couscous in Paris 75018
Couscous is served in lots of great restaurants and bistros in Paris, and although it’s not originally a French dish, it’s very popular … and is one of my favourite things to eat in Paris.
Couscous has become the name of the dish, when it is actually a grain (like polenta or rice), served with meat and veg.
Originally from North Africa / Algeria regions, a serve of Couscous consists of lamb, sausage, chicken or beef slow-cooked until it’s fall-off-the-bone tender, and is then served with vegetables and a grain called Couscous.
In the 18th arrondisement my friend Sigrun and I came across a marvellous litte bar which didn’t look very special from the outside, but their blackboard menu outside caught my eye – one item only – couscous.
Being adventurous, we popped in and ordered the couscous for lunch. We sat at the table right at the front bordering on the footpath/sidewalk, so we could watch the world go by on this lovely summer’s day.
When the meal arrived, the servings were huge, consisting of a large platter of meat, a big bowl of vegetables done just right in a stew-like broth, and the couscous (grains) with sultanas / raisins in it.
Our mouths were watering! As you can see in the photo above, it was a hearty meal for a summer’s lunch, and we didn’t need to have any dinner that night. The aromas wafting on the summer’s breeze were wonderful and oh so tempting, and I couldn’t wait to get started.
In the photo above you can see the couscous grains which had been soaked in hot water to make them soft and fluffy. Those giant raisins were so sweet and plump and were a wonderful complement to the meat and vegetables – it was all so delicious!
The vegetables are cooked in a broth (as shown In the photo above) and are firm enough yet imbued with such flavour – I have to admit if I lived near a restaurant or cafe serving couscous I’d be tempted to eat it a lot!
In the photo above you can see the platter with merguez (a spicy sausage), chicken and lamb. The chicken and lamb had been cooked long enough to be tender – the meat fell off the bones, and was so delicious.
Once you choose from the different platters and place your mixture of the 3 dishes on your plate, it’s a riot of colour and the aroma is incredible. Just looking at these photos again is making my mouth water at the memory of this delicious lunch :-) (see photo above)
This photo above shows how much we COULDN’T eat, but we did manage – just – to finish off our wine. I love the small jugs of wine called “pichet” (and pronounced “peeshay”) – just enough for a midday relax with a yummy meal.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this meal with me – I look forward to sharing some of my others with you too.
Prices : Couscous 8 euro, Pichet de Vin Rouge (carafe of red wine) 8 euro
P S – although I didn’t write down the name of this café, it was right near a great shoe shop – Chaussures Marvin – at 56 rue Marx Dormoy, 75018 (if you’re ever looking for fabulously comfortable walking shoes and wide fittings). If you stand on the footpath/sidewalk looking at the shoe shop, the couscous bar is a few doors to your right.
A bientot (see you soon!)
Teena
06/04/08 by Paris-France | Blog, Museums | Comments Off on Free Museum Collections in Paris
List of free permanent Museum collections in Paris
What a great idea! You can view all of these collections in Paris without paying an entry fee. Print the list and work out how many of these you can fit in on your holiday, and see if any of them have a café which will be a nice change from having to find one :-)
75003
- Musée Carnavalet – Histoire de Paris
- Musée Cognacq-Jay
75004
75006
75008
- Musée Cernuschi
- Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux Arts de la Ville de Paris
75009
- Musée de la Vie Romantique
75015
- Maison Bourdelle
- Mémorial du Maréchal Leclerc de Hauteclocque et de la Libération de Paris – Musée Jean Moulin
75016
- Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
- Maison de Balzac
75017
- Musée National Jean-Jacques Henner (currently closed for renovation work)
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