The new iPhone 3G will be available for purchase in Orange stores across France beginning July 11. It’s thinner, faster, has a built-in GPS, among other features – and of course is probably a lot more expensive in France than in the U.S. (I can’t seem to find pricing, though.)

More information Apple (English), Apple (French)

tags: france iphone 3g apple

Kewl. An Apple Store near the Louvre!

From MacworldUK:

“Apple plans to open its first retail store in France just near to the world-famous Louvre art gallery in Paris.

A report from leading French newspaper, La Tribune, explains Apple’s application for the store – to be situated under the pyramid in front of the Louvre’s grand entrance – has been approved.

Apple will build a two-story, 715 square metre store in space previously occupied by two shops.

On this, IFO AppleStore explains the store, “will host nine million visitors a year, of which at least 40 per cent are tourists.”

An Apple spokesperson said: “We are thrilled that our opening project of an Apple Store in the Carrousel du Louvre has been approved.”

Links: Apple Computer Stores in France, Apple Store in Paris, Apple Gets Green Light, Tribune

tags: france travel apple store louvre apple louvre

^{I am aware of the air beneath me.}

In the U.S. when Jean-Claude Van Damme comes to mind, people will likely know who he is but it would invoke a high level of indifference. Most consider him a hasbeen, action-martial arts-actor who can do the splits. For the last 10 years or so, he’s made only direct-to-DVD movies, that even Jean-Claude Van Damme himself has called, “rotten.” He’s made back-to-back film stinkers but has still managed to make a name for himself. Maybe it was due to his flexibility, pecs and abs, and those famous “splits”? I wonder if he can still do those… Anyway. Because of the string of lackluster films and for his “wooden” acting (and no, I’m not talking about THAT video), he basically goes almost unnoticed. “Almost” because most people still recognize him. Remember the episode of him playing himself in Friends where he boasts he can crush a walnut with his butt cheeks?

That certain Friends episode just cracks open the surface of how the French perceive Jean-Claude.

In France, people see Jean-Claude Van Damme (who is Belgian, by the way) very, very differently compared to the U.S. He is a bit of a cult hero, not necessarily for his high kicks in cheesy B movies, but rather for his aphorisms that are inadvertently funny. He is hilarious and the French LOVE to make fun of him and the way he expresses himself in “franglais” – and they will NEVER, ever, let him forget anything he’s ever said that made them laugh. This is not to say they do it in a derisive manner, because while they do, in fact, mock him, they do it lightly and in a positive way, and despite the mockery, they find him unique and lovable.

Why? It’s sort of like this: JC says things that are like a cross between Yogi Berra’s quotes (“Nobody goes there anymore because it’s too crowded” or “Baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical”) and “deep thoughts” from Jack Handy (“It takes a big man to cry, but it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man.”).

Since French TV is a lot about talk shows, you will find that you have a chance to see celebs up close and personal on all kinds of levels, and not just hear someone trying to plug their latest movie. That might be why JC isn’t seen the same way in the U.S. He simply hasn’t gotten enough on-air talk time to express his true self on English-speaking TV! I’m sure he’d say funny things in English, given the opportunity.

The most famous quote (that every French or French-speaking person is aware of) involves the theme of observation (insight), and JC talks about being aware using the word “aware” instead of the correct word in French (conscient), which throws the French into uncontrollable fits of laughter every time. I remember hearing another one from him where he says, “one plus one equals two but it could equal 11″ or something along those lines, and another where he remarks that if air was removed from the sky, birds would fall and so would planes.

He’s likable. He’s silly. Tout simplement. Just much sillier when he’s speaking French.

Knowing all of this about him now makes me appreciate him so much more and I am dying to see his new film called, JCVD, which is playing in theaters in France. It’s him playing himself but the movie is a fictional comedy. The teaser and trailer are hilarious, (The subtitles on the teaser are not that good, however.) and I think the movie is going to be great.

So. There you have it: why the French love JCVD so much. Well, they can’t continue the love for Jerry Lewis forever, can they? Maybe it’s time for someone new.

tags: france jean claude van damme jcvd aware

There’s a bird sanctuary inside the beautiful Parc du Thabor in Rennes, which is where we saw this adorable bird couple while wandering and exploring nature inside a city with our buddy and favorite Rennais, Martin. (Photo by Martin, btw. Merci!)

