Would you like to go for a slide in the most famous place in Paris and be able to admire the view of the whole city at the same time?

True story, this is not a dream, or your dreams came true because from Monday 8th of December to Sunday 15th of February 2015 you will be able to go ice skating on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower!

Yes, you heard it well; we have an ice skating rink on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower for winter time ;)

How awesome can this be to have a slide with your friends on the 1st floor of the Eiffel Tower and admire Paris view at the same time?!!!

Trust me you are badass!!!

But do you know what's even more badass than just a "simple slide on a rink in the 1^st floor of Eiffel Tower"?

The fact that you will be able to find a pub on the 1^st floor of Tour Eiffel to have a break and warm you up with mulled wine, soup and other snacks and drinks ;)

But you still didn't read the best in this story ;)

Skates renting are 100% free of charge.

You will just have to pay for the Eiffel Tower 1st floor ticket entrance:

• 5€ entrance if you take stairs
• 9€ entrance if you take elevator

Ice skating rink in Eiffel Tower is open every day from 10:30 to 22:30. 

Gloves are necessary to access to the rink ;)

A sample of ice skating rink in Tour Eiffel:

How to get to ice skating rink in Tour Eiffel: Tour Eiffel Champ de Mars  5 Avenue Anatole France, 75007 Paris

M 6 Bir-Hackeim, RER C Champs de Mars Tour Eiffel, M 6-9 Trocadero, M8 Ecole Militaire
Bus: 42-69-82-87
Vélib'(City Bike): 7023 Quai Branly – 7025 Octave Creard – 15071 Suffren
Noctilien (Night Bus): N53 Trocadéro

Maps: http://goo.gl/maps/LKPyd

Info: Skating rink in Tour Eiffel 1st floor, from Monday 8^th of December 2014 to Sunday 15^th of February 2015
Runs from 10:30 to 22:30 every day.
Skates renting free of charge; 5€ entrance to access in Tour Eiffel 1^st floor by stairs, 9€ entrance to access in Tour Eiffel 1^st floor by elevator.

Take gloves with you before going to ice skating.

More details on Eiffel Tower Ice Skating Rink.

Would you like to go to the cinema for a really tiny price?!!!

Whether you are interested to see the movie or to bring some girls in a dark comfortable seat close to you, this is what Printemps du Cinéma is all about.

Printemps du Cinéma, Cinema's Spring if we make the English transliteration, will let you have during 3 days from Sunday 22nd of March to Wednesday 24th of March Cinema's ticket entrance to all movies for 3,50€.

Printemps du Cinéma discounted ticket entrance is available in most Cinema center like Gaumont, Pathé, UGC, CGR ....
You can check Cinema's spring website if you need more details on how and where the discounted cinema ticket works.

Have a nice movie ;)

Printemps du Cinéma 2015: from Sunday 22rd of March to Wednesday 24th of March.
3,50 Cinema entrance ticket to all movies in France.
More information on Printemps du Cinéma website.

Ps: You can pay additional fee for 3D movies.

Mardi Gras also known as Pancakes Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday is another good day after Crêpes party day to eat tons of delicious crêpes!

Even if we can eat crêpes every day, it's good to have those specials days to put pancakes in the spotlight.

Mardi-Gras is a day related to Christian's calendar. Mardi-Gras is the last day before the fast of the Lent which takes place before Easter.
The Lent consists of 40 days of fasting before Easter where the worshiping is told not to eat meat and other fat food.

Before making this fast people are making a big party. They eat for the last time the fat food that they have. They are celebrating Mardi Gras and Carnival.

We invite you to taste delicious pancakes with Nutella and so on!

Pancake with nutella and cherry

Paris is famous for being known as the "city of love" and romance.

We would like to make this feeling the romance experience true for you so here comes some tips to enhance your love story for Valentine's Day and later ;)

Top 10 Romantic places in Paris during Fall and Winter:

• Admire the view from the top of Arc de Triomphe by night
• Having a walk in Latin's quarter at night
• Having a flyboat cruise on Seine's river by night
• Gazing at the Eiffel Tower sparkling at night from Trocadéro garden
• Having a French kiss on Pont des Arts (also known as the bridge of love)
• Having a dinner in a romantic restaurant of Mouffetard district
• Having a walk in Jardin des Tuileries

We wish you plenty of love and happiness :)

Your "Erasmus of Paris" International Buddies

Can you imagine the beauty of the sunrise on Arc De Triomphe and Champs Elysées Avenue?!!

