Fete De La Musique - June 21

Everyone around me seems to be leaving lately. Leaving the city, the country, my entourage, my heart. The French say Partir c'est mourir un peu, or leaving is like dying a little. But François de la Rochefoucauld also said that  the only thing constant in life is change. Both are very true. I am counting on summer to provide me with enough vitamin D and some distractions. There is nothing quite like summer, its festivals, its hot nights and light vibe to lift the spirits. And as  much as I love nature, I actually love summer in Paris. There is so much to do, and everything is free! Jazz festivals, movie screenings, expositions, Paris Plage....

One of my favorite days of the year in Paris is June 21st. Fête de la Musique, or the Music Festival falls on that day and has basically become an official holiday. It is like nothing else I have ever seen. My first time ever was when I was eighteen and made a permanent impression which is with me till this very day.

The idea was first  taken up by French Music and Dance director Maurice ce Fleuret for Minister of Culture Jack Lang  in 1981 and first took place in 1982. It promotes music in that amateur and professional musicians are encouraged and invited to perform in the streets. People with little or a lot of experience descend on the streets with their instruments and literally start jamming. Others watch and listen and dance! Secondly, popular bands from eclectic to pop are playing free concerts at all the local venues and at more popular locations accessible to the public. Two of the caveats to being sanctioned by the official Fête de la Musique organization in Paris are that all concerts must be free to the public, and all performers donate their time for free.

Despite there being a large tolerance about the performance of music by the general public of amateurs in public areas after usual hours, the noise restrictions still apply, and can cause some establishments to be forbidden to open and broadcast music out of their doors without prior authorization. But the night is still long, wild and loud!
Forget about Taxis, they are all taken. It's best to wear flats and just get lost in the streets and wonder from concert to concert, but the metro is open past its usual hours for those who want to cover more ground.  Every newspaper prints a formal schedule of all of the concerts big and small. You will find everything from Waltz to electro. Check it out and it will be one night you will not forget

The Fête de la Musique began in France and has since spread to many countries around the world, obviously!

www.fetedelamusique

Silk and Sugar

A couple of days ago I attended the opening of the new Hermès store in Chicago. I am  a huge fan of the brand, of Jean Paul Ghaultier's take on it, and of the heritage of the house, I am also curious what Lemaire will do with it moving forward. There were of course many attractions available, yet for me, the highlight of the event were the stacks of pastries and truffles beautifully arranged like at La Durée or Maison du Chocolat. Life's surprises and challenges occasionally demand a little endorphin boost, and there is nothing better than chocolate for that. However, though my endorphin reserves could probably be in better shape these days, I am by nature a hedonist.

Luxurious leathers, silks and pastries all make me salivate. Every time I am in Paris I re-visit the old and known chocolatiers and pastry shops but I always also try to seek out the new. Speaking of which, Paris' latest pastry showcase is Le Chocolatier de Jacques Genin. The latter, known as the purveyor of high quality chocolates to such superstar chefs like Alan Ducasse, opened his own artisan postmodern store and tearoom. Pastries, candies and chocolates are made to order and come in unorthodox flavors such as pu-erh tea. Sleek and elegant, the salon is a perfect fit for its high end contents

Le Chocolatier de Jacques Genin
133 Rue De Tourenne 75003
45-77-29-01

Irreconcilable Differences

Sadly, today for the first time ever, I finally understood the meaning of the expression "irreconcilable differences". It dawned on me that no matter how connected and well surrounded, we are all looking at a different picture. No one can really see inside your view. sometimes it is translatable, others,  not. Like idioms in a foreign language. Sometimes seeing the others' perspective just  isn't enough. You just don't. get. it! Like not getting modern art, while loving contemporary.

Speaking of art and irreconcilable differences, it brings me to my relationship with my country of origin, its government and the expo now running at the Centre Pompidou till July 19. Entitled The Promises of the past: 1950-2010, A discontinuous history of art in former Eastern Europe.
"Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin wall, the exhibition looks at Europe's former East/West divide, and challenges the idea of art history as something linear and continuous.
The Centre Pompidou thus aims to introduce the public to artists whose creations and subject matters have marked their countries of origin, and to explain the salient influence of certain tutelary figures of Central and Eastern Europe on the younger generation of international artists."

I might not make it to Paris on time for this one, but I hope some of you will. This might turn out to be a perfect example of how the French intellos glamorize Socialism, or perhaps just an accurate account of a lost generation. I would love to see it!

http://www.centrepompidou.fr

Place Georges Pompidou
75004 Paris, France
01 44 78 12 33

Forever After

A little macabre and damp, but strangely alluring, the network of tunnels of the catacombs located beneath the streets of Paris is lined with thousands of skulls and bones carefully arranged to form walls on both sides. Death-dense experience. From mass graves, to wild parties hosted by Charles X, to French Resistance headquarters, they breath history and intrigue... and eternity.

There is the part open to the visitors, but there is actually a whole subculture centered around this place too, with clandestine parties, raves, movie showings... the catacombs are even home to artistic movements, and certain individuals.

There are virtually hundreds of kilometers of underground tunnels, so it is not an easily controlled environment. But whatever goes on there is patrolled by special Catacombs police, also referred to as cataflics. At one point the government restricted the visit of the catacombs because of security reasons.  in 2009 the stacks of bones were vandalized and were scattered along the walking paths. As a result the catacombs were closed to the public indefinitely and an investigation was opened by the Paris prosecutor's office.

Mostly unmapped, covered in graffiti yet venerable...but as you can probably imagine, there is much more to the Catacombs than that. I invite you to continue reading here

Catacombs de Paris: 1 avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy 75014 Paris
Located near the Denfert-Rochereau Metro station
011+33-01-43-22-47-63

Here is more on the underground