Are they Parakeets of some sort? I’m not sure.

From the telegraph:

“Erika La Tour Eiffel, 37, a former soldier who lives in San Francisco, has been in love with objects before. Her first infatuation was with Lance, a bow that helped her to become a world-class archer, she is fond of the Berlin Wall and she claims to have a physical relationship with a piece of fence she keeps in her bedroom.

But it is the Eiffel Tower she has pledged to love, honour and obey in an intimate ceremony attended by a handful of friends.

She has changed her name legally to reflect the bond.

She revisits the massive structure as part of a documentary on Five on Objectum-Sexual women. There are around 40 people in the world who have declared themselves OS, all of them women and many of them also Asperger’s Syndrome sufferers.

The OS term was first coined by Eija-Riitta Berliner-Mauer, a 54-year-old woman who has been “married” to the Berlin Wall for 29 years.

Before returning to Paris for her first wedding anniversary, Mrs La Tour Eiffel visits the Berlin Wall, where her affection for what many Germans see as a symbol of repression leads to an uncomfortable encounter with a member of the staff at the Checkpoint Charlie museum.

“I just don’t understand how some people can bring someone into the world like a child – an object – and then not love them,” she said….”

Read the full article

tags: france travel eiffel tower paris woman marries eiffel tower fetishes

The Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris is climbing on the SATC bandwagon and giving you the opportunity to step into the shoes of Carrie Bradshaw for the time of your fictitious TV life with an ultra-glamorous offer. Here’s what you get:

• A Cosmopolitan cocktail “Carrie’s favourite drink” for each person, served at Le Bar du Plaza Athénée.
• A chocolate shoe made by our World Champion Pastry Chef Christophe Michalak.
• Carrie’s “Must have” shopping booklet “All is about shoes”, listing the leading footwear names found on avenue Montaigne. Thanks to a VIP contact in each boutique, you will enjoy a personalised welcome.

For an additionnal fee of €1000, have a custom-made pair of shoes created by you with the help of a designer. The shoes are hand-made in four weeks and delivered to your home address.

2008 Rates
Based on a two-night minimum stay, double occupancy, including daily American breakfast:

Please note that the offer is subject to availability.

Deluxe Room € 810 / € 880
Junior Suite € 925 / 1030 €
Deluxe Suite € 1 700 / 2 300 €
Prestige Suite € 2 900 / 3 600 €
Presidential Suite € 3 810 / 4 800 €
Rates understood per night. VAT included.
Exclusive of Paris City tax: 1.50 Euro per person/day.
Subject to availability.

Toll-free Telephone Numbers: From France: 00 800 344 344 00; From US: 1 800 650 1842; From UK: 00 800 344 344 00; Australia: 1 800 686 054; Canada: 1 800 650 1842;

More information: Sex and the The City Hotel Offer

Related: hotels in paris

tags: paris hotels france paris hotel plaza athenee sex and the city travel for shoe fanatics

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Alrightee then. French tax payers will pick up the tab for people wanting to learn how to line dance in France. GA!

From timesonline:

“The French administration has moved to create an official country dancing diploma as part of a drive to regulate the fad. Authorised instructors who have been on publicly funded training courses will be put in charge of line dancing lessons and balls.

The rules, which come into force next year, come after the rapid spread of country and western in France, where an estimated 100,000 people line dance several times a week. Jean Chauveau, the chairman of the country section of the French Dance Federation, said: “It’s growing at a crazy rate. There are thousands of clubs and more are springing up all the time.”

He said the French shunned the square dancing that is popular among country and western fans in the United States because it involved physical contact. “They don’t want to take anyone by the hand or anything like that,” he said. But they were passionate about line dancing, where participants follow the steps without touching anyone else. “I think this corresponds to the individualism of our times,” Mr Chauveau said….

Mr Chauveau said the trend illustrated France’s “complicated and ambiguous” relationship with the United States. “We love American magic and the American dream,” he said. “But we hate Americans when we confront the hard reality of their behaviour throughout the world. We go for the cowboy hats but not George Bush.”

In a peculiarly Gallic approach to the phenomenon, French civil servants say line dancing should be submitted to the same rules as sports such as football and rugby. This means imposing training courses for line dancing teachers and a state-approved diploma for anyone who wants to give lessons or run clubs.

