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Welcome to the jungle: First look at the Café de Paris’ new rooftop restaurant, the Amazónico

by: Stephanie Horsman
09/02/2023
amazonico monaco

Amazónico, the luxe rainforest-themed restaurant serving up sushi and Latin American cuisine in Madrid, Dubai and London, is finding a new home in Monaco at the newly renovated Café de Paris. Here’s a sneak peak of what it will be like.  

The Amazónico brand, known for its tropical ambiance and inspired menu that mixes Latin American cuisine and sushi, is already making huge waves in London, Dubai and Madrid. Now it is set to open on the Place du Casino in Monaco as part of the much-anticipated reopening of the Café de Paris.

The restaurant, first created in 2010 by Spaniards Sandro Silvo and Marta Seco in Madrid, has been touted as a “sensory journey” that incorporates all the senses. Live jazz music accompanies the visual experience, where diners feel transported to the Amazon basin in a living, breathing environment of live plants, tropical-print décor and opulent velvet seating.  

Amazonico Monte-Carlo - Visuel 3D
Amazónico by night. Photo courtesy of Société des Bains de Mer

A lounge bar will feature a resident DJ pumping out “electro-pical” tunes, and a private speakeasy-style section will offer restaurant patrons an air of exclusivity.  

Though the menu for Monaco’s version has not been released, it can be expected to follow in the same vein as the other locations, offering a mix of signature and locally-inspired dishes.  

The €40 million renovation of the landmark Café de Paris is expected to be complete at the end of June, just in time for the summer season. Owners Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer have been able to walk a fine line between modernising the space and retaining the classic belle-epoque beauty, adding two floors and space for several boutiques as well as Amazónico. 

READ MORE:

Revealed: Café de Paris’ spectacular renovation

 

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Photos courtesy of Société des Bains de Mer

Opération Tranquillité Vacances: French police offer free home surveillance

by: Stephanie Horsman
09/02/2023
Opération Tranquillité Vacances

If you are taking a vacation away from home, or your second home, this school holiday break, why not take advantage of Opération Tranquillité Vacances, a free police service that monitors your property in case of burglary. 

Opération Tranquillité Vacances is the brainchild of the three branches of the French police. This collective effort between the gendarmerie, local and national police was set up to help deter robberies from occurring when people are away on holiday by monitoring the homes of those who sign up for the service.  

Police officers patrol the homes of registered users randomly, day and night, as a deterrent to anyone who may be considering breaking in. If a break-in or theft does occur, the police notify the user either personally or via a trusted person or friend.  

The idea is that the faster one can react in the event of a burglary, the less damage will be incurred, allowing people time to do necessary tasks such as change locks, contact insurance companies or cancel credit cards.   

The service is open to those resident in France and who are planning to be away for a maximum of one year. It is available year-round. As of now, businesses are not included in the list of those who can apply.  

To register for the service, apply at a local police station or sign up online. 

 

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Photo source: Gwedal Cottin for Unsplash 

Rock and opera to headline this year’s Fête du Citron in Menton

by: Elsa Carpenter
09/02/2023
fête du citron

One of the more eclectic festivals of the Côte d’Azur, the Fête du Citron in Menton really is something to be seen to be appreciated. It kicks off this weekend. 

Thousands of the region’s prized citrus fruits are brought into Menton by the lorry-load ahead of the annual Fête du Citron, which begins on Saturday 11th and runs until Sunday 26th February this year. They’re destined for an immense display of gigantic structures erected around the town as well as a parade of floats that tours Menton’s boulevards and avenues during the festival.  

The theme this year is ‘Rock and Opera’ so expect icons from the musical world, such as Elvis Presley, to feature in the display in the Biovès Gardens. Various parades and concerts in line with the theme are scheduled over the course of the two weeks, including the Trio of Legends night honouring all-time French favourites Johnny Vegas, Eddy Deville and Gabriel Mailly on Tuesday 14th. There will also be a Pink Floyd event dedicated to the 50th anniversary of their most memorable album, The Dark Side of the Moon, on Saturday 18th.  

For families, the Carnaval des Enfants on Wednesday 15th and Wednesday 22nd at 3pm will delight children of all ages with its fabulous array of colour and sound.

Side events at the Fête du Citron include the arts and crafts market in the Palais de l’Europe, which promotes locally sourced and produced goods from the surrounding towns and villages. Menton is still Europe’s biggest producer of citrus fruit so expect plenty of tangy flavours at the many tasting stations. The orchid festival, held in the same building, is also a highlight, and offers another layer of appreciation to the event for botanic fanatics. Both are free to enter.   

