100% Myriam

Unlike yesterday's expo tonight we have the vernissage of Myriam's retrospective at the FIAP in Paris with the opening in music tonight - Wednesday, September 19th, 2007 - around 7pm.

Paintings, drawings and stain-glass works - over 70 different items - so feel free to come if you are in town (even if we missed sending you an invite) ... just ask for me at the door ("José sent me").

UPDATE: A rollicking fun time post-expo at Raspail where a highly diverse group (French, Swiss, Brazilian, Argentine, American, German ... ane one Puerto Rican) shared a wonderful time together.

Salon des arts

Vernissage tonight for the annual 14th arrondissement's art fair with over 300 artists from this municipal borough showing.

Myriam, my mother-in-law, is one of those on view (in the main hall). Drop by if you are in town as the expo runs until September 23 ... there is a "pot" around 8pm (usually the mayor springs for champagne so see you there mayhaps).

Slow Food

Lots to choose from today in Paris: Techno Parade, European Heritage Days, CinémAligre and Slow Food Day. I opted for the latter when I discovered that rather than having to get over to Bastille I could participate at the nearbyCharles-Victor restaurant (and go with Odile, Anna, Benjamin and Alison). It was great (potatoes served five ways) and we will probably join. You might want to see if there is a chapter near you ... and go slow!

Opening: Arestakes Art Gallery

Late this afternoon (after I drop by the Baron Rouge) a number of us are going to the opening cocktail of a new gallery (just next to Sylvie's place).

Come one, come all (map again) - there is also going to be a three artists' vernissage (including some interesting paintings of Tibet).

Harvest Party (grape-picking)

I'm off to the annual "vendange" at Melac in the 11th arrondissement (42 rue Léon Frot).

In the photo here you can make out the grape vines hanging off the front of the restaurant and ready to harvest.

Drop by this afternoon and join in the fun - here is a map, even!

UPDATE: I had a great time - music, socks (ask if you must) and a nice bottle of red wine (luckily Denis showed up to hel me drain it). See you next year for the 29th annual party (always the second Saturday of September).

Market Day

We popped up from our GHO (Garrigue HideOut) to Uzès in a nice (and shaky) CV2 convertible, not unlike the photo at left, for the big (and terribly crowded) Saturday market - called "the most beautiful market in France" by Jean-Pierre Coffe (click here to see more about it).

Off to Aix en Provence later today to spend a couple of days at our friend Franco's place at the Château Maigre (see map).

Calu !

In the Provençal language "calu" means "crazy, nuts" - see here for more. Ans with that as an introduction ...

Late start after yesterday's late night at Collias (rather "calu") but nonetheless a brisk mid-day hike into Uzès with Alain whence we did the round of bistros and bars in the town: Au Suisse d'Alger (rosé wine), Aux Amis (pastis x 2) then ending up at La Muscade (pastis x 3) where we ran into Tanguy (planning to pick grapes in Champagen next month) and where Jean-Yves joined us to drive us back to chez lui for lunch (with an excellent bottle of Les Garrigues 2005 from Domaine Richaud see here and here and here - and to boot Marcel is a buddy of Alain) and listening to the warbling of the 3-woman group Au Revoir Simone. Paradise!

We did an afternoon round-trip from Uzès up to Saint-André-de-Valborgne in Jean-Jacques' 1947 Dodge convertible with Jean-Yves at the wheel, Odile riding shotgun and Roden (formerly Chantal), Nicolas and myself jammed into the back seat at the mercy of the winds! This is the kind of thing (160 kilometers RT of winding mountain roads to pick up some suasage) that one does when on vacation - time is of less consequence and being together having a ball is a good enough reason to do wacky things.

The evening saw us stopping by Carole the bio-wine gal's place at Bourdic then all meeting again at J-Ys place for a nice (and late-ending - around 5am!) BBQ dinner and major "find my favorite tune" hijinks (via www.radioblogclub.fr, give it a try yourself!)

Nyons -> Uzès

After our sleep-over at Jean-Philippe and Virginie's wonderful place here in Nyons (more info here and here about the town) we are off to visit the local market then driving to Uzès.

UPDATE: After a very nice visit of the marché we stopped for beer/wine and pizza at Le Café du Centre then returned and packed up to depart.

We headed south-west from Nyons on the D94, which follows the valley of the Eygues. About 6 km from the town, the village of Vinsobres sits above the road. This is one of the the 16 villages that have earned the Côtes-du-Rhône Villages appellation, so its wines can be labelled ’Côtes du Rhône Vinsobres AOC’.

