“Tiny snowflake, invisible in the heat wave, it fights and fights for its life, in spite of its years of suffering, it wants to shout it out to the world that anorexia is hell, and we have to escape it whilst there’s still time!”

Isabelle Caro, the French model who suffered from anorexia, passed away, aged 28, on 17^th November – though it wasn’t made public until 30^th December.

When I visited her personal blog to find out more about this young woman, and came across her above statement about the snowflake, I realized that I had only known about Isabelle’s public image: that of a very fragile woman in lots of pain. It was impossible not to see her as such after the 2007 poster of Caro posing naked in the highly controversial (it was banned in Italy) anti-anorexia campaign which made a brutal statement about a world in which the physical has taken over the spiritual, the flesh over the soul, and appearance over the mind.

The materialism of society is becoming so destructive that eating disorders are now a global problem. It is not an epidemic, but a pandemic, with illnesses such as anorexia, bulimia, and obesity the most widespread in the world, transcending class and gender. Even in the continent of Africa, where many people are still dying from hunger, there are now clinics for losing weight.

Isabelle Caro had been poorly treated as child – her mother locked her in her bedroom, routinely subjecting her to psychological abuse – and it was this emotional vulnerability which made her prey to the illness which, at its worst, saw her weighing a mere 30kg, and reduced to skin and bone. Caro fought her anorexia, and was hospitalized various times, during which she also wrote about the illness, gave talks, and campaigned consistently. Though she had managed to gain some weight at the beginning of this year, her body finally gave up the fight in Japan, after she suffered a respiratory failure.

Isabelle was a brave and beautiful woman, and her blog is proof of this – beautiful because her battle with anorexia brought her to think not just of her own suffering but that of others in a situation similar to hers. Beautiful because she displayed great strength, bravery, sensitivity and love.

Isabelle’s passing, and her public statement reminds us of the value of life; that people are important not based on their appearance but the qualities and virtues that they possess, and that our self-esteem should never be based on the opinions of others, but what we know of ourselves. It reminds us of the things that really matter in life, and that we must try to gradually rid the world of its current obsession with physical appearance.

Miruton

A holiday in France can be the perfect excuse to take time out from your routine, and rediscover yourself – renting apartments in Paris will help you explore your emotions, in a city full of charm and art.

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Translated by: Poppy
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At one point of the memorable interview with the program A fondo in the Spanish television in the seventies of the twentieth century, the Argentine writer Julio Cortazar attempts to illustrate his peculiar relationship to the world of fantasy evoking an episode of childhood, “one of my sadness as a child”, to use his beautiful words.

He was around twelve years old when, after having felt absolutely fascinated by the unique Jules Verne’s The secret of Wilhelm Storitz decided to lend it to a classmate, lover of literature like him, urging him to read it immediately in the intimate conviction that he was handing out a ticket to an unknown continent that would amaze him. Hence his astonishment and dismay when the partner contemptuously returned it days later with the remark that he had not liked because of finding it too fantastic.

The book, unusually in Verne’s novels, was not a scientific advance, but treated the issue of the invisible man, years before H.G. Wells made him popular. But this assumption, the existence of an Invisible Man, Cortazar never thought of considering it fantastic, but quite the contrary “perfectly possible in the circumstances of the book”. The partner’s reaction allowed him to understand in a not entirely rational way, and not without some regret, that his notion of the fantastic differed from the rest of the people around him, as it did not conflict at all with his concept of reality. Saying it in another way, he discovered that “I moved naturally into the realm of the fantastic not distinguishing too much from what is real, that is, fantastic things happening in books or them happening to me in life were facts that I assumed without protest and without fuss and I found already wrapped in a social system where that’s a scandal and one is immediately reduced rationally by saying, well, it’s a fluke, a coincidence, there is an exception …”

