The Garden of the Dragon is just one of the big attractions that the futuristic science city of the Parc de la Villette (http://www.cite-sciences.fr/fr/cite-des-sciences/) offers for children, located a tad disconcertingly in remote times to come such as the end of ’2001: A Space Odyssey’. The fantastic and colossal slide in the shape of the legendary mythological monster is there to attract attention with its fabulous places such as the Wind Garden and the Dunes Garden, the Garden of Islands, the Bamboo Garden, the Mirror Garden and the unforgettable argonaut submarine.

Inside the city of science and industry at the Parc de la Villette there’s still another city for children, designed and planned to help them discover and unfold the world that surrounds them, a highly technological world in this case, thanks to a broad activity programme.

Another of the favourite places for children s the visionary, industrialist and colourful architecture of the Centre d’Art Pompidou, that also has a wide, varied and highly stimulating range of activities for the younger ones.

It’s in some way unavoidable that one of the favourite parts of the museum is its exterior, not only in virtue of the imaginative and evocative architecture of Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano but especially the famous source of mobile polychrome machine structures of the Swiss artist Jean Tinguely, one of the main representatives of the so called kinetic art and dada metamechanic, known by the name of Stravinsky Fountain or the Automaton Fountain.

Less so mechanically automaton, although it does have a bit of that ambiguous nature, and perhaps more so metallic colossus is the famous Eiffel Tower, despite being received in 1889 with highly derogatory comments by most Parisians, among them the reputable artists of the time. For a long time it has been one of the world’s most visited monuments and also a children’s favourite, since they enjoy the impressive views that its nearly 1000ft offer just as much or even more than the adults. So much so that the tower itself organizes special children tours that have been very successful.

Despite the predilection that the surrealists had for it (or even because of precisely that, that in the child’s world, the unconscious happily free flows) the Grevin wax museum is another place where to spend a nice time with the children, because there they’ll find, in its unforgettable planet, a figure of the Little Prince accompanied by the fox and the rose, modeled especially by Stéphane Barret, using 3D technology.

Paul Oilzum

And for the comic book lovers, how could they miss a visit to the most famous and ancient French character at Parc Asterix, the second biggest theme park in France that will delight children and adults when they rent apartments in Paris

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They say the first step of love enters though the senses. And how can someone win love if not for aroma, perfume essence, its delicate touch to the nose? When choosing a perfume one certainly must be attentive to the character of that that you want to share. This is to be taken seriously, of course, if you always take care of how you dress, your makeup, hair style, shoes, perfumes are another form of dressing that says even more about yourself, your style, the way you face life. An aroma can conquest much more than a miniskirt, a hot suit or a piece of jewelry.

Similarly, the memories that the nose keep can be much more intense. Think about it, how many times has the flavor of a dish you have had in the past returned you to a particular moment in your childhood? or perhaps the scent of freshly cut grass or a plant, brings you back to a particular moment that seemed to lost in the fore years. Similarly, the impression that you leave in another person can be increased much more if you bet on the right perfume. In Paris, without a doubt some of the best fragrances are at your disposal .

If you’re in Paris, start your journey of aroma at  Fragonard, where in addition to finding high-class perfumes and other cosmetics, you can visit a very interesting perfume museum, in what was once was  the Capucines Theatre, built 1895. Thus, since 1993, this museum of perfumes offers a large and varied legacy of products and new trends. A historical walk along the best aromas.

Dyptique is another Parisian shop you can not miss in your quest for the perfect perfume. With a variety of derivatives and aromatic essences as well an elegant and welcoming image, Dyptique offers quality and a wide collection of fragrances that will captivate you.

Another brand that you should  find when being in Paris, is the fabulous Guerlain. His latest night collection of the endings of 2011, is undoubtedly one of the best recent packages in terms of perfume, makeup and glamor. This limited edition is still available if you check their website. Be sure of course to try each of the options of its long list of exotic fragrances.

Finally, The Different Company is one of the most important perfumery shops in Paris. Its style and refined elegance in this shop in Paris, will wrap you up with quality of their products. Its Highly recommended. The fact is that beside visiting these Perfume shops, you have to explore the streets of Paris and discover many more options if you are looking for a refined fragrance, beauty and style. It is a delight to go to Paris at any time of year.

Alexa Ray

Get apartments in Paris and enjoy this fabulous city. Paris has the best brands and perfumes, get lost in the inimitable charm of the French capital. Magic exists in Paris .

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Many bands have immediate success, reaching the mainstream and managing to get so many fans in a matter of months. That’s what happened to the guys from “The Rifles”, band that was founded in 2004 and with the release of its first album, quickly became famous thanks to exceptional songs like “Peace & Quiet”, “When I’m Alone” or “local Boy” among others.

Their debut album, launched in 2006, was called “No Love Lost”, followed by “Great Escape” in 2009 and finally “Freedom Run” which was presented in September 2011. Their latest album is the reason why the group is on tour around the world. With concerts in every corner of “The Rifles” play all their new songs for the delight of their fans.

