Ahhhh, Halloween and the French. Kind of a mismatch. I’ll give them credit, hey have tried to make a go of it (well, candy companies and Disney have tried to earn a euro off of it), but it never really has taken off as hoped. This all started in the late 90s, but suffice it to say the French aren’t really into carving gords into goofy or scary faces, or going door to door begging for des bonbons. The children do dress up, sometime around the 31st (not always on the exact day, you never know), and some may come around their apartment building or neighborhood to show off their costume before heading to a small “‘Alloveen” party at a friend’s house, but nothing like you see in the U.S.

However…if you happen to be in Paris this Halloween, which falls on a Friday, you’re in luck. Pourquoi? Well, Friday Night Fever is a weekly roller skating/inline skating event where tens of thousands of skaters (we’re talking up to 25,000) take to the streets of Paris for a 3 hour skate. This Friday night you will easily see costumes added to the mix of fleeting skaters. Be aware, the French tend to stick to the traditional ghost/vampire/witch costume so there probably won’t be a lot of variety, but it will be REAL fun to see 25,000 of these whiz through the streets of Paris.

Friday Night Fever begins at 10:00 p.m. at Montparnasse and takes 3 hours. If you can’t participate, just line the Boulevard St. Germain sometime after 10 and watch the parade, it’s huge fun.
For more info, check out Pari-roller.com.

Check out this art fair, which brings 180 international galleries together in three key spots in Paris: The Grand Palais, The Cour Carré du Louvre and the Tuileries Gardens.
At the Grand Palais you can see modern art and design.
At the Louvre, you can see artists of the future and upcoming trends. The Louvre will also be hosting theatre, dance and music performances.
The Tuileries Gardens exhibit will be mostly sculptures.

October 23 – October 26, 2008
Grand Palais: 12-noon to 8pm.
Cour Carrée of the Louvre: 1pm-9pm.
Tuileries gardens – 7.30am to 7.30pm
Full price : 25 euros

It’s back! It’s time again to experience the beauty of Paris bathed in lights, the night of October 4.

How is this any different from other nights, you ask? Well, usually the lights go out in the wee hours. But this night, the night of Nuit Blanche, they burn til dawn. And there’s fun stuff to do, to boot!
For the seventh consecutive year, Paris will be illuminated all night long with light designs by famous artists and designers. The five major Parisian train stations will be the focal points of this year’s edition of Nuit Blanche… Churches, towers, monuments, and in particular, Paris’s major train stations bathed in light will for this occasion become the places to visit.

There will be concerts, dance, live performances, light shows, art exhibits, and “surprises”….

This is a really fun, unique event in Paris. It’s safe, don’t worry, and it’s everywhere. Just follow the light! Or if you don’t know where to go, head to a train station and take it from there!

Ok, so this isn’t Paris…but I can’t keep this to myself. Hotel de Crillon le Brave is a gorgeous little hotel in Provence, near the Luberon and with a view of Mont Ventoux, and a member of the very prestigious “Relais & Chateaux”. I’ve been there many times, led a cooking trip there once, and can’t say enough about it: the rooms are breathtaking and huge, the cuisine if out of this world, the views are unbelievable…it’s even listed as one of the places you should go before you die!
With the poor exchange rate, the hotel is making a fabulous offer:

Every year we like to offer an extra incentive for our past guests and readers of l’accent d’ici to make the trip to Crillon and enjoy the Autumn season that we think is so special. This year we’re offering a straight Dollars-for-Euros exchange as encouragement for our American and Canadian friends to join us anytime between October 15th and November 30th. Make your booking in Euros, pay in Dollars. It’s that simple. To take advantage of this offer we simply ask that you book directly with our Reservations staff. You can reach them by email or by calling +33 4 90 65 61 61.

If your plans bring you to southern France, I can’t urge you enough to take advantage of this offer, it’s pretty incredible for a place like this.

This October marks the 19th annual “Semaine du Gout” all over France. During this fabulous week celebrating France’s cuisine, there will be all sorts of fun stuff happening:

-2000 chefs, butchers, bakers, pastry chefs, and other “taste professionals” will visit 6000 elementary schools to offer mini cooking demonstration classes
-500 restaurants throughout France will offer 3 and 4 course meals, including wine, at reduced prices to attract more customers to learn about France’s food and wine. Parisian restaurants participating as a “table du gout” are listed here.
-a jury will recognize 7 “taste professionals” for their outstanding talents
-various cooking classes will be offered to the public. Those taking place in Paris can be found here.

Tickets to Madonna’s “Sticky and Sweet” tour at the Stade de France are selling like hot-crepes. So much so that they added a second night, September 21.
If you’ve ever wanted to “Vogue” in Paris, now is your chance! Buy now, the tickets are still going faaaast.

Madonna
Sticky & sweet tour
STADE DE FRANCE
Consortium Stade de France ZAC Cornillon Nord
93216
SAINT DENIS LA PLAINE CEDEX

Metro :
Saint Denis-Porte de Paris

RER :
Stade de France – Saint-Denis

telephone number :
0 892 700 900 (0,34 €/min)

fax :
01 55 93 00 03

If you’re an avid runner and can handle the long haul, this one is for you! In its 31st year, this annual jaunt takes runners from beneath the Eiffel Tower to the Sun King’s domain…Versailles. The whole treck is 16 km, so if you can handle 3 5Ks in a row, why not give it a try? (I say as I eat a piece of chocolate cake…)

This race is particularly fun because of all the spectators: people bring the entire family to cheer runners on. The scenery is quite breathtaking as well, from the banks of the Seine to the gardens of Versailles.

For more info check their web site.

This is the age-old question asked by multiple tourists wanting a good bite to eat in Paris in the month of August. You see, Paris virtually shuts its doors in August. Not that you’ll really notice, it’s still busy (but not as crowded) and there ARE places open, but for most restaurateurs this is the time to hang up the old apron, head to the south, drink wine and play boules.

So, if you intend to head to Paris in August and want to know for sure what will be open, here is a list of 40 Parisian restaurants open in August:

I was given this link by an online acquaintance. It is a wonderful video of a fun-loving “Life is beautiful” kind of guy, dancing throughout the world. Optimism is oozing from this man’s pores. What I love about the video is that it is so uplifting, and without saying a word it focuses on the ways we are all alike on this Earth, rather than on our differences. And, it shows how contagious joy can be. If you have a second, take a look at this video, and your day will be better for it. Click on “Dancing 2008″.

Time.com just put out a list of the most obnoxious tourists in Europe and then in the world. Who takes top billing? The French do! I have to say, I’m kind of surprised by this. Not because I feel like I must defend all things French, all the time, but because I have seen French tourists during my travels in the U.S., Canada and Europe, and I have never thought “obnoxious”. The survey went to hotel workers, so I assume they have a perspective I do not. But I would say the French tourists I have encountered tend to be on the more discreet side. I better not get a job in a hotel, my impressions may be blown!
To see the article, go to this link.