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Top articles
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In an oyster shell
On the island of Oleron, the second largest island in the European part of France, the main activity seems to be the production of oysters. I crossed the modern bridge across the river Charente and thought I had arrived on Oleron, but was surprised to...
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M'O
This is the new logo of the Museums of Orsay and of l'Orangerie. It looks a bit like the MOMO, right? Whilst the Louvre was "my" museum during my first year in Paris as I had got a membership card, I have chosen the M'O as "my" museum for my second year...
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Take the car for a walk?
Does it sound a bit weird? Well, I have never been a big fan of driving, and since I live in Paris, I hardly ever drive. However, I know that it is not good for the car to be parked in the carpark for too long, so on a sunny Sunday morning I took the...
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Bloomsday
Today, 16 June, it is Bloomsday. Until today I had never heard of this day and had no clue what it was about. However, an invitation from the Irish Cultural Institute to an evening about James Joyce made me do some research, and now after an evening in...
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100 articles!
There we are: this is article number 100 published on my blog since I started it in June last year! I think it is time to go on vacation, but before I pack the car and put Scubi in the passenger seat, I want to share some statistics and some thoughts...
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La Rochelle, the rebel
A house exchange between friends has brought me to "La Rochelle, la rebelle" on the Atlantic coast north of Bordeaux. Even though it is only a 5 hour drive from Paris, I made a stop-over with friends in Tourraine for a little castle-viewing. I knew little...
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Like a candle in the wind
There are international events that made such an impression on us that we remember exactly where we were and what we were doing at that moment. Last week when Neil Armstrong died people who are old enough will probably have thought of the day that he...
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Intimate thoughts
Who hasn't put intimate thoughts onto paper in a secret diary? I remember being 13 or 14 and thinking that life was so cruel because my parents were unfair, because my best friend had betrayed me, and because I had a pimple on forehead the day I had my...
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Bercy
For a Frenchman Bercy probably refers to either the Ministry of Finance and Industry or to the nearby sports/concert complex, but it is actually an area delimited by the Seine to the south, the Ministry of Finance and Industry to the west, the railway...
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Every second counts
Since Monday every second counts. At least when it comes to the time given to the 10 presidential candidates on French TV and radio. The second part of the presidential campaign began on 9 April, and since then there are strict rules to adhere to. This...
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A place of human dimensions
All winter and spring I have been following with interest the construction of two connected buildings in the pretty rue des Thermophyles. Finally in May the first inhabitants moved into the studio flats in the wooden building, whereas the flats in the...
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Old Books and Prints
A free invitation that came with the business paper that I dutifully skim through every day at work is as good a reason as any to go to an event. I would admittedly not have gone to this particular event, if I had had to pay my way, but on this rainy...
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Dog's Paradise in Sceaux
A chance encounter the other day with a couple and their dog and their recommendation of the Sceaux Park caused me to put the dog in the car and drive about 10 kms south of Paris. It was supposed to be easy to find Sceaux (stright south from Porte d'Orleans,...
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The island in the middle
Have you ever noticed that there is an island in the Seine where Neuilly-sur-Seine ends and La Défense begins? I hadn't until yesterday as you don't see it from metro line 1 that takes you to La Défense. This island is a green heaven with the rather uninspired...
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They left by train, but only few came back
It was a moving evening in beautiful surroundings and in the company of interesting people. In the gallery on the top floor of the local culture house l'Entrepot between black-white photos from around the world, exotic sculptures, a grand piano and big...
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The King is dead. Long live the king.
After having eliminated 8 presidential candidates in the first round, the French had a choice between Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande in last Sunday's second (and final) round of the presidential elections. A majority of 51.62% voted for François...
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Halal or not?
I was in the supermarket this evening looking for minced beef. When I finally found the meat, I realised that it was halal, and I automatically dropped the package as if I had burnt my fingers. My reaction made me think about recent discussions in France...
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Life at the Campus
Who would have thought that in Paris there is a real campus sitting on 37 ha of land? On a sunny Sunday I took the dog to Parc Montsouris to smell the green grass and on our way home I cut through the Cité Internationale Universitaire, which I knew from...
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Vie de Merde (1)
Vie de Merde (VDM) link is the French version of FmyLife (FML) link. I think I should open my own site because I seem to get plenty of material, all of which cannot be published (e.g. work-related matters). However, here is a taster of my version (not...
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A rainy afternoon
On this rainy Easter Monday people in Paris seemed to have chosen to seek shelter in the city's many excellent art museums. Since there were several exhibitions at the Louvre that I had not seen, I headed for the world's most visited museum to see two...
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Pool stories
Since my first visit to the local pool a couple of weeks ago - Water is life! - I have been going regularly to the pools close to home or to work. It is a world apart....... One day the computer that prints the tickets did not work wherefore entry to...
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Festen
What happens when a Danish film is watched by a group of Frenchmen? Last night in our local CinéClub I watched the Danish film Festen (in English: The Celebration) link , and after the film followed a discussion with the local cinéphiles.... I had already...
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Have French presidents become shorter?
France is in the middle of the presidential elections which will take place over two rounds in April and May. The current president Nicolas Sarkozy is being challenged by the socialist François Hollande. In an article in today's The Independent there...
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From past to present temples of worship
Just as cold and foggy it was yesterday, just as mild and sunny it was today. I decided to take metro line 13 to the northern suburb of St Denis. This is probably a place where nobody would want to go if it had not been for two buildings: the cathedral...
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An evening in prison
rue de l'Hirondelle, 6th arr. on a Monday evening In the voulted cave of the bar La Vénus Noire, where people like Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud and Oscar Wilde would have a drink at a time when the bar was known as the Caveau de Bolée,...