A dose of "Styles Parisiens" in 30 minutes

The great thing about living in Paris is that you'll always find an excuse to leave the house and explore. Being the cultural hub that it is, you are never at a loss of options.

When we talk museums it does not always have to be the Louvre or the Musée d'Orsay, there is an array of little public museums that you can check out for free.... and you can get your daily dose of culture in 30 minutes if you wish.

Not feeling very energetic I decided to pay the Hotel de Ville (City House) a visit. I was not disappointed. To celebrate their 50th anniversary the magazine Marie Claire Maison invested in an exhibition called "Styles Parisiens" that showcased and valorised the impeccable Parisian style.

Associating archive images of Marie Claire House and pieces of contemporary design, "Styles Parisiens" made me go back in time and rediscover the unforgettable trends of the Parisian decoration! The emblematic atmospheres were staged in boxes that associated the archive images of the magazine with contemporary furniture, loaned by major design brands.

You don't need to be a connaisseur to enjoy a half an hour stroll through these inspiring spaces.

 A little souvenir to take home: une carafe d'eau!

A house is a machine to live in

Just like with so many things in France it takes three attempts until whatever it is actually works! Three might be the lucky charm but it can become quite frustrating and tiresome... but that is another post.

Yesterday, taking advantage of the European Heritage Days I headed down to visit the idiosyncratic approach to design of Switzerland's most famous architect Le Corbusier. Not having made a reservation the doorman was reluctant to let me pass, however, after some pleading - explaining how the last two times I wanted to visit this site it was closed to the public - he finally let me through.

Did you know that seventeen projects by Le Corbusier in seven countries were inscribed in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites as "an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement"?

Le Corbusier did not have formal academic training as an architect. He was attracted to the visual arts and at the age of fifteen he entered the municipal art school in La-Chaux-de-Fonds which taught the applied arts connected with watchmaking.

His most famous maxim, "A house is a machine to live in."

Designed 1923-1925 as a residence for Swiss banker Raoul La Roche, Villa Roche is the quintessence of Le Corbusier’s modern approach to housing. The Villa acted as an exhibition space for Mr. Roche’s collection of avant-garde artwork, and is a pure assemblage of spatial volumes that interlocks the dual programs of domicile and gallery.

The Villa Jeanneret was commissioned by Le Corbusier's brother, Albert Jeanneret, and his fiancée Lotti Raaf. It forms part of a joint project with the connected Villa La Roche - the original scheme involved more houses and more clients, but it was only Jeanneret and La Roche that stayed the course and saw their villas built.

La Roche-Jeanneret house, is a pair of semi-detached houses that was Le Corbusier's third commission in Paris. They are laid out at right angles to each other, with iron, concrete, and blank, white façades setting off a curved two-story gallery space.

The project included a salon, dining room, bedrooms, a study, a kitchen, a maid's room and a garage.

Creating light courts to let in more light

The roof terrace resembles a deck of a ship...

... with a pretty good view.

The museum contains about 8,000 original drawings, studies and plans by Le Corbusier...

... as well as a few pieces of furniture..

... and paintings.

What's left of the kitchen.

Where the French launched the bikini

In my continued quest to keep myself busy after having to cancel my 30-year high school reunion at last minute, I ventured out around the 16th arrondissement in search for a monument or two without an enormous queue of people.

La piscine Molitor seemed the perfectly easy and low-key visit. Paris’s legendary pool complex, has been reborn as a glamorous new hotel and summertime hot spot. On the occasion of the European Heritage Days Molitor opened its doors to discover an array of street artists behind the blue cabin doors.

This ocean liner–inspired complex was originally inaugurated in 1929 by two Olympic swimmers, one of whom was Johnny Weissmuller, who later starred as Tarzan.

French designer Louis Réard revealed the real bikini (named after Bikini Atoll) at Paris's Piscine Molitor. He relied on exotic dancer Micheline Bernardini to model the barely-there bather.

But in 1989 the complex closed and, left derelict, became a canvas for graffiti artists. These same artist had been invited to decorate the inside of the little blue changing cabins with their street art.

Now, after a $100 million investment, the Molitor has been resurrected as the city’s latest cool hangout. Today’s Molitor has faithfully replicated its two original pools, as well as the canary-yellow walls and blue changing-room doors, and added a restaurant, a spa by Clarins, and a rooftop garden.

Artists participating in the "Under the Wave" exhibition at the Piscine Molitor are: Balder, Artiste Ouvrier, Fred Calmets, Cadija Costa, Le consortium, Damien Paul Gal, Diadji Diop, FBZ, Indie184, JBC, Kan, Kashink, Kouka, William Laboury, Mademoiselle Maurice, Camen Mariscal, Thomas Mainardi, One Teas, Shuck One, Antoine Stevens, Thom Thom, Remy Uno, Wen-Jié Yang.

Our neighbour, a certain Georges Clemenceau

So while my high-school reunion is taking place today in the Swiss mountains, which I unfortunately had to miss, I am lugging myself out to the Journées Européennes du Patrimoine to take my mind off things. The European Heritage Days is an annual programme offering opportunities to visit buildings, monuments and sites, many of which are not normally accessible to the public.

Turns out George Clemenceau's residence is located across the road from us. Who knew?

Who knew Clemenceau lived in a four room apartment 

opening onto a garden with a view on the Eiffel Tower.

He lived here for thirty five years until his death on November 24th, 1929.

Georges Benjamin Clemenceau (1841 – 1929) was a French politician, physician, and journalist who became Prime Minister of France during the First World War.

Clemenceau's curiosity for the life of the mind and for the arts is revealed through his books, his travel souvenirs and his collection of curious.

View from the garden onto the house.

The first floor is dedicated to his life and work: portraits, books, newspapers and manuscripts, as well as the famous coat and the gaiters he wore while visiting the frontlines of the First World War. 

Now that's an exquisite example of a boiler

A glimpse into Clemenceau's dining room.

 It was here that he continually measured the magnitude and misery of victory, and so much loss.

Missing my 30-year reunion

So, I should have been on a plane to Switzerland by now and half-way up the Alps to meet up with my old school mates from 30 years ago. Yes, I am THAT old! But as life goes, it does not always work out as planned and due to a little family emergency I had to cancel my participation for the 30-year high school reunion last minute.

It does make me feel rather sad and a wave of disappointment is still lingering over me waiting to crash. I spent three years of my teenage life with this gang... night and day since it was a boarding school... we have been through fun times and also rough ones sometimes but our eclectic class always stuck together. We all have nicknames for each other and share many a fond memory.

After all we were teenagers stuck in a mountain village, we were bound to get up to mischief, especially during winter peak-season when some of us would secretly sneak out into the cold night to party at the trendy disco (it was the 80's after all) making sure we'd be back for breakfast at 7:00am. If we were unlucky it would snow over night and our footprints were a dead giveaway but it was all worth the thrill.

I am now hoping I will be able to "houseparty" the gang tonight, and I have faith my friends will figure out how to use the app and we'll all see each other instantly. Keeping my fingers crossed!

"La cage aux folles" was the theme for this party back in 1986

when internet was still unknown and the costumes were home-made!

Cruising from Madrid to Paris

This year I decided to stay in Madrid one week longer at the price of driving back to Paris all by my little self. So, while the rest of the family popped over to Italy to visit la nonna I needed to entertain myself for 1250km. This is how it went...

My heart jumps every time I see the Osborne bull, 

a 14 metre high black silhouetted image of a bull in semi-profile

erected starting in 1956 to advertise their Brandy de Jerez

seems like the epitomy of Spanish heritage.