With Paris-Plages 1 full
to bursting, the Mairie
of Paris is opening a Paris-
Plages 2… not on the Seine
this time, just a minute’s
walk from Stalingrad métro
station, at the Bassin de
la Villette.
You can sit by the
fountains, enjoy a drink at
the open-air café and watch
the river boats. Deckchairs
(transats) are for
hire until August
21 and if you don’t
just want to lie in
the sun, there are
afternoon dance
lessons and
evening dancing
to suit all tastes.
This is a favourite
spot for picnics
and boules.
How did rock fest organiser François Missonnier manage to bag the heritage park of Saint-Cloud?
Jacqueline Karp went to find out
Rage against the
Machine, Amy
Winehouse, REM…
this year’s line-up at Saint-
Cloud is daring, eclectic and
expensive. For a festival only
in its sixth year, Rock en
Seine – a pun (on rock en
scène) lost on many Englishspeakers,
who pronounce it
Rock Insane – draws the
crowds and the prestige. But
apparently not the money.
Last year’s festival, heavily
sponsored by Paris-Île de
France, ran at a loss. But the
show goes on. So how does
François Missonnier do it?
In a narrow street of brick houses with ornate wrought-iron
balconies, only a short walk from Père Lachaise, stands an
unpretentious doorway marked La Bellevilloise. Founded in
1877, in the wake of the Commune, it was Paris’s first
Maison du Peuple, a cooperative venture, bringing education
to the people and a market where local produce was sold
direct to customers. Now the building’s airy rooms, with
glimpses over Paris and a sunny terrace, have become popular
as an alternative and independent cultural centre.
The Goutte d’Or is a
vibrant immigrant
quarter, with residents
from north and west
Africa and central
Europe. Go there for
bright batik or fine
white cottons, for real
hammams, street
music or colourful
fashions, like those of
Brazilian designer
Marcia de Carvalho.
The cultural mix has
yielded a host of
festivals. Festival Rue
Léon, in its ninth summer, uses a converted washhouse, the
Lavoir Moderne Parisien, as its theatre.
Further to recent articles in French News about women's pensions, the UK Department of Work and Pensions has issued a press release explaining that "women pensioners could boost their state pension or even be in line for a windfall payment under special terms.
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