The Casino at Deauville by Julien

Julien is back! Glutton for punishment, for he has another 2h...professional stuff out of the way, he is now ready for another creative hour on "Back In Paris". Today, he has chosen the Deauville Casino because it's classy, chic and elegant. He wears a penguin suit (compulsory) and even has been known to smoke a fat cigar just to look cool.

Here's Julien:

"The Deauville Casino is in Normandy and stands on the sea-front, near the 'promenade des planches' where you find wooden cabins bearing the names of famous actors such as George Clooney, Sharon Stone (left) and Al Pacino, because Deauville is the French capital of the American film festival.

The casino was ordered in 1912 by the Duke of Morny and built by the architect Georges Wybo, inaugurated the same year. It was completely restored in 1988 by Jack Garcia in baroque style.

Jacques Mesrine robbed this casino in 1978, but it was a disaster, leaving two people injured. The criminals escaped.

In the casino, you can find a beautiful theatre inspired by Le Petit Trianon at Versailles, a cinema, two big auditoriums, three restaurants, three bars, a wine museum, a nightclub and three meeting rooms with enough space for 700 people. A small place!

You can play with 325 slot machines and you can also play craps, punto banco, poker, French and English roulette (thankfully not Russian, too), Black Jack and Texas Hold'em.

In this casino you can cross many different types of people: the big, rich Americans, wealthy little old ladies with young men, French businessmen, a lot of young ladies looking for rich husbands and many Russians, probably mafia, with cases full of cash. Once I saw a man with a wad of 500 euros notes. A huge wad. I didn't know his nationality, but he just pulled this big wad of cash from his pocket.

Generally, I begin my evening with the slot machines, and if I win, I take a place on the poker table. It is a bizarre atmosphere because it smells of money and, in fact, I feel like I am in a completely different world. Once, I heard an old lady telling her friends she had lost 5,000 euros, but it didn't matter. She would come back tomorrow...

In Deauville, you see more Parisians than Normans. It is Paris's 21st arrondissement. I only go to Deauville for the casino. I prefer visiting the other towns in the day: Honfleur (photo right), Cabourg, Trouville and Dives. I love to eat seafood in the beach restaurant, the yellow one, near Hotel Flaubert in Trouville. A fabulous restaurant in Honfleur, called L'Ecailleur, does the best fondu au chocolat with marshmellows, fruit and sweets I ever tasted.

Comments

[Teacher]

In answer to you question did he win or did he lose...Julien just told me he wins more than he loses, but he can't give you any hints as he says it's a question of luck. Sorreeeeeeeeeeee!

[Buric]

Hi dear,
Mouse au chocolat? You mean, to come after the rat-atouille or the snake and pigmy pie?
Triffic!
Indeed a good question from Nicole, Julien: you won or you lost?!

[Nicole]

What a great story teller you are! However, you forgot to mention whether you lost money or you made money..
That mouse au chocolat must be so yumiiiiiiiiiiiiii.. I made a note not to miss L'Ecailleur next time in Honfleur.
Please keep writing.. you are so talented and your English is fabulous!

[Jennifer]

Hi there. I so much enjoyed your commentary Julien. Normany is a beautiful city and you have borought it to life. I visited it in the 60's and saw the place where Les Anglais burnt Joan D'Arc in the square. When I visit again, I shall certainly make a point of visiting the yellow restaurant and L'Ecalleur which sounds mouth watering. Thank you again for your great write-up. Jennifer.