Category: Paris

Happy B-day Delacroix

Published by JoeStartAuthor on April 28, 2018

Happy Birthday Eugene Delacroix. He’s known for historical paintings. For moments in the past before cameras. Vast action scenes of battles. These canvasses take up entire walls, more than three meters wide at times. Must’ve taken forever to paint. How did he get all those people to pose for so long?

I’ll guide you to his final resting place on MyVoiceMap audio tours of the Père Lachaise cemetery, and tell stories from his life.

See funny pics and text from our picnic together in The Chairfather book.

The passed have never been more alive!

Book a lunch date with the fallen famous NOW!

Or later…

Really, it doesn’t matter. Their agendas are quite open.

#Paris #tourism #travel #VoiceMap #audioguide #eBook #goofball

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Happy B-day Baron

Published by JoeStartAuthor on March 27, 2018

Happy Birthday Georges aka Baron Haussmann. If you like your cities with elbow room, leg room, you’ll like Georges.

His modifications transformed Paris dramatically: wide avenues, straight lines, more parks, room to move and enjoy. If you want to know what Paris was like before Haussmann, take a walk around London. The British capital hasn’t really changed its footprint since the middle ages. That’s why Londoners are constantly bumping into one another, being pushed off narrow sidewalks, getting lost in winding streets and never finding a bench or a park to take a break.

I’ll guide you to his final resting place on MyVoiceMap audio tours of the Père Lachaise cemetery, and tell stories from his life.

See funny pics and text from our picnic together in The Chairfather book.

The passed have never been more alive!

Book a lunch date with the fallen famous NOW!

Or later…

Really, it doesn’t matter. Their agendas are quite open.

#Paris #tourism #travel #VoiceMap #audioguide #eBook #goofball

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En voiture, Simone

Published by JoeStartAuthor on March 25, 2018

It’s your Birthday Simone Signoret. The expression ‘En voiture, Simone’ meaning ‘let’s go’ has nothing to do with the alluring actress. It comes from one of the hosts on ‘Intervilles’ when they wanted to get the game started.

Anyway, in honor of Simone Signoret, I’d like to invite you to get in your car for two destinations. First stop, the city hall of L’Etang-la-ville. I’ve lived in the area for more than a dozen years, but only just found out that the suspense classic ‘Les Diaboliques’ was filmed there. It’s so cool to know I’m walking in her footsteps when I go to find out when the next village-wide yard sale will be taking place!

Next stop, Paris. I’ll guide you to her final resting place on my @VoiceMap tours of the Père Lachaise cemetery, and recite stories from her life.

See funny pictures and text from our picnic together in The Chairfather book. Find out why she slaps me, the wildcat!

The passed have never been more alive!

Book a lunch date with the fallen famous NOW!

Or later…

Really, it doesn’t matter. Their agendas are quite open.

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Joyeux anniversaire, Marcel

Published by JoeStartAuthor on March 23, 2018

Happy Birthday to a man of few words, Marcel Marceau.

Likeways, I’ll shut up and let the images speak for themselves…

I’ll guide you to his final resting place on MyVoiceMap audio tours of the Père Lachaise cemetery, and tell stories from his life.

See funny pics and text from our picnic together in The Chairfather book.

The passed have never been more alive!

Book a lunch date with the fallen famous NOW!

Or later…

Really, it doesn’t matter. Their agendas are quite open.

#Paris #tourism #travel #VoiceMap #audioguide #eBook #goofball

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Wszystkiego najlepszego Chopin

Published by JoeStartAuthor on March 1, 2018

Happy Birthday Frédéric Chopin. You’re not just a virtuoso pianist and soulful composer, Freddie, you’re also a guy with a lot of heart! Figuratively, but not literally, as I found out on our lunch together. Get to the heart of the matter by walking my tour, or reading my book.

In honor of him, here’s one of his pieces which is too rarely played, only at funerals. Maybe it was played at his own. I like to put it on in quiet introspective moments, deeply felt. Yes, believe it or not, this simple soul is capable of experiencing those emotions. Why just the other day I had one, reflecting on the Ricky Proehl touchdown versus Tampa. See!

I’ll guide you to his final resting place on MyVoiceMap audio tours of the Père Lachaise cemetery, and tell stories from his life.

See funny pics and text from our picnic together in The Chairfather book.

The passed have never been more alive!

Book a lunch date with the fallen famous NOW!

Or later…

Really, it doesn’t matter. Their agendas are quite open.

