A typical day of The 10 Year Plan

(Today's post is a milestone, #1,100.  We hope you are enjoying The 10 Year Plan.)

Many days during the 10 Year Plan are unplanned.  We get up in the morning, have some breakfast and then decide what we will do that day.  Once in a while, unplanned opportunities fall into our laps, like this past Sunday.

Last Sunday was a big day on our street, Rue Saint-Roch.  During the morning, we heard singing coming from loud speakers at the end of our street.  We investigated and learned there was a festival at the local church, L’église Saint-Roch.  The festival included a street fair and a childrens' concert on the front steps of the church.

We enjoyed watching the children perform, especially their choreographed rendition of the Beach Boys' Surfin' U.S.A.

You can watch a part of their performance by clicking on the video below.

The best part of the performance was the finale with all of the children singing together, along with the audience.  The song On Trace is well-known in France.  

Thanks for sharing the Saint-Roch festival with us.

What will tomorrow bring?  Who knows?

Coulée verte René-Dumont

Paris has a long history of repurposing buildings and structures to new uses.  Examples include the Louvre, once a palace and converted to a museum in 1793, and the Musée d'Orsay, once a train station and now an art museum since 1986.  

Another example is the Coulée verte René-Dumont, a raised garden walkway in the 12th arrondissement.   Coulée verte means green belt in French.  The walkway is named to honor French agronomist Rene Dumont.

The walkway, like the Highline in NYC, was once an elevated train line, built in 1859.  The line was closed in 1969 and later converted to a greenbelt in 1993.   The walkway is about 3 miles long and is lush and tranquil.  Let's take a walk together.

Along the way, there were many arbors to walk under and many places to sit and relax. 

There was even a pool flowing with very green water.

We also spotted some insect hotels located along the coulée verte to promote biodiversity.

Marie-Chantal standing next to a 5-star insect hotel

A Holiday Inn insect hotel

A Knight's Inn insect hotel

The walkway passes through former train tunnels and, like the Highline in NYC, between modern buildings.

The walkway is planted with many types of beautiful flowers.  

Marie-Chantal and Jean-Claude enjoying a walk along the coulée verte René-Dumont

Thanks for walking with us along the Coulée verte René-Dumont.

P.S.  One of the insect hotels had a sign on its door.

"A garden, even a small one, is the door to Paradise."

2019 FIFA Women's World Cup #1

If you are a soccer fan, then you likely know already that France is hosting the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.  The month-long event includes games all over France, including Paris.  

Susan's sister Sally and husband Rob visited France during the first part of the tournament.  We attended two games here in Paris, including the U.S. victory over Chile.  The games are very exciting in person.  

Parc des Princes, Paris

Jean-Claude, Marie-Chantal, Sally and Rob

Before the U.S. v. Chile game, we attended the fan experience outside the stadium.   We had our photograph taken.

Plus, Rob, an avid soccer player and fan, tried one of the skill challenges.   Check out the video.  

Another great treat was the visit of friends Jillian and Lindsay from Orlando.  They are huge soccer fans and traveled all over France to see games.  They even appeared on BBC while attending a New Zealand game.  They were decked out in NZ gear, since they know the coach and follow the team.    

We met them at halftime during one game and they watched another televised match at our apartment.  It was great being together.  

Jillian, Marie-Chantal, Jean-Claude and Lindsay

Thanks for enjoying the World Cup experience with us.

June 21 (Part 2 of 2)

June 21 was a big day in Paris for another reason.  The view from our apartment window changed.

You might remember a February blog post with the photo below, a view from our window of the Tuileries Garden and the Orsay Museum in the distance.

On June 21, this was the view from our apartment window.

La Fête des Tuileries has arrived and opened on June 21.  The Tuileries Festival is a two-month long carnival with rides, games, food and entertainment.  

Of course, we plan to visit and ride the Ferris wheel.  Here are some fun facts about the Ferris wheel, grande roue in French:

• The Ferris wheel is nearly 200 feet tall.  So, views from the top will be spectacular.
• The ride has 48 capsules and is brightly lit at night.  
• The ride cost about €10 million to build.
• The City of Paris denied a permit to place the Ferris wheel on city land.  So, the carnival's promoter has placed it in the Tuileries Garden, which is not city land but land owned by the French government.

Here are some more photos of the Ferris wheel.  Enjoy.

 

Susan Marie-Chantal enjoyed some ice cream at the fair--chocolate and pistachio.  Yum. 

Thanks for sharing a big day in Paris with us.  

June 21 (Part 1 of 2)

June 21 was a big day here in Paris.  It was the first day of Summer and the longest day of the year.  The sun rose before 6:00 a.m. and set around 10:00 p.m.

In addition to being the start of Summer, June 21 is also the day of La Fête de la Musique (the Music Festival).  The event is an annual celebration of free, public musical performances by amateurs and professionals all over Paris, all over France and around the world.  You can learn more about the festival by clicking here.  

We visited the garden of the nearby Palais Royal and enjoyed two free outdoor concerts.  A choir sang a variety of upbeat tunes in French, Italian and English.  The crowd sang along at times.  Here are some photos and videos of the choir concert.

The choir director was especially energetic and charming.

Later, we listened to an orchestra playing classical music and Big Band era music.

June 21 was a big day for another reason.  Stay tuned.

Next Up:  La Fête des Tuileries

Monuments in Paris: The Eiffel Tower

On a recent lovely day, we visited one of the symbols of Paris, the Eiffel Tower.  We did not climb the tower that day, but we still enjoyed its majesty and beauty.  

Jean-Claude and Marie-Chantal at the Tour Eiffel

Museums in Paris: Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris (Part 3 of 3)

Our visit to the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris continues.

A unique feature of the museum is Le Studio (The Studio), a recreation of the studio where Yves Saint Laurent and his colleagues worked together.  

Yves Saint Laurent's Studio

Yves Saint Laurent's Studio, another view, including his desk

The Studio includes images of Yves Saint Laurent at work.  The studio in the photographs looks just like the recreated studio. 

In the Studio is a portrait of YSL by artist friend Bernard Buffet.

Greg especially like seeing a vintage telephone on the desk.  

Thanks for visiting Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris with us.