“Until the end of time…” These word have been pronounced by the majority of Europe’s population, but a lot of them haven’t fulfilled their promise of marriage, because only some years later they heard their lawyers saying: “The marriage is officially divorced”. The European Union isn’t only a community of 27 member states, it is as well the best example of a Union of divorces. The current divorce rate in Europe breaks all records. Uncountable psychologists and anthropologists are trying to find an answer to this phenomenon referring to our first human ancestors, the Homo sapiens.

According to a study elaborated by the Institute for Family Policies almost one million marriages are ending in divorce each year. If we consider this figure in more detail, this would mean that every 33 seconds a couple in Europe gets separated. These are alarming figures because over the last 25 years the divorce rate has increased over 50%. So, it is not surprising that there are less Europeans who have the courage to marry his or her mate. And if they dare to walk up the altar, then they decide to take this important step very late: according to official studies, the average age of women getting married is about 28,2 years and the age of men 30 years.

Although the Mediterranean Europeans are in the group of the most desired women and men according to finding the perfect partner in life, it seems like that in the southern countries of Europe divorces are the new trend: over the last 25 years the divorces in Portugal has increased by over 89%, followed by Italy with 62% and Spain with an average of 59%. Meanwhile in Germany marriages last about 10,4 years, the married couples in Cyprus are fighting with the seven year itch.

Everyone is trying desperately to find the reason for this huge divorce rate in Europe. Is it the fault of the financial crisis, the globalization, climate change or society? Numerous experts think about that matter in a different way and relate it to the first human ancestors. The genetic make-up of the homo-sapiens shows us that they were completely unprepared for a lifelong relationship. The homo-sapiens stayed with their partners for almost four years, enough time for bringing up their children. A lot of experts defend this point of view: the unique biological reason to be with his partner is because of the offspring. According to science, to be in love with someone is only a kind of motivation system of the brain and a normal human drive.

However, every one of us should find his personal answer to this phenomenon. Nevertheless, experts give us the advice to try to trick our brain so that our organism transmits more dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin (hormones which control the well-being, feelings of happiness, etc.).

Don’t let your decision be swayed by the high divorce rate and show Europe that you are capable of living with your partner until the end of time. For reaching your goal, why don’t you spend a romantic holiday in one of the most beautiful European capitals? Rent an apartment in Paris: the best alternative for comfortable and cheap accommodation of high quality.

There aren’t many days left for the premiere of the 62nd Edition of the Cannes Film Festival that will be celebrated from May 13th to May 24th in the French city. For the first time in the history of the festival, an animation movie will inaugurate the contest: Up, by Disney-Pixar; although in previous years this genre has already been included in the Official Section of the event.

The renowned French actress Isabelle Huppert will preside over the jury of the present edition, accompanied by the Italian Asia Argento, the U.S. director James Gray, the Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, the U.S. actress Robin Wright Penn, the Taiwanese actress Shu Qi, the British novelist Hanif Kureishi and the Korean writer and director Lee Chang-dong.
This year will see some great names from the world of cinema compete for the Golden Palm, with a special presence of Europe and Asia, and with The United States as the great absentee. These are some of the names that compete for the prestigious award: Tarantino with ‘Basterds and Antichrist’ (he will be the only North American filmmaker in the festival); Michael Haneke with ‘Le Ruban Blanc’; Ang Lee with ‘Taking Woodstock’; or Marco Bellocchio with ‘Vincere’. From Asia comes the Taiwanese director Ang Lee, the Chinese director Lou Ye, the Filipino director Brillante Mendoza or Johnnie To from Hong Kong.

The Spanish representation at the festival is very important due to the presence of two major nominees for the Golden Palm: Isabel Coixet with ‘Mapa de los sonidos de Tokio’ and Pedro Almodovar with ‘Los abrazos rotos’. But this will not be the only Spanish representation at Cannes as the film Agora by Alejandro Amenábar has been submitted “out of competition”.

In addition to Tarantino with ‘Pulp Fiction’, other awarded directors will compete in the Cannes Festival for the Golden Palm again: the British director Ken Loach with ‘Looking for Eric’; the Danish director Lars von Trier with ‘Antichrist’; and the New Zealander Jane Campion, the first woman who won the award in 1992 with ‘The Piano’ and who this year is presenting the film ‘Bright Star’.

