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Monthly Archives: April 2012
The Medical Museums of rue de l’école de médecine
I think my love for Paris’ quirkly musées insolites is well-established at this point. Most occasional tourists don’t get to them. Let’s face it, after in the space of a few days, you’ve seen the impressionist big shots at the Orsay, paid your respects to Napoléon at Invalides, walked through the hôtel Biron and the gardens at the Musée Rodin, caught the Waterlilies, done the Pompidou, and tried to cram in as much of the Louvre as possible before your brain melted, do you really want another museum on your plate? For those of us who live here, it’s way too easy to visit these giants once and never again, constantly “meaning to get over there one of these days.” (If that’s you, I suggest you give this a go). So, in addition to the many roving special exhibits at the big museums above, these smaller, less-known ones are a good excuse to take an afternoon to get out there and appreciate some of the great art, history and culture this city has to offer. Continue reading
Posted in France, Offbeat Museums & Monuments, Travel
Tagged 6e arrondissement, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Medical museum, Musée d'histoire de la médecine, Musée Dupuytren, Offbeat Paris museum, Paris, Paris museums, rue de l'école de médecine, Université Paris Descartes, Université Pierre et Marie Curie
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(more) Banh mi in Paris
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Banh mi at Chez Yu[/caption]
Banh mi at Chez Yu[/caption]
I am a great admirer of the french sandwich. There are few things as simply satisfying as a well made jambon beurre (especially if it’s jambon de pays) on a perfectly baked tradition. But sometimes I need to mix things up, and the only thing that will do is a freshly-made banh mi. I wrote about some of my favorite, and least favorite, spots for banh mi in Paris a while back, but I’ve since discovered a couple more that I’d like to share with you. Continue reading
Posted in Food, France, Restaurants, Travel
Tagged 10e arrondissement, 20e arrondissement, banh mi, Belleville, Bulma, Chez Yu, food, Paris, Paris restaurants, Vietnamese food
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Le Musée d’Edith Piaf: a little-known Paris museum
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This article was first published in VINGT Paris Magazine, an online magazine devoted to the arts in the 20 arrondissements of Paris. They’re a great resource for things going on around the city. If haven’t already, you should check ‘em out.
Tucked away in northeastern Paris’ Ménilmontant neighbourhood is the Musée d’Edith Piaf, a small, unassuming collection of mementos of the singer’s life and work. Truly one of the city’s musées insolites, the only thing that hints at its location from the outside is a plaque marked, “Les Amis de Piaf,” an association that maintains this museum as well as the singer’s tomb at Père Lachaise cemetery. Continue reading
Seeing the Louvre in a new way with THATLou
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Photo by simo0082[/caption]
Photo by simo0082[/caption]
When I found out my mom was coming to town for a week, I started looking for activities. Her usual stomping grounds are across the Seine from mine, so I couldn’t wait to show her everything that the rive droite has to offer: Bastille, Belleville, the Marais, Ménilmontant, Montmartre …
Although she’s a Paris veteran, it’s been some time since she’s been here, so I thought a revisiting of the classics was also in order. She hadn’t been to the Orsay post-renovation, or seen les Nymphéas in their new digs, so those were both definite yeses.
We’ve each been to the Louvre more times than we could count, so it wasn’t at the top of my list. But, when I got word about Daisy and THATLou — which stands for Treasure Hunts at the Louvre — I was intrigued. I signed us up for one of the Sunday Series hunts, held on the first Sunday of the month when admission is free, hoping it would be a new and interesting way to revisit this behemoth of a museum. And, it was! Continue reading
Posted in France, Offbeat Museums & Monuments, Travel
Tagged 1e arrondissement, Louvre, Offbeat Paris museum, Paris, Paris museums, THATLou
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