Paris is beautiful in the spring time, especially in its famed gardens – the Jardin des Tuileries in the 1st arrondissement and the Jardin du Luxembourg in the 6th arrondissement. Although there are few tourists, locals are enjoying the wonderful display of cherry blossom flowers and blue skies. Cherry blossoms – Paris in the springContinue reading “Cherry blossoms – Paris in the spring time”
Category Archives: Opal Hush
The Abbey of Saint-German-des-Prés – the abbey in the meadow
The Abbey of Saint-German-des-Prés – the abbey in the meadow. The Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés is one of the oldest churches in Paris. It was constructed in the 6th century. Located on the Left Bank in the 6th arrondissement, the Saint-Germain-des-Prés Church is opposite the Les Deux Magots café on the Boulevard Saint-Germain. In 542, afterContinue reading “The Abbey of Saint-German-des-Prés – the abbey in the meadow”
The Paris Opera House – now no opera, just ballet
The Paris Opera House – now no opera, just ballet. The Paris Opera House is called the Palais Garnier. It is located at the Place de l’Opéra in the 9th arrondissement. Built from 1861 to 1975 during the reign of Napoleon III, it was first called le nouvel Opéra de Paris – the new Paris Opera. NowContinue reading “The Paris Opera House – now no opera, just ballet”
The best seasons to visit Paris
The best seasons to visit Paris. When tourism opens up fully, Paris will be popular once again. People always ask me, ‘When is the best time to visit Paris?” Always, I say. But if you are planning a visit, spring and summer are the high seasons: April, May, June, July, and August. Other favourable monthsContinue reading “The best seasons to visit Paris”
Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris will become an “extraordinary garden”
Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris will become an “extraordinary garden” The “most beautiful avenue in the world” – the famed Avenue des Champs-Élysées – is not seen as beautiful to many Parisians. They view it as an overcrowded tourist attraction that is now drab and unexciting. According to the architects commissioned to revamp the Avenue,Continue reading “Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris will become an “extraordinary garden””
Pantheonized in the Paris Pantheon
Pantheonized in the Paris Pantheon. The Paris Pantheon is the burial place of France’s honoured citizens. To be pantheonised is to be entombed there. Pantheonised is not strictly the correct word, but it seems nouns become verbs these days. The pantheonisations – another verb for the act of being interred – don’t occur very often,Continue reading “Pantheonized in the Paris Pantheon”
Madame de Pompadour – prestige in the court of the King of France
Madame de Pompadour – her rise to prestige and power in the court of the King of France. Madame de Pompadour was the long-time mistress of King Louis XV of France. Madame de Pompadour (1721-1764) was born Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson – often ridiculed because poisson means fish. At the age of nine, a fortune-teller predicted that sheContinue reading “Madame de Pompadour – prestige in the court of the King of France”
Paris: a well-connected city
Paris: a well-connected city. A global study on urban planning and street design analyzed the design of city streets to determine the best-connected cities. Paris was ranked as one of the best-connected cities in the world. Connectivity influences people’s decisions to drive or travel by foot, say authors of the first global analysis of streetContinue reading “Paris: a well-connected city”
Paris on the Brink – an historical account of 1930s Paris
Paris on the Brink – an historical account of 1930s Paris. Mary McAuliffe’s 2018 book, Paris on the Brink: The 1930s Paris of Jean Renoir, Salvado Dali, Simone de Beauvoir, Andre Gide, Sylvia Beach, Leon Blum, and Their Friends is an easy-to-read historical account of Paris. Long title, but it is a well-structured book withContinue reading “Paris on the Brink – an historical account of 1930s Paris”
André Malraux, a man of Paris and the world
André Malraux, a man of Paris and the world. Paris-born André Malraux was a novelist, art theorist, and France’s first Minister of Cultural Affairs in the 1960s. He was also described as France’s ‘man of the world’ and ‘ambassador of the world.’ It was said that he was a man of action and a manContinue reading “André Malraux, a man of Paris and the world”