They say that on a night from the beginning of the 1960s, Orson Welles was looking for, from the observation point of the windows of his room in Hôtel Meurice, help or consolation from the moon. He’d been scrupulously designing for months to get the visual effect he wished that was needed for the decoration of the story of his adaptation of Kafka’s ‘The Trial’ and he’d just received the news that there were no funds to build it.

Maybe in tears, he then seemed to see not one but two full moons, but then he realized that those shapes belonged to two faces of the clock of the abandoned train station of Orsay, built in 1900, where he went to quickly obeying its call. There he found, after walking through its doors close to 4am, everything that he needed to make the film, the world of Kafka intact: the lawyer offices, the justice tribunals, the interminable corridors in an architectonic style, later defined by him as Jules Verne-esque modernist, that could not go better with the aesthetic of the Czech writer.

But he then discovered something more important. He had the feeling that if the station was such a beautiful place to photograph, it was mostly due to the fact that it was full of pain and sadness, the type of pain and sadness that accumulates in a place where people wait, and ‘The Trial’ was above all a book about waiting. Waiting for someone to put a stamp on a paper wasn’t much more different than waiting for a train, with all the angst and tragedy that it could have if, for example, as it was Orsay’s case, trains were sent from there to Nazi concentration camps -the same people who had ordered to burn all of Kafka’s books.

Since the 1st of December 1986, the Gare d’Orsay became a museum http://www.musee-orsay.fr/ dedicated to 19th century plastic arts, whose strong point is its astounding impressionist painting collection, which makes it into one of the city’s main tourist attractives.

To commemorate its 25th anniversary, an extraordinary restoration work on the building has just been completed that, as well as adding new rooms and an impressive cafeteria designed by Humberto and Fernando Campana, which is a total revolution -based on the use of the latest electric lights that reproduce solar light on a special grey colour for the walls that acquire red or green tones according to the light- in the way of exhibiting the paintings, whose colours have been enhanced to an unsuspected and fabulous extreme.

Paul Oilzum

The transformation is magnificent, almost magical. The new colours and illumination create an intimate atmosphere that Guy Cogéval, the museum’s director, has described as the palpitating heart of all galleries. You might want to see it for yourself when you rent apartments in Paris

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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The primitive being, when he took a glimpse at death, started his career as a man. The new reality was too painful, so he sought out to appease the psychic twinge. Since he could not escape this terrible new found worldview that was beginning to transform the world, he had to invent and create. Arts begin. The first one (music) arises from the repetition of primal rhythm, percussion imitating the birth land of Mother Nature. With drums and, later, flutes, dancing will commence. Soon singing  sculpture and painting appeared in an unsuccessful attempt to appease the wrath of the gods. It will take time for word to be molded to the explosion of literature, while the seventh art (cinema) will have to wait thousands of years.

But remember, man begins to express joy, sorrow, excitement, hope and desire with early derived dances with different folk rhythms that changed, in another twist into classical ballet. While dancing, ceremonies associated with sacred dyes, has been around since the birth of humanity, it was not until the early twentieth century that an epistemology has been created around it . The original dance had a specific purpose and was used both for rejoicing and for offerings to the Gods. In the nineteenth century, dance is no longer just an approach to life, it becomes art, and therefore opens its doors to unknown realities. Isadora Duncan (“My art is simply an effort to express with gestures and movements the truth of my being,” she said on occasion) or Nijinsky flag this new way to face dance.

So what is that presented at the Centre Pompidou? Well, up until late April 2012, the Paris museum performs an exhibit based on the interaction of dance (as a volatile and immaterial art ) and the visual arts (permanent and fixed). The organizers want to go further and present a series of performances based, too, in this interplay between dance movement and the stat-ism of a picture. Artists in the exhibition as could nnot be otherwise, are among the best  Although the list is long we can not fail to mention here the names of the most distinguished pointers: Constantin Brancusi, Fernand Léger, Henri Matisse, Alexander Calder, Merce Cunningham, Sonia Delaunay, Francis Picabia, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Man Ray, Vassily Kandinsky, Auguste Rodin and many others nurtured the most international avant-garde style. This is, undoubtedly, an important signal  that is further enhanced, as is normal at the Pompidou, with interesting side events.