We are glad to tell you that you can admire the Sunrise under Arc de Triomphe Arch From Wednesday 4th of February to Saturday 7th of February.

To see the sunrise, be in avenue de la Grande Armée at 7:10, the sun will rise under the Arch around 7:20 ;)

So get up early, grab your coat and other warm close and enjoy the beauty of this particular moment :)

A Sample of the sunrise under Arc de Triomphe Arc:

How to get to Arc de Triomphe: Arc de Triomphe – Place Charles de Gaulle Etoile 75008 Paris

• M1-2-6 RERA Charles de Gaulle Etoile
  Bus: 22-30-31-52-73-92-Balabus
  Vélib' (City Bike): 8028 Arsene Houssaye – 8057 Hoche – 8056 Wagram – 17033 Carnot
  Noctilien (Night Bus): N11-N24 Charles de Gaulle Etoile Grande Armée or CDG Etoile Champs Elysées, N53 CDG Etoile Kébler or CDG Etoile Friedland, N151-N153 CDG Etoile Friedland

• Maps: http://goo.gl/maps/PEu2x

How to get to Avenue de la Grande Armée: Avenue de la Grande Armée, 75016 Paris

• M1 Argentine
  Bus: Balabus-73 Charles de Gaulle Etoile Grande Armée
  Vélib'(City Bike): 17038 42 Avenue de la Grande Armée
  Noctilien (Night Bus): N11-N24 Charles de Gaulle Etoile Grande Armée

• Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/ebrZe

On Sunday will take place the Chinese New Year Parade in the Chinatown area of Paris.

This will be a good moment to discover more about the Chinese culture and celebrate the Wooden Goat year (see Chinese animals calendar) with your friends.

Nb: This Parade is the most famous event for the Chinese New Year celebrations but you can find tons of other good activities to celebrate Chinese New Year in Paris!

A sample of the Chinese New Year Parade in Paris:

How To Get to Chinese New Year Parade in Paris 13, Chinese Districts: Parc de Choisy  2 Rue du Docteur Magnan, 75013 Paris

• M7 Tolbiac, M5-6-7 Place d'Italie
  Bus: Streets are for pedestrians during the parade: no circulations
  Vélib': 13030 Tolbiac – 13122 Parc de Choisy – 13029-13010 Place d'Italie

• Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/0wYIF

• Chinese New Year Parade Schedule: Sunday .. of February 2015
  Departure 13:00 at 44 Avenue d'Ivry
  14:00 Parc de Choisy
  15:00 Place d'Italie
  16:00 Avenue d'Italie
  17:00 Avenue de Choisy
  
  More info For Chinese New Year Parade in Paris 13th District City Hall Website.

As you know French people love food!!
When we just finish a meal, we start to think about what we will go to eat for the next meal.
So we needed 'an excuse' to be able to eat tons of delicious crêpes without feeling guilty!

"Crêpes Party", also known as "Pancakes Party" or "Candlemas" was born.

Pancakes Party takes place every 2^nd of February and were in the pas celebrated by pagan farmer.

Pancakes with its round yellow shape represent the coming back of longer and sunnier day after winter.

The Church, in look for pilgrims took advantage from this pagan farmer celebration. They add a religious meaning in this celebration by celebrating the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple.
This celebration consists of lighting candles to enlighten and purifies the upcoming year.

Pancakes have its own place with the different meaning given to this day because pancakes in all the way represent the sun and enlightenment!

So enjoy this crêpes party day to share delicious pancakes and a good time with your friends ;)

Pancake with Fruits and Nutella

Last but not least, discover a funny proverb from Bordeaux:
"A la Chandeleur si le ciel n'est ni clair ni beau, nous aurons plus de vin que d'eau.
During Candlemas if sky is partly cloudy and without a deep sunny blue, we will get more wine than water)" 

Ps: Discover our own French Crêpes recipe!

King cake or Epiphany cake, called Galette des Rois in French, is a cake to celebrate the Epiphany.

Epiphany represents for the Christians the celebration of the apparition of the "Christ" or "Jesus" to the world, symbolized by the venue of the Magi after his birth.
The Magi, also called the Three Kings or the Three Wise Men where a group of distinguished foreigners who visited the Christ barn after his birth.
The Magi helped to spread the news of Jesus birth to the world!

Even if Epiphany cake is based on a religious symbolization, celebrating the King Cake with your friends is a lot of fun to do even if you are not practicing or believing in religions.