The Domaine du Coriançon is on the main road a couple of kilometres before you reach the left turn for Mirabel-aux-Baronnies (where Jean-Philipe has his atelier) and then the right turn for the village - there we picked up a cubit of red wine to share with our friends in Uzès.

We arrived in Uzès after a watrering hole stop ;-) at l'Authentique in the town of Saint Siffret. Then off to Jean-Yves where we off-loaded and almost immediately headed off to dinner at les Caves de Collias run by our friends Anne-Marie and Christian. We were joined by an old local friend, René, and 2 new (to me) friends, Michel (who runs Wattson) and Corinne. Great crêpes and a heated discussion (sparked by Michel) about "foreigners" ruining the towns of Provence.

Rock 'n' Roll!

PLANNED

Fêt Nat'

A French holiday that falls on a Saturday? Guess we'll just have to party twice as hard!
Come back for a post-midnight update.

Hump-Day Dining

Denis joins us tonight for first-time visit to Aux cercles bleus for dinner. The location was formerly Ciel & Sable a suposedly excellent, but excrutiatinly slow, Japanese restaurant - we actually went once but they were out of eel and we skipped out once we noticed the cobwebs on the other diners. In any case, I noticed the changement de propriétaire sign as I was out for a noonish run (yes, I am back to running ... AND keeping it up). An update on our expereince tonight in a bit.

UPDATE: Pleasant outdoor seating in the traffic-free Place Flora Tristan (try the following, fairly cool, mapping application to see this area in 3-D at http://v3d.pagesjaunes.fr - go to 56 rue de la Sablière) and a tasty, well-presented meal by Michel - one of the two owners of this friendly, uncomplicated and new (one month old) restaurant that we recommend for an inexpensive mid-week outing.

Brighton-bound

I'm off to facilitate a workshop today at the Centre for Research in Innovation Management (CENTRIM) a research center at the University of Brighton.

Monumenta - under the wire

Location: Nef du Grand Palais - Paris
Dates : du 30 Mai 2007 au 08 Juillet 2007

As you can calculate from the dates above we *just* got over to see this magnificant expo on the last (and rainy) afternoon of its run in the impressive domed space of the Grand Palais. In a word: mind-boggling. See more about Kiefer's work here.

I liked the deconstruction, appropriation and sheer intellectuality of his work here.

Paris Cinéma

Now that work has slowed a bit I'm hoping to take advantage of this annual film festival.

UPDATE: Sylvie tipped me to Antony and the Johnsons-You Are My Sister

Cheers!

After a successful "green light" EC review (whew!) we stopped for a Trappist beer (and my first taste of Kriek) at the outdoor terrace of Le Roy d'Espagne right on the Baroque square called the Grand-Place or Grote Markt.

Sidelines:
Why the cherries in Kriek?
36 Hours in Brussels

Festival Django Reinhardt

Marie has come up from the south of France hailing the talents of Josele - so we're off to see him today at the annual Django Reinhardt Festival at Samois-sur-Seine.

UPDATE: We were underwhelmed by Niño Josele - a fine,even superb, flamenco musician, but somewhat mis-programmed for this festival - but, overall, a very good time as there were all sorts of "pick up" groups playing in the "off" areas near the stands. We plan to come back for next year's 27th annual festival!

North to South...

Late start this morning after having slept over at Denis' Montmartre apartment. Major decompression day as it took over 5 hours to get home - due to: strolling down rue des Abbesses for my Canard Enchaîné; then a bus to Montparnasse for a quick visit to the remodeled Inno and Go Sport for new running togs - yes! I am going start running again ...and boring you all with my training; then stopped by to whistle up to Alison and invite her out from a café on rue Daguerre where we were joined by Benjamin and ran into Pascale.

Off to an art expo tonight for our friend and neighbor Eva - see her work here. More on that later.

Sans Sucre S'il Vous Plaît ...

After a very nice dinner with our friends Jacques & Dominique (at Vanves) we were walking back in the rain when, a couple of blocks from home, at Le Laurier we heard a young woman singing inside and, of course, decided to get a night cap. What a wonderful voice and attitude - her name is Pauline Paris, her CD was sold out and she's playing again soon (I'll add an update here when I know exactly where). You can hear her singing some of her songs here ... and there's a short video at the title link above. Enjoy - we did!

French Parliamentary Elections (round 1)

Today is the first round of the French legislative elections to elect the 13th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic - 7639 candidates are standing for 577 seats, including overseas possesions of France.

We voted mid-afternoon and then ambled over to the flea-market on avenue Edgar Quinet where Odile picked up a nice chair and a necklace. I only wanted to have some churros (you can see the stand in the distance).