Fish and Flying Bells!

As the Easter weekend holidays approach, Chocolatine shares some fun information about how we celebrate in France. And the French do like to celebrate this holiday—in a leisurely way and with family.

• Easter Fish – Only Alsace has Easter Bunnies! The rest of the country has Easter fish, called "Poisson d'Avril," (April Fish). The Poisson d'Avril appears on the first of April, as children play a kind of trick game, where they stick a paper fish onto the back of as many unwitting adults as possible.

• Flying bells – "Cloche Volant" has its roots in a Catholic Good Friday story that all the church bells of France fly to the Vatican to carry away all the mournings of the Crucifixion. They return on Easter Sunday morning with chocolate and eggs for the children. In keeping with the tradition, French church bells do not ring from Good Friday to Easter morning.

• Gigot D'agneau – is the traditional Easter feast; a leg of lamb roasted with spring vegetables.

• Chocolate Holiday – If ever there is an excuse to gorge on chocolate, Easter in France is it! The beautifully decorated shops are overflowing with chocolate confections, including beautifully decorated chocolate rabbits, chickens, bells and fish.

CHOCOLATINE'S BLOG WILL RETURN NEXT TUESDAY, APRIL 6. We wish you and your family a lovely Easter and Passover season...

EASTER & PASSOVER IN PARIS

Paris is a European gathering spot both at Easter and during Passover, for families and travelers in general. Here are a few events to enjoy during the holy season…

Easter Egg Hunts:
•WHERE: The Jardin d'Acclimation (in the northern corner of the Bois de Boulogne). A whopping 20,000 eggs are hidden throughout the garden for children under age 12.
•WHEN: Saturday, April 3, 2–5 p.m.
•COST: 12 Euros per child (which includes chocolates and surprises)

Easter Church Services:
•WHERE: Notre Dame Catholic service with Easter prayers and Gregorian chants (8:30 & 11:30 a.m.)

TRAVEL TIP: Easter Sunday and Easter Monday are both public holidays throughout France. Most businesses and attractions keep regular hours, but some may be closed.

• PASSOVER, or Pesach, is celebrated around Paris, with special meals at nearly 300 kosher restaurants. For the list: http://www.123cacher.com/en/kosher-restaurants/kosher_restaurants-paris.html

The Synagogue Kehilat Gesher is known for its international gathering during Passover. For information on attending their tri-lingual Seder (French, Hebrew, English), send an email to: contact@kehilatgesher.org.

Crime and Punishment: from Goya to Picasso

Showcasing an incredible range of artists, this fascinating Paris exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay focuses on the themes of crime, violence and the death penalty. On display are works by Goya, Toulouse-Lautrec, Cézanne, Degas and Picasso, with visual depictions of guillotines, male and female criminals, and the final days of condemned prisoners’ lives. It may be an odd choice for an art exhibition theme, but given the number of artists and their masterful representation of the subject, the “Crime et Châtiment” show at the d’Orsay is well worth a close look.

March 15 – June 27, 2010.
Hours: 9:30 – 6 Tues, Wed., Fri; Sat; Sun. Open 9:30 – 9:45 on Thursdays.

BORDEAUX CYCLES INTO THE FUTURE

Paris, Lyon, and Marseilles are all are rolling in wheels these days and Bordeaux has just joined them with its new VCUB bicycle system. Available to the public 24/7 both city-and-suburban-wide, there are 1,545 bicycles available for rent and 139 pickup points, most of which work in tandem with the extensive bus and tram network.

The program follows the success of Paris’ VELIB system and its fast-growing following is made up of locals and tourists alike. The system is as easy to use as simply sliding a credit card through the boxes placed at each site, at pickup and return points. Cycling around French cities is not only a green way to get around–it’s suddenly très chic!

