Vacances France

enth arrondissement is situated on the Right Bank of the Seine River in western Paris. This arrondissement boasts the famous chestnut tree lined Avenue Foch, the widest street in Paris, and lots and lots of embassies. If you’re starting to think it’s one of the richest corners of the city, you’re absolutely right. Its land area is about 6.3 square miles (16.3 square kilometers) but if you exclude the Bois de Boulogne the size drops in half to 3 square miles (about 7.8 square kilometers). Its population numbers somewhat more than one hundred sixty thousand souls and the district provides over one hundred thousand jobs. This is the only arrondissement with two postal codes, both considered exclusive.

Passy is in the northern part of the district. It was once a village and served as home away from home to Benjamin Franklin for many years. Here in 1782 he printed a pamphlet « A Project for Perpetual Peace » which presented his vision for a permanent peace in Europe. Despite his inability to predict the future, Parisians have honored him with a rue Franklin. You may want to visit the Cimetiere de Passy (Passy Cemetery) burial grounds for the painter Edouard Manet and the composer Claude Debussy. It is the only cemetery in Paris whose waiting-room is heated. Perhaps that’s why it was once « the place » in Paris to be buried. If you go make sure to see the retaining wall memorial to soldiers who fell in World War I. Another Passy site of interest is the house where the famous writer Honore de Balzac lived and wrote.

The Parc des Princes (Princes’ Park) is a football stadium with just a bit less than fifty thousand seats. It was France’s national stadium until the much bigger Stade de France was built in the working class suburb of St-Denis. The stadium was designed in 1972 by Roger Taillibert who also designed the Montreal Olympic Stadium for the 1976 Olympics. The Parc des Princes area was a hunting preserve for the royal family name during the Eighteenth Century. Alas the neighborhood went to pot. There is something about this site that attracts stadiums (stadia for purists); the first one went up in 1897 and the second in 1932. Until 1967 the Parc marked the end of the Tour de France bicycle race, the most famous such race in the world. There are plans afoot to increase the seating capacity to a whopping one hundred fourteen thousand.

Lycee Janson de Sailly is generally considered as one of the best lycees (roughly high schools) in France. It is the biggest such institution in France with 3200 students whose age ranges from 11 to 20. The founder, a Parisian lawyer named Monsieur Janson de Sailly disinherited his wife after discovering that she had a lover. He left his entire fortune to the State. This chauvinist insisted that the monies be used to establish an excellent high school for boys only, but eventually girls were accepted. The lycee was built in the 1880s as the first Republican lycee in France. However, it subsequently attracted many students from Parisian high society.

Janson’s motto was Pour la Patrie, par le livre et par l’epee (For the Homeland, by the book and by the sword). Many of its students pursued a military career, often in the colonies. In 1944 hundreds joined the French Free Forces, fought German divisions in Alsace, and entered Germany with Patton’s forces in 1945. Janson’s students often end up at France’s most prestigious post-secondary institutions, the equivalent of Ivy League schools.

The Musee Guimet (Guimet Museum) is home to one of the largest collections of Asian art outside Asia. It also has a magnificent collection of pieces from Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. The Musee de la Contrefacon (Counterfeiting Museum) was established in 1951 by the Union des Fabricants, an organization of manufacturers. It currently exhibits several hundred items, pairing each original piece with its counterfeit. The Musee Marmottan-Monet features a collection of a hundred Impressionist works by Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

The Trocadero lies across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower. The French won the Battle of Trocadero in 1823 protecting the autocratic Spanish King Ferdinand VII. Forty some years later they honored this victory by renaming the square called Place du Roi de Rome (i.e., Place of the King of Rome). The following year, the Palais de Trocadero (Trocadero Palace) was built on the site as the centerpiece of a world’s fair celebrating France’s recovery from its defeat in the Franco-Prussian war, The Palace was built like a concert hall in mixed Moorish and Byzantine style with a large aquarium occupying the lower level. For the Exposition Internationale (World’s Fair) of 1937 the old Palais du Trocadero was demolished; replaced by the modernist Palais de Chaillot. The complex includes several museums: the Musee national de la Marine (Naval Museum), the ethnological Musee de l’Homme (Museum of Man), and the Musee national des Monuments francais (National Museum of French Monuments) as well as the Theatre national de Chaillot (Chaillot National Theater). At the Palais de Chaillot the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The esplanade was renamed the esplanade des droits de l’homme (esplanade of human rights). And since then human rights…

