A good eclair is like magic….light, chocolately, creamy, and always makes you want another. So, not wanting to waste our precious eclair euros, where can you get a really good eclair au chocolat in Paris?
Le Figaro asked that question, and put 20 pastry shops to
the taste test. Six people were chosen for the jury, both amateurs and professionals.
The criteria? Freshness of the pastry itself, visual aspect of the icing, quality of the chocolate filling, harmony of tastes between the icing and the filling (not too sweet, cohesive textures), welcome of the shopkeepers, and packaging of the eclairs.
And here are the pastry shops that create the best eclairs au chocolat in Paris:
1 - Carette (4 place du Trocadéro XVIe)
2 - Jean-paul Hevin (23 bis avenue de la Motte-Piquet VIIe)
3 - Stohrer (51 rue Montorgueil IIe)
3 - Ladurée (16 rue Royale VIIIe)
5 - Vandermeersch (278 av. Daumesnil XIIe)
6 - La Maison du Chocolat (8 bd. de la Madeleine VIIIe)
6 - Lenôtre (15 bd. de Courcelles VIIIe)
8 - Blé Sucré (7 rue Antoine Vollon XIIe)
9 - Rollet-Pradier (6 rue de Bourgogne VIIe)
9 - Dalloyau (101 rue du Faubourg St Honoré VIIIe)
11 - La Gerbe d’Antan (249 bd Voltaire XIe)
11 - Fauchon (26 place de la Madeleine VIIIe)
11 - Pascal Pinaud (70 rue Monge Ve)
14 - Gérard Mulot (76 rue de Seine VIe)
15 - Arnaud Lahrer (53 rue de Caulaincourt XVIIIe)
15 - Arnaud Delmontel (39 rue des Martyrs IXe)
17 - Paul (17 et 21 rue de Buci VIe)
17 - Kayser (10 rue de l’Ancienne Comédie VIe)
17 - Rousseau et Seurre (22 rue des Martyrs IXe)
17 - Laurent Duchêne ( 2 rue Wurtz (XIIIe)
In the 19th century, open air painting became more and more pupular, with the Barbizon and Impressionists painters taking over the Fontainebleau forest as their backdrop.
This exposition at the Musée d’Orsay attempts to illustrate why the Fontainebleau forest drew so much attention, highlighting multiple artists from Corot to Picasso.
The exhibition will show off the splendor of the Fontainebleau forest, which was the world’s first listed natural site in 1874 due to its importance in the world of French art.
Practical information
MUSEE D’ORSAY
1, rue de la Légion d’Honneur 75007 PARIS
Metro : Solférino
RER : Musée d’Orsay
Closed : Monday
Full price : 5.50 euros Sunday and from 4.15pm in the week, Thursday from 8pm
Reduced price : 7.50 euros Museum + all exhibitions 5.50 euros Museum + exhibitions except “Maurice Denis” Free admission for under 18yrs
It may not be on the actual St. Patrick’s day itself, but this festival is one of the most exciting the holiday has to offer.
On Saturday, March 24 at the Bercy stadium, this Celtic festival will offer up Celtic music, Irish and Scottish folk dancing, harpist Debora Henson Conant, musician Dan Ar Braz, bagpipes, the works. It’s grown into one of Paris’ largest folk festivals.
Price: 33 - 72 euros
Web site: www.nuitdelasaintpatrick.com/
Paris’s half marathon is scheduled to take place on March 11, approximately one month before the full marathon. The Marathon is 21.1 kilometers, and is a pretty popular running event. Everyone who crosses the finish line receives a certificate of completion, and the best finishers will receive prizes.
It’s a great way to see Paris on foot!
Start and Finish: Esplanade du Château de Vincennes (94)
Information : 01 41 33 15 68
www.parismarathon.com
Access for persons with limited mobility
The “Freedom Fry” days safely behind them (thank God), France is back on top as the most visited country in the world, with 78 million visitors in 2006!
Here is a recent article from msnbc.com:
France keeps crown as top tourist destination
European hot spot attracted 78 million visitors in 2006
PARIS - France retained its title as the world’s top tourist destination in 2006, attracting 78 million visitors in the face of growing competition from other destinations, the Tourism Ministry said on Tuesday.
Rising numbers of visitors from Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and east European countries contributed to a 2.7 percent increase in the number of tourists compared with 2005.
Chinese tourists are also flocking to France in growing numbers, with 600,000 visiting the country last year.
Tourism revenues rose 2.5 percent from 34 billion euros in 2005, according to the ministry’s estimates.
That is good news for a sector which employs some 2 million people directly or indirectly and accounts for 6.5 percent of the gross domestic product of the euro zone’s second biggest economy.
The Tourism Ministry said some 846,000 workers were employed in hotels, cafes and restaurants at the end of the third quarter of 2006, an annual increase of 2.5 percent compared with the 1 percent rise seen at a national level across all sectors.
“That means 19,200 jobs were created, the highest number in five years,” it said in a statement.
Leading French hotel groups such as Accor and smaller ones such as Hotel Regina Paris SA have already reported a rise in sales in 2006, helped by a strong final three months of the year.
