VAT changes in France
After years of discussions between restaurants, the French government and the European Union, it finally happened! Instead of applying a 19.6% VAT on the bill, restaurants will now apply a lower tax of 5.5%. It had been a promise made by Jacques Chirac, and was a subject of conflict between the government and the restaurants union. So today, all the newspapers talk about this change, and how it should reflect on the overall bill. Officially, restaurants and cafés are supposed to reflect this tax change by lowering their prices. Officials also hope that the employees will see a raise in their paycheck, and that it will create more job in this industry. If you believe the media, it is the magical pill that will solve all the problems restaurants are facing right now, and will have everyone in France rush to the restaurants. Will it really shows on the bill? Personally, I don’t think so. I hope it does lower the price by a few Euros, but I wouldn’t count on it. Many restaurants say that they are struggling to make money, and have already announced that they will not use this to lower the price but to have a better margin.
It will take some time to determine the consequences of this change on prices, as the summer season is here, summer prices have arrived and depending on where you travel, some places charge a ridiculous amount of money compared to the quality of products/services they offer. So one piece of advice for all of you traveling, don’t jump on the first restaurant you see. Take some time to walk around and see the various options you have.
Chocolate & Pastry Tour - Paris
Walking along the very picturesque Rue du Cherche Midi, we start our " sweet tooth " experience at the bakery Poilane, founded in 1932. You will first taste their famous sourdough bread (made from stone-ground flour and baked in a wood-fired oven), and then try their renowned "Punitions" (= punishments) butter cookies. Depending on the day of your visit, you may even be able to visit the cellar where they bake their bread.
Continuing along Rue de Rennes towards Rue de Sèvres, your next destination is “La Maison du Chocolat" where you will have a wide tasting of their different chocolate flavors imported from Venezuela, Madagascar, Mexico… Your tour continues to Rue Bonaparte and Pierre Herme's shop, "the Picasso of Pastry"! There you will experience some of his creations with the names of "Dune", "Mogador", "Ispahan","Satine", a real fireworks for your taste buds!
Then you’ll cross Boulevard St Germain to reach Rue de Seine for a stop at Gerard Mulot’s, a pastry chef who still makes patisseries the traditional way, which became popular worldwide. You will taste the different types of éclairs, the St Honoré, the cherry clafoutis...On the same street, you will visit the boutique of Pierre Marcolini , the "dream maker" who challenges conventional techniques and ideas! His chocolate creations are delicate, harmonious, very intense and therefore alive … a moment of pure pleasure!
Your “Chocolate and Pastry Discovery Tour” will end in one of the oldest and probably the most famous pastry shop worldwide : La durée, where you will treat yourself to the best macaroons in the world.
$550 total regardless of 1 or 8 persons and anything in between!
The Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais in Paris present the exhibition Le Grand Monde d'Andy Warhol (Andy Warhol’s High Society) from 18 March to 13 July 2009.
In 1962, Andy Warhol painted the portraits of Marilyn Monroe and her rival Liz Taylor, and reinterpreted the Mona Lisa and Elvis Presley. From 1967 up until his death in 1987, he produced, on commission, the portraits of dozens of personalities – some famous, others unknown – offering a world fascinated by appearances a flattering, dizzying mirror, a view of “Andy Warhol’s high society”. In doing so, he restored the status of a neglected genre, applying new codes which were to leave an indelible mark on the history of portraiture.
Alongside stars of the stage and screen (Brigitte Bardot, Jane Fonda, Mick Jagger, Sylvester Stallone), the exhibition Le Grand Monde d'Andy Warhol presents the portraits of artists, collectors and dealers, political figures (Willy Brandt, Edward Kennedy), fashion designers (Yves Saint-Laurent, Sonia Rykiel, Hélène Rochas) and members of the jet set (Lee Radziwell, the Princess of Monaco). Some better known than others, all take on something of that aura which Warhol’s genius sought to bring out.
With this series, Warhol painted the portrait of an entire society, and set in place a new form of serial, almost industrial, artistic production. A selection of 250 works, taken from the thousand or so portraits he painted from the early 1960s onwards, are presented in the exhibition Le Grand Monde d'Andy Warhol. They are arranged according to different themes looked at by Warhol at key moments in his career.
Practical information:
Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais Official Website
http://www.grandpalais.fr/en/Homepage/p-617-Homepage.htm
3, Avenue du Général Eisenhower
75008 Paris
+33 (0)1 44 13 17 17
Open daily, except Tuesday
Opening times: 10 am to 10 pm / Closes at 8 pm on Thursdays
Entry: €11, concs. €8
Published on Franceguide.com
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