Of course you don’t want to visit Paris without sampling fine French wine and food. In my article I Love French Wine and Food – A Province Bandol I reviewed such a wine and suggested a sample menu: Start with Caviar d’Aubergines (Egglant Puree). For your second course savor Poisson aux Herbes de Provence (Fish with Provence Herbs). And as dessert indulge yourself with Tarte aux Noix (Walnut and Honey Tart). Your Parisian sommelier (wine steward) will be happy to suggest appropriate wines to accompany each course.



Posted by Sam Daniels

France is a country that is steeped in history and wherever you turn, you can see the magnificent buildings and monuments that have been constructed throughout the centuries.

The first signs of civilisation around the Paris region of France date back to around the fourth millennium BC where dug out canoes have been found. And even as long ago at the time of 250 BC there was a fishing village along the River Seine in what we now know as Paris and because of the strategic position of the area for controlling river shipping, it was always under a different rule. The Romans took over after the revolt of 52 BC.

After Attila the Hun invaded the region in 451, it was thought that Paris was to be attacked, but according to legend Sainte Genevieve, who is still the patron saint of Paris today, saved it.

Clovis l commissioned the first cathedral and the first abbey, which was dedicated to Sainte Genevieve and he was buried in Paris on his death in 511, alongside St Genevieve.

It became under the rule of the Franks, but the city was neglected by the Empire and suffered grievously from Viking raiders who repeatedly sailed upriver to attack it. In 885 the city was faced with a massive Viking invasion force, believed to have numbered 700 ships and 30,000 men!

The Grand-nephew of Count Odo, was elected King of France in 987 and he again made Paris his capital and founded the Capetian dynasty, which still exists today.

It is as early as the 12th century that the distinctive character of the Paris districts started emerging and the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris was built in 1163 in the Ile de la Cite area of Paris, which was the centre of government and religious life.

Philippe Auguste became the king in 1180, and under his rule there were a number of major building works, which were carried out in Paris. He built a new city wall and began the construction of the Palais du Louvre, as well as paving streets and establishing a covered market at Les Halles.

Edward III of England claimed the French throne by virtue of his decent, but the French barons rejected this, and hence the Hundred Years war began and the history of Paris in the 14th century was dictated by outbreaks of plague, political violence and uprisings.

The English captured Paris in 1420, but Henry V of England died at the Chateau de Vincennes, just outside Paris city in 1422 and despite the assistance of Joan of Arc, Charles VII of France tried but failed to retake the city in 1429.

Of any Valois monarch, Francois I probably had the greatest impact on Paris, transforming the Louvre and establishing a glittering court including people such as Leonardo da Vinci.

King Henri IV made Paris his place of residence and he undertook a number of major public works in the city. This included construction of the Pont Neuf, Saint-Louis Hospital, Place des Vosges and Place Dauphine. He also made extensions to the Louvre.

Paris became the intellectual and cultural capital of the Western world during the latter half of the 18th century, as it became a centre of the enlightenment and new thinking, which was encouraged by the state, with King Louis’s mistress, Madame de Pompadour, supporting the city’s intellectuals and prompting the king to construct striking new monuments.

Paris became the capital of an empire and a great military power and in a ceremony held in the Notre-Dame Cathedral in May 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor.

Russian and Austrian armies invaded France in 1814 and on 31 March 1814, Paris fell to the Russians, which was the first time in around 400 years that the city had been conquered by a foreign power.

