Wine Jobs Europe
Monday, September 5th, 2011
I Love Touring Paris - The Thirteenth Arrondissement by
The thirteenth arrondissement of southeastern Paris is situated on the Left Bank of the Seine River. Its land area is fairly large by Parisian standards, and measures more than two and three quarter square miles (over seven square kilometers). This district population exceeds one hundred seventy thousand and is home to about ninety thousand jobs. Both population and employment figures are growing, largely due an influx of Asian immigrants.
Les Olympiades is a residential high-rise district built well over thirty years ago on a huge, elevated pedestrian esplanade complete with a shopping mall, the Pagode (Pagoda) at the center. To many people this complex resembles a smaller version of La Defense, Europe's largest business district, situated just west of Paris. A driverless Metro (subway) feeds the complex, running every four minutes during the extended rush hour. Nearby you will find the huge Paris Rive Gauche project built on and near old railroad yards. Once again we are talking mostly high-rises. If that's your bag, be my guest.
The Bibliotheque nationale de France (National Library of France) is another resident of the new thirteenth district. It was founded by Charles V in the mid Fourteenth Century at the Louvre Museum, described in our companion article on the First Arrondissement. Later the library moved to its own quarters in the same district. The new library, said to look like an open book, opened to the public in late 1996. Despite being located in a modest neighborhood, accessing library materials costs money. A famous French historian was refused a library card. Although there are many complaints the library does contain ten million volumes.
The Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital started out as a gunpowder factory and was converted to a dumping ground for the Parisian poor, serving as a prison for prostitutes, the criminally insane, and others of that ilk. During the French Revolution many prostitutes were freed but other residents-inmates were murdered. On the upside the hospital's reknown professor, Jean-Martin Charcot, nicknamed "the Napoleon of the neuroses" has been considered the founder of modern neurology. Furthermore it was the site of Paris's first vaccinations, way back in 1800. La Salpetriere has become a teaching hospital. This was where Diana, Princess of Wales, breathed her last. If you are in the neighborhood you should visit the Seventeenth Century Chapelle de la Salpetriere (Hospital Chapel). By the way, the word chapel is misleading as the complex can hold four thousand people.
Unless you are a Princess Diana freak, who can blame you for not wanting to tour a hospital once famous for its rats? Don't miss the next sight, unknown to many. The Butte-aux-Cailles (literally quails hill) is located in the west end of the district, fairly close to the very busy Place d'Italie. The hill is about 200 feet (65 meters) tall. Cailles was the family name of people who once farmed the land. In 1783 the first hot-air balloon carrying people landed on this little hill. It was one of the strongholds of the Paris Commune in 1871, memorialized in a city square by that name. There has been so much excavation that the hill can't support the high-rises that mar so much of this arrondissement and so much of the "new" Paris. So you'll have to be satisfied with the co-op restaurants, trendy bars, and nightclubs that haven't erased the village atmosphere. The Butte is home to an art-deco public piscine (swimming pool) fed by a natural hot spring. You can even enjoy vaudeville and Brazilian music. If you fall in love with any of the cute little houses in the neighborhood remember, they were once inexpensive.
The Gare d'Austerlitz (Austerlitz Station) is one of the most important Parisian railway stations. It was named for a small Czech town in which the sorely outnumbered French and allied troops under Napoleon defeated the armies of Austria, Russia, and Great Britain in 1805. This railway station was first built in 1840 and extended a generation later. There are plans to rehabilitate and upgrade Austerlitz station doubling its capacity by 2020. The complex is moderately attractive but if you aren't a railroad buff, don't go out of your way to see it.
The Manufacture des Gobelins (Gobelins Factory) makes exceptional tapestries and has been doing so for centuries. It supplied the kings of France starting with Louis XIV. The company founder, Jehan Gobelin, discovered a special dye during the Fifteenth Century. Detractors called his company la folie Gobelin (Gobelin's folly). I guess he showed them. Some of his descendants purchased titles of nobility and abandoned this unnoble trade. Others branched out to the tapestry business and later into carpets and upholstery. The complex includes a museum offering guided tours.
Of course you don't want to tour Paris without sampling fine French wine and food. In my article I Love French Wine and Food - An Alsace Riesling I reviewed such a wine and suggested a sample menu: Start with Schniederspaetle (Onion Ravioli). For your second course savor Brochet d'I a la creme (Pike in White Wine and Cream Sauce). And as dessert indulge yourself with Strudel aux Pommes (Apple Strudel). Your Parisian sommelier (wine steward) will be happy to suggest appropriate wines to accompany each course.
Over the years Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, and yet he prefers fine Italian, German, or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and good company. He knows what dieting is, and is glad that for the time being he can eat and drink what he wants, in moderation. He loves teaching a variety of computer classes at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his Italian travel, wine, and food website www.travelitalytravel.com and his Italian food website www.fooditalyfood.com.
Article Source: http://www.earticlesonline.com/Article/I-Love-Touring-Paris---The-Thirteenth-Arrondissement/363501
Renan: From Wine Waiter to Food & Beverage Supervisor
A Guide To Wine Racking Systems
If you are a really serious wine buff, trying out wine rack systems is findamental and, surely, represents an important investment.
For those who just simply enjoys the occassional bottle, standard timber or steel wine racks will be just the ticket.
But for someone who intends to acquire wine and store bottles forlong periods of time, wine racks are crucial to protect against humidity and temperature fluctuations that can damage your valuable wine.
A wine rack should also be built with odorless timber to prevent adversely impacting the flavor of the wine you store in it. Maplene is one of the most favorable materials, but there are several other choices as well, for example cedar and pine.
There are a couple of fundamental factors to be mindful of when you buy wine rack units.
- Your wine storage system should allow you to retrieve bottles without having to disturb or move other bottles of wine to reach it.
- Be sure that the storage system allows your wine bottles to lay horizontally. This is necessary because it keeps the cork in contact with the wine inside, preventing the cork from drying out and breaking down. There is nothing more annoying than opening a bottle of wine only to have the cork break apart, damaging your wine.
- Be sure your wine storage system affords ample room inbetween bottles. This permits air circulation and more consistent temperatures....resulting in, naturally, better aging and better wine when it is time to open a bottle you've been storing for that special time.
Although you can buy metalic wine racks -- and some are magnificent-- for the accomplished collector who intends to store wine, timber is the preferred choice, because they do not freely conduct temperature shifts within your wine. Once more, the end result is a better aging process.
At last, decide on wine rack systems that are free standing. This not only creates a better visual appearance, but saves a great deal of room too. Some systems are stackable....allowing you the flexibility to grow your collection gradually.
Wine Jobs Europe
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Paris Boulangerie-Patisserie: Recipes from Thirteen Outstanding French Bakeries
Sale Price: $39.00  |
DescriptionThe compelling aroma of fresh, buttery croissants, the delicacy of Savarin au Chantilly, the bliss of the chocolate-mousse Le Pleyel, these are just a few of the specialties that make Parisian boulangeries and pâtisseries the best in the world... |
