Some metro stations have similar names
Don't get confused! Nation is not the same as Nationale Charles-de-Gaulle-Etoile is not the same as Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle Place d'Italie is not the same as Porte d'Italie Bobigny - Pablo Picasso…
Snow day in Paris
Hi, today it's snowing! It's amazingly beautiful and it only happens once every few years. Paris under the snow is beautiful: we're lucky to see it! The business district, aka…
This image captures a 300+-year-old sculpture photographed by Allison Meier, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
The metric system
The meter was invented during the French Revolution, which took place between 1789 and 1799. It was a time when all the systems (political, religious, measurement) were upset. Before that,…
The best baguette in Paris
I'm often asked where one could buy the best bread in Paris. There's no easy answer. There's a contest every year, and the winner has the title "Meilleure baguette de…
CC BY 2.0 Guilhem Vellut via Flickr
Saint Genoveve
For a very long time, France was ruled by kings, and the kings were Catholics. We had a protestant king between 1589 and 1610, and he was a terrific ruler…
© Le Parisien 2020
My arrondissement
You may (or may not) have noticed that Paris is split in small areas, twenty of them. An area is called an "arrondissement". Hmaglione10 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA…
© Soazig de la Moissonnière / DILA-La Documentation française
Président Macron’s love story
Everybody knows french président Macron is married to a woman 25 years older than him. But do you know the untold story? Here it is. Soazig de la Moissonnière /…
“La rentrée”
This week, it's back to school for pupils. It's an important time of the year: the beginning of the school year, new books and literary prizes, new shows on TV,…
© RATP
A hidden meaning
What do you see? The first thing I see is a woman's profile: she's facing up, no eyes, mouth closed. RATP means "Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens", that is to…
Lviatour, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
The Eiffel Tower
Hello! Today, a post about the Eiffel Tower! How tall am I? I'm 330-meters-high including the antennas, that is to say 1080-feet-high. How old am I? I was built in…
Popo le Chien, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
How pasta is named
Last month I walked with Paola and Chiara, two lovely Italians, and they told me something I found interesting. Popo le Chien, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Why is it called…
Wikimedia Commons CC0
A museum in a garden
Today, everything you need (or don't need) to know about the Orangerie! Wikimedia Commons CC0 It's in the garden of the Tuileries, by the Seine, next to the Louvre. There…