LOUIS XIV & HIS LIFE AT VERSAILLES

THE MAN AND THE KING
Versailles, through Feb. 7, 2010

The magnificent Palace of Versailles clearly indicates that The Sun King lived large. A major exhibition recently opened at the Palace showcases more than 300 works from collections around the world intended to give visitors a glimpse into the real personality of Louis XIV, as well as insight into his public image.

The “creation” of this heroic monarch is perhaps one of history’s greatest PR campaigns and highlights of the exhibition include works by painters, sculptors, and master craftsmen who contributed to his larger-than-life image.

HOURS
Palace & Exhibition: Nov. 1 to March 31: 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. daily (closed Mondays) Gardens: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. (closed Mondays)
Admission: €15, includes Palace entrance and a 10-language audio guide.
Passport Ticket: €16 (Palace, grounds, Marie-Antoinette’s Estate)

TRAIN NEWS
• France’s fastest trains, the TGV, can now be booked with advance reservations online. The Web site is:
http://www.tgv-europe.com/en/home

• The Thalys trains are set to amp up the speed. As of December 13, riders can travel from Paris to Amsterdam in 3 hours, 18 minutes; Paris to Cologne in 3 hours, 14 minutes.

SPARKLING EIFFEL TOWER TURNS 120

GLITTER & GLAMOR LIGHT UP PARIS’ IRON LADY
Eiffel Tower Light Show: Every evening through December 31

Since it opened to the public at the Universal Exposition on May 15, 1889, the Eiffel Tower has been the revered icon of Paris. To honor its 120th year, the monument treats the city to a spectacular light show every evening at 8, 9, 10, and 11 p.m.

In addition to the five minutes of glittering lights Parisians have grown accustomed to each evening, there will be a special display continuing for 12 more minutes. State-of-the-art LED spotlights illuminate the Trocadero side of the Tower, presenting a magical show that symbolizes its construction. Next, colorful strobes move from level to level of the Tower, enveloping the whole edifice in rhythmic light, while images are projected onto the ground.

Traveler's Tip: Visitors can purchase a 52-page magazine especially published for the occasion in the Eiffel Tower shops and at the Paris airports.

• EXHIBIT: TALES OF THE EIFFEL TOWER

Also through December 31, 2009, a special exhibit on the Tower’s first floor presents the story of how the Eiffel Tower gained its iconic status throughout the world. More than 100 beautiful old posters, illustrations, engravings, photos, films and interactive displays lead visitors into the heart of the monument. In the Ferrié Pavilion, visitors can view nearly 300 artistic interpretations of all shapes and sizes of the Eiffel Tower. Open during regular Tower hours.

Eiffel Tower Visiting Hours: October 2009 – June 2010 Elevator: 9:30 a.m. to 11:45 (final lift at 11 p.m., 10:30 for top floor.) Stairs: 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Final admittance at 6 p.m.

BACK FROM FRANCE!

BONJOUR! I just returned from three weeks in France and will be sharing all kinds of information about my latest discoveries: shops. restaurants, bars, and exhibits. Be sure to check back Tuesdays and Thursdays. Flo

SHOE-LOVERS DREAM!
Shoe-worshipping shoppers now have a 34,500-square-foot (no pun intended) mecca devoted to 12,000 pairs of shoes (150 brands) in the Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann. This is officially the world’s largest shoe department and comes complete with brown leather sofas for trying on the footwear, an on-staff cobbler, and a salon devoted to pedicures.

You can buy flip-flops for €10 or boots for €1,000 and there are 25 brand names that are only distributed by the Galeries. For those enamored of the slipper (did you know 20 percent of the total shoe sales in France are for slippers?), there is a large area dedicated to mules and embroidered cloth slippers, sequined clogs and charming ballet-style slippers.

The 10-story Galeries Lafayette was built in 1912 and is worth a visit just for its beautiful glass and steel dome and Art Nouveau staircase.
Hours: Mon – Sat: 9:30 until 7:30; open until 9:30 p.m. on Thursdays.

WINNING WINES BY THE GLASS
I enjoyed a very nice evening at Restaurant Victor in the 16th arrondisement (near the Trocadero) and highly recommend it for those who love fine French wines. Here you can enjoy grand crus vintages by the glass – very rare in France! And, on the first Monday of every month, the Victor offers superb vintages at cost prices. A local favorite since 1911, the restaurant was refurbished in 2005 and serves a different menu daily, based on what’s fresh and local.
Restaurant Victor 101 Bis Rue Lauriston
Tel: 01 47 27 55 07. Open Monday – Friday, lunch and dinner; Saturdays lunch only; Closed on Sundays.