For more info http://www.centrepompidou.fr/Pompidou/

Candela Vizcaíno

If you travel to the City of Light do not forget to rent in advance apartments in Paris

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Paris doesn’t take a break, not even after the excesses of Christmas and New Year. The cultural activity is so overwhelming, rich and varied that it’s difficult to follow it, because the acts overlap each other all the time. But what we put down on here today is an entertainment act for the whole public, and when we mean the whole public we mean all ages, sensibilities and, even, aesthetic tastes. It’s the new musical by the versatile Pascal Obispo (1965), titled ‘Adam and Eve’, that will be on show from the 31st of January until the 6th of March 2012 at the Sports Palace in Paris. Before I forget, here is the official website where you can find more details and purchase the tickets online: http://www.ticketnet.fr/manifestation/idmanif/226245

‘Adam and Eve’ is a musical comedy that revolves around love, of course, but also in origin and creation. The show has eclectic touches, adopting rhythms and sounds from here and there to mix them, like if it was a kaleidoscope, with the aim of achieving a unique colour. Music from around the world, from pop (inevitable) to rock (also inevitable), as well as reggae (more audacious) conform the show. Nearly all the instrument types from around the world are present: from a street organ to a classic piano, and all of it to offer freshness to the public. According to the creator himself, in ‘Adam and Eve’ “we find love and rebel songs, a big mix, circus artists and acrobats, classic dancers and contemporary ones, large and beautiful decorations… and, for me, the most important: grace and harmony”.

The versatile Pascal Obispo, who can sing, compose or produce an album, already knows what it’s like to sample success with his previous musical ‘Fanlive’, that took the Victoire music award in 2004. For that he has surrounded himself with a great small string orchestra, different musicians and young singers with potential. The role of Adam falls upon the glamorous Thierry Amiel (Marseille, 1982), who is already used to shining in these type of musical shows, while Eve will be played by a young singer of 24 years of age that’s already being compared, due to the quality of her voice, with no other than Whitney Houston. Her name is Cylia.

The ‘Adam and Eve’ musical has to be written down in the diary and, if possible, go and enjoy one of its shows. Remember that it takes place in the Sports Palace in Paris, which is more like a modern auditorium, because here we have seen, since its opening in 1960, musicians such as The Beatles, Elton John, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton and practically anyone with a big name in the contemporary pop-rock scene.

Candela Vizcaíno

If you go to the City of Light, remember to book one of the excellent apartments in Paris well in advance.

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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In the adorable ‘La chanson des fortifs’, Fréhel reflected on the passing of time and asked herself what had happened to things like the old songs of the popular artist Aristide Bruand, contemporary of the first era of the Moulin Rouge, who was immortalized, just like the legendary place in the posters of his friend Toulouse-Lautrec, the graphic reporter par excellence of this paradoxical and fascinating decadent period of the end of the century and the Belle Epoque.

Fréhel herself, the great start of the generation after Bruand, predicted the inevitable disappearance of all the components of that extraordinary Parisian era, whose atmosphere completely captivated Marcel Proust in an infinite book that contemplated, among other things, the birth of film, the first apotheosis of industrial design, the arrival of the automobile, sports and other forms of worship to speed, everything Japanese, theosophy, the avant-gardes, impressionist music and the aesthetic triumph of the Russian ballets by Diaghilev. Also, with the fascinating flora, wildlife and imaginary teratology suggested by the metro entrances designed by Grimard, the transformation of the city surface into a landscape full of terrible and magical accesses to the unknown, conformed the ideal scenario for an urban pataphysical and surrealist adventure.

Mentioning other elements, Fréhel’s song announced the inevitable disappearance of all of these things but, also, of all the heroes, objects and fashions that came after them, including of course her own, while she offered the consolation that even though time brings even the strongest and most solid constructions down, there would always be songs -Averroes, according to Borges, offered, decades later, a bigger consolation for the pain due to the essential impermanence of things, relying upon that “time, who strips the fortresses, enriches the verses”.

Despite everything, the legendary Moulin Rouge (http://www.moulinrouge.fr/index_gb.php#/histoire/) is still going today, 120 years after its opening, and it’s still the main responsible, together with the other cabarets in the Butte Montmartre district, of the attractive growth with forbidden fruit flavour of the district. Despite this, however, the expectancies created in 1891 by the construction of the Basilica of the Sacré Coeur foresaw a much more merciful attraction for this area of the north of Paris that would be so decisive in the history of contemporary art. Perhaps the perpetual tension between heaven and hell has never been staged with more elegance, beauty and precision.

In the 1960s it revitalized and reached the point of regaining all of its splendor as a music-hall temple. Few things are comparable as dining in the Moulin Rouge (five different menus to choose from with champagne, of course) while you attend one of the best cabaret shows in the world, and a can-can show included, of course.

Paul Oilzum

This would mean occupying a seat in one of the most fabulously evocative interiors of the Belle Epoque in a city that felt, during that period of time, the centre of the world. When you rent apartments in Paris few plans will be more seductively appealing.

