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Events in France, Italy and
throughout Western Europe for
February - 2009
To view calendars, click on
the appropriate month
Jan|Feb|Mar|Apr|May|Jun|Jul|Aug|Sep|Oct|Nov|Dec
Bonjour,
Bienvenue! We are Your French Connexion - your personal travel
consultants for European travel. To
enhance and inspire your travel plans we want to share with you major events
in France, Italy and throughout Europe.
Interested in other events or experiences? Let us know, we'll be
happy to research them for you.
Paris, France
Paris Opéra Bastille Madame Butterfly,
Werther. Operas rotate during the week.
Palais
Garnier: Yvonne: princesse de
Bourgogne, Serge Lifar / Roland Petit / Maurice Béjart.
Ballets are different week by
week and some rotate the last week of the month.
Email Us or call 206
363 6575
to book opera and ballet tickets for your trip
Musée d'Orsay:
Orsay Museum
1, rue de la Ligion d'Honneur, 75007 Metro:
Musie d'Orsay
www.musee-orsay.fr/
 Picasso
/ Manet: Le déjeuner sur l'herbe.
The Musée d'Orsay exhibition, an extension of Picasso
and the Masters at the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, brings about
one of the most fruitful encounters in the history of painting.
October 8 2008 to February 1 2009
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Paris Louvre
Phone: 33 (0)1 40 20 51 51
Metro: Palais-Royal/Louvre
English Web Site |
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December thru March
(annual)
Place de
l'Hôtel de Ville, Paris, France
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Every winter, a large
ice-rink is created outside the Hôtel de Ville to delight Parisians and
tourists alike. Skating is the perfect way to stir up some festive spirit
and it is FREE.
The building itself is a
notable landmark, acting as the seat for the Mayor of Paris. In the
immediate area you will find safe diverse districts: the beautiful Place des
Vosges, the Marais and the Jewish quarter round the Rue des Rosiers are all
within walking distance.
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 NICE Carnival -
most
important winter event on the French Riviera.
www.nicecarnaval.com/
February-March 2009, Highlights include colorful daily events
such as flower parades, traditional float processions and fireworks
displays. It is fun for all the family, but the celebrations often continue
late into the night with theatre, live bands and DJ sets.
Music flows from every street corner and huge papier mâché characters with
giant heads parade through the city centre - some on floats, some dancing
with the crowds on the streets.
 COMBINE CARNIVAL-NICE WITH MENTON LEMON FESTIVAL
FOR A WONDERFUL WINTER VACATION
MENTON
Lemon Festival
16 February - 6 March - 2009
Sleepy Menton bursts out in a riot of colour for this citrus-scented
celebration, one of the Côte d'Azur's most popular events.
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Fun for Kids and Children of All
Ages
Please ask us for more ideas to bring Europe
alive for children
 Grand
Paradiso National Park, Italy
Walking hut to hut while viewing magnificent mountains and an abundance of
wildlife is one of the quintessential European outdoor experiences. About 1.5
hours from airports in Milan or Geneva, Grand Paradiso was Europe's first
National Park, and was originally the private hunting reserve of the ruling
House of Savoy. In 1856 King Vittorio Emmanuel II declared part of the hunting
grounds as a protected area—primarily to help save the indigenous ibex. About
3,000 of these powerful mountain goats now live in the park, along with ermine,
weasel, Eurasian badger, alpine chamois, and more than 100 bird species. There
are about 450 miles of trails lined with family-friendly huts. Today the park
covers 173,000 acres of mountains, lakes, forests, and meadows, and butts up
against France's 200-square-mile Vanoise National Park.
Villa Borghese Park, Rome
This 148-acre park is the
second largest in Rome, and one of the few green spaces easily accessible from
the city center. Filled with statues and fountains, the park also includes a
merry-go-round, a mini train, a zoo, a puppet theatre, and a small lake with
swans and boats.
 Lake
District in England - At the World of Beatrix Potter,
enter into the imagination of the stories and characters. After a short
movie about Beatrix Potter and her creations, including the inspiration
for the drawings from which her stories began, you follow an indoor
trail of scenes and life-sized figures of the animal characters of the
Beatrix Potter books, allowing kids a journey through Mr. McGregor’s
Garden, Mrs. Tiggywinkle’s Kitchen and Jemima Puddleduck’s streamland
woods. The exhibits also include an interactive virtual walk through the
"Miss Potter" movie scenes and the Lake District. Have a cup of tea in
the Tailor of Glouster Tea Room, buy some collectibles in the shop, then
head out into the real land of Beatrix Potter, the Lake District.
La Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie - Paris
The immense science and modern technology
museum has special sections for children called La Cite des Enfants and Techno
Cite. There's also an aquarium, a submarine, and a planetarium. The adjacent
park (La Villette) has one of the most successful playgrounds in Paris.
Luxembourg Gardens- Paris
The Luxembourg Gardens is the
largest park in the city. It is also jam packed with activities for
kids. There are daily marionette shows (schedules change frequently,
but mostly in the afternoons on weekdays). A classic carousel. A pond
where you can float a rented toy boat. Pony rides.
Barging in the South of France -
Always a great Family Vacation.
The Isle of Birds - Situated
in the heart of the Essonne on the outskirts of Paris, the Ile
aux oiseaux (The Isle of Birds) is a beautifully wild, unspoiled
garden that provides a natural habitat for a wide range of
animals and plants. The park is open all year-long, and
when the weather gets cold visitors can go to the various indoor
areas.
http://www.ileauxoiseaux.fr
Paris Sewer Tour
Older
kids (those in the "gross is good stage") might enjoy a tour
of the Paris sewage system where they can see (and smell) what
happens to refuse in the "City of Light." It is a fascinating
process, and the Paris Sewer Museum takes you through 500
yards of the city's 1300-plus miles of sewers. This tour is
not suitable for young children who might have difficulty
keeping their hands to themselves.
Valencia - Spain: L'Oceanográfico,
Europe’s largest aquarium, is only part of the
brilliant complex of science parks and museums. Mangrove
swamps to the igloo-shaped Arctic exhibits and Mediterranean
sea life to the movie-star dolphin, Flipper, if it’s wet, the
kids can learn about it here.
Montjuic - Barcelona Spain -
Monjuic mountain is best
described as a weekend playspace for Barcelona families. There
are gondolas, the Magic Fountains, Museums, a swimming pool, a
castle (Castle of Montjuic) and fantastic playgrounds.
Museau de la Xocolata (Chocolate
Museum), Barcelona
The chocolate museum
tells the history of chocolate and has lots of
interesting chocolate sculpture to look at. Kids of
chocolate eating age will find it interesting. and
they'll certainly enjoy the cafe and chocolate shop.
They also have kids chocolate making classes on
weekends.
More Events
throughout Europe
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Austria in
2009
Linz, Austria -
European Capital of Culture 2009
No other Austrian city has changed as dramatically as Linz has in recent
decades. What's emerged is a modern urban centre with a flourishing economy, a
city where the quality of life is exceptional. In 2009, a trip to Linz will be
especially rewarding because the city on the Danube will be serving as European
Capital of Culture and showing off what makes this such a special place.
Italy in
February
Italian Opera: We can provide tickets for clients for operas in
Roma, Milan, Bologna and other cities for January to May opera houses and in
summer for outdoor operas.
40th International Theatre
Festival - Venice - 20 Feb. to 8 March 2009.
The International Theatre Workshop
also includes performances in front of an audience.
FEBRUARY CARNIVAL EVENTS- ITALY
Venice
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 Venetian Carneval
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This
year's theme
"Sensation: 6 sense for 6 sestieri"
Celebrations in costumes and masks, entertainment
in streets and squares. Music, mimes and fireworks.
Feb 13 - Feb 24, 2009.
Private organizers offer pre-bookable day and night events including
grand evening balls in 18th Century costume in Venetian Palazzos and
outings in costume to private parties.
www.carnivalofvenice.com
Carnival Events throughout Italy
in February. Check with us for specific dates
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Ivrea Carnival
Centro Storico and Borghetto -
The Ivrea Carnival isn't the best-known in Italy but, culminating
as it does in a three day orange-fight involving the whole town
and a bonfire in the main square, it certainly ranks as one of the
most enjoyable |
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Masque of the
Devil
- Tufara
Devils walk the
streets of Tufara for Mardi gras and King Carnival, symbol of
indulgence, suffers a modern death at the hands of a firing squad. |
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La Sartiglia -
Oristano
On the last Sunday and the Tuesday of
Carnival, Oristano hosts La Sartiglia, one of the most spectacular
carnival events in Italy. More than a simple celebration of
carnival rites, a reenactment of a medieval tournament or an
exhibition of horsemanship, it is a collection of traditional and
cultural elements handed down over the centuries, deeply
significant for the local people.
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Sciacca Carnival
With its colorful costumes
and decorated floats, the carnival in the pretty village of
Sciacca is a testimony to Sicily's rich cultural heritage
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Switzerland in February
Art on Ice -
Ice gala in Zurich - Jan. 29st until Feb. 1st,
2009
The Art on Ice troupe present this year's winter extravanganza. Top
international ice skaters in sparkly costumes and a dynamic light show delight
the crowds at Zürich's Hallenstadion.
