“Paris “”Illuminé”” and “”Voté”””

Last night, 127 of Paris’ finest “antiquaires” in the heart of the chic 7th arrondissement along quai Voltaire, rue des Saint-Pères, rue de l’Université, rue du Bac, rue de Lille, rue de Beaune, rue de Verneuil and rue Allent opened their doors and poured champagne to toast to Noel and the New Year.

We had been personally invited by William Vonthron, whose shop on rue de Verneuil (number 40) displays a magnificent array of fine antiques and “objets d’art. Eric Allart on rue de Beaune (number 8) is “currently exhibiting Willy Rizzo’s fabulous fashion photos and Estelle Bitton, a third generation expert in kilims at “Monseigneur l’Ancien” (number 24) has a workshop filled with every color thread imaginable to repair the finest of carpets.

The shops, glowing from within, lighting their precious wares with esthetic care, as only the French know so well to do, pouring bubbly, dressed in their finest furs over fishnet stockings and high-heeled boots…the rich and the pretending-to-be-rich were there to show their support and culturally high class. It was absolute eye candy.

All of Paris glows throughout the month of December, from within the beautiful Christmas “vitrines” (windows) to the outside illuminated streets. It’s a magical time of year, when one can bask in the warm glow of the colored lights and jovial atmosphere. The City’s second edition of “Paris Illumine Paris 2005” kicked off December 2nd, in collaboration with the merchant associations to call upon the most talented and renowned lighting designers to festively illuminate the streets and neighborhoods.

Take the guided tour in a dozen different “quartiers” between now and the beginning of January to truly experience the City of Light:

* Rue de Belleville (19th and 20th) “Le Coeur du Village s’illumine” by Marc Dumas and Dominique Doulain
* Porte Montmartre (18th) “La Voie Lactée” by Rozenn Le Couillard
* Rue Mouffetard (5th) “Mouff’Stars” by Jean-Philippe Corrigou
* Rue de Passy (16th) “Au firmament de Passy” by Eric Pescher
* Rue du Poteau (18th) “La Voie Lactée” by Rozenn Le Couillard
* Rue de Rivoli (1st and 4th) “Les flammes de Rivoli” by Jean-Pierre Maquair and Christophe Canadell
* Boulevard Saint-Germain (5th, 6th and 7th) “Pluie de Cristal” by Christophe Canadell
* Avenue de Saint-Ouen (17th and 18th) “La Rivière de Lumière de Saint-Ouen” by Jean-Philippe Corrigou
* Village Saint Paul (4th) “Couleurs d’Hiver” by Jean-Pierre Maquair
* Marché Sainte Catherine (4th) “Couleurs d’Hiver” by Jean-Pierre Maquair
* Rue du Trésor — Le Marais (4th) “Couleurs d’Hiver” by Jean-Pierre Maquair
* Place Victor Hugo (16th) “Rive d’Or” by Akari-Lisa Ishii

For more complete information, visit either: The Paris.fr site at http://www.paris.fr/ or the ParisInfo.com site at http://www.parisinfo.com

While you’re gazing at the bright lights, don’t get too blinded to stop and vote! In an amazing initiative by the City Hall to allow the 14% foreign inhbitants in the city to express themselves and their opinions, we Paris residents, regardless of what passports we hold, may have the right to vote and now’s the opportunity to vote on that! A call from the city to all its citizens (over the age of 18) provides till the 11th of December in 124 different spots to vote on this initiative.

For a complete list of voting polls, visit: http://www.paris.fr/

Bring your passport or other ID and put your positive stamp on this bold welcoming of immigrants.

A la prochaine…

Adrian Leeds

Editor, Parler Paris
Email [email protected]

P.S. Don’t forget, the Parler Paris Previews Community Calendar is just a click away…every Wednesday and all through the week!…/parlerparis/calendar.html