Paris
Paris is a beautiful city and one of the most elegant cities in the world.
Unforunately, it is not as beautiful and some people pick up what is called the "Paris Syndrome." It is when people get depressed because they had such high expectations of a city they viewed as a city so "posh".
I was an example of this because I studied city planning and I felt the city
Paris is one of the major centers for art, fashion, and trade in the world.
It is a well known city.
Part of what makes it so elegant and unique is that Napoleon wanted to make Paris into an example of what a city should look like.
He erected monuments and boulevards. He also tore down dwellings where poor people lived in and replaced them with boulevards instead. The reason behind this was to suppress revolutions so instead of having narrow streets, boulevards were constructed.
The plan was also to push poor out to the outskirts of the city and have them leave the city center. The idea was to make the city look more "posh" and "elegant."
Unforunately, it is not as beautiful and some people pick up what is called the "Paris Syndrome." It is when people get depressed because they had such high expectations of a city they viewed as a city so "posh".
I was an example of this because I studied city planning and I felt the city
Paris is one of the major centers for art, fashion, and trade in the world.
It is a well known city.
Part of what makes it so elegant and unique is that Napoleon wanted to make Paris into an example of what a city should look like.
He erected monuments and boulevards. He also tore down dwellings where poor people lived in and replaced them with boulevards instead. The reason behind this was to suppress revolutions so instead of having narrow streets, boulevards were constructed.
The plan was also to push poor out to the outskirts of the city and have them leave the city center. The idea was to make the city look more "posh" and "elegant."
The good thing about Paris is that unlike many other cities, everything is so centralized. I could literally walk to the Louvre, Champs Elysees, and Arc de Trionfe, all in a day.
One thing I noticed about Paris is that it is a very monotonous city. Whether you are in the Latin Quarter, Le Marais, the Sixteenth or the Seventeenth Arrondissement, the architecture and layout is very similar to each other.
In many of the neighborhoods, the historic buildings are mainly five to six stories, some with balconies.
Mansard roofs are very common here, as well. After all, mansard roofs have their origins in France.
But the buildings aren't the only monotone thing here in Paris. It seems like every pharmacy in Paris has a miniature cross in the front that is lit green when it gets darker during the day. It also seems like there is an outdoor cafe with red awnings on every single block
The main commercial streets are either narrow streets, like Rue Saint