Author: THE HOBBLEDEHOY

Michael Stevenson, aka Dai Bando, Johnny Foreigner, Monsieur Pas De Merde, is a blogger of French and British culture. His blogs "Pas De Merde" and "The Hobbledehoy" have been called "marvelous" by some, and "meh" by others.

‘Anti-petanque’ measures built at Paris tourist hotspot

The famous French game has been played at Place Dauphine, by the River Seine in Paris, since the early 20th Century.

Paris officials have sparked outrage by installing ‘anti-petanque’ measures at a tourist hotspot in a bid to stop players creating dust and making too much noise.

The famous French game has been played at Place Dauphine, by the River Seine, since the early 20th Century.

But the city council has decided to ‘reduce the surface available’ to enthusiasts after receiving a series of complaints about the noise and dust it creates.

Jean-François Legaret, Mayor of the city’s 1st arrondissement, confirmed that the site was due to be covered in new plants and other obstacles.

The Place Dauphine, by Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris, currently attracts up to ten separate games at any one time.

Tourists, including many from the UK, mill around watching and taking pictures of the action, just as they have done since the early 20th Century.

‘We’re part of Paris’s history,’ said Alain Groulet, 72, who was playing on the square with a group of friends on Sunday morning [ . . . ]

Read Full Story: ‘Anti-petanque’ measures built at Paris tourist hotspot | Daily Mail Online

Paris offers FT journalist la vie in prose

There were nine of us living in my first flat in Paris. It was grand on the outside, with a trompe l’oeil and marble staircase in the entrance hall, but grimy and dark inside. Only three of my flatmates had full-time jobs, and they all smoked. All the lights in the hall were broken.I moved there from London nearly four years ago, during the gloomiest days of François Hollande’s presidency, long before the youthful reformer Emmanuel Macron took power this year. Economic growth at the time was weak, unemployment double that of the UK today, and polls showed two-thirds of French people thought the nation was in “decline”.

My flatmates, who I found online, were all 25- to 35-year-olds from the provinces who had come to Paris to find work and, passing their days in our tiny kitchen, were victims of this faded France. Within rigid labour markets many struggled to find jobs, or the right jobs, and were frustrated and angry.They protested in the street, talked incessantly about politics and were always discussing what was to blame for France’s seeming stagnation. Being French, and young, it was never a question of tweaking tax rates — but creating a new world order.“It’s neoliberalism that is ruining us,” said one, lighting his cigarettes from the filaments of our toaster (they all smoked but no one ever had a lighter). “Yes, you are right,” said another. “It’s time for a revolution.”
[ . . . ]

Full Story: Paris offers FT journalist la vie in prose

What’s underfoot flavors great cheese

The French elegantly use the word “terroir” (ter-war) to describe the specific characteristics of an earthly location that’s usually applied to grape-growing areas. In his witty book “What the French?!” Olivier Magny says, “Terroir is somewhereness; it is the essence of a place, its signature. It is what’s unique, nonreproducible and singular about it.”That’s one of the best definitions I’ve heard for “terroir.” Along with wines and foods, the term can also be applied to beautiful rivers, stunning forests, rock formations and even cultural habits. It’s knowing where you are by seeing certain sights, or behaviors like the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. In Paris, it’s the Champs Elysees with the Arc de Triomphe or [ . . . ] More: What’s underfoot flavors great cheese | Home | calaverasenterprise.com

The best hotels with spas in Paris

 

An expert guide to the best hotels with spas in Paris, including the top places to stay for cutting-edge treatments, swimming pools, hammams, saunas, steam rooms, facials, massages, reflexology, and watsu therapy, as well as Michelin-starred restaurants, luxurious bedrooms and swanky bars, near the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Élysées, the Louvre, Opéra and South Pigalle. Read More: The best hotels with spas in Paris | Telegraph Travel