Art & culture

From Place de La Bastille, named after the Bastille Prison which was taken by the people of Paris on July, the 14th 1789, you can follow Rue Saint Antoine and Rue de Birague, which leads to the most beautiful place in Paris, Place des Vosges, known in the whole world and not just because of the House of Victor Hugo or the 3 michelin star restaurant L’Ambroisie or the magnificent hotel “Le Pavilion de la Reine”, but also because of the renowned art galleries

This spot, called Place Royale before 1800, was renamed in honor of Les Vosges County, which was the first to pay taxes after the Revolution, and is the “sister” of the Place Ducale in Charleville-Mézières.

Between the numbers 21 and 24 lie at least six art galleries, which constitue an open-air museum, dedicated to the contemporary art. They organise lots of exhibition all year long as the others galleries near the Place. 

At number 21, and 24, you’ll find the two art symbol galleries, run by the same family, and which organizes varnishing around their artists like Chinikov, Micha Tauber, or photographer Lirone (you can see their work on the web).

At number 28, you can enter the Vivendi Gallery, where you currently can admire some Andy Warhol reproductions, and also some paintings from Arnaud or Lee Kui Dae.

To complete the panel, I can also cite Galerie 26, and Galerie Modus which presents also very contemporary works. Feel free to enter !

When you walk through Luxembourg Garden, just in front of the fountain where you can hire and play with boats, there is a magnificent building guarded by men in uniform: This is the Senate of France.

The Senate is the upper house of the France Parliament, but this monument was actually built by Marie de Medicis who wanted to be close to her son, King Louis XIII, located at le Louvre, which gives you an idea of the links between mother and son!

Besides the wonderful garden you walk by to reach the Senate, it is worth a visit, as you can feel democracy in progress. And when you enter the hemicycle, (the debates are broadcasted on Thursday afternoons, you can imagine very famous French people, like Georges Clemenceau (one of our French presidents) or Emile Zola sitting there and trying to improve the lives of millions of people.

As you visit this place, don’t miss the incredible 19th century library, and the amazing former ballroom, where you can admire the throne of Napoleon the 1st.

And by the way, try to see the private garden of the President of the Senate, with his private tennis court.

Honestly, this place is very interesting to see to better understand the way French democracy works, and, while you are around, you can always enjoy walking in the Latin quarter just nearby or this wonderful garden that Le Luxembourg is. From there, you can reach either Montparnaase via the Vavin Street or St-Sulpice or St Michel Boulvard

Located in the “Jardin des Plantes”, in the 5th district of Paris, near the Mosque, there is a wonderful museum which can entertain children and grow-ups: the Natural History Museum.

The Musé d’Histoire Naturelle includes a little zoo, where you can find lots of specimens of species from around the world, but it is the building that houses the great gallery of the evolution which is the subject of this article.

Till May 13th 2013, there is a splendid exhibition about Dinosaurs, where you will be able to understand everything about the cousins and friends of the Diplodocus. Some actual teeth of sauropods are presented, and you can watch a movie about the life of Dinosaurs at their time or try to weigh and compare a dinosaur’s brain to other species, like human being for example.

I went to see this exhibition with my 3 children, and except the baby who fell asleep, they were enjoying this exhibition a lot.

After that, we went up to see the Great Gallery of the Evolution, where lots of animals are naturalized, and where you can admire a true skeleton of the magnificent whale. And, when everything animal was looked at carefully, we unfortunately did not have the chance to run into one of the nicest gardens of Paris, as the weather was not so nice. But it is excellent when it is spring or summer time.

L’Atelier des Sens is a place where you can learn how to cook! Of course, you can try it by yourself to meet new friends, or to organize an “almost perfect dinner” where the guests are invited … to cook their meal!

Located in the 11th district of Paris, near Bastille, this place is quite nice and at the end of a beautiful courtyard. I’ve been there a few times, and I’ve learned both French and Brazilian recipes. You can choose your theme on the website before booking a lesson, so you can try a lot of geographical meals.

What I find very interesting in this place is that you have a chef just for you for 3 hours (the Brazilian evening lasted 5 hours, because everybody enjoyed the Caïpirinha). You can make, with no more than 12 people, dishes you’d never imagined making, and finally you’ll share a meal with lots of funny guys with some good wines!

There are plenty of formulas you can go for, and you can even organize a bachelor party, a child’s birthday, or do a lesson in English. To encourage you to continue to cook, you can take your apron back home!

Hopefully you’ll try it and enjoy it like I did!

Just minutes from the Sacre Coeur this interesting art gallery is a great place to stop if you want to see something a bit different during your visit to Montmartre. A gallery, bookshop and café all rolled into one. The best time to visit Halle Saint Pierre is at weekends when it’s particularly lively and they often run special events.

The art exhibitions tend to focus on contemporary art from across the globe, the current exhibition focuses on Italian artists. Make sure to leave time to check out the cute bookshop too, unfortunately most of the titles are in French but they also sell a cool line of unusual postcards.

However, much as I enjoy the exhibitions I have to admit the café is probably my favourite part of this spot! Bright and spacious it’s a really wonderful spot to while away a few hours with friends or alone. They do a good range of light snacks and also a fantastic selection of cakes for those with a sweet tooth!

P.S. You can go to the café without having to pay to visit an exhibition!