CHOCO-STORY – CHOCOLATE MUSEUM
Address: 28 bd Bonne Nouvelle, Paris 10th arr., metro station Bonne Nouvelle or Strasbourg Saint-Denis. Website: http://museeduchocolat.fr
In February 2010, the Choco-Story chocolate museum began to welcome visitors in Paris, telling about the history of the sweet treat. It is located on one of the boulevards of the capital of France – Bonn Nouvel.
The exposition of the museum tells in detail about the four-thousand-year history of human processing of cocoa beans and the creation of various types of chocolate. The halls contain exhibits that tell how the Aztecs processed cocoa fruits and grains. One of the first Europeans tried their unusual drink Hernan Cortes – in 1519 at a reception hosted in his honor by the Aztec emperor Montezuma. But Christopher Columbus did not like cocoa – it clearly tasted bitter to his taste. Most of the stands already tell about the history of the conquest of the New World by chocolate, the creation of the first samples of chocolate on the continent around 1800 – before that, cocoa existed only in the form of powder and drink. There are also several figurines made of different types of chocolate on the stands of the museum. In the cinema hall, visitors are invited to get acquainted with documentaries on the same “sweet” topic. And in the very last room, a demonstration of the process of making praline sweets by a confectioner and, of course, a tasting.
The museum is open from 10:00 to 18:00, ticket offices until 17:00. Tariff: adult 9 euros, children 6-12 years old 6 euros, hot chocolate tasting according to the Aztec recipe 3 euros.
Periodically on Sundays, the museum hosts one-hour chocolate-making courses for adults and children from 6 years of age.
AQUABOULVAR – AQUABOULEVARD
Address: 4 rueLouisArmand, metro station Balard.
Open from 9.00 to 23.00, the box office closes at 21.00. Web site
Aquaboulevard www.aquaboulevard.com
What is a water park – probably, you don’t need to tell anyone, except for a swim, you can enjoy all the delights of the aqua boulevard – slides, jacuzzi, contrast showers, an artificial wave, etc. There is both an open part and a closed one (you can cross over the bridge), sometimes it’s a bit cold for the open part, depending on the weather in Paris. You can also play tennis, squash, bowling or go in for sports.
CITY OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY – CITE DES SCIENCES ET DE L’INDUSTRIE
Address: 30, avenue Corentin Cariou, metro stop Porte de la Villette,
open from 10.00 to 18.00 all days of the week except Monday.
Website www.cite-sciences.fr
The exposition is organized in the form of information “islands” about specific areas of science and technology: lighting effects, volcanoes, stars and galaxies, energy, computer science, Earth, space, meteorology, human sciences, and much more. The complex also has a planetarium, an aquarium and a “Children’s Town” (Cité des enfants) for children aged 3 to 12, as well as a “City of Professions” (Cité des métiers), a “City of Health” (Cité de la santé), Techno Cité, media library and cinema. Any family is not for one week of discovery.
Entrance tickets for adults 7.50 euros, reduced 5.5 euros, for children under 7 years old admission is free.
Planetarium costs €2.50 extra, Argonaut €3 extra, special displays for children €5
GEODE – LA GEODE – PANORAMIC CINEMA “GEODE”
Address: 26, avenue Corentin-Cariou, metro stop Porte de la Villette, entrance from Cité des sciences et de l’industrie
open from 10.00 to 21.00, closed on Mondays. Website www.lageode.fr
In the city of science and technology La Vilette, a giant ball catches the eye, in the mirror surface of which the Parisian sky and the surrounding landscape are reflected. This is a panoramic cinema “Geode” with a huge screen area of 1000 square meters. Today, this building is considered the most perfect spherical building in the world. When filming and showing films, the latest Omnimax technology (based on the fisheye principle) is used. During the demonstration of the film, the 70 mm wide film does not move in the vertical direction, but in the horizontal direction. The image on the screen is ten times larger than in a conventional cinema. Many shots were taken from a helicopter and create the effect of presence, sometimes reaching dizziness. The sight is not for the faint of heart!
The session starts at the beginning of every hour. During the periods of school holidays and the influx of tourists, it is better to go to the screenings between 10 and 12 o’clock or between 18 and 21 o’clock (the hall can accommodate only 400 spectators). By the way, Geode is the most visited cinema in Paris: a million viewers a year!
Films shown at the Geode Cinema
Origine Ocean: Underwater footage taken from different locations in the world’s oceans.
Le grand Nord: a film about reindeer migration and people’s lives in the Arctic.
L’eau et les hommes: the theme of the film is water as a source of life; Filmed in different countries of the world. The film won the Geode Grand Prix (a prize awarded by the cinema audience).
L’Egypte des Pharaons: Egypt under the pharaohs.
Le Grand Frisson: Belgian film about the thrill industry.
The ticket price is about 10 euros.
Starting from 18:30 you can watch two films in a row for about 15 euros.
Those who wish can receive free headphones to listen to the English version of the text.
More information on the websites www.lageode.fr and www.cite-sciences.fr
