Isabelle Andover's Blog, page 6

Paris train station to be transformed into silent disco

In a game of word association, “train station” and “silent disco” would be an unlikely pairing, but thanks to Silence Events and rail operator SNCF, these words are going to be uttered in the same sentence a lot more often in Paris in the next couple of months.

Gare du Nord, Europe’s busiest train station, is to be transformed into a giant silent disco on 11 July, according to French newspaper Le Parisien. The event will see the Paris train station play host to a dance floor of almost 4,000m2 between the hours of 11.30pm and 5.30am. Revellers will be able to choose between three DJs, take advantage of the bars that will be set up for the occasion, and for a select few, the Eurostar terminal will serve as a VIP area.

The silent disco is expected to attract some 3,000 people. Tickets cost 22-26€. A definite date for the diary

Race up the Eiffel Tower

The first race up the Eiffel Tower in over 100 years took place on Friday 20 March. La Verticale de la Tour Eiffel saw around 60 athletes race up the 1,665 steps of Paris’ most visited monument as fast as possible. And they were fast. Piotr Lobodzinski of Poland won the race in 7minutes and 50 seconds.

As someone who only takes the stairs to my first floor flat because there is no lift, racing up so many steps in under ten minutes seems like the worst kind of endurance test. Indeed, one of the competitors, Madeleine Fontillas-Ronk, was quoted in the press as saying: “It’s worse than a sprint, worse than a marathon and worse than giving birth.”

Preparing for the Paris Color Run

In Paris, it seems like a lot of people like nothing better than going for a run, whether it be on the streets, in parks or along the banks of the Seine. I always look at these people, particularly the early morning runners I see on my way to work, and think a) How can they run so far, so fast? and b) how can they be bothered?

I’m not a runner, by any stretch of the imagination, but a lot of my friends are. And it was these friends who slyly signed me up for the Paris Color Run, which is billed as “The Happiest 5k on the Planet”, and is taking place on 19th April. The first I heard about it was when I received an email thanking me for my inscription, and I quickly fired off a text to find out who was the culprit. “Surprise!”, “Get out of bed and get your ass on the treadmill,” were just some of the responses that came my way.

Good thing I recently joined a gym, is all I can say. Given that I’ve only ever run 5k once in my life (the Junior Great North Run circa 2002, and I walked the last part), I’m horribly aware that I have my work cut out for me.

Still, I suppose that as runs go, The Color Run is a great one to start off with. At every kilometre mark you pass, a different colour powder is thrown over you so that the white t-shirt you wear ends up looking like something straight out of the 60s. Sunglasses appear to be a must.

I plan to go to the gym tomorrow, but fear I will only manage about 3k at a leisurely pace before I collapse. Wish me luck!

Cocktails at Le Carmen cover reveal

So excited to be able to share the blurb and fantastic cover of my debut novel, Cocktails at Le Carmen.

When job cuts at Chloe Saddler’s London communications firm result in an unexpected transfer to Paris, she finds herself leaving behind her friends, family, and boyfriend Scott to start a new life in the City of Light. Getting to grips with La Vie Parisienne and keeping a long-distance relationship afloat is not made any easier by the culture shock. Committing the odd French faux pas and inadvertently indulging in a few too many flirtations with her very sexy (and very taken) boss, Jean-Luc, is just the start of it. Factor in her bridezilla of a sister’s wedding (the hottest event of the year in the Saddler family’s social calendar), an unexpected session of hot, naked yoga, a slightly psychotic stalker, and one incredible kiss at an infamous Montmartre nightspot, and Chloe can say au revoir to her old, safe London life and bonjour to the romance, splendour, and glamour of Paris.

A delightful debut that harks back to the early days of Chick Lit when heroines were flawed, funny, and forever battling for love and happiness. With quirky characters and classic comedic charm, Cocktails at Le Carmen is pure fun from page one.

Paris in figures

Thanks to the people over at Smarter Paris, we now know that Paris has 2,345,098 Parisians, 6,100 streets, 1,784 bakeries,1,124 bars…. and only one Stop sign

A few of my favourite books set in Paris

Since I’ve been in Paris, I’ve read my fair share of books set in France and in the French capital. And there are many: Jenny Colgan’s The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris, Robyn Sisman’s Weekend in Paris, Mary Blume’s A French Affair…

The thing I like most about reading books set in a city where I live but didn’t grow up, is that every book has a different view of Paris: from the bourgeois life in Sarah Long’s And What Do You Do? to the working class 19th arrondissement in Catherine Sanderson’s Petite Anglaise.

My top five favourites, in no particular order, are:

 

 

 

Paris and the world’s biggest indoor ice rink

For the second winter in a row, Paris’ Grand Palais has been transformed into a giant indoor ice rink – the biggest in the world.

The Grand Palais des Glaces is open from 14 December 2014 to 4 January 2015. For the more adventurous among you, the Grand Palais tranforms itself into a giant dancefloor every evening from 9pm to 2am, with a DJ, sound and light shows.

Sleep in a shop?

What if you could sleep in a department store the night before the January sales?

Well, this is exactly what Galeries Lafayette is offering. The French department store has teamed up with Airbnb to allow six lucky winners the chance to sleep under the coupole at its Parisian flagship on the night of 5th Janaury 2015.

The winners will get to do their shopping the next morning before the doors open at 8am sharp and the hordes of eager bargain hunters pour in.

Being an avid shopper myself, I’ve naturally submitted my entry – I had to explain in less than 100 words why they should pick me – so fingers crossed I’m one of the lucky six!