THE PARIS WEEKLY, FEB 8-FEB 14.
Feb. 7th, 2023 02:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
7 DAY WEATHER FORECAST
TRAFFIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
EXHIBIT REVIEW
RESTAURANT REVIEW
POLITICAL INSIGHT
WED FEB 8 - When the Parisians wake up this morning, it’s to a heavy, thick fog everywhere, making it impossible to see more than an arm’s length ahead. If you have to be somewhere, put a headlight on and see if you can make your way there.
THURS FEB 9 - For inexplicable reasons, the fog has turned bright neon green overnight. Is it still safe to move around in, what is that smell? Is that – the smell of newly mowed lawn? What a spring-like scent in early February!
FRI FEB 10 - On the third day, the fog is turning thinner, but also a bright shade of pink, like little clouds of candyfloss on the roads, and it has started smelling like cherry blossoms. Is spring arriving already?
SAT FEB 11 - Bright, warm sunlight on your face! It has dispelled the fog! The perfect Saturday weather to go to the park with a lunch basket and a blanket. The birds are chirping and nesting and mating, soon the season comes for the human inhabitants of Paris as well.
SUN FEB 12 - Chilly day with a lot of wind, we suggest you take a boat down the river or put up kites in the park. Perfect dog-walking weather today! Rent-a-dog in the Luxembourg Gardens is open, if you want to go.
MON FEB 13 - Rain all day, grey clouds and a heavy fog hanging over the Seine. It does seem like Valentine’s may have to be moved inside this year. Well, enjoy your soups and hot cocoa!
TUES FEB 14 - As if a deity is smiling down at us, the sky is free of clouds and the temperature’s rising, making it feel almost like an early spring day. Is that a leaf unfolding on the branch there? Is that a blossom blossoming? Nature is feeling Valentine’s Day as well.
TRAFFIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
MON FEB. 8-10 - The Paris city council advises against driving vehicles in this weather! Please stay on foot or indoors and don’t get lost on your way to the boulangerie.
SUN FEB 14 - In honour of Valentine’s Day, all vehicles, cars and trucks, will be forbidden to drive on the highway A4 and specifically appointed roads out of the city this day. Instead horse-driven carriages will be installed and take visitors back and forth to Disneyland Paris or into the countryside! Jump onto a carriage and get the trip of your romantic lives together!
EXHIBIT REVIEW
GAGAN GALLERY, OPENS FEB 11 - Michael Gagan, the infamous, world-renowned, multi-millionaire collector of art, has opened a new branch in Paris to exhibit and sell his most priced pieces. The gallery opens in an old, shut-down butchery and most notably features original works by Edgar Degas, not before put on display to the public. The butchery itself has been redesigned by world-famous French architect, Pierre Martin, and is in itself worth a visit with its large glass panels and glass lifts, taking guests from one floor to the other.
Even if not to buy, the gallery is definitely worth a visit, and since it’s located near the Saint-Ouen, one can easily stop by the local flea market stalls selling antiques and vintage goods throughout the weekend afterwards.
RESTAURANT REVIEW
YOUR UNCLE’S DUNGEON, PLACE DE LA BASTILLE - Huge, conceptual restaurant in eastern Paris. You step in and are immediately blindfolded, then led to your table where you proceed to eat in the dark. The food isn’t presented and you must taste each bit on your own, to know what you’re putting in your mouth. A waiter is at your table at all times while you eat, to provide help and guidance as you work your way across your plate. We had a pecan nut and pumpkin soup for appetizer and lamb chops for main course. Dessert was a classic panna cotta with fruits, all cooked well, but possibly only a spectacular serving due to the element of surprise, adventure and exploration.
Your Uncle’s Dungeon is one of those experiences that you might only want once in your life, never to forget, but neither ever to be repeated. It was expensive and the food might not in itself be worth the money, but the whole idea of eating without being able to see making up for whatever lacked otherwise.
Take someone you trust and eat in the dark! The restaurant is open Thursday through Sunday.
POLITICAL INSIGHT
ANNOUNCEMENT, SAT FEB 11-12 - A photo challenge has been issued! People are encouraged to take pictures of their favourite sights and sites in Paris and post them on the network with a personal story or reason for that motif. The three best photos will be awarded a monetary prize of €500, €250 and €100 respectively.
ANNOUNCEMENT, SAT FEB 13-14 - In honour of Valentine’s Day, all Parisians are being given a mini-vacation, lasting Monday through Tuesday, all expenses paid and transportation out into the countryside cared for.