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ONLY BE PARISIAN
Only-Be Parisian
Paris, the City of Love
When someone refers to “the city of love,” there’s no doubt that Paris is the subject of the discussion. The French capital has accepted this phrase as their own, and the city has become the favorite destination for lovers. We’d like to take you on a tour of its beautiful streets. Although it can be hot, the city is beautiful in summer and ideal for that trip you’ve wanted to take for so long. Photo: Orange-umbrella Montmartre This quintessential bohemian district, also known as “the painters’ neighborhood,” is situated on a hill 130 meters high. The Sacre Coeur (Basilica of the Sacred Heart) is located at the top and overlooks small streets full of cozy outdoor cafes and galleries. After spending an afternoon walking around these streets, you can visit the Basilica and even climb to the top of the dome to see the city while the sun is setting if you have the time. At night you can explore the area around the Place Pigalle, which will add some spice to your trip. This is where you can find the legendary Moulin Rouge and several cabarets among the neon lights. Gardens of Paris There are many very lovely gardens in the city. We’ll start at the Jardin du Luxembourg, which was a museum of outdoor sculptures. In fact, you can admire a Rodin or Dalou, then take a break at the Medicis fountain or go to the pond in the center to sail one of the tiny boats. The Tuileries garden is also a good choice. The largest and oldest of the city gardens, it is located...
Internet in the Streets of Paris
If you got plenty of money to spare and don’t mind paying exorbitant roaming charges while traveling, this article may not be of interest to you. But if you´re like the vast majority of travelers whose need for Wi-Fi is almost as important as that for food, this article is a must-read. It is not always possible to disconnect completely from your daily life while on vacation, there are e-mails to check or write, or you want to find interesting places to visit or use social media to tell the world what a good time you’re having. In any case, if you travel to Paris you’ll no longer need to search around like crazy to find a place with Wi-Fi in order to get online. The city has installed 11 booths to call, use the Internet to send and receive e-mails, or simply find information about places of interest such as which restaurants are highly recommended or where to find one of those off-the-beaten-track bars we’ve recommended you visit. The use of the booth is limited to 10 minutes and best of all, it´s completely free! It is certainly easier to find places with Wi-Fi than it used to be, but you generally have to go into a venue and at least buy a drink to use it. These booths are located right on the street, so you can take advantage of them and save the battery of your smartphone for later, when you really need it. If you need more than 10 minutes, the machine gives you the option to pay for more time using your credit card....
Paris ABC’s (Part II)
Notre Dame: Immortalized by the great Victor Hugo, this is the most famous cathedral in the city. Located on the Île de la Cité, in the middle of the Seine, it is one of the icons of the city because of its impressive Gothic architecture and its inspirational bell tower. Orsay: A museum and a dock, both the most beautiful in the city. Located on the 7th Arrondissement of Paris, this is certainly one of the most beautiful places from which to admire the river and bridges that cross it. Père Lachaise: This is the most famous cemetery in the city. Why? Because there you’ll find the tombs of some of the most important figures in the history of France and the world, such as: Balzac, María Callas, Molière, Chopin, Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde. via Jim Linwood Quai: In French, ‘Dock’. The quais go along the Seine River on both sides and are the perfect location for a romantic walk with our loved ones, especially at night, when the lights of the city illuminate the river. Roland Garros: This is one of the biggest sporting events in the world, which is held each spring at Roland Garros tennis stadium complex. This is where the top, male and female, players in the world compete to win one of the most prestigious competitions in the sport’s world. Seine: This is the famous river that crosses Paris. The river gives a special, romantic and melancholy atmosphere to the city; its bridges and docks are simply beautiful and without them, Paris would not be Paris. Tuileries: Paris has many parks and gardens,...
