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| May 16, 2008 | ||
| May 17, 2008 | ||
| May 18, 2008 | ||
| May 19, 2008 |
Paris always evokes the nostalgic image of the lonely and tortured artist toiling away in his or her studio with a view over the rooftops and chimneys of Paris.
It was probably never quite like that, although certainly there were studios with panoramic views but designed mainly to supply plenty of light.
In the 10th arrondisement, the artists of Belleville have an annual festival when they throw open their doors (portes ouvertes) to allow all and sundry the opportunity to view their creations - and hopefully purchase too!
More than 250 artists will be showing their work in over 170 locations - courtyards, gardens, streetside for 4 days from 16-19 May 2008 from 2pm - 9pm (rather reinforces the idea of artists leading a dissolute life!).
So there should be something there to please most art lovers - and a unique opportunity to see another side of Parisian life.
See our map of Paris for the location
See the website for Les Ateliers d’Artistes de Belleville
| May 2, 2008 | to | May 8, 2008 |
There are many ways of getting to Paris from London, but doing it by rowing boat is not the obvious one - but that’s what teams of rowers are doing starting on 2 May 2008 on the London 2 Paris Rowing Challenge. Leaving from Westminster Bridge in the centre of London at 11.00am and rowing down the Thames, then to Dover. From there they strike out diagonally towards Fecamp and Le Havre at the mouth of the Seine - in the process crossing the busiest stretch of water in the world - before heading into the calmer waters of the Seine to Rouen and on to Paris. But even on this stretch there are some big boats and less room to manoeuvre.
There are two teams of 10 rowers of all ages and both sexes, and they are going to tackle this fearsome ordeal which covers 420 miles and will probably take 6 days before arriving at the Pont d’Iena near the Eiffel Tower in central Paris sometime before 8th May 2008. One team is called Le FigaROW!
The most daunting part of the whole trip must be the lengthy English Channel crossing to Le Havre with the risks of heavy seas and merchant shipping. But Le Havre is only about half-way in terms of distance, a little deceptive as the Seine meanders in anything but a straight line after the Pont de Tancarville between Le Havre and Rouen. They will of course pass under 2 impressive bridges before reaching Paris - le Pont de Normandie which takes the A29 autoroute from the north to south banks of the Seine near its mouth; and the new vertical lift bridge - the Pont Gustave Flaubert in Rouen.
Clearly the Channel section will not offer much in the way of a spectator sport,but you may be able to catch sight of them on the Thames and Seine.
See London 2 Paris Rowing Challenge - but personally I think I’d go by Eurostar!
P&V have some special offers on their self-catering apartments in various parts of France - but these are limited time offers:-
Book 2 nights and get 2 free or book 1 week and get another whole week free! - offer closes 17th May. Available on 8 Pierre & Vacances residences - CLICk FOR DETAILS
25% off 2 week holidays in August - available between 16th and 30th August - CLICk FOR DETAILS
20% off luxury Adagio Tour Eiffel Aparthotel in Paris - available before 19th May. Includes this bank holiday weekend! 25% off 2 week holidays in August - available between 16th and 30th August - CLICk FOR DETAILS
15% off 4 night breaks at the Latitudes Beach Hotel in stylish Trouville (14 Calvados, Normandie)- available until 13th May - CLICk FOR DETAILS
Velomagg in Montepellier (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon) is another of the growing number of city bike hire schemes which have blossomed throughout France - and which potentially offer a different way of visiting many of France’s cities. It has also given employment to those creative people who dream up catchy logos and names for such schemes!
It all started in Paris with the Velib’ Scheme - an amalgam of Velo (cycle) and Liberte (free), which has been a tremendous success.
Vélib’ is a Self Service “bike hire” system available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Multi pick up and drop off location allows you to pick up your bike from one service point and drop off to another.
You need to subscribe, but for visitors there are 1-day and 7-day subscriptions and after the first 30 minutes you pay by the half-hour - e.g. a 90-minute hire will cost just €3 and you can pick up and drop off your bike at any of the hundreds of self-service stations across the city.
The Velib’ scheme has been based on a similar scheme VeloV in Lyon (69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes) France’s second city. The combination of these eco-friendly and fitness focussed schemes is now spreading throughout France:-
VeloCite in Mulhouse (68 Haut-Rhin, Alsace) and Besancon (25 Doubs, Franche-Comté)
Vhello in Aix-en-Provence (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence)
Le Velo in Marseille (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence)
Velo in Toulouse (34 Haut Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees)
Nantes (44 Loire-Atlantique, Val de Loire)
Rouen (76 Seine Maritime, Normandy)
Bordeaux (33 Gironde, Aquitaine)
Velostan in Nancy (54 Meurthe et Moselle, Lorraine)
Velo+ in Orleans (45 Loiret, Centre)
Velomagg in Montpellier (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon)
This is clearly a popular scheme, mainly aimed at local residents but may also offer a different way of seeing some of France’s major cities from a different perspective. However, I would recommend choosing a city with good cycle lanes and paths - you do get the impression that traffic in many of France’s cities is not very forgiving with errant cyclists - so do not try cycling around the rond-point of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris!!
Inevitably there are some urban myths developing - such as the fact that there are always plenty of bikes at the bottom of the Butte de Montmartre, but none at the top - for obvious reasons. And you can get caught out in busy locations if you cannot find an empty slot in which to return your bike!
Information on domestic flights in France is not easy to come by, one reason being that Air France has such a dominant position in France and already have flights on most internal routes.
Plus the French market is not as competitive. The French Railway system between major cities is both fast and competitive, especially if starting from Paris.
I have only been able to uncover a couple of airlines which offer domestic flights in France:-
www.easyjet.com - Toulouse to Lyon, Paris, Nice to Paris; Lyon to Biarritz, Bordeaux; Biarritz to Paris
Www.twinjet.net
Toulouse to Metz/Nancy, Mulhouse, Brest; Marseille to Metz/Nancy, Mulhouse; Paris - Perigueux, Cherbourg
www.airlinair.fr Brest, Bordeaux, Agen, Lyon, Poitiers, Brive, Beziers etc
You can try sites like www.expedia.fr but even a price comparison site like http://www.baisse-de-prix.com/voyages.php seems to offer little new – it looks like Air France have cornered the market with little opportunity for discounting.
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