Do not miss one of the best film festivals in the world. The Cannes International Film Festival 2009 is waiting for you in France. Take the first flight to Cannes and enjoy some of the best movies of the year. And while you are there, why not take advantage and visit the city of lights, too. Rent the best apartments in Paris and enjoy your stay!

It’s time to have fun, meet Disney characters and live in a world of magical adventures! The best shows, imaginary countries, and many adventures are waiting for you. The Disneyland Paris fun park is the largest in Europe: it is an entertainment centre for the whole family, where you’ll find fun and experiment new emotions.

Make a wish and in this wonderful amusement park it will come true. Discover the most beautiful landscapes of Disney and you will see they look just as you imagined them when you heard the stories of the great classics; this is the place where fairy tales really do happen!

There are a thousand emotions to live, travel around the world, unforgettable adventures that will take you to the limits of time and space. In every corner of the park there are things to do for the whole family, but you can also organize a holiday with friends or your partner. It will always be a special and magical journey.

Shows, festivals and more importantly, hundreds of attractions for all ages await you every day in the streets of the park. The clientele is varied and heterogeneous. If you’ve always dreamed of Disney characters, this is your chance, your cartoons will materialize in front of you like a spell. In addition, the musicians and dancers from all around the world will welcome you with a big hug and friendly smiles.

At Disneyland there are 5 countries of adventure and excitement: Main Street USA, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Discoveryland and Adventurland. Believe in the fables, visit the small towns of the 1900′s, the conquest of the West, full of exciting adventures and entertainment, travel in time, this is really possible now at Disneyland Paris! The park also offers maps with all possible information on the best way to enjoy this experience.

After such strong emotions, don’t worry you won’t starve to death! You will find loads of restaurants, cafes and bars all with a fantastic atmosphere, where you can relax and enjoy a good meal after all the adventures of the day!

Now you only need to reserve your vacation in this fantastic world of adventure. Rent Apartments in Paris for your comfort and for saving money, come and enjoy more than a thousand great adventures in Disneyland Paris!

The Pompidou Centre will host the greatest Kandinsky retrospective of all time. After the vast success it has enjoyed in Munich, this exhibition features a wide range of works from different periods of the distinguished painter. Many paintings are loans from museums as far apart from each other as Russia, USA or Germany. From April 8th to August 10th the Pompidou Centre will bring together more than 100 paintings collected from these museums, whose Kandinsky collections include the largest compilation of this great painter. In addition, there will be on show some master pieces coming from significant public and private collections.

This major retrospective honours the work of one of the 20th century’s key figures, Wassily Kandinsky. He is considered the founder of abstract painting and great theorists of Modernism. He was born in Moscow in 1866 and he died in 1944 in Paris, and is seen as one of the great innovators in twentieth-century art.

This show will include only major paintings that were decisive in Kandinsky’s artistic development. It brings together such important paintings as the Impressions and the Improvisations. The Pompidou Centre will focus on Kandinsky’s work during the Russian Revolution and his time at the Bauhaus in Weimar and Dessau up to 1933. But it is also possible to see the famous Blue Rider collection. The collaboration between he Guggenheim, the Pompidou, and the Lenbachhaus museums will bring together works such as Munich’s early masterpiece, A Colourful Life (1907), or the Guggenheim’s Light Picture (1913) never before seen together.
Kandinsky is curated by Christian Derouet, Curator at the Musee national d’art moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris; Tracey Bashkoff, Associate Curator for Collections and Exhibitions at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; and Annegret Hoberg, Curator at the Stadtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich. Karole Vail, Assistant Curator, assisted with the organization of the New York presentation.
Do you like abstract art? Are you especially fond on Kandinky’s paintings? Travel to the French capital this spring and discover the greatest Kandinsky retrospective you’ll ever see! Rent Apartments in Paris and enjoy the best accommodation in the city.

It’s very easy to get lost in the Louvre Museum. Sometimes because we can’t find the exit, and sometimes because so many of the works of art captivate us and we lose all sense of time and space. The Louvre Museum is one of the most spectacular and best known museums in the world. It receives over 8 million visitors annually. In fact, this is one of the most visited tourist attractions along with the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral.