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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Paris is a city that continues to charm, despite all the changes that have gone through it. The city has a great artistic and political history that still remain as a source of attraction for many tourists and travelers, in Paris the streets have the history of novels and poems, movies, paintings and art in every corner where people like Picasso, Baudelaire, Godard and Francoise Hardy lived. Paris is a city where it is very easy to walk any time of year, even during the winter. With some extra jackets, you will be more than ready to walk its streets, seeing its homes and neighborhoods, while getting lost among crowds of people. In Paris you’ll also find some of the best pastry shops in Europe. Here is a brief list of the best bakeries in Paris that you surely would like to visit:

Du Pain et des Idees is one of the best bakeries and pastry shops all over Paris, this original pastry first opened its doors in 1889 in the center of the city. Here you will certainly find delicious baked baguettes, croissants, pastries and donuts in great variety and flavor, all these delicacies are prepared respecting these classic recipes, flavor and tradition that come together in this former bakery.

Another great “boulangerie” that you should visit is, undoubtedly Le Quartier du Pain Pernety, which also offers a long list of fruit pies in various colors and shapes. In this pastry shop, you will be able to enjoy the essence of simplicity, but at the same time, the sophistication of the best French desserts. Recommended for ceremonies and birthday cakes especially.

Poilane is another classic Parisian bakery. Here you will find a varied list of French breads and pastries. Besides having the ability to purchase various gift packages for birthday parties or personal celebration. In Poilane, quality prevails above all, and you will also find different whole-wheat cookies, all baked with a delicacy and unique style. Their chocolate products are highly recommended.

Raoul Maeder, is one of the most “chic” pastry shops in Paris. Since 1957, this bakery started a family tradition in the preparation of the best cakes, breads and pretzels, among other products, which have given it significant international recognition.

As well, these exclusive patisseries and bakeries can be found in the city, you can also find small bakeries that offer a similar range of products during your walks around Paris, of course, with a varied list of prices too. Do not hesitate to dare buying some of these delicacies; they are a pleasure that go perfectly with coffee or cappuccino. In every street of old Paris, there is a cake waiting for you. The important thing is to explore the city carefree and let the adventure caught you up in Paris.

Alexa Ray

Get one of the apartments in Paris and enjoy this beautiful city. Paris has the ability to satisfy every taste. Get charmed by its beautiful streets and rich past.

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Translated by: Hans
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Arctic Monkeys, a band formed in Sheffield, England in 2002. This band, which for some time was the star of the MTV, is now launching its fourth album and is embarking on a new tour to promote it. The album is called “Suck it and see’, which keeps the band’s music style, while using direct language, critical, with humor and for some people “rather rude” characteristic of the Arctic Monkeys.

The band’s debut album was released in 2006 under the name “Whatever people say I am, tha` s what I `m not”, with which they made it to number one in the chart single UK lists and sold more copies than any other band, at that time, during the first week of album sales. Their sound was a casual Indie that brought a booming success, which quickly took them to the top of the charts and world fame, receiving awards and going up to the roof. The group’s second album in 2007, “Favourite worst nightmare” continued increasing the fame of the Arctic Monkeys, leading them to win the award for Best British Album at the Brit Awards 2008.

No doubt the Artics Monkeys should be one of the fastest bands that made it to the top charts and produce the most sales, the good thing is that they have managed to keep their reputation and have not declined on the way, which usually occurs when fame comes so soon. The truth is, they have not been resting on their laurels and have released four albums, the last one in 2011, with which they come to Paris on the 31^st of January. The concert will be held at the Casino de Paris at 19:30 hrs. Check the prices and general information about the concert in the following link:

http://concertful.com/concert/arctic-monkeys/paris_27686

Luz Obscura

A trip to Paris is always a pleasure, at any time of year, even more if you add a good concert on the way. Rent apartments in Paris and do not miss the Arctic Monkeys concert on the 31st of January.

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Translated by: Hans
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One of the earliest examples we have of a criminal writer is the provocative fifteenth-century French writer, François Villon, who was also the precursor of other cursed writers like Rimbaud, Baudelaire and Verlaine. He spent long periods in prison and was saved from the death penalty in exile. He surrounded himself with the criminal underworld of that time, thieves, murderers, swindlers.

Following the French we have Jean Genet, who rebelled against the society of the time by making crime his religion. He began his first tour to jail when it was only a teenager but already a real thief. Hobo, beggar, male prostitute and openly gay, he is also recognized as one of the best writers of the twentieth century.