Therefore it will not be too strange perhaps the subsequent Cortazar’s interest in the pataphysical things and the fact that, decades later, he translated Marcel Ayme (1902-1967) into Spanish, one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century French fantastic literature. Although, as perhaps could not be otherwise, there are notable exceptions to the rule, in almost all his stories the fantastic premise appears already on the front lines. Such is the case of the story of a man who only exists on alternate days (Le temps mort), the woman who has the power of ubiquity (Les Sabines), or his most famous short story, Le Passe-Muraille, whose protagonist discovers that he has “the extraordinary gift of crossing walls easily”. His name is Dutilleul and in Paris he is a true cult figure. In the Marcel Ayme square of Montmartre, behind the Sacré-Coeur, there is a splendid sculpture showing him doing just that.

Paul Oilzum

When renting apartments in Paris do not ignore the fantastic side of the city life and come to visit it.

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Translated by: Maria
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We imagine that this title is the perfect excuse for all those wanting to put off marriage until the last possible minute – that monumental day, loved by some, hated by others. And now there is also scientific proof – thanks to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, in which around 9000 adults were questioned, and it was found that those who were married had experienced a considerable deterioration in their health, whilst those divorced enjoyed an increased sense of general well-being. The survey cannot prove for certain that it is specifically marriage which is the cause of this, but nevertheless, it is possible that after getting married and settling down, a person might let themselves go a bit.

To be honest, I would take this study with a pinch of salt – we cannot solely attribute our health to our marriage status, as one could also argue that when you marry, you are happy, and of course happiness brings health. And whilst it is often true that once a person stops looking for love, they no longer feel the need to make the effort, or dress up, spending far less time in front of the mirror than they used to, there are still plenty of people who take care of their health and beauty for nobody else but themselves.

mia1603

If there is anywhere for being perfect, it is European fashion capital, Paris, whose streets are transformed daily into catwalks, and the nights are full of glamour. In a city like that, you need just the right apartment to enjoy it all – rent one of the apartments in Paris and take some time out for yourself.

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Translated by: Poppy
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You don’t need an excuse to visit Paris fleamarket Marche aux Puces de Paris (Rue Faubourg Saint-Honore, Metro: Porte de Cligancourt, Sat-Mon) – its legendary reputation as one of the most famous and celebrated markets in Europe is reason enough – it’s an essential part of any visit to the French capital.

Since the golden age of Surrealism, and its pursuit of profound poetic effect – which the line, “beautiful as a chance meeting on a dissecting table of a sewing machine and an umbrella,” written by Lautréamont, and championed by Duchamp, came to be a symbol of, changing the course of history and art forever – the Marché aux Puces has enjoyed a seductively powerful literary and artistic reputation, the free-spirited and open-minded flocking to its shady urban streets in search of some adventure.

The fascination for these mythical streets seems to have enjoyed a recent resurgence, after new speculations about the life of enigmatic and troubled writer and painter of self-portraits, Clément Cadou. His is a story which has captivated many, including authors Georges Perec (A “Portrait of the Author Seen as a Piece of Furniture, Always,” Paris, I973) Enrique Vila Matas (a passing reference in his strange biography of writer Félicien Marboeuf), Albert Hanover (in his unpublished study of the influence of Duchamp in poetry) and Jean Emar (in an unpublished poem written at an undetermined date for Chilean newspaper La Nación – still today subject of hot debate amongst scholars).

The story that would go on to become such a core part of the mythology of the Paris fleamarket is more or less as follows:

In the early 1960s, Clément Cadou was a young teenager who lived for literature. His parents, who had always encouraged the boy’s obsession, gave him what they were sure would be the opportunity of a lifetime, by inviting to dinner the acclaimed Polish writer Witold Gombrowicz- a friend they had met whilst living in Argentina. But the presence of the great Gombrowicz intimidated the young Cadou so much that he was seized by a terrible, mute shyness. Like something out of an Edgar Allen Poe story, Cadou found himself totally incapable of uttering a single word throughout the entire dinner. Years later, he explained that that evening he had felt just like a piece of furniture, and had turned his hand to painting immediately after. In his brief career as a painter – he died shortly after – he painted only furniture, each canvas identical, with the title “Self Portrait.” And strangely enough, he is buried next to the Marché aux Puces market, the resting place of old furniture.