Zurich Carnival (Fasnacht) - February 27
- March 1 2009
The Zurich Carnival brings life, colour, music and
dancing to the streets of the Swiss city during this fun three-day event.
Popular with young and old, resident and visitor alike, this lively carnival
includes the costumed parade through the city's streets, the weird and wonderful
Guggen Monster Concert, live music and concerts
Germany in February
International Toy Fair : Feb. 5 - 10,
2009
Are you a kid at heart? Then Nuremberg's International
Toy Fair is the place for you.
www.spielwarenmesse.de
Carnival: Feb. 19 - 24, 2009
Pull out your wig! In Germany, Carnival is serious business.
From the Thursday through Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, clowns take
over the city -- particularly in Cologne, Munich, Düsseldorf and
Mainz. The revelling starts well before noon. Hint: It's easier to
catch the masses of candy thrown down from the parade floats with less
than 10 beers.
Berlinale Film Festival: Feb. 5 - 15, 2009
The annual Berlinale international film festival in Berlin is
Germany's largest film festival. In 2009, it will celebrate its 59th
year.
Bavarian German Alps
Holiday package for skiers with day trips included.
Email Us or call 206
363 6575
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Spain in
February
Check out these Carnivals in Spain -
Email Us
or call 206 363 6575 for
more winter events.
Carnival, Las Palmas,
Gran Canaria - Jan - Feb, 2009
El Olimpio. Greek
mythological theme to this year's carnival.
Carnival, Santa
Cruz de Tenerife - Jan - Feb, 2009
Another excuse to
celebrate! Don't miss the largest carnival in Tenerife with street
bands, processions and amazing costumes.
Carnival, Cádiz - Jan
31-Feb 10, 2009
One of the most famous carnivals in the world.
Cadiz is usually a sleepy
Andalusian coastal
city, but every year, for ten days around Shrove Tuesday, it is home
to the third-biggest Carnival in the world after Rio and Trinidad. And
what a party! Thousands of people take to the streets on the weekends
before and after the Tuesday, dressing up in outrageous masks and
colourful costumes to lampoon Spanish celebrities, politicians and big
shots.
La Candelaria Candlemas Festival
Madrid Spain
REGGUS.
Festival de Reggae, Ska y Otras Hierbas
The Wedding of Isabel de
Segura
Since 1997, the inhabitants
of Teruel have celebrated what is one of the more important public
holidays of the city: The Wedding of Isabel de Segura. Locals recreate
the mediaeval ambiance of that distant thirteenth century. Thousands
of residents revive that time through street celebrations, a
Middle-Ages market, theatre, music, dancing,…
UK in
February
London
International Antique Dolls,
Toys, Miniatures and Teddy Bear Fair
Feb 2009
- Kensington Town Hall
This fair at Kensington Town Hall is a childhood dream. Established in
1977, with four a year, it sells every doll or toy you can think of:
antique dolls, antique bears, new craft dolls, new bears, old and new
miniatures for dolls' houses, craft toys, teddy bears, miniatures and
juvenilia. The largest event of its kind in Europe, it attracts
collectors and dealers from around the the world.
Visitors can have their dolls appraised for free by Bonhams.
 Homecoming
Scotland 2009 will celebrate some of Scotland's great
contributions to the world with a year-long, country-wide programme of
exciting and inspirational events and activities.
The festivities will kick off on January 25th,
the 250th birthday of one of Scotland's most famous sons, our national
poet, Robert Burns and until St Andrew's Day (November 30th) you'll be
spoilt for choice with a fantastic array of things to see and do.
Calendar.
London Theatre
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Sample
of shows available - ask us for more selections.
(Tickets
available only to clients of Your French Connexion). |
- Avenue Q
- Billy Elliot: The Musical
- Blood Brothers
- Buddy
- Chicago
- Dirty Dancing
- Disney's Lion King
- Grease
- Hairspray
- Jersey Boys
- Mamma Mia
- Marguerite
- Oliver!
- The Phantom of the Opera
- We Will Rock You
- Wicked
- Zorro
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For best accommodations, contact us right
away!
Email
Us or call
206 363 6575
These
are but a very small sampling of events for kids of all ages from 8
to 80. Please contact us for your favorite cultural, sport, interest or
activity.
Jan|Feb|Mar|Apr|May|Jun|Jul|Aug|Sep|Oct|Nov|Dec
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