Currently the band’s members are: Joel Stoker on vocals and guitar, Luke Crowther also on vocals and guitar, Lee Burgess on bass, Kenton Shinn on drums and percussion in general and Dean Mumforn on keyboards. They are the ones who, with three albums, managed to form a powerful band with their unique rhythms, make their fans dance every time they play their music.

The Rifles was founded by Joel Stoker and Luke Crowther when they went the Redbridge College in 2003. They attended an Oasis concert at Knebworth and inspired by them, they decided to created their own band. The rest is history.

More information: http://www.songkick.com/concerts/10459323-rifles-at-la-boule-noire

La Boule Noire: 120 Boulevard Rochechouart, 75018 Paris, France

MiLK

The group arrives in Paris on the 15th of February, to offer a concert at La Boule Noire. All those who want to enjoy one of the most important cities in the world with some of the best museums, monuments and parks, as well as The Rifles’ concert, should to rent apartments in Paris

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Translated by: Hans
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On July 2012 the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris will showcase the work of the Italian painter Giorgio de Chirico. The show is centered on the donation made by Isabel de Chirico, widow of the painter, to the city of Paris and is part of the recognition of the city towards the artist.

This exhibition is one of the largest retrospectives on the work of Chirico and is organized by themes and styles to enhance his  extraordinary work. Organized in 30 paintings, 20 drawings and 11 sculptures representing the main stages of the painter. These include a series of self portraits that  include Elizabeth and a nude of her. There are also still life and horses in the sea.

Giorgio de Chirico was born in Volos, Greece in 1888. The son of Italian parents, he studied in Athens and then moved to Germany to study at the Munich Art Academy, where he was impregnated with the philosophy of Nietzsche, Schopenhauer and others who raised the banner of metaphysical thought. On his return to Italy in 1909, he began to produce his first metaphysical paintings , an example is The Enigma of an Autumn Afternoon.

His metaphysical gaze on aesthetics led him to be fascinated with Turin and its architecture. He then moved and lived in Paris, then he joined the army in 1915 during the First World War. During all the period preceding the military and the war his work was strongly metaphysical, creating the scuola metaphysics current. His paintings are notable for the management of somber colors and themes, prompting an overwhelming feeling that will dominate his imagination.

After the war there is a change and dummies urban landscapes, objects, in an interesting sequence of dismemberment of objects begin to appear. Colors will be strongly influenced by his Mediterranean spirit.

Many intellectuals praised the surrealist work of De Chirico, one of them was Guillaume Apollinaire who connected him with surrealists, causing such a stir that he definitely influenced Yves Tanguy, Max Ernst, René Magritte and Salvador Dalí.

Even though Chirico abandoned the metaphysical style early to join other schools, including realism, he is still recognized by critics as metaphysical painter. In 1911, strongly influenced by the light projected by the city of Paris, he  began to produce works based on representations of urban spaces where  new perceptions of architectural designs will dominate. This new aesthetic look will add timeless representations without specific context, and the juxtapositions of works on construction, something very typical of surrealism.

De Chirico is an avant-garde painter, who also introduced the concept of imperfection as part of the work and of all human action. In 1925 he published the novel Hedbdómero, the metaphysical.

For more information http://www.mam.paris.fr/fr/expositions/presentation-du-legs-isabella-pakszwer-de-chirico

Nancy Guzman

Days to dream and to start the year in apartments in Paris so rent in time and enjoy all the wonders that this city has to offer.

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Translated by: Marc
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Alternative music and Indie rock are booming and many of the bands that started playing for a few dozen people, now are traveling the world with thousands of fans. One of these bands is Nada Surf, which makes more than interesting music, represented in the perfection efforts by Matthew Caws, Daniel Lorca and Ira Elliot.

The band was founded in 1992 and released its first studio 1996 under the name “High / Low”. In 2012, they completed having more than 20 years together and for that reason they are touring around the world to play their best songs, as well as presenting “The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy” , their seventh album, which will be released this month.

Nada Surf was created thanks to Caws and Lorca, who met at the French School in New York, place where the band is from, and chose that name because, according to its own members, it is a very existentialist meaning, referring to surf in your mind and being lost inside your own head. Why did they decide to make a band? Because the only time that could meet and have a fun was when they played, composed and met their fans.

The group is touring around the world and offering concerts in different places. On the 14^th of, they will come to the city of love to perform at Le Bataclan and present to all their fans, their latest production in Paris.

More information: http://bataclan.fnacspectacles.com/place-spectacle/manifestation/Pop-rock-Folk-NADA-SURF-BANAD.htm

Le Bataclan, 50 Boulevard Voltaire, 75011 Paris, France

MiLK

If you want to get to know one of the most beautiful cities around the world, full of art, parks, delicious food and fun bars, all you have to do is renting apartments in Paris and enjoy not only Nada Surf, but also this great city.