Paris was again retaken back by the French and this city continued to grow and expand with more famous monuments being built and just with this very brief history focusing on Paris, the History of France is fascinating and there are numerous sites that you can still marvel at the architecture from years gone by.

Author Martyn Davis

http://www.placesinfrance.com/french_history.html



Posted by Sam Daniels

Paris, acknowledged as the ‘City of Lights,’ is the largest as well as the capital city of France, located on the Seine River, in the heart of the Ile-de-France region. Also the capital of the France’s Ile-de-France region, Paris is regarded as the political and cultural center of the country. Paris is perhaps the greatest of all the cities that receive maximum number of tourists in Europe.

Some consider Paris as an artistic city while some consider it as a romantic destination. Since it attracts fashion firms from across the world to open fashion stores, Paris is also sometimes fondly referred to as the ‘Fashion House’ of the world. With great number of museums, nature parks, beautiful gardens, and squares, sightseeing options in Paris are truly endless. Hence, it is not a wonder why more than 30 million foreigners visit here per year.

Some of the must-see destinations in Paris are:

Eiffel Tower : Built on the Champ de Mars near the Seine River, this iron tower is unquestionably the greatest of all attractions in Paris, and in deed, stands as the city’s icon. Inaugurated on March 31, 1889, it is the tallest of its kind in Paris, and was once the tallest in the world until the erection of Chrysler Building in 1930. Rising up to a height of about 985 feet, Eiffel Tower’s top can be seen anywhere from Paris. As per the records of the Paris Office of Tourism, Eiffel Tower alone drew about six million tourists to Paris in 2002.

Louvre : Situated in the heart of Paris, Louvre is the one of the world’s largest museums, sprawling over an area of about 60,000 square foot expansive building. On display are more than 350000 pieces of art, covering Egyptian sculptures, 18th century furniture and books, engravings, paintings, and drawings.

Most popular among the collections in the museum are the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci, such as Monolisa. Apart from its amazing collections, Louvre, once served as a royal residence, is also much famed for its mind blowing architectural style. The entry to the museum was earlier restricted to the royal visitors. But, after the French Revolution, the museum was opened to the public.

Notre Dame Cathedral : This gothic cathedral would be the most famous of all cathedrals in the world. Located in the heart of the city on a small island, namely, Ile de la Cite, Notre Dame Cathedral serves as the seat of the Archbishop of Paris. The cathedral is regarded as a fine example of French Gothic architecture. Built during the 14th century, its interiors, sculptures, and gargoyles were destroyed during the revolution. Later, the cathedral was renovated by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, a Persian architect.

Arc de Triomphe: One of the most visited attractions in the country, Arc de Triomphe is credited to the largest traffic roundabout in the world. Commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 in order to commemorate his military successes as well as the bravery of his armies, Arc de Triomphe was however completed in 1836, many years after the passing away of the emperor. The sides, front and back of the Arc De Triomphe are graced with beautiful sculptures as well as intricate designs. A specialty of this roundabout is that it is the meeting point of about 12 avenues.

Concorde Place : The largest public square in Paris, Concorde Place is situated between Champs Elysees and the Tuileries garden. Earlier known as Place Louis XV, the square’s focal point is a huge Egyptian obelisk beautified with hieroglyphics. The obelisk has been brought from the temple at Luxor, and was French king Charles X in 1829 by Mohammed Ali, the then Viceroy of Egypt.

Highlights in Paris also cover Avenue Champs-Elysees, a vibrant area packed with a plenty of shops and restaurants; Latin Quarter, boasting of some of the finest Roman as well as medieval monuments in the city; Rodin Museum, which exhibits the works of the renowned French sculptor, Auguste Rodin; D’Orsay Museum; and St.Chapelle and Conciergerie.

With these scores of attractions, Paris is a wonderful vacation whose memories last for a lifetime. Hence, the city has an array of accommodation choices to cater to every type of visitors. Mostly, they come with most sophisticated facilities and amenities.



Posted by Sam Daniels