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Paul Oilzum

If you rent apartments in Paris and visit the market, you might come across Cadou’s works, which are fast becoming cult collectibles.

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Translated by: Poppy
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Berlin DJ and producer Ellen Allien is without a doubt one of the most exciting and successful figures to come out of the German electro music scene. Multi-talented Allien is not only an excellent DJ and producer but also the founder of Bpitch Control, one the most influential record label in electro.

With her talent and devotion to making music, it’s a wonder that she finds the time and energy to tour and put on some of the best parties to be found in Europe. To understand the phenomenon of Ellen Allien, you have to go back to her roots, and her first foray into the world of music.

It all started in the late 80s when the young Ellen Fraatz moved to London, whose Acid House scene was the mecca of electronic music. When it hit Berlin, she found herself in the middle of the musical movement, working in the cult bar Fischlabor – one of the few places that played Techno and House. Fraatz was soon experimenting mixing herself, and playing at the legendary bar.

After the failure of her first label, Braincandy, Ellen Allien founded B Pitch Control Records, which went on to be one of the most important labels in the world of electro music. Allien then released her first record, and since then, has DJ-ed in all the capitals of the world. On 7^th March, she comes to Paris for a gig at the Centre Georges Pompidou.

For more information, visit:  http://www.songkick.com/concerts/7433121-ellen-allien-at-centre-georges-pompidou

Heloise Battista

If you love electro, don’t miss this great event in the French capital. Rent apartments in Paris and enjoy the unique sounds of Ellen Allien.

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Translated by: Poppy
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The relation between the Japanese and Paris will always be an issue as enigmatic as the alleged nature of the inhabitants of this ancient Pacific island viewed from the West. It is true that it is not only in the French capital where the Japanese star in memorable anecdotes. In fact, the famous case of Yasuki Yamada is still recent, to whom the mayor of Rome was obliged to invite him to dinner in a luxurious Italian restaurant in Tokyo after the Japanese had reported the Roman restaurant (Il Passetto of Rome), for charging him more than 700 euros for a staple food he made had there with his girlfriend.

However, it is usually in Paris where the most extraordinary cases of culture shock are recorded, from the famous Paris syndrome we have already discussed in this blog (the nerve disorder caused by a dramatic break from the idyllic expectations caused by films like Amelie and the reality found) to the case of Natsume Kodama, whose disappearance was reported by the family convinced that he had been swallowed by one of the gargoyles of Notre Dame.

They even needed the intervention of certain special bodies of state security, intelligence services, the supervisor of chrysanthemums Dressing Cabinet and other members of the Japanese embassy in Paris and, particularly, the rugby player Sébastien Chaval (who coincidentally was on vacation in Paris with some English friends for those dates and was in the cathedral when these strange events took place) to separate members of the family of Mr. Kodama from the unfortunate gargoyle -especially a great uncle who threatened to cut off his head with a katana of supposedly magical properties and who ensured to innately understand the language of the Bateaux Mouches distinguishing local accents, slang and dialects. And far from apologizing to all of them when three days later they found their relative on the platform of the Lilas Underground station, the family interpreted as irrefutable proof of the fact that, result of intolerance to Japanese food, perhaps an intolerable gastronomic chauvinism, the monster had regurgitated him through a subterranean larvae.

According to Oskar Alegría, in front of the Notre Dame, a Japanese manuscript was recently found on the asphalt containing a list of 15 places to visit in the French capital. Once translated into French and circulated tightly by the network, this manuscript is becoming a real cult secret guide because it is rumored that one of the places mentioned the alchemical formula for eternal life is located.

