France Through Eyes of Faith in March

Join me in a small group immersion in the spirited mind of the middle ages in Paris, Chartres, Angers and Reims. France Through Eyes of Faith explores great gothic cathedrals, museums with exceptional medieval religious art, the luminous Apocalypse Tapestries and Jean Lurcat Chant du Monde tapestries in Angers and more. We learn to 'read' the ancient stained glass and the Cathedral statuary telling stories and teaching lessons. Finally, a day trip to Champagne to visit Reim's Notre Dame cathedral, a gothic gem where the Kings of France were crowned and the lesser known St. Remy Basilica. And a champagne cellar tour to toast our trip!

March 17 to 24. Details on www.yourgreatdaysinparis.com This tour is fun and 'enriching'. Call Sally at 781 391 6183 or email s.peabody@mac.com

Special Valentines Day Cooking Class for Couples

Alain Ducasse's Ecole de Cuisine has a very clever idea. They are offering a special cooking class for Valentine's Day evening for couples. Prepare a delicious luxe menu for two with one of the talented instructors then, enjoy your meal 'en amoreux' with a flute of Champagne and glasses of wine. Price is 330 E. Time, 6:30-10:30 at the school located on 64 rue de Ranelagh in the 16th. The menu is;
AU MENU :
Coquillettes au jambon
et truffe noire, jus d’un rôti
Homard breton, sucs de tomate, gingembre
Dessert glacé, géranium
Et pour accompagner :
coupe de champagne et vins

Contact ecole@alain-ducasse.com for reservations.

Auto Lib comes to Paris

It had to happen. Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe has been creative about cutting pollution and traffic in Paris. The hugely popular Velib bicycle rental program (in Paris and several French cities) was a first big step. Now, for folks who need a car only sometimes the AutoLib fleet is on the Paris streets at smartly designed rental kiosks. These electric cars are compact, shiny blue and cool looking. Here is a link to a good article that describes how all this works!

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15469794,00.html

Delightful Sempé Retrospective at the Hotel de Ville

There is a major (and free) exhibition of the drawings by cartoonist and illustrator Jean-Jacques Sempé at the Hotel de Ville through 11 February. Totally delightful.

The "Sempé, A Bit of Paris" exhibition lets us look at the world through the eyes of Jean-Jacques Sempé. Over 300 original drawings along with with texts by the artist are displayed at the Hôtel de Ville.


Sempé has been translated into twenty-five languages and is the creator of several thousand drawings. One of the most famous French cartoonists he has reached generations of readers over the last fifty years. This is a major retrospective,
humour, artistry, poetry... its all here.

Sempé settled on the Left Bank when he arrived in Paris. He frequented Montparnasse and Saint-Germain des Prés, enjoying locations like brasserie Lipp, the Café de Flore, the Closerie des Lilas, the Chez Castel club, the Luxembourg Gardens. He became friends with notables including Françoise Sagan, Jacques Tati, Jacques Prévert, Raymond Savignac, René Goscinny and had a devoted following for his work.

New-York, the New-Yorker and Sempé. In 1965 Sempé visited New York and began to write for the New Yorker. Sempé created 'Air Mail' a beloved column that explored Sempés views of America. Sempé also created over one hundred covers for The New Yorker.

Practical information
The show is open through February 11, 2012
Free at the Hôtel de Ville. Metro: Hôtel de Ville.
Daily except Sundays and public holidays, from 10am to 7pm

Paris Winter Sales

Put on your shopping shoes and get out there! January 11 to February 14 are the dates for Les Soldes, the vast annual winter sales in Paris. With a weaker Euro the deals should be even better for overseas shoppers this year. http://www.shoppingbyparis.com/en/