L'Arc de Triomphe is probably one of the most popular landmarks of Paris, and was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 as a tribute to his victories as Emperor of France. It is decorated with battle scenes and martial sculptures that includes La Marseillaise by Rude, and in 1920, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was placed beneath the arch, with its eternal flame burning in tribute to the French dead in both World Wars.
The Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris is probably the most visited graveyard in any Western city, offering thousands of elaborately decorated graves, and it is the final resting place of some very famous people, like Chopin, Champollion, Sarah Bernhardt, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Delacroix, Bizet, Proust, Balzac, Colette, Molière and Jim Morrison.
The Bastille Saint-Antoine was a prison in Paris, best known today because of the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, considered the beginning of the French Revolution along with the Tennis Court Oath. Bastille is a French word meaning "castle" or "stronghold"; used as a single word ("la Bastide" in French), it refers to the prison. Built from 1370 to 1383 as part of the defences of Paris, it was converted into a prison in the 17th century by Charles VI. At that time it housed political prisoners, religious prisoners, "seditious" writers, and young rakes held at the request of their families. It began to acquire a poor reputation when it became the main prison for those taken under lettres de cachet issued by the Bourbon kings. In terms of popular literary accounts, the Bastille was a place of horror and oppression,the symbol of autocratic cruelty. The confrontation between the commoners and the regime ultimately led to the people of Paris storming the Bastille on July 14, 1789, following several days of disturbances. A crowd of around 1,000 people gathered outside in the middle of the morning, calling for the surrender of the prison, the removal of guns and the release of the arms and gunpowder. Two people chosen to represent those gathered were invited into the fortress and slow negotiations began, and in the early afternoon, the crowd broke into the undefended outer courtyard and the chains on the drawbridge to the inner courtyard were cut.
The Bastille was demolished, and now a days it is the place of the Opera Bastille, the large ditch has been transformed into a marina, but some undemolished remains of one tower of the fort were discovered during excavation for the Métro (rail mass-transit system) in 1899, and were moved to a park a few hundred metres away, where they are displayed today.
Beaubourg only got better after its recent remodeling. It rivals and sometimes surpasses the collections of the Tate Modern in London and MoMA in New York. If you have any interest in modern art whatsoever, this is the place to go.
The plexiglass escalator offers the best views of Paris on the way up.
The bookstore is tops, and an outlet of Printemps offers a wide selection of chic little gifts to bring back to friends. The rooftop retaurant, called "Georges", offers spectaular views in a chic setting - pricey, but worth it.
If you consider yourself a Rodin Fan, you must visit this place. The admission is reazonable (get the one-day museum pass, to get you free entrance to most museums in paris--if not all) and you get to see most of his famous works (and some of Camille Claudel's). The garden at the musee rodin is well kept and the house it's impecable, you will enjoy some of the sculputer's masterpieces: the thinker, the burghers of calais and gates of hell. Words cant make it justie, you will have to experience it yourself.
There's another rodin museum located outside Paris at meudon. Besides the museum it's also the place where rodin is buried along with his wife, ah, love beyond life.
Notre-Dame of Paris is an extraordinaire place at first sight, but the more you investigate the more amazed you will be. The light portals throughout the building and the great sprawling columns show impressive architectural insight. It will amaze you how every solitary piece of the construction is a hand carved stone, even the supports between the stained glass window panes. Truly expectacular! This is an excellent location for tacking pictures of your trip to Paris.
An original and
unexpected view of Paris - the canal Saint Martin opens up perspectives of the
old and relatively unknown city, A three hour cruise brings you the best of
both worlds : the grandeur of the Seine, with the Tuileries Gardens, Notre Dame,
the Louvre, the Ile St. Louis, together with the quiet intimacy of Napoleon's
canals. Embarcation on the ``Canotier" or ``La Guêpe Buissonnière" under a softly
lit Parisian morning sky, just below the Musée d'Orsay. Then a veritable parade
of monuments the Louvre, the Institute of France, the royal Sainte Chapelle,
the spires of Notre Dame, the Ile Saint Louis before arriving at the entrance
to the canal Saint Martin. The most romantic street in Paris...the canal St Martin.
It is also one of the longest : 3 miles of pure poetry. In its jade couloured
water are reflected old swing bridges, halfmoon footbriges and the abundant foliage
of horse -chestnut trees. Between the Place de la Bastille and la Villette in
the north-east of Paris the Canal reveals a side of the city that
the tourist usually doesn't get to see. Adventure beckons at the approach of
the first lock of the canal. The boat is then swallowed up by the underground
vault of the Bastille : a mile and a half of cool mystery... underneath the Place
de la Bastille, with a view of the foundations of the July Column. After the
tunnel a dazzling world of locks, swing bridges, errant green-back ducks, with
stoic fishermen and tender lovers scattered along the quaysides. Beyond a curtain
of chestnut trees nestles the Hôtel du Nord, scene of the famous film starring
Arletty and Louis Jouvet. The canal climbs its way through a series of nineteenth
century locks and some enchanting old areas of Paris until, 26 metres above the
Seine, it comes up to the Park de la Villette, where the Science Museum, the
Geode, the Music Museum and thematic gardens await you.
If you are going away this hollydays, you can go to Disney Paris, although I am not a great mickey mouse fan... it is a very pleacent place, they care a lot about the details and the rollercoaster didn't scare much ( ok, I am laying, I screamed like crazy!) but it's a fun way to spend this quality time with your family... obviously this is NOT Paris, just another american theme park but you can hear Mickey Mouse speak french :P .
París, France, I know what you are thinking, you are thinking The Eiffel Tower, well you are wrong, let me tell you that Paris is more than a pretty Tower!.
París is the city of lights, the magical place where the glamour meets the art, the only place in the world that you are going to eat snails (escargots) pay 150 bucks for them and actually enjoy them.
Where art exhibitions are a daily thing, where cheese is more than cheese, where a kiss is going to mark you for life (I hope I could fall in love in Paris!)
Home of great art works and museums like the Louvre, city of love and lovers, mother of the greatest artists.
Fashion means Paris, Paris means fashion, the fabrics, the creations, the beautiful people walking around, everything is delicate and looks so fragile.
Is not everything perfect though, pretty expensive for the average traveller, not so safe at nights, and please do not drink water unless it came in a bottle with the name Perrier on it ;) .
If you can make it, please bring me a L.V , it would be apreciate it Lol.
Nick: French Maid
Name: Lucille (well ok, it's JUST Lucy :( )
Born in: the wrong country!
Age:19
Hobbies: Theatre, movies, girls night, french.