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Paul Oilzum

This is perhaps one of the delights of Baillardran bakery (2 Boulevard Jean Jaurès), not far from the Opera, whose doors give access to at least some impression of paradise. If you rent apartments in Paris come out there just in case.?

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Translated by: salome antigone
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In the beginning it was Fréhel, the most venerated of the pagan goddess of the interwar period in France. Famously discovered by the very Bella Otero, one of the most glittering myth of the Belle Epoque, when she was a saleswoman who went door to door. Fréhel represents perhaps like no other the hedonistic momentum of the twenties, and a free spirit declining to deal with joyous melancholy through her songs with the frenetic and relentless passage of time and the advent of the new machine age, illuminating the best imaginable popular soundtrack at the end of an era.

Few works exemplify this better than the painfully beautiful La Chanson Des Fortifs whose reminder is that despite all that happens and is lost in time -even the strongest fortifications- there will always be honored songs by such a memorable and charming singer like Jean Eustache in La Maman et La Putain -How can we forget, once seen, that beloved whistle by the incomparable Jean Pierre Leaud?

Fréhel was, naturally and deliciously decadent. Her homeric addiction to cocaine, not only left us the legacy of La Coco, one of her most successful songs, but also ruined her relationship with Maurice Chevalier, finally dragging her to Eastern Europe and Turkey where she surrendered to a state of legendary dissipation, to the point that those responsible for the French embassy decided in 1923 that it would be humanitarian to return her.

Despite an unexpected artistic renaissance that continued in the thirties with the help of film industry -she appears, for example, in the extraordinary Pépé Le Mokó- it is not easy to find someone today who can tell us who Fréhel was. However, she paved the way for the new stars that inevitably took her place in public favour, as illustrating with her own life the words of La Chanson Des Fortifs.

The most brilliant of these new stars probably was Édith Piaf. Her admirers, having previously arranged an appointment, can visit a museum dedicated to her in No. 5 of Gast Crespi Street in Paris, where there is a house where she lived.

At the main entrance, Piaf says hello from a scale photo attached to the door. Her low height, of barely five feet tall, seems to be a taste of both the size of the tiny rooms and most of the exhibits (combs, hairbrushes, teddy bears, letters, books, bag clothes, shoes). But then we feel that such dimensions keep an inversely proportional relationship to the magnitude of the strange shock that all these things cause to the visitors, who regardless of their degree of adherence to the legendary French singer, soon after entering the apartment experience, in the silent sound of those collections that almost no one visits, the feeling of having penetrated perhaps in the very heart of time.

Édith Piaf museum is at:
5 rue Crespin du Gast, 11e.
Paris, France

Paul Oilzum

Visit it to check that mais y aura toujours des chansons (but there will always be the songs), is one of the things you can do next time you rent apartments in Paris?

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Translated by: salome antigone
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Valentine’s Day started to be celebrated in Anglo-Saxon countries but over time, globalization and communication between existing societies began to be held in many countries of the world, especially between lovers (in fact in many places it is called the Lover’s Day), boyfriends or partners will show their love for each other.

The celebration takes place on February 14 and the ways to celebrate it has been modified over time. At first, love letters were delivered which were called “valentines” but then it changed significantly. Today there are various ways ranging from a rose or a romantic dinner to trips by boat or balloon. Anything lovers can imagine.

In the nineteenth century in England people began massively to give postcards and since then it spread around the globe. But it is also very usual to give roses of different colors that give meaning to the message to be conveyed: red roses represent love, white one, peace and yellow, friendship.

The number of quotes from literature related to this day was countless. The first one was supposed to be in the “Parlement of Foules” (1382) by the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer who wrote: “Because it was Valentine’s Day, when each bird came here to choose its partner”.

Undoubtedly, this is the most important day for those who want to show their partner or to people who they want affection from. Nothing better than spending this day in one of the most romantic cities in the world.

