14.49 - Notre-Dame: Choir formed from Notre-Dame ashes helps celebrate reopening+Official opening info+Limited edition calendar giveaway Enter before 12 December+Where to eat near Notre-Dame
In this FREE le Bulletin we're immersing ourselves in wonderful stories of people charged with the rebuilding of Notre-Dame Cathedral after the devastating 2019fire. Reopening 7/8 December 2024.
Image credit: On April 15, 2019 a huge fire swept through Notre-Dame's roof and brought down its famed spire. Geoffroy Van Der Hassely / AFP - Getty Images file
Bonjour francophile friends… I’m thrilled that you’re here again this week - bienvenue - welcome.
Next… toward the base of this newsletter, ‘Choir formed from ashes of the Notre-Dame cathedral helps celebrate reopening ‘
Then… Where to eat when visiting Notre-Dame
***You can enter to WIN a Limited Edition hand-painted 2025 calendar featuring the wonderful small shops in Paris. Parisian Life Through the Lens of Small Joys
If you enjoy this edition, please note that every week there is another entirely different version of le bulletin exclusively for paying subscribers. Today, however, there is an exception. That version is OPEN TO ALL with NO PAYWALL—look for this title. 14.49.a - FREE - Paris: A mosaic of joy-inducing wonders + exclusive giveaway →I’ve made this edition free to celebrate the small Joys of Daily life in Paris as reflected by Sonja’s calendar.
***NEXT WEEK the le Bulletin edition for PAID Subscribers will once again have a paywall. I encourage you to consider upgrading your free subscription now to ensure you can access future newsletters.
Did you know there are >3000 articles in MyFrenchLife Magazine, where savvy francophiles love to immerse themselves and indulge?
Thank you to all Contributors to our magazine. I love that your articles take us from one end of France to another and constantly remind us of the rich culture of this wonderful and diverse country. Merci. Judy.
The First Republic didn’t care for a presidential palace. The revolutionaries, back in 1792, wanted no president, much less a king. When they cut off the head of the monarchy, they did not want anything that so much as smelled like it… …read more about The Élysée Palace — Read the entire article ←
b) → French Government Collapse: Barnier Expected To Lose Motion of No-Confidence. by Hugh Vuillier - December 4
Barnier takes a rest before betting the house. Euronews.
It took three months to cobble up a new French Government. Tomorrow, it could collapse entirely
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Michel Barnier invoked Article 49.3 of the French Constitution to push through a portion of the 2024 budget without a vote. He has dared the opposition to take the nuclear option: a vote of no-confidence.
If the vote succeeds, Barnier and his government would have to resign. And this time, the numbers are there…” writes Hugh.
Chablis is a town in the northern part of Burgundy, France. It is known for its world-renowned white wines, which are made from Chardonnay grapes grown
The town of Chablis is small, with a population of around 2,500 people. It is in a picturesque setting surrounded by rolling hills and vineyards, and the Serein River runs through town.
2. Choir formed from ashes of the Notre-Dame Cathedral helps celebrate reopening on 7 December 2024
The reopening of Notre-Dame this weekend will be highly exciting and many will be watching live coverage of the official events.
There will be a repeat of some security measures used during the 2024 Summer Paris Olympics and the sealing-off to tourists of the heart of the French capital where the cathedral is located.
Following the fire that devastated the cathedral in 2019, and after more than five years of reconstruction, invitation-only ceremonies on Saturday, November 7, and Sunday, November 8, will celebrate the reopening to the public.
Image credit: The Notre-Dame Compagnons Choir. Robbie Lee for NBC News
The excitement has been mounting.
We’ve been fortunate to have been showered with superb stories and live videos of the progress of the rebuilding of Notre-Dame Cathedral over the past five years leading up to the re-opening to the public on 8 December Certainly, the stories have been of the Cathedral rebuilding progress, but also of humans, skilled artisans plying their craft.
I hope to share more of the individual stories of the people behind this extraordinary project. I can only imagine how this project has influenced their lives, and these are the stories I’d love to hear and share.
Meanwhile today we look at The Notre-Dame Compagnons Choir and the official opening details to be found at the base of this newsletter.
Today I’m focused on The Notre-Dame Compagnons Choir. Most are wearing jeans, others wear rough work boots, and one sings with a white construction helmet tucked under his arm. Gathered in the church hallbefore the altar, their song begins low and soft, surges and then sweeps through the Gothic-style church and up to its soaring stone ceiling.
Image credit: Members of the Notre-Dame Compagnons Choir during a rehearsal at Saint-Severin church in Paris on Nov. 12.Robbie Lee for NBC News
Withhundreds of people working to rebuild a structure so intimately tied to French art, history, and culture, it felt natural to start a choir, said Stephanie Duchêne, a conservation scientist and chemical engineer who helped form the Notre-Dame Compagnons Choir, or Notre Dame Companions, nearly two years ago.
Much like the building and rebuilding of a cathedral, a small army of individuals needs to work in unison to create extraordinary music.
Image credit: Stephanie Duchêne.Robbie Lee for NBC News
“Everyone has to do his part to make the music sound good,” said Duchêne, the chief archaeologist and conservation scientist for the Laboratory of Research for Historical Monuments,” according to the NBC News article.
***The very best article about the Reopening of Notre-Dame is to be found on Secrets of Paris by Heather Stimmler. It is excellent and I refer you to it as the source together with Paris je t’aime the official government tourism site.
Notre-Dame Cathedral is set to reopen its doors to the public on December 8th for its first mass since the devastating fire on April 15, 2019. This article details the full schedule of opening events and ceremonies, the changes to expect after the extensive renovations, and the new ticketing system for visitors.
UPDATE: As of 11am December 3rd, the new reservation system is available in the Google Play Store Android app and the official website; for the moment I don’t see it available in the Apple Store. It appears all available slots have been reserved for the moment. Check back on December 7th for new openings.
Here you will find AN EXCELLENT RESOURCE from Meg Zimbeck as usual including many of our favourites.
Saturday will be the first in an eight-day celebration at this landmark cathedral that went up in flames five years ago. These events will draw huge crowds to the Île de la Cité and the surrounding area. Over the coming year, more than 40,000 daily visitors are expected at Notre-Dame, more than double the daily attendance at the Louvre.” writes Meg Zimbeck
And when these people get hungry? Some will turn to the sad little stalls next to the cathedral that are hawking béchamel slathered hot dogs and industrial panini. Others will stumble into disappointing mussels and leathery steak along the Seine. But not you! You’ve got this list of our favorite places to eat near Notre-Dame, written by someone who lives in the neighborhood. My recommendations might be in the Latin Quarter, on the neighboring Île Saint-Louis, or in the southern Marais, but nothing is more than 15 minutes by foot.
→ Read all about it—Meet the talented Sonja Bajic via my interview & read the story of her creative life and how to enter to win this superb 2025 calendar! ←
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Love the choir and the restaurant guide in particular!!!