BATOBUS: Seine River Shuttle

No need to tire the tootsies while in-between sites. The Seine River Batobus, a fleet of six comfortable tri-marans offers one of the world’s most unique shuttle services with gorgeous city views and stops at eight key sites, neighborhoods, and museums in Paris. Included are: The Eiffel Tower, Musée d’Orsay, Notre Dame, Hotel de Ville, Champs-Elysées, St. Germain-des-Prés, Jardin des Plantes, and the Louvre.

The Batobus runs every 15-30 minutes from each stop. From now until May 27, run times are: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; From May 28 through August: 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Tickets may be purchased at any of the stops, or online at http://www.paris-exception.com/index.cfm?event=product&lid=2&rid=30

Prices range from 13Euros for a one-day adult pass, to 20Euros for 5 consecutive days. March Specials include: 2 days for the price of one; on Wednesday, children are free with the purchase of a 13Euro adult pass.

PHOTOGRAPHY AT THE JEU DE PAUME

A stunning retrospective at the lovely Jeu de Paume celebrates the photography of Lisette Model (1901 – 1983), who developed the fine art of street, or documentary, photography. The 120 works showcase her most famous, and favorite locations: Paris and Nice in the early 1930s; Coney Island, the San Francisco Opera, Reno, and New York’s Belmont Racetrack taken between 1940 and 1956. Diane Arbus and Larry Fink were among her students. A series of archival films and recordings of Model add depth and insight to the exhibition.

Jeu de Paume, Tuileries Gardens
Through June 6, 2010

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED IN PARIS

Opening this month in Paris, Choco-Story: A Gourmet Chocolate Museum is a delectable, sensual journey through 4,000 years of cacao bean history and everything that’s been done to it and with it since. The exhibits are divided into three parts: the origins of chocolate; its evolution once it was discovered by the Aztecs and Maya and its introduction to Europe by Cortes; and an amazing collection of chocolate “paraphernalia.” In a hands-on spirit, chocolate culinary workshops are offered for both children and adults.
(Psst: the chocolate boutique alone is worth the visit!)

28 Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle
Open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

TWINKLE TWINKLE MICHELIN STARS…

The just-released Michelin Guide, France 2010, showcases a tasty grouping of 558 restaurants around the country. Of the 455 1-Star establishments, 47 are list newcomers. Ten eateries have been promoted to 2-Star (77 total); and only one new 3-Star has been added to this most prestigious of lists, which now numbers 26.

Chocolatine recommends the following newly-starred restaurants for visitors who travel to France as much for the food as for the culture:

BEAUNE
• Le Jardin des Remparts (1 Star)
BORDEAUX (all new 1 Star):
• Le Pressoir d’Argent
• Le Gabriel
• Les Sources de Caudalie
• La Table de Montesquieu
FONTJONCOUSE
• Auberge du Vieux Puits (3 Stars)
HONFLEUR
• Sa. Qua. Na (2 Stars)
• La Terrasse et l'Assiette (1 Star)
NICE
• Aphrodite (1 Star)
• L’Aromate (1 Star)
PARIS
• Bigarrade, 2 Stars
• Passage, 2 Stars
(demerit, from 2 Stars to 1: Hélène Darroze)
SAINT-TROPEZ
• Résidence de la Pinède
VENCE
• Château St-Martin (2 Stars)
MONTE CARLO
• Bar Boeuf & Co (1 Star)

MARCH IN PARIS: TAKE IT OUTSIDE!

While April in Paris gets all the credit, March can be that delightful prelude to spring when the city’s lovely parks start to beckon. One of the best-kept secrets of Paris is the Promenade Plantée (The Planted Promenade), the world’s first elevated park. For 2.8 miles, the Promenade offers a wonderful walk along an old raised railroad bed, from the Opéra Bastille to the eastern edge of the city and spilling into the Bois de Vincennes.

Designed by a renowned landscape architect, the park trail is known for its flowering cherries and chestnuts, climbing vines and all kinds of botanicals that bloom as the season progresses. Beneath a stretch of the viaduct, artist studios and shops offer a peek into local ateliers. And, maybe best of all, walkers are rewarded with superb views of classic Parisian rooftop scenes.