The ABC of Paris (Part I)
Amour (Love): Paris is definitely the city of love. It is a place where lovers decide to spend intimate days romanticism, which permeates the atmosphere of the entire city. Boulevard: This is France’s most symbolic type of road. Boulevards adorned by trees and buildings of great architectural value, make Paris one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Can-can: It would be a crime to come to Paris and miss a Can-can performance. It is possible to witness one of these energetic music-hall dances in the many cabarets in Paris, especially in the ones located in Montmartre. This has been a Parisian tradition for centuries. Défense: One can admire remarkable skyscrapers, which make up the economic and financial landscape of the city, at Défense. This is definitively, Paris most modern district. A panoramic photo of Paris’ skyline from this area would be a nice memory of your holidays in the city. via LaurPhil Eiffel: This is, perhaps, the most famous name in the French capital. Gustave Eiffel was the one who designed the famous iron tower that has become an icon, not only of the city, but one of the most famous in the world. Fashion: Paris is a famous Fashion Capital. The French capital hosts multiple Fashion events, such as Fashion Weeks, which supported by the most recognized fashion brands in the world, influence International Fashion trends. If you love fashion, Paris is your city. Gainsbourg, Serge: This French musician, poet artist and actor, composed Paris’ soundtrack in the 60s and 70s. It is impossible to walk around Paris and not to think of his music. Halles:...
Next Objective: Paris Fashion Week Autumn – Winter 2014
The catwalk of Paris is one of the most glamorous in the world and one with a lot of pull among fashion designers worldwide. And the city of Paris is both the birthplace of modern and vintage. Come check out all the newest styles for the autumn and winter season of 2014. When? The last week of September. You’ll see unending designs and colors for Valentino, Louis Vuitton, Amaya Arzuaga, Miu Miu, Chanel, Paco Rabanne, Saint Laurent, Kenzo, Loewe, Hermes, Chanel, Celine and Rochas. There’s also a concentration on textures that are ahead of even the most visionary. Fashion week in Paris is marked by the contrast between the ostentatious and more modest creations, vanguard vs. tradition, sophisticated clothes that are quirky yet extremely straight-forward and simple. A world of contrasts. Fashion week in Paris brings an entire generation’s haute couture to the forefront of society. Foto: mi chiel What to expect from this year’s fashion week Black and White: In addition to fashionable colors, which I will explain below, the catwalk is also decorated in white and black, the colors of yin and yang. This combination can be seen in many of the designs of Hermès, Christian Dior, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten and, of course, Valentino. Hues of blue: Also quite popular are various shades of blue: dark, pastel, sky, Smurf, ocean … This is a popular trend among designers both young and old. Prints: These never go out of style. Prints with shoulder pads and turtlenecks. In all the colors and all styles. You will also see many pastel shades. Céline, Chloé,...
The Route of Le Corbusier in Paris
The Father of Functional Architecture This architect and Franco-Swiss painter, father of the functional architecture, was able to greatly affect the lives of people through his architecture. Le Corbusier (meaning “The Raven”) wanted to change the world through architecture and he stood by one of his principles until the end of this days: functional, practical and modern over ornate and useless. You can see his best work in Paris. Photo: Anapuig Le Corbusier used to say “une machine-à-habiter”, meaning that he saw the house as a machine for living, not as a place to hang out. And he did this from a point of view that was even metaphysical. He wanted something more for his creations and finally achieved it. And it made him one of the most influential architects of the last century. Charles Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, as he was called, moved toParisat a very young age. In 1905, he completed his first work. It was a single-family home, a rarity at the time, called the Villa Fallet. Le Corbusier said that is when he began to refine functionality. Traveling for a worldview He was a tireless traveler and over many years acquired sufficient experience and a more global vision of the world, not only in architecture. In 1911, he decided to go on sabbatical and travel around the world. From Vienna he traveled to Romania, and then he went through Turkey, Italy and Greece, although at the time he would have preferred to return to his routine and focus on creating functional homes and buildings. Eventually, Le Corbusier “jumped over the pond” and began to give...