The Marxist philosopher from French Algeria, Louis Althusser was diagnosed with manic depression, spending long periods in psychiatric hospitals. He strangled his wife, apparently in a frenzy of madness. Due to the intervention of certain leftist intellectuals he was never sent to jail.

One of the best-known criminal writers is William S. Burroughs, who was a recognized member of the Beat generation, despite his wild character and his countercultural that made him impossible to be classified as an author. Polydrug abuser, but not only addicted to drugs, but to guns, sex, and pedophiles hobbies. He never regretted nor apologized for his crimes. He killed his wife Joan Vollmer by shooting her in the head, in what appears to a drunken simulation of William Tell.

The English writer Anne Perry (Juliet Hulme) planned and executed, along with her friend Pauline, the murder of her mother. She was 16. They killed her mother after hitting 45 times her head with a brick. The young age saved them from being convicted. Juliet changed her name when he moved to the U.S. and turned a crime novels writer.

The French Maurice Sachs was a scammer, thief and known seducer of both sexes. He ended up being a member of Gestapo and according to gossip, it is known that he was lynched and his body, thrown as food for hungry dogs.

Another completely different example is the American prisoner Jack Henry Abbott, who was convicted of murder. While in prison he wrote a letter to the writer Norman Mailer, offering his help to understand how violence was brewed in the U.S. prisons. Mailer wrote “The Executioner’s Song”, which tells the story of an inmate fighting of a man to avoid his death sentence. Mailer was amazed by Abbott`s lucidity and helped him to publish his book “In the Belly of the Beast” and to reduce his sentence. Few weeks after his was released, he killed a waiter stabbing a knife into his chest. He returned to prison and ended up committing suicide in his cell.

The list of criminal writers is much longer, other famous writers fascinated with the art of crime were: Jack Black, Chester Himes, Hugh Collins, Krystian Bala, Álvaro Mutis, Segiusz Piasecki, Alfonso Vidal and José León Sánchez among others.

We have evidence of all their crimes through their own books.

Ara

Paris is a city of literature, in which many literary geniuses of the last century have developed. Rent apartments in Paris and enjoy this city home to the literature.

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Translated by: Hans
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There are cities where theater is part of life, and Paris is one of them. Just remember that Molière is known as the father of French comedy and also of modern theater. Hence, the city is full of great theaters famous for its plays and we are going to tell you all about it, so you can plan a soiree at a theater.

First you should know that you have a whole range of classical theater in La Comedie Francaise. This theater was founded by Louis XIV in 1680 and is located in the heart of the city, near the Louvre Museum. It specializes in plays by French authors.

Zingara Theatre is famous for its theater full of magic, where its director, theater and film teacher Bartabas, merges contemporary dance with drama and circus elements, where the true protagonists are horses. This theater has been acclaimed for its pioneering nature and excellence. Until February the show Calaca is bieng presented, an interesting reflection on death that is depicted with a carnival. Its  address is 176 Avenue Jean-Jaurès and the prices ??of tickets per person range from 40 to 50 euros. We recommend making reservations early.

Les Bouffes Parisien, was built in the nineteenth century and takes its name from the work of the German composer, creator of the modern operetta and  theater founder, Jacques Offenbach. From the 60′s it  has been one of the most dynamic theaters in Paris and is showing until March 2012 Nobody’s Perfect, a play which includes views of daily life and games of relationships  It is located at 4 rue Monsiguy and tickets must be booked in time. The theater is located in an area full of small restaurants and bars that make it ideal to end the evening.

The Théâtre de la Ville is a great alternative for those who enjoy surrealism and more contemporary and different proposals of the  avant-garde performing arts. It is a space open to the world and to creation, where all artistic representations, such as dance, music, and many more have a place of expression. Its address is 31 rue des Abbesses and it has different ways to access, prices depend on the shows: dance and theater are between 14 and 25 euros, depending on age. This theater has activities throughout the year.

The Théâtre Châtelet is a place that specializes in music programs. Throughout the year have very good programs in dance, concerts, operas, and classical and contemporary music . This year 2012 it will present an interesting opera in 3 acts  “Nixon in China”. It is located at 2 rue Edouard Colonne and prices vary per show, but in the last 15 minutes before a show starts you can buy tickets at a special rate,- if available-  with a cost between 10 and 20 euros, depending on age. It has programs throughout the year.

Nancy Guzman

A wise decision is to spend the first months of 2012 in apartments in Paris so you can enjoy good theater programs, music, dance and opera.

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Translated by: Marc
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To say that Paris is a city that is more tolerant than other when it comes to living with dogs is not an exaggeration, even the famous photographer who immortalized the city and life on the streets, Robert Doisneau, gave this friend  of man a place  in his work with the photography “Dogs of La Chapelle” that proves how  serious the coexistence between humans and the canine species is in this city.