SCULPTURE MASTERS ON EXHIBIT

MATISSE & RODIN EXHIBIT
Rodin Museum, Paris • 23 Oct – 28 Feb, 2010
Beginning on Friday, the work of two modern art icons will share the same space in the galleries of the Rodin Museum. Henri Matisse and Auguste Rodin were contemporaries for 17 years at the turn of the 20th century, each introducing the world to ground-breaking changes in both sculpture and drawing. An exhibition highlight is the diverse selection of Matisee sculptures, which have not been shown as a collection in nearly 35 years. Drawings and sculptures by each artist are shown side by side, illustrating both their similarities of style as well as the points where they diverge.

Musée Rodin – 79, rue de Varenne Open daily 10 a.m. – 5:45. During this special exhibit, the museum will stay open on Wednesdays until 8:45 p.m.

MAKE A NOTE:
•Visitors can buy a “Passeport” which offers one ticket to both the Rodin Museum and the Museé d’Orsay for €12 (regularly €14)

•The Paris Museum Pass – new prices! 2 days – €32;
4 days – €48; 6 days – €64.

LUNCH AT PRINTEMPS
Shoppers in Paris’ beloved department store, Printemps, can get lost for hours among the various floors and terrific sales. When hunger calls, the 6th floor Brasserie offers an excellent traditional French lunch menu and a superb setting beneath the sprawling 1924 Art Nouveau glass dome. Lunch is served Mon. – Sat. from 11:30 – 3:30.
Printemps: 66 Boulevard Haussman

PARIS: ART & FASHION NOUVEAU!

FIAC: The Ultimate Modern Art Fair October 22 – 25. Celebrating more than 30 years, FIAC (which translates into the International Fair of Contemporary Art) is a world-renowned four-day event and a highlight for Paris visitors with a love of modern art. This year three city locales will serve as stage venues for music, dance, performance art and theater:

•The Grand Palais (noon to 8 p.m.)
•The Cour Carrée at the Louvre (1 – 9 p.m.)
•Tuileries Gardens (7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.).

Noteworthy are two special events:
• On Tuesday, Oct. 20, a stupendous series of choreographed fireworks will be set off at 10 p.m. in the Tuileries. Visitors can view this dazzling display from the Lemonnier Terrace.
• On Saturday, Oct. 24, also in the Tuileries, dance performers will interpret the gestures of famous painted subjects and sculptures. The short program begins at 4 p.m. at the pond near the northern exit.

UNIQLO Opens its French doors
Trendy, colorful, practical, fun and moderately priced, the Japanese fashion favorite, Uniqlo, just opening their third global flagship store on Rue Scribe in the lively Opera District of Paris. The multi-storied shop covers 23,000 square feet of bold and bright retail space and offers a vast selection of casual and hip clothing for those with a youthful outlook. With an eye toward eco-consciousness, Uniqlo offers special bins where customers can bring in used clothing for recycling.

15 rue Scribe. Open daily 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Thursdays until 9 p.m.)

CHOCOLATE PARADISE

SALON DU CHOCOLAT Paris, October 14 – 18
Who else but the French would dream up a 5-day chocolate-smothered extravaganza that combines history, workshops, dances, demonstrations, and…a chocolate fashion show set to opera!

Here are just a few of the highlights visitors of all ages can indulge in:

• In the Chocosphere, lectures and tastings are offered hourly by eminent specialists. Some of the fascinating topics include “Chocolate Maker: A Job, A Passion; “Women and Chocolate;” and “Discover Your Chocolate Identity.”

• In the Cocoa Show, cocoa-producing country representatives integrate the cultures where the prized pod is cultivated with the related traditions that have been passed down through history. Mexico, Venezuela, and Brazil will present local dances, chants, and rites and rituals connected to the cocoa tree and its end product.

• Cooking demonstrations are a favorite event, and the list of renowned chocolate makers, pastry chefs, and chocolate confection wizards include Executive Chef Lenôtre and Ecôle de Cuisine, Alain Ducasse. More than forty chocolate recipes will be magically created for those in attendance. Among them: Milky Chocolate Fingers with Bergamot; Chocolate Canellonis Perfumed with Vanilla; Chocococurry Macaroons; and a pairing of Alsace Wines with chocolates of the world.

