The entire city is preparing for Queen Elizabeth’s jubilee – 60 years at the throne of Great Britain – and the Olympics following suit. In the meantime there are several good shows going on. 

Saatchi gallery

Eurostar’s inauguration:

Boarding the early morning train from Paris to London, I thought about another celebration: that of Eurostar’s inauguration. The train linking France to England in a couple of hours, has revolutionized travelling between the two countries. London has become France’s fifth city! That trend might well continue and expand with the socialists victory in the French elections – at least for the richest Frenchmen. Ironically, it was the last French socialist President – François Mitterand – who inaugurated the Eurostar together with Queen Elizabeth the 6 May, 1994. He was one of the Queen’s favourite Presidents (she has had the time to meet many during her long reign…). He probably couldn’t imagine then that there would be such an exodus among his fellow country-men.

In Görrel’s Espelunds excellent book, “8 women who made a difference” (in Swedish: “8 kvinnor som skapat världsrubriker”, Sekwa publishing house, 2010), we follow some of the world’s leading women. They are examples for us to follow, not as a means to get to a power position but to create a more just and engaging world.

A novely in this deaply Catholic country: the President lives “in sin” with  a woman that he is not married to. Hollande has also promised the French women more equality and rights. Will he be a “women’s President”?

This spring and summer, Paris offers an exhibition that shows Pharaoh’s last years. At the same time, IMA’s (Institut du Monde Arabe) museum reopened after a period of restauration.

The Jacquemart-André museum

exhibits this impressive late-pharaoh’s exhibition. The museum is situated in a large avenue in one of Paris’ elegant business centers. There was no queueing this sunny and warm spring day when I entered the museum’s inner yard. The lunch restaurant showed an impressive table set up with a large variety of delicacies. Knowing that the best cookies disappear quickly, I reserved a pistachio cake before entering the air-conditioned rooms.

Four Swedish heroes were noticed during this exhibition – close to the place where France’s only extermination camp was situated – in Strasbourg: Raoul Wallenberg, Raoul Nordling, Folke Bernadotte and Harald Edelstam.