In France you can divide King Cake recipe in two parts:

The North of France:

The traditional King cake appears under the 17th century when Louis XIV was still a child.

King cake is made of baked puff pastry in the North of France.

King cake can be filled with:

•  delicious almond paste
•  with stewed fruits

Galette des Rois

The South of France:

In the South of France the King cake is a rounded crown shape brioche flavored with orange blossom added to some crystallized fruits. 
This cake is called "Couronne des Rois" in the South of France which means King's Crown.

 Couronne des Rois

Because you have the chance to be in France, you should try both King cakes. The North one baked with puffed pastry filled with almond paste and the Southern brioche flavored with orange blossom and crystallized fruits one ;)

Sharing a King cake with friends and family is a good moment that you will spend with people you loved.

Inside the King cake is hidden a porcelain lucky charm, so be careful with your teeth when you will crunch the King cake!

If you found the lucky charm you have the right to wear a fantasy crown symbolizing that you are the king or the queen of the day.

With family, friend or coworkers we also have the tradition that if you found the lucky charm you must bring a King cake the next day!
So we can do the King cake party everyday ;)

The tradition of eating a cake to "choose the king of the day" comes from Roman celebrations during winter time.
To bring more joy in the long winter days the Romans were entertaining themselves by breaking the daily routines: Romans were giving to one slave the attribution of "the king of the day".
For one day the slave was able to behave like a master!

In the rest of the world the "Galette des Rois" is also celebrated.

For instance, Galette des Rois is named King cake or Epiphany cake in the States, Driekoningentoart in Belgium, Roscón or Rosca de Reyes in Spain, Bolo Rei in Portugal, Vassilopita in Greece or Pita in Bulgaria.

You will be able to find Galette des Rois in bakeries and in most supermarkets ;)

Bon appetit!

Traditional day to celebrate King cake in France: 6th of January.

Usual days of King cake celebrations: 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and so on till 15 of January.

While Christmas time is celebrated with your family, New Year's Eve in France is a time that usually people spend with their friends.

New Year's Eve is a perfect time to chill out, get crazy and have fun with your friends!!!

To do so, some people decide to go out in clubs and dance all night long. The lucky one goes to some Open Bar party!

Other people just plan informal dinner with friends and share delicious meal together like toast of foie gras, other tapas toast, cakes...
After the dinner it's often time to have some card games and dance a little.

Whatever you choose to celebrate New Year's Eve, it will be a good time for you to try some real Champagne * !

When midnight comes French people pop the Champagne, cheers together and wishes their friends good things for the New Year.
... Sometimes they also decide to do crazy and stupid bet to realize in the year ^^!!

All the Erasmus of Paris team wishes you happy New Year full of fun-happiness-craziness-love!!!

Want to have a cool Open Bar Party for New Year's Eve?!!
Click here, we do have a nice plan for you ;)

* Ps: Christmas and New Year's Eve period are the best moment for you to buy and try some Champagne cuz' usually we have good promotions on Champagne bottles in supermarkets ;)

Want to have a cool Open Bar Party for New Year's Eve?!!
Click here, we do have a nice plan for you ;)

What a better memory as an Erasmus than an ice skating time in the open sky of Paris?

The cheapest and coolest ice skating rink to go during winter is just in front of the city hall!

Come to rock your ass out and have some slide with your friends in Parvis de l'Hôtel de Ville.

Plus you will be able to slide with the sounds of nice music. Ice skating in Hôtel de Ville de Paris is like sliding in an open sky ice skating dancefloor ;)

Have fun ;)

A sample of the ice skating rink in Hôtel de Ville de Paris:

How to get to ice skating Hôtel de Ville: Place de l'Hôtel de Ville 75004 Paris

• M1-11 Hôtel de Ville
  Bus: 38-67-69-75-76-96
  Vélib' (City Bike): 4017 Hôtel de Ville – 4018 Saint Bon – 4016 Lobau
  Noctilien (Night Bus): N11-N15-N16-N21-N22-N24

• Maps: http://goo.gl/maps/rFrqH

• Info: Skating rink in Hôtel de Ville, from Wednesday 17^th December 2014 to Sunday 1^st March 2015
  Runs from 12:00 to 22:00 from Monday to Friday and from 9:00 to 22:00 on Saturday-Sunday
  Free entrance if you already have skate. 6€ renting if you need skates.
  
  Take gloves with you before going to iceskating.
  
  More details about Paris on Ice.