• In Chocoland petit aspiring chefs don chef hats and aprons to decorate their own personal chocolate confections.

• The Opera Fashion Show – the centerpiece of the event, and a benefit that has contributed to more than 50 children’s charities – occurs every day at 5 p.m., and this year marks its 15th anniversary. The pageant (a fairy tale performed as opera) is nothing less than a fusion of fashion and chocolate, combining the talents of some of France’s leading designers with its top chocolatiers. International celebrities walk the runway in stunning chocolate “couture.”

WHEN: October 14 – 18
WHERE: Paris Expo, Port de Versailles
HOURS: Daily, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Open Friday, October 16 until 9 p.m.
COST: Adults: 12 euros; Children 3-6, 6 euros.

WEB SITE: www.salonduchocolat.fr

CELEBRATING BORDEAUX – PART II

VINORAMA
OK, we know the main reason travelers come to Bordeaux has something to do with the wine. The beauty and history of the city alone are worth a visit, but really it’s the wine that draws travelers here. At the fabulous Vinorama wine museum located in the cellar of specialist wine merchants, Ryst-Dupeyron, visitors will be introduced to Bordeaux’s fabled vintages. Through fascinating multilingual audio-visual presentations that include costumed wax figures, the history of this grape growing region unfolds, from Roman times through the 19th century. The museum also houses a wine school and hour-long tasting sessions can be arranged with on-site experts. 12 Cours du Médoc. Open Tuesday – Friday 2 – 6:30 p.m.; Saturday 10:30 – 12:30 and 2:30 to 6:30. Adult tickets: €5.40

STAY: The Hotel Regent Bordeaux
With its premier location, just across from Bordeaux’s Grand Theatre, and its recent full renovation, this 5-star grand hotel offers some of the most luxurious accommodations in the city. The rooms are spacious yet cozy, the furnishings both classic and nouveau, and views take in the gorgeous architecture of this elegant city. The Regent also boasts a gourmet seafood restaurant.
2-5, Place de la Comédie

DINE: Le Gabriel
Le Gabriel, situated in the center of Bordeaux’s Place de la Bourse and overlooking the Garonne River, offers three separate stories and three experiences. The first floor is home to the intimate Bar le Dix, serving light dishes and a full bar menu. The 80-guest Le Bistro du Gabriel offers a river view from the second floor and superb traditional brasserie cuisine. Restaurant Le Gabriel occupies the third story and seats only 30 fortunate guests who feast on traditional yet innovative flavors while enjoying an elegant ambiance and views of the river and fountain below. Chef Adamski is Michelin-starred and winner of numerous culinary awards. 10, Place De La Bourse

CELEBRATING BORDEAUX – PART I

UNESCO'S FIRST URBAN WORLD HERITAGE SITE
Beautiful Bordeaux–capital of the Aquitaine in the southwest of France and center of the wine universe–is the first urban center to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2007). A complete restoration of the city’s 18th century core and the banks of the Garonne River make this one of the premier places to visit in the country. A state-of-the-art tram now runs extensively through town and connects both sides of the river, the first of its kind to have its cables buried beneath ground. The stunning, newly cleaned Saint André Cathedral presides over Place Pey-Berland. This main square, along with many other shopping and dining districts, are now pedestrian only, making Bordeaux truly one of the great cities of Europe.

Travel Tip: Bordeaux is less than three hours from Paris by TGV

EVENTO 2009: An Artistic and Urban Rendez-Vous
October 9 – 18, 2009. This month Bordeaux inaugurates the 10-day EVENTO, which celebrates art and culture in a truly unique urban experience. International artists and performers interact with city residents and visitors through roving art exhibitions that seem to spring up spontaneously, a program of lectures and conversations, public debates, and spontaneous encounters with “roving interventions” that bring art and the individual together. Free, fun, thought provoking, and the first-ever totally interactive city-wide festival, those visiting Bordeaux at this time are in for a memorable treat.

FUN FAIR 2009 – Foire aux Plaisirs
October 9 – November 4, 2009. A 160-year-old Bordelaise tradition (and happening at the same time as EVENTO), the Foire aux Plaisirs (Fun Fair) highlights life in the Gironde region of France with nearly 200 attractions on the banks of the Garonne River, across from the Place des Quinconces.