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PARIS

5 things to do in Paris on Mother’s Day

Mother's Day in France falls on June 4th, here Lost in Frenchlation's Sequoia Alonso offers her five top tips for ways to celebrate in Paris.

5 things to do in Paris on Mother’s Day
Flowers are a traditional Mother's Day gift. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

Visit a flowery cafe for brunch

Nothing screams Mother’s Day more than springtime and nature. But, what if you want an even greater Parisian experience, and some food to go with it?

Paris is full of corner cafés bursting to the brim with flowers along the building walls and above awnings. Perhaps the cutest example of this is La Favorite – the pinkest café in Paris (and a well-known hangout for Instagram influencers). You can find La Favorite here.

See a stand-up comedy show

Sarah Donnelly is an American who has been living in Paris for a while now, and she knows both the American and Parisian ways of life.

She used to have a show called Becoming Maman, a comedy special about being an American Mom of French kids, which is available on YouTube. Her current show is called The Only American in Paris, in which she talks about her life and motherhood.

You can go see her on Saturday, June 3rd, at the Theatre Saint Bo Martin – tickets here.

View some antique jewellery

A new exhibition opens at L’École, the School of Jewellery Arts, on June 2nd, just in time for Mother’s Day. Called A New Art: Metamorphoses of Jewellery, 1880-1914, it explores and showcases amazing pieces from the era that aren’t regularly exhibited, including some from private collections.

This is a rare opportunity to see some fantastic antiques – tickets here.

Have a theatre trip

Theatres in Paris host numerous English-speaking shows, and there is no shortage of them on Mother’s Day weekend, as well as some opera that is performed with English subtitles in projection.

Shows on June 3rd and 4th include A Brilliant Idea, The Bald Soprano, The Lesson, La Bohème, La Traviata and The Lion King. You can find out more and buy tickets here.

Catch a Mother’s Day film screening

On Mother’s Day itself (June 4th, remember) you could take her to the cinema.

Lost in Frenchlation hosts a screening of Alexis Michalik’s Une Histoire d’Amour, a moving tale of love, family, and overcoming hardships in life. There will also be a special Ciné Balade tour starting at 5pm for a fun and informative new experience in the city, celebrating French and international movies that have been shot around Paris.

The screening will start at 8pm with the bar and pre-screening event opening at 7pm. Located at the unique boat-themed cinema Club de L’Etoile in the 8th arrondissement, this is one of the most interesting experiences you can give your mother for her special day. You can find tickets here.

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PARIS

Notre-Dame rebuild ‘meeting deadline and budget’

Paris's Notre-Dame Cathedral, ravaged by fire in 2019, is on track to re-open on time on December 8th, the head of the reconstruction said on Wednesday.

Notre-Dame rebuild 'meeting deadline and budget'

“We are meeting deadlines and budget,” Philippe Jost, who heads the public body overseeing the project, told a French Senate committee.

The fire at the UNESCO-listed cathedral, which welcomed 12 million visitors a year, shocked the world on April 15, 2019.

Jost praised the work of the 250 companies and artist groups involved in the reconstruction, which began in spring 2022 after rubble had been cleared and the foundations secured at a cost of €150 million.

He said the budget for the reconstruction phase was expected to stay below the foreseen €550 million, leaving another €150 million unspent from the huge pot of donations that poured in after the fire.

The surplus will go towards “urgent” restoration of the cathedral’s stone exterior to be carried out from 2025, Jost said.

The spire, which dramatically collapsed five years ago, is once again visible on the Paris skyline following the recent removal of its scaffolding.

The installation of the lead roof is ongoing on its solid oak frame, rebuilt with doweled wood and no metal bolts according to techniques dating back hundreds of years.

“The restoration will last for at least 860 years,” said Jost, referring to how long the cathedral had survived from its initial completion in 1163.

In addition to sprinkler systems, each section of the wooden frame has been “compartmentalised” to prevent any future fire from spreading, Jost said.

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