So if you have prepared a trip to Paris, do not leave your pet behind and bring it with you for we will tell you where you can eat with it, without causing problems.

Taivillent is a restaurant that has adapted to this concept of tolerance for pets, which shows its has many virtues. Located at 15, rue Lamennais, it  is considered an ideal place to enjoy  casual fine dining, for that the chef and sommelier will combine the best of flavors from food to drinks. Specializing in traditional food with fusions of the new kitchen it  is considered one of the best restaurants in town. So if you want to go with your puppy to taste their good food, simply make a booking and prepare to indulge.

Another good place to enjoy a nice dinner or lunch is the Restaurants Perraudin Paris near the Luxembourg Gardens and the Sorbonne in the Latin Quarter. With all the tradition of the old Parisian Belle Époque bistro, it is certainly a good alternative for you to enjoy a great meal without worrying that your pet is a problem.

Le Grand Véfour is a restaurant that is part of the historical and cultural traditions of the city and of France. Located in the Beaujolais gallery in Palais Royal, it has been host to great philosophers like Jean Paul Sartre, artists, movie stars, etc. It is an ideal place for lunch or dinner and their menu is a jewel of French cuisine, including foie gras with pineapple and passion fruit. While prices are not cheap, you and your pet will feel like royalty in a place with so much tradition, style and impeccable attention.

The restaurant Casa Luca dogs are welcome on  par with their masters. It is located in the area of ??the Champs Elysees, more precisely at 82, avenue Marceau, and its specialty is Italian food. It is a first-class trattoria where parmigiano risotto, and all the Vittel Tonnato Italian Mediterranean cuisine is found on the menu. So if your tastes are on that path this is the place to be. You can have dinner or lunch on the terrace and you will fine different prices ??ranging between 32 and 59 euros per person. Wine glasses are paid separately and has a price between 6 and 11 euros, if you want a bottle prices ??range from 32 and 320 euros.

Finally we recommend the Café de la Bibliothèque Paris near Bercy steps away from the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand, establishment thar invites you to enjoy a varied cafeteria, dining and gourmet food.

Nancy Guzman

Don’t make an excuse to leave your pet behind when you travel because apartments in Paris has the best proposals for you to enjoy a few days of relaxation with it

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Translated by: Marc
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Despite the ingenuity of its ending and its pro-Nazi script (signed by Thea von Harbou, nazi party member and at that time wife of Fritz Lang, director of the film), Metropolis (1927) remains today as one of the most fascinating and  captivating films of all times.

Fritz Lang himself in later years lost no opportunity to express how much he hated the end of the film. He did not lack reasons to express such a view. According to the legend from the first moment that Hitler and Goebbels saw it in a small provincial town decided that if they ever came to power they would offer to the creator of the unforgettable hypnotic images the direction of a new German film industry oriented to film propaganda production that would enhance the prestige of the Third Reich.

The famous story told memorably by Fritz Lang himself in Godard’s Le Mépris, of how on the night of a day in 1933 Hitler and Goebbels made their promise come true and Fritz Lang got and offer he could not refuse.  The Viennese director hastily packed his bags and left to Hollywood never to return.

Metropolis script pales in comparison. Around the year 2000,  a mammoth city is ruled by the great industrialist John Frederson. The workers of the factories are a lazy sort of a underworld sub-human species that despite their deplorable living conditions do not rebel due to the power of word of a young woman named Mary who makes them believe they need to wait patiently for the advent of a mediator. Frederson kidnap Mary and makes a mad scientist who conveniently happens to be Jewish build a replica of her in robot form, the Evil Mary but it becomes uncontrollable and encourages workers to revolt and destroy. It is finally defeated by the intervention of the expected mediator, who is none other than the son of Frederson in love with the real Mary, who rescues her, and ends up being the bridge that maintains the expected stability of the hierarchy without conflict that society must be based on .

Nevertheless, the visual power of the film is overwhelming, mostly thanks  to his prodigious artistic direction, creating a set design that still cause us untold wonder and excitement. Precisely around them, distributed in six basic areas (the city of the children, the city of workers, the Acropolis, the Rotwang laboratory , the catacombs and the cathedral)  an exhibition about the film that can be admired until the 29th of January at the Cinematheque in Paris (http://www.cinematheque.fr/fr/expositions-cinema/metropolis/).

Paul Oilzum

Along with drawings, reproductions of costumes, production secrets, key scenes, etc.., a life size reconstruction of the original Robot can be seen. Be fascinated by this unique world only if you rent apartments in Paris

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Translated by: Marc
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