Flash downpour, then clear skies and a full moon.
Above: celebrating Father's Day at Restaurant 58 inside the Eiffel Tower
Below: gliding down the river when the Tower suddenly lit up
Chef de cuisine: Thierry Marx
***
17 June 2019
All in one night
Flash downpour, then clear skies and a full moon.
16 June 2019
Fête des Pères
Today is Father's Day.
Phare dans la nuit, capitaine du navire, contre les vents
contraires, tu souris et déposes un baiser sur ma joue endormie....
15 June 2019
14 June 2019
A simple meal
A delightful part of Parisian lifestyle is spontaneous dinners with small groups of friends. A plus when everyone lives in the same neighborhood!
Above: dinner chez an artist who happens to be a wine expert; starter salad
Below: sunset view from the dining room which also serves as an atelier
13 June 2019
12 June 2019
Serious eating
No clowning around when it comes to the food and natural wines at this restaurant where Paris chefs head on their night off.
Above: Beef Wellington eat your heart out -
foie gras-laced duck breast encased in a light pastry with apple compote maison
foie gras-laced duck breast encased in a light pastry with apple compote maison
Clown Bar
(a former canteen for workers at the Cirque d'Hiver next door)
114 rue Amelot 75011
11 June 2019
Spirit of Paris
"Paris est une ville magique… "
"The occult sciences unite all that cannot be explained. They seek to
make visible the invisible, in the broad sense, whether poetic or
scientific.... We cannot understand 20th century Europe without
knowledge of the occult sciences." - Bertrand Matot, French journalist and author, Paris Occulte
***
Paris’s fascination for the occult spans centuries. Magic and sorcellerie were an accepted part of life in the Middle Ages. Nicolas Flamel, a formidable character in the Harry Potter series whose 15th century house still stands in the Marais district, was not only a philosopher but notably, an alchemist.
In the mid-nineteenth century mysticism went on an unprecedented rampage. Every night in the salons of high society and even the Palace of the Tuileries - where Napoleon III would try to get in touch with his famous uncle - séances (a French term meaning "sessions") were held to communicate with spirits of the departed. These “salons of the occult" were frequented, and helmed, by some of the most glamorous and biggest names of the day in literature, arts, and sciences, all hungry to touch and be touched by the supernatural.
Victor Hugo was a frequent guest at beautiful Madame Delphine de Girardin’s spiritisme salons, while “le spiritisme, la magie et la science du fantastique” exerted a “grande fascination” over Honoré de Balzac.
Driven by a desire for the mystical, the chic and intellectual set of the day flocked to gatherings in search of the au-delà. Years later, Gabriel Garcia Marquez' magical realism, Umberto Eco's esotericism and, in fine arts, surrealism and fantastic realism, were to become undeniable offshoots.
In recently released “Paris Occulte” Matot delves into this fascinating part of French culture and history in the form of an engaging, well-researched and wonderfully illustrated read. - BPJ
Paris Occulte
Author: Bertrand Matot
Publisher: Parigramme
(in French)
***
Paris’s fascination for the occult spans centuries. Magic and sorcellerie were an accepted part of life in the Middle Ages. Nicolas Flamel, a formidable character in the Harry Potter series whose 15th century house still stands in the Marais district, was not only a philosopher but notably, an alchemist.
In the mid-nineteenth century mysticism went on an unprecedented rampage. Every night in the salons of high society and even the Palace of the Tuileries - where Napoleon III would try to get in touch with his famous uncle - séances (a French term meaning "sessions") were held to communicate with spirits of the departed. These “salons of the occult" were frequented, and helmed, by some of the most glamorous and biggest names of the day in literature, arts, and sciences, all hungry to touch and be touched by the supernatural.
Victor Hugo was a frequent guest at beautiful Madame Delphine de Girardin’s spiritisme salons, while “le spiritisme, la magie et la science du fantastique” exerted a “grande fascination” over Honoré de Balzac.
Driven by a desire for the mystical, the chic and intellectual set of the day flocked to gatherings in search of the au-delà. Years later, Gabriel Garcia Marquez' magical realism, Umberto Eco's esotericism and, in fine arts, surrealism and fantastic realism, were to become undeniable offshoots.
In recently released “Paris Occulte” Matot delves into this fascinating part of French culture and history in the form of an engaging, well-researched and wonderfully illustrated read. - BPJ
Paris Occulte
Author: Bertrand Matot
Publisher: Parigramme
(in French)
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