Amateur instructors will have to take 200 hours of training under the new rules. Professionals will get 600 hours, including such subjects as line dancing techniques, “the mechanics of the human body” and the English (or at least Texan) language. They will also learn how to teach line dancing to the elderly.

The cost of the courses, about €2,000 (£1,570) for the professionals and €500 for the amateurs, will be largely met by taxpayers. Mr Chauveau said the regulations highlighted the French state’s obsessive desire to organise all public activity. “France is the only country in Europe apart from Greece where sport is controlled through the state,” he said. “Line dancing is now ….”
Read the whole article

tags: france line dancing french the french have gone insane

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The 14th century castle/fort, Fort La Latte sits majestically atop a 70 meters (230 ft) high cliff along the Cote d’Émeraude (Emerald Coast) in northern Brittany. It is one of the most spectacular sites in Bretagne.

Built from the ground up on a small spit of land on the Baye de la Fresnaye by one of the oldest Breton families, Goyon-Matignon, the castle (known at the time as “Roche Guyon”), was first besieged by Bertrand du Guesclin in 1379. After Brittany became part of France, in 1490 it was unsuccessfully besieged by the English. Later, when the castle was known as La Latte, the Holy League really did it in and dismantled, plundered, devastated and set on it fire.

Between 1690 and 1715, the architect, Sir Garangeau, under the reign of Louis XIV, turned La Latte into a fort. They added military structures to defend Saint-Malo against English and Dutch attacks.

The final attempt to attack the castle was in 1815 by a few men from Saint-Malo during the “Cent-Jours”. Like their predecessors the attack was unsuccessful. It fell into disrepair during the 19th century and sold by the family in 1892, and is currently privately owned. In 1925 it was declared a monument historique, a protected place of historic interest and was slowly restored.

The Fort La Latte is a “must visit” if you’re in Bretagne. If you’re not into medieval forts, drawbridges and war paraphernalia, the views from the castle are absolutely magnificent. The surrounding area is breathtaking, and is great for mountain biking, hiking and picnicking.

We visited just about an hour before closing hours, which seems like a perfect time to go because we were nearly alone, wandering around the premises. Heaven, especially if you’re not into crowds.

If it seems like you’re walking on a Hollywoodian movie set, you actually are. Well, the fort is the real deal, but it’s been used as a backdrop for many movies. Notably, The Vikings with Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis, Ridicule by Patrice Lecomte with Jean Rochefort; Le jeu du roi with Marc Evans, Pierre Dux and Francois Matouret; Lancelot du Lac (made for TV movie) with Gérard Falconetti, La Danse de mort with Michel Bouquet; Metzengerstein with Jane Fonda; Chouan with Sophie Marceau and Philippe Noiret.

Fort La Latte
Open every day April 1 to September 30; October to March open afternoons, weekends, national holidays and bank holidays.
Admission: 4 Euros
Telephone: +33) 02 96 41 40 31

tags: france travel fort la latte bretagne brittany castles

Strategically placed at the toll booth where you have to stop, you can’t miss this warning. Here’s what the sign says reminding people driving on the road to pull over and rest if they show any signs of fatigue. Or else!

Tired?
DEAD Tired?
After the first signs (of fatigue), Don’t go any farther.

This organic milk festival is today in Bretagne (Brittany). Sorry about the late notice.

Learn more about organic products and how their production respects the environment (non-GMO, no pesticides or chemicals) and animal well-being, via this festival that every department in Brittany is celebrating with concerts, theater plays, debates and more. This isn’t just the organic dairy industry. You’ll also find bakers, farmers and animals – and their products as well. Visit a number of participating farms to experience what “real food” raising and making (and eating!) are.

You can have an organic breakfast and meet the people who bring quality products to the public.

*Note: You must have a reservation.

La Fête du Lait Bio 2008 – Organic Milk Festival
June 1, 2008
Contacts by Department: Cotes D’Armor – Jean-Sebastien Piel 02.96.74.75.65; Finistere – Alex Lannuzel 02.98.25.80.33; Ille et Vilaine – Nadege Lucas 02.99.77.09.46; Morbihan – Celine Rolland 02.97.66.32.62
Admission: 5 €, 4€ Students and Unemployed, 3€ Under 12
Website: Fete du Lait Bio