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Translated by: Hans
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It’s not easy to argue that Zazie is one of the most singular and interesting cases in the French commercial music scene in the last few decades. She will be playing a highly-awaited concert on the 10th of February on the outskirts of Paris, at the Espace Jacques Prevert http://www.infoconcert.com/salle/espace-jacques-prevert-a-aulnay-9165/concerts.html in the town of Aulnay-sous-Bois, 9 miles from the centre of the French capital.

Née Isabelle de Truchis de Varennes in 1964 -her artistic name is a tribute to the protagonist of ‘Zazie in the Metro’, the masterpiece of the surrealist writer Raymond Queneau, who was an oustanding member of the High Pataphysical Studies College. His novel made him known to the large public and was majestically adapted to the big screen by Louis Malle a few years after its publication in 1959-, Zazie had a complete formation in music, which her mother was a teacher of, and thus developed a very important role since she was a child. During that time, not only did she study the violin, piano and guitar but also learned how to love the classics of the French ‘chanson’, such as Barbara, Jacques Brel or Georges Brassen, who somehow shaped her early start as a songwriter.

Despite that, until 1993, the year of the huge success of her single ‘Sucré Sale’, which made her a deserved winner of the award of Best French Song of that year, Zazie was better known as a model (hence the photographs from her album ‘Made in Love’ were made by Mondino) than a singer. This fact throws her into the same category as Ana Karina, Jane Birkin (for who Zazie wrote a song in 1999), Vanessa Paradis or Carla Bruni, in a long French tradition of models who became shining pop stars.

With a degree in pyschotherapy, she, together with the aforementioned growth, especially on the lyrical level, of new French singing figures, her interest in the work of Peter Gabriel and the so called World Music (following the footsteps of the British singer, who was her first mentor, she recorded her first albums in a cave) were her biggest influences. However, in 2004, with her album ‘Rodeo’, she began to show a certain turn towards electronic music.

Despite being one of the most successful French artists in her country, Zazie’s career has not been lacking controversy, especially regarding her songs with a homoerotic male content. The most famous controversy was regarding ‘Un point c’est toi’, the screening of its video, which immediately became one of the most viewed in France during the 90s, nearly vetoed a TV channel in Canada.

Paul Oilzum

Zazie is one of the biggest figures of French commercial music from the last twenty years. her concerts are always an event whose value goes beyond the musical one to fully enter the sociologic sphere. Check it out if you rent apartments in Paris during those dates.

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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In the late Middle Ages, the only ways to access the Île de la Cité in Paris, the 1st Arrondissement of the current French capital, were two bridges that were guarded by two headframes. The northern one was the biggest and was the most outstanding one due to its square shape and, according to all chronicles, to its spectral towers. This headframe went through successive and gruesome metamorphosis thanks to which it would become the headquarters of the Paris provost. It possessed one of the most feared prisons by Parisians, which had terrifying torture chambers that worsened the unfortunate reputation of the building. This reputation grew ominously until its final destruction in 1808 by Napoleon’s orders.

To those who lived through that period they would have struggled to believe that on that same piece of land, approximately fifty years later, the incredibly beautiful Théâtre du Châtelet, as a tribute to the historical initial headframe. Dedicated entirely to music, it’s a building of harmonious beauty of Palladian inspiration designed by the architect Gabriel Davioud. It was part of the urban reform plans impulsed by Baron Haussmann that were to radically transform the aspect of the city, with the aim to favour the free flow of goods demanded by the capitalist society and, also, stop the formation of barricades in potential future revolutions.

Its attractive interior isn’t just the annual stage for the awards ceremony of the prestigious César Awards of French film, but also the witness of some of the most decisive moments in artistic, scenic and musical avant-gardes in the first two decades of the 20th century, such as the representations of the Russian ballets of Diaghilev and the premieres of plays such as ‘Petrouchka’ by Stravinsky and ‘Parade’ by Erik Satie and Jean Cocteau, with the costumes and scenography by Picasso.

Equally avant-gardist was the appearance in 1959 of the great surrealist novel ‘Zazie in the Metro’ (that tells the story of the adventures of girl from outside Paris who eludes the supervision of adults during two days to explore with unsuspected limits the possibilities of the city and the language) by the writer Raymond Queneau, an oustanding member of the High Pataphysical Studies College in Paris and co-founder of the legendary Oulipo Workshop of Potential Literature. The musical adaptation of the novel will be staged at the Théâtre du Châtelet only on the 5th of February.

However, it is the concerts that the living legend of French song Juliette Gréco -who is presenting her new album ‘Ça se traverse et c’est beau’- at the Châtelet from the 6th to the 8th of February that will be the highlight of the theatre’s monthly programme http://www.chatelet-theatre.com/2011-2012/juliette-greco,639

Paul Oilzum

The stage at the Châtelet is one of the few that lives up to the expectations of Gréco and Queneau, both an essential part of the 20th century French history and culture. Come to see them both when you rent apartments in Paris

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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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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Translated by: Marc
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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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