Rock en Seine 2013
Paris is one of the most culturally active cities in the world and with the arrival of summer, outdoor festivals become major players in the entertainment scene in the city. This time of year, thousands of tourists from all around the world come to visit the French capital to explore its charming streets, visit its unique museums and sample the exquisite French cuisine. However, other type of tourists, the summer festivals hunters, will meet from the 23rd to the 25th of August at Saint-Cloud park in Paris to attend the world famous Rock en Seine, which is, by the way, the largest open-air musical festival in France. The 2013 edition of Rock en Seine marks the tenth anniversary of the festival, which will feature renowned artists of various musical styles such as Rock (of course), power pop electronica, Indie and Folk, among others. This year Paul Kalkbrenner, Phoenix and System of a Down will be the leading bands of the festival. Paul Kalkbrenner will be in charge of kicking off the first day of the festival. This electronic musician from Germany will play his greatest hits to spice up the mood of the festival. Kalkbrenner will be followed by the performances of great artists such as the Scots Belle and Sebastian who will play “The Boy with the Arab Strap” while making the audience sing their greatest hit in one voice. Daughter, a young British band, will carry us along the paths of folk Indie with Elena Torna’s angelic voice. Skaters, Team Ghost, Alex Hepburn, Kendrick Lamar and Johnny Marr among many others will be part of the first...
Tour de France 2013
Few sporting events, if any at all, have such a spectacular and beautiful final stage as the Tour de France does. This cycling race which mostly takes place during the month of July through all of France has its end at the Champs-Elysées, in Paris, an impressive stage that is quite fitting for the importance of this event. The Tour de France is a cycling race that has been taking place since 1903. Le Tour, as it´s commonly known, gathers the best cyclists in the world, who prepare themselves all year long to be able to compete at the top of the leaderboard. Flat stages, mountain stages, single and team time trials… the different stages make up a varied route that crowns the most regular and complete cyclist at the end of the whole event. Photo: Josh Hallett This year, the Tour starts on the island of Corsica, in the city of Bastia, and the 19 teams that are taking part in it have arrived from many different places, such as Kazakhstan, United States or Luxembourg among many others. This year´s edition is made up by 21 stages, some of them in emblematic spots from the history of the race, such as the Mont Ventoux and Alpe d´Huez, the former on July 14th, French National Day, a very important day for the Tour every year. The Tour will go through the Côte d´Azur, the Pyrenees, Normandy and Mont Saint-Michel, the centre of France, the French Alps and will end up in Paris. 21 fascinating stages that will culminate in the beautiful French capital. That´s why it´s not just a sporting...
Canaletto à Venise – Discover Venice in Paris
During the eighteenth century some young French artists, despite having the French Academy, preferred to study in Rome and Venice. Today, you have the chance to discover their works at Maillol Museum, which pays tribute to the Venice of 1700 with an exhibition that showcases the best works of Canaletto (from the 19th of September to the 10th of February 2013). Giovanni Antonio Canal (known as Canaletto, 1697-1768) was a famous painter of urban landscapes in Venice, who became the greatest precursor of Veduta, the eighteenth century Italian painting genre. The vedute, portrayed almost as a mapping, the Venetian landscape of the time, while describing in great detail rivers, canals, bridges, architecture, etc. Maillol Museum, in collaboration with other museums and private collectors, gathered more than 50 Canaletto’s works, selected with great rigor. This is a great opportunity to contemplate the best paintings of Canaletto. Landscapes and views, as well as tradition, history, drawings and prints, are now gathered in this magnificent display of the best artist of this kind of art, while renewing and modernizing him, to become a global icon in painting. Canaletto’s techniques were varied; direct painting, sketch or finished on site work. Referring to the latter one, the Venduta’s painter used an optical camera to project an image and frame landscapes. Caravaggio also used this device, but Giovanni Antonio Canal better developed what today is known as wide angle. Thanks to Dario Maran studies, there is a recreated copy of this wonderful machine showcased in this exhibition, so that the viewer can interact with it and understand how Canaletto did those aerial view of Venice....
