News about Jean Cocteau

OLIVER HOLT - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER IN PARIS: The boats that carried the Olympians along the River Seine through the torrential rain and the dark of night were festooned with strings of lights that made them look like chariots of fire. They sailed in a great flotilla of speedboats, water taxis and barges, past cardboard cut-outs of Madame Pompadour half-submerged in the river's dark waters. They sailed beneath bridges thronged with acrobats and dancers and past guitarists high on balconies as if they had been transported here from the set of Mad Max: Fury Road. The rain fell more and more heavily and drenched the pianist in his sequinned shirt as he sat at his grand piano on the Pont Royal and soaked the severed head of Marie Antoinette at a window overlooking the river. With every chaotic minute of it, the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics felt more and more like a movie made by Alain Resnais, Jean Cocteau or another of the great French surrealists.

At Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding in 2011, it wasn't just the bride and groom that drew worldwide notice. No further comment is required on Kate's sister Pippa's svelte appearance. And, of course, there were Beatrice and Eugenie, who most unexpectedly awaited sporting headgear of surprising - to put it more kindly - flamboyance. In Eugenie's case, an opulent Philip Treacy fascinator was paired with a striking Vivienne Westwood dress, a mixture that resulted in as much criticism as praise. And will have a long life in memory, for those that have lived long in the memory.

Caroline Hendrie travelled to essieas in France and Italy aboard the luxurious 100-passenger superyacht Emerald Azzurra. 'The yacht's clever layout - airy and spacious yet nifty enough to fit into small ports that cruise ships can't reach,' she says.'

There are so many restaurants, but not so much time. More than any other European city, Paris has nearly 40,000 places to dine out. But how to make the most of them? Visitors are so spoilt for choice that it's almost impossible to compile a good shortlist, particularly if you're staying for a weekend like the majority of visitors from the United Kingdom. The sheer variety of establishments is overwhelming - neighbourhood bistros, chic ethnic cafes, brassy noisy brasseries, and high-end restaurants graced with Michelin stars… just where do you start? Mark Edmonds curated this definitive guide to choosing a restaurant in Paris, a longtime Paris resident and lifelong Parisian.