The Louvre Museum began to take shape in 1516, under the Francis I rule, which began to rebuild an ostentatious palace on the ancient palace ruins of Philip Augustus. Francis I commissioned Leonardo Da Vinci to contribute and inject a bit of prestige into the French Renaissance. He painted the famous Mona Lisa for this project. Today, the enigmatic smile is considered one of the most prestigious art works of all time. Since then, successive monarchs have contributed to expanding and improving the museum. During the reign of Henry IV, the Denon wing (the area along the Seine River) was finished. Napoleon III completed the Richelieu Wing (the Rue de Rivoli area).

Around 1850 the state seized the Museum due to the French Revolution and in 1981, the Republic president François Mitterrand inaugurated the museum’s architectural showpiece: the glass inverted pyramid (by Ieoh Ming Pei).

In addition, the Louvre is located in the heart of Paris and enjoys a sublime landscape through the majestic Tuileries gardens and the Carrousel Arc. This is one of the most beautiful places in Paris, full of colours and beautiful odors. The main entrance to the museum is the inverted pyramid. According to the map, the museum is divided into three wings: Denon, Richelieu and Sully.

Denon: this is the most popular area of theLouvre. It houses the most important pieces of French and Italian art such as La Gioconda) and Italian sculpture. It also houses some paintings by Goya and Murillo.

Richelieu: here you will find French art, an exquisite collection of paintings and sculptures and other objects such as furniture, jewels and tapestries. Richelieu also houses a vast collection of Middle Eastern antiquities, Islamic art and Northern European Art (German painting, Flemish painting and Dutch painting).

Sully: here you’ll find Greek art, Roman Etruscan art, Egyptian art and medieval art. It’s impossible to visit all the Louvre rooms in just one day, so it’s recommended to visit the following collections: on the ground floor, the Greek antique and the Egyptian pharaohs; on the first floor, the XVI-XVII centuries French and the Italian paintings (La Gioconda). After that, choose the one you prefer most. Other possibilities include the temporary exhibitions.

If you just want to spend a quiet day in the Museum there is no problem: there is a delicious international restaurant. In addition, you can also buy some souvenirs.

The museum opens daily from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, except Tuesdays and holidays. On Wednesday and Friday it opens until 22:00 pm. The first Sunday of each month the museum is free. The tickets cost 9 Euros and you can also purchase them online.

Probably you’ve been to Paris and you’ve already visited the Louvre, but this museum is a mandatory stop. If youhaven’t, travel to the most romantic city and visit the Louvre Museum! Rent Apartments in Paris to have an unforgettable stay.

France, and more in particular Paris,is the birthplace of the Nouvelle Cuisine and the perfect dining experience. It is also the birthplace of some of the most important chefs in the world. Some delicacies such as the foie, crêpes or Camembert cheese are French products that have been exported to the rest of the world. Undoubtedly, one of Paris’ main attractions is its refined and exclusive gastronomy.

In the 1970’s, a few chefs decided to renew the classic dishes of French aristocracy, giving them a new cosmopolitan touch, but always taking into account their nutritional level. Since them, fresh food is a priority, a thorough elaboration on recipes and unique dishes (the garnishes are served separately). Thus, Paris became the capital of Haute Cuisine.

Many of the world’s most prestigious restaurants are located in the city of lights: Maxim´s, the Tour d’Argent, or the Les Ambassadeurs to name but a few.

It also has the best specialty delicatessen stores where you can find truffles from the Maison de la Truffe, Heriard jams or Kaspar caviar. We know that Haute Cuisine is not affordable for every wallet, but don’t worry because Paris also offers more attainable dishes, especially in the Latin Quarter. On the other hand, there is a regional cuisine that comes from the old rural zones and whose specialty is onion soup.

One of the fundamental elements in Parisian gastronomy is the cheese, whose king happens to be the famous Camembert cheese which has an intense flavour and a soft texture. While there are suitable cheeses for all tastes and all wallets, other Parisian specialities are the breads and the confectionery, where some chefs are real masters. There is also a huge variety among the breads and the pastries.

You have to taste the petit fours, the meringues, the typical fritters or the famous baguettes.

Wine is another indispensable element in fine French cuisine. Among their best drinks you’ll find Burgundy, Cognac and Champagne. The Vin de table is a high-quality and more affordable typical French wine.

Without a doubt, Paris is a gourmets’ paradise. All those food lovers who want to taste the most delicious French delicacies, Paris is the preferred city. If you want to enjoy a perfect stay, rent
Paris Apartments and make it unforgettable.