ISABEL GARCÍA Madrid
Madrid
Updated Saturday, February 3, 2024-00:09
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Everything that is identified with French
savoir-faire
(or the art of knowing how to enjoy life) is present. From classic croissants to a Roquefort, through a
Pinot Noir
, an arthouse film or, of course, a high-end perfume. These are some of the nine stops at different establishments in Madrid linked to culture,
fashion, cuisine or the seventh art
of our neighbors. From the Robuchon restaurant to the Formaje cheese shop or the Renoir cinemas.
The route, available throughout
the month of February
through
experiences, free flights and personalized discounts
, is conceived as an immersion in the particular Gallic lifestyle. It has its own name,
Le Voyage by Air France
, since this airline is the architect of the idea, promoted on the occasion of its 90th anniversary. "The tour is the celebration of 90 years of elegance, haute couture,
design, art, travel and gastronomy
from the perspective of a city like Madrid, which has so much to offer. We want this route to be an experiential trip for those who enter in it," explains Laurent Perriet, general director of Air France-KLM for Spain and Portugal. He does so after a parade of the company's iconic uniforms held at
Galería Ganalejas,
the luxury shopping and gourmet center, during the presentation of the itinerary.
Artisanal cheeses from Formaje.
Among the brilliant suits, some from the 40s and 50s by designers such as
Balenciaga or Dior
or the most recent by
Christian Lacroix stand out.
They can be seen in the exhibition on the ground floor of the gallery as a starting point for the journey. In its
food hall
there is also
The Wine Shop
, the second stop on the route and one of the most surprising
wine stores
in Madrid, bringing together more than 200 references in just 12 square meters.
The blame lies with its original
five-meter-high cellar
in the shape of a rotating ferris wheel. "We want to give visibility to small wineries, moving away from the classic binomial of
Ribera or Rioja
in the case of Spain," says winemaker Bryan Morales behind the bar. Within the Air France proposal, it offers a box of a bottle of a wine from the acclaimed Burgundy winery Joseph Drouhin and another of
Gosset champagne,
which has been producing sparkling wines since 1584. Both can be tasted in the airline's Business class .
The Wine Shop wine cellar.
The tour continues at the Modus Operandi
art gallery
(Lope de Vega, 31), the scene of an exhibition of Air France posters from its beginnings, signed by illustrators of the stature of Dransy, Lucien Boucher and Jean Cocteau. The Spanish Jorge Arévalo now joins us, who has expressed his vision of the route in an ad hoc work. The time has come for a
culinary tribute
from the
Robuchon Madrid
restaurant (Pº de la Castellana, 12), whose chef, the famous Joël Robuchon, has recreated his menus for Air France first class, creating an exclusive one for the route. Under the name La Première, it consists of six dishes such as
imperial caviar with fresh samon tartar
, sautéed scallops with Carolina sauce and fake risotto or duck parmentier and Robuchon puree.
The
gastronomic
section continues at
Formaje
(Plaza de Chamberí, 9), which has prepared a selection of
five artisanal French cheeses
that can be purchased in the store, along with a 10% discount code for plane tickets. This is also available in the seven pastry shops of
Maison Kayser
(which has created a
croissant
, Crubo, topped by a macaron, for the anniversary) and in the cult perfumery
Le Secret du Marais
(Hortaleza, 75), where it will be given as a gift ceramic that can be personalized with perfumes that transport you to Provence or the Breton coast.
Perfumer at Le Secret du Marais.
Fashion could not be missing from the plan. The chosen one is the company
Longchamp
(Serrano, 56), which has a space decorated for the occasion, in addition to offering the Raúl Arévalo print as a gift to whoever buys its travel items. And be careful, because one of them hides a
golden ticket
redeemable for a flight to Paris for two people. The tour concludes at the
Renoir theaters
(Princesa, 3), where a series of French films will be screened over the next four Thursdays.
PRACTICAL GUIDE
TOUR Experiences to power.
The route for Air France's 90 years is made up of nine stops at establishments in Madrid linked to Gallic culture and lifestyle.
SAMPLE The art of posters.
The illustrator Raúl Arévalo has designed a poster for the anniversary, in addition to the vinyls in the shop windows and the packaging of the products on the route.
GASTRO Cheese tradition.
Anyone who stops by the Formaje store can try the selection of five artisanal cheeses: Selles sur Cher, Reblochon d'Alpage, Brie de Meaux, Comté and Roquefort.
FILMS Film series.
The Renoir theaters will show four French films in their original versions: the preview of 'Rosalie', 'Anatomy of a Fall', 'My Crime' and 'Simone, le voyage du siècle'.
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