For more information about the programme and where to buy tickets, please click here.  

 

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Photo source: Fête du Citron

Composting revolution coming to France in 2024

by: Elsa Carpenter
08/02/2023
composting

A new French law requiring people to compost or sort biodegradable waste at home will come into force next year. Here’s how you can prepare for that change now. 

According to France’s public service, all households must have a solution allowing them to sort their biodegradable waste from January 1st 2024. ,” reads France’s public service website. “Local authorities responsible for implementing this provision must offer them means of sorting at source, individually or collectively, such as separate bins for specific collection, and individual or collective composting.” 

The objective is simple: to reduce the amount of household waste in landfills, often buried or burned, and thus decrease the country’s production of greenhouse gases.  

Local councils across the south of France have been slow to prepare for the sweeping changes, which will affect all of France under the L541 -21-1 section of the Environmental Code introduced in 2020.  

A number of collective composting systems have been opened recently in Nice, such as that of the Jardin Marshall and the Square Giordan, but many more will be needed if all residents are going to be able to comply with the new law. The challenge will be particularly felt in built-up residential areas and by those living in apartments without access to a garden or viable space for home-composting. A list of collective composting sites currently operational in the Alpes-Maritimes, run by Univalom, is available here.  

For those with a garden, free composting systems are available through Univalom, as well as comprehensive information on the “do’s and don’t’s” of composting.  

And if you still don’t know where to start, one excellent online resource is the enthusiastic ‘Compost Coach’ on Instagram. Known as Compostable Kate, she offers helpful advise on all manners of composting, from the recognisable composting bins to worm farms and Bokashi.

 

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Photo source: Edward Howell for Unsplash

Pension reform strikes: unions call for “harder, more massive, more numerous” strikes on 11th February

by: Stephanie Horsman
08/02/2023
pension reform strikes

The third pension reform strikes in a month in France drew significantly less people on Tuesday, however another is planned in just a matter of days.   

According to union sources from the CGT, two million people were out in the streets of France on Tuesday versus the more conservative French Ministry of the Interior figure of 757,000. Unions in Nice set their own numbers at 20,000 marchers, though police estimated around 6,300.  

The turnout, whilst not exactly disappointing, has re-energised strike organisers, who are now looking ahead to Saturday 11th February, when another strike is in the offing.  

“Tonight’s message will be a call to demonstrate massively on Saturday,” said Laurent Berger, the CFDT secretary general, on Tuesday. He suggested the diminished numbers were caused by “a small handicap with the holidays”, which started in Zone A this week, adding, “[But] the parliamentary debate is until the end of March, and in March there will be no more holidays.”  

CGT leader Philippe Martinez called for strikes to be “harder, more massive, more numerous”, with the intention of rallying workers into taking to the streets this coming Saturday.  

Though the strikes are largely over for many for now, the SNCF is continuing its actions into Wednesday, with the company saying that regular service will be disrupted, making for difficult commutes. TER traffic is severely curtailed in the Alpes-Maritimes region. For information on what is running and when, visit the website. 

 

READ MORE:

France to raise retirement age to 64

 

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Photo source: Dean Moriarty on Pixabay   

Study reveals the world’s safest airlines for 2023

by: Elsa Carpenter
08/02/2023
safest airlines

AirlineRatings.com has released the results of its Top 20 Safest Airlines in the World for 2023 and the list shows that experience – of the carrier and the crew – is the biggest factor in a safe flight. So which airline takes the top spot? 

That accolade goes to Qantas, the Australian flag carrier that has been in operation for over 100 years, making it the third oldest airline still flying and “industry’s most experienced airline”, according to AirlineRatings.com’s editor-in-chief, Geoffrey Thomas. The world’s oldest airline in operation is KLM, which came in 18th position.  

Filling out the rest of the Top Five is Air New Zealand, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines. The first European airline to rank is TAP Air Portugal in sixth, which flies regularly out of Nice Airport.  

Other big names at Nice Côte d’Azur Aéroport also feature on the list: Emirates (seventh), SAS (13th), Lufthansa (15th), Finnair (16th), British Airways (17th), and Delta (20th). The French flag carrier of Air France failed to make the Top 20.  

In total, the study considered 385 airlines in its rankings, looking at crashes over the last five years, serious incidents over two years, audits from aviation’s governing bodies and lead associations, fleet age, expert analysis of pilot training, and COVID protocols.  

Click here for the full list.  

 

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Photo by Monaco Life