I dream of designing a magnificent vessel for Paris that symbolises France’s profound cultural vocation.
With these words, the famous architect, Frank Gehry, creator of Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum (1997), gave his blessing to the opening in October 2014 of his masterpiece, the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris.
We were lucky enough to be in Paris that week and joined perhaps 10,000 others for its first open weekend.
This magnificent château has often been overlooked in favour of more famous palaces such as Versailles, Fontainebleau or Chantilly.
Located in the verdant département of Seine-et-Marne some 18 kms east of Paris, it’s a perfect candidate for a day trip out of the city.
In Paris during the Christmas/New Year season, we were thrilled to see the latest revival of this much-loved ballet at Opera Bastille. Choreographed by Rudolf Nureyev for the Vienna State Opera in 1966, his version was inspired by the original of Marius Petipa, Maître de Ballet of the Tsar’s Imperial Ballet, with music by Ludwig Minkus. ‘Don Quixote’ was first performed by the Imperial Bolshoi Theatre Moscow, in December 1869.
Lyon is regarded as the gastronomic capital of France. As well as food, with over 2,000 years of history embedded into its streets and its very soul, Lyon has a fascinating history to discover.
On Sunday evening we attended the members’ free viewing of the ‘Lady and the Unicorn’ series of tapestries on loan from the Musée de Cluny in Paris to the Art Gallery of NSW. And what a visual treat it is!