MiLK

If you want, you can rent apartments in Paris and spend an unforgettable time with that person how much you want.?

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Translated by: salome antigone
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The Petit Palais of the Museum of Fine Arts of the Ville de Paris will have on display until Feb. 27 the news photography exhibition by Pierre and Alexandra Boulat (father and daughter), “100 pictures of Pierre & Alexandra Boulat”, sponsored by Reporters Without Borders, institution that defends the right to information to protect journalists and those who collaborate with them in the areas of risk coverage.

Pierre Boulat was born in 1924 and collaborated with the legendary Life magazine, photographing the great figures of the twentieth century, which include writers such as Julio Cortazar, the movie star and sex symbol of the 60s, Brigitte Bardot or the designer Yves Saint Laurent. Alexandra was born in 1962, chose to photograph the war and major political conflicts in Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq and Palestine. Although they chose different topics such Pierre and Alexandra had one thing in common: humanism.

The exhibition orders the photos in various thematic chapters, where visitors can travel from the terrifying war in Afghanistan to the exquisite fashion of Kart Lagarfeld in Paris.

To highlight the expressive power of the photographs, the exhibition was designed with the concept of information and the decoding of the image as a news broadcaster, available in small corridors progress to introduce the visitor to photojournalism. In the carefully framed photos, information is organized in clippings explaining the situation in each country, region or social context where the image was captured. In the lounge, the sample is developed in a drama, where darkness and light play a key role in the impact of the visitor to observe the reality grasped in a second.

While both enshrined in the world of photojournalism, Alexandra began in painting, having studied art history, but the Balkan War took her to photography with Sipa Press, one of the few photojournalists covering the war. In it she captures the pain of war and the barbarism there is when the first cannon is shot. Her photographs were published in Paris Match, Newsweek and Times of the United States. Then there were the wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan, where Alexandra worked capturing the human suffering product of political decisions.

Boulat Pierre died in 1998 after devoting 60 years to journalistic photography. His work started during the Liberation of Paris for the Samedi Soir magazine, and continued with France-Dimanche, Elle and Paris Press. Then he began his long journey to America where he became an important photographer for Life Magazine – magazine that marked a before and after the photo shoot-, which are shown in 1992 and are part of the book My Years in Life.

To see Pierre Boulat and Alexandra’s legacy in photojournalism this exhibition is a must, there you will understand the importance of these professionals in the areas of conflict and how they contribute to denounce the crimes against humanity.

Nancy Guzman

If you come to Paris, do not miss it and after going to the Petit Palais, enjoy a pleasant evening in apartments in Paris?

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Translated by: salome antigone
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Jack Kerouac, the revolutionary American writer of the middle of the last century, died how he lived and wrote how he lived, fast and intense, in perfect harmony.

He was the first of the so-called Beat Generation who generated improvised writing that was elaborate, supported by classics but with spontaneity and freedom of thought, eternally comparing with Jazz music. The work that best reflects the foundation of this generation as well as his own objectives as writer is On the Road, mystic narration about music lovers that emerged from American Blues and Jazz.

His work, basically an autobiography, reflects the intense world of being young, the freedom and fears to embark in new experience. Inspired by one of his best friends, Neal Cassady, who was an impulsive person, lead on by his instincts, outside any limits, full of excess, that is how Kerouac wanted to write and how On the Road is written, in one impulse. This impulse resulted in a manuscript which only took 3 weeks to write, without any break, space or separation from the pages, was it the birth of spontaneous writing, as the author himself said. As retroactive narrator he tells us about his travels with Neal Cassady into the vast American territory, from New York to California and beyond.

Sonia Teruel

Discover the city that has drawn in artists, writers and people from the culture world for many years, rent apartments in Paris and follow the steps of Kerouac through every bar where he ate and drank and the chapels where the music made his senses blurry.?

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Translated by: salome antigone
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