It’s a Paris institution: each year, on July 3, any tourist to Paris is likely to see hordes of people wandering around the city, a flyer with printed instructions in hand, and a worried look on their faces. You might be forgiven for thinking that these were all lost tourists, trying their best to find their way to the Paris Opera or the Eiffel Tower or something. But look closely, you’ll see that they all have the same flyer, and the way they go about it, they could just be locals. In fact, that’s exactly what they are – locals (mostly), in search of treasure. It is all part of a distinctive project that the city has dreamed up – a new Paris attraction if you will – to lighten things up a bit.
The best part of this Paris attraction, called Treasures of Paris, is that it’s free. Treasures of Paris, the event, is made up of 10 separate games, all running together across Paris and its suburbs, on the appointed day each year. The game starts at 10 in the morning; all the participants get their information flyers (in French and English), and get themselves to their appointed starting points. Three hours later, the game officially starts, and everyone gets busy on their missions.
To the adventuresome participants, things can get pretty amusing. The instructions are written in a kind of mysterious way, and are full of inscrutable clues and directions. You are supposed to look for certain people on the street, speak to certain shopkeepers, street artists and so on for clues. Everyone who’s successful in seeing through all the riddles and the impenetrable instructions and who can follow them well enough to make it to the finishing point, gets a prize, and gets to attend the winners’ concert and party at an undisclosed location that night. If you can make it there in time for this Paris attraction, it should be quite an experience.
The whole idea was dreamed up by the deputy mayor of Paris five years ago, as a way to bring in tourist interest and plenty of social media buzz. The idea was to give people a way to discover the Paris that was out of the mainstream. It would help tourists go and speak to strangers, pay attention to things they wouldn’t otherwise, visit little offbeat locations that they would never dream of, and in general, feel a part of the city. In the beginning, this Paris attraction just started confined to one prefecture of Paris; it’s been such a massive hit that they’ve expanded it to cover the whole city and its suburbs, and it draws tourists from all around the world who want just such an interactive way to discover the city.
You learn little pieces of trivia about the city on your way, and you stumble onto secret passages, hidden finds and so on. They have real Paris experts on the job, designing the event each year; most of the time, even locals find that they have something to learn about their city. A Paris attraction for Parisians. Now if only they could come up with something like this for London, Boston, New York and L.A.
Filed under Paris by on Jul 16th, 2010.
Paris is all about shockingly new, earth shifting revolutionary art. The art gallery is as central to the experience of Paris to the visitor as would be a fashion show, or a visit to a great wine tasting affair. The surprising thing is, that new museums, new galleries open up every day here; and just when you think that they’ve done something that couldn’t possibly top, they do just that five minutes later. Let’s look at some of the latest and the most significant in new openings in a gallery or museum Paris, France has to offer.
Le Pied de Biche – this is a gallery/museum that tries to question the very idea of what a gallery or museum should be. Why should I gallery just show art? And why should a museum just show artifacts? Aren’t books, objects of everyday interess like toys or even tattoos not a kind of art or artifact? The place tries to challenge the very definition of what a gallery or museum is supposed to be like, in its new exhibition Art, Ink and Rock and Roll. In a modest part of town on rue Charonne, near Nation, the gallery exhibits books as art, prints; and tattoos by artists like Nicoz Balboaz and Easy Sasha. And oh, the name of the gallery in French – it means crowbar – they’re trying to crack open a new way in which to look at the gallery and museum; Paris, France being the only place in the world where this would be possible.
Next up is the Musée Carnavale; this is a photo gallery, even if it is called a museum. The theme of the photography on hand – the prisons of Paris over the last 160 years. You’ll find the museum on rue de Sévigné. It features thousands of original black-and-white, sepia and color pictures taken of scenes of lost people, from a lost time, forgotten and vanished. The museum intends to have people think about what it means for inmates to live their lives out in their depressing surroundings. This one is currently considered a must-see museum, Paris France, hosting it the first week of July.
Do you remember how in Sex and the City, Carrie dated a highbrow Russian artist named Aleksandr Petrovsky? A museum/gallery that’s opened at the Louis Vuitton Cultural Center on the Champs-Élysées in June explores the kind of art installation they showed in the TV show. The highbrow artists in question here are two top French artists, Odile Decq and Camille Henrot. Their works attempt to try to define the essence of space and travel. Their art installations attempt to trick the eye, and the result can be quite impressive. You could consider this museum Paris, France has to offer this visit, one of the exotic parts you would wish to treat yourself to.
Let’s end on a new exhibit at the Musée l’Orangerie in Paris, the Klee. There are several paintings here from the artist Paul Klee, a genius who was ill understood in his own time. The exhibit goes through 60 years of the artist’s works, and shows his remarkable powers over his brush. For exotic and significant art, this one is not to be missed.
Filed under Paris by on Jul 16th, 2010.
Visiting Paris may be extremely exciting and rather overwhelming. While using the tons of points this city has to provide, you’ll be able to hardly know wherever to begin and which spots you’re not intended to skip. Listed here are some sights and Paris points of interest that you just ought to never skip out on.
Very first off may be the world-famous Eiffel Tower that’s regarded as the primary landmark of Paris. It stands 300m higher and may offer you you a magnificent panoramic view from the entire city. Though you’ve to endure the long line likely to the top, it’s all really worth it.
One more tourist attraction could be the Notre Dame Cathedral. It could be the 1st cathedral made within the city and paved the way for Paris to be deemed because capital of France. It features an outstanding Gothic architecture, ornamented with big rose windows, stained glasses and innovative sculptures.
Any journey to Paris just isn’t total without paying out a check out towards Louvre Museum that served as a fortress throughout the Center Ages. At present, this museum houses the world-renowned painting by Leonardo Da Vinci – the Mona Lisa along with other impressive arts and antiques collected from all over the world. And because it truly requires months to total a tour of almost everything from the museum, it really is critical to choose which to determine first.
And for every shopaholic, it’s impossible to go to Paris without having going to The Champs-Elysees Avenue, which functions one of the most renowned boutiques and automobile showrooms.
Tuileries Garden, the gorgeous park located in the center of Paris, is not to become missed too. Immediately after a extended day of sightseeing or shopping at Paris, this can be a good place to unwind. There are also coffee stores along the park that you simply can enjoy while viewing the park’s fountains and sculptures.
With all these heart-captivating attractions, you are sure to possess a memorable vacation from the City of Lights.
Thinking about traveling outside of the country? Famouswonders.com can help you decide where to go on your next vacation, or you can view Paris France hotels.
Filed under Paris by on Jul 15th, 2010. Comment.