#Paris #tourism #travel #VoiceMap #audioguide #eBook #goofball

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Buon Compleanno Rossini

Published by JoeStartAuthor on February 28, 2018

Happy Birthday Gioachino Rossini! Actually, we’re a bit early, because his birthday would be tomorrow, but this year doesn’t have a tomorrow. That is, there’s no February 29th. But I don’t want to wait until Feb. 29, 2020 to celebrate the magnifico Italian composer.

Just like there’s nothing this year in between Feb. 28 and March 1, there’s nothing behind the house marked “Rossini” at Père Lachaise. Why dat? Come along my walk and I’ll tell ya.

I’ll guide you to his final resting place on my @VoiceMap tours of the Père Lachaise cemetery, and tell stories from his life.

See funny pictures and text from our picnic together in The Chairfather book.

The passed have never been more alive!

Book a lunch date with the fallen famous NOW!

Or later…

Really, it doesn’t matter. Their agendas are quite open.

#MyVoicemap #Paris #tourism #audioguide

Leave a Comment

Return of the Hero

Published by JoeStartAuthor on February 22, 2018

Le Retour du Héros

Le Retour du Héros Bande-annonce VF

Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin is at it again, playing a lovable liar, and a pompous ass. This time, he’s a soldier from the Napoléonic era. Good fun for anyone who likes his OSS 117 character. Go see the film at night.

During the day, check out a the life of a real soldier in the Grande Armée, by going on The Chairfather tour. I’ll guide you to the final resting place of Antoine de Guillaume-Lagrange on my @VoiceMap tours of the Père Lachaise cemetery, and tell stories from his life.

See funny pictures and text from our picnic together in The Chairfather photo book.

The passed have never been more alive!

Book a lunch date with the fallen famous NOW!

Or later…

Really, it doesn’t matter. Their agendas are quite open.

#MyVoicemap #Paris #tourism #audioguide #herosouescroc

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Happy B-day Paul Tissandier

Published by JoeStartAuthor on February 21, 2018

He’s the least well-known of the high-flying Tissandier trio. Before the rocket man, there was the airplane man, Paul, one of the pioneers of aviation, and the first holder of the air speed record. He didn’t arrive there by chance, as he comes from a family of cloud ticklers. His father and uncle were balloon boys, setting records higher and farther in their montgolfiers.

I’ll guide you to the final resting place of all three Tissandiers on MyVoiceMap tours of the Père Lachaise cemetery, and tell stories from their lives.

See funny pictures and text from our picnic together in The Chairfather book.

The passed have never been more alive!

Book a lunch date with the fallen famous NOW!

Or later…

Really, it doesn’t matter. Their agendas are quite open.

Leave a Comment

traffic jammin’ with Joe

Published by JoeStartAuthor on February 16, 2018

If you’ve poked your head out the rolled-down window, trying to see who’s at the front of a long line of unmoving cars, I’ll tell you. It’s probably me.

The world traffic jam report is out, aka « Global Traffic Scorecard » from Inrix. Los Angeles, where I was born, is #1. Paris, where I now live, is #9. In all, I’ve lived in 5 of the world’s Top 10 most congested cities. Apologies everybody.

Today is the 38th anniversary of the longest traffic jam in history, according to Scienceoholic. Bumper-to-bumper cars stretched for 175 km from Lyon to Paris on February 16, 1980. No, I wasn’t there 😉

On the eve of Parisian schools’ Winter vacations, where masses of people drive to the Alps to ski, let’s not try to break any records, people. I’ll do my part by staying home!

Three of the most clogged cities feature prominently in my travel memoir French License. Read a sample. Buy the book. Keep a copy in your glovebox just in case.

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Happy V-Day Héloïse and Abelard

Published by JoeStartAuthor on February 14, 2018

Ah, love! Such a wonderful feeling. What wouldn’t we give up for love?

Well, I for one wouldn’t give up what Abélard did! It was involuntary, but quite permanent.

The main reason why we know his story, nearly 1 000 years later this Valentine’s Day, is because of the love letters he and his beloved Héloïse sent to each other. Circumstances split them up, hundreds of miles apart, each retrenching into a celibate life of the cloth. But, man, them robes and habits never stopped their hearts from pounding for each other! In repressive medieval times, they wrote passionately about their desires. There’s such feeling in those texts, how they struggled with their vows to God, while acknowledging their carnal thoughts. Ho, baby! Theirs was the best-selling harlequin novelette of the 12th century. Steamy!

What did Abélard lose? I’ll let you in on his dirty little secret on my @VoiceMap tour of the Père Lachaise cemetery. Download it here:

See funny pictures and text from our picnic together in The Chairfather book.

The passed have never been more alive!

Book a lunch date with the fallen famous NOW!

Or later…

Really, it doesn’t matter. Their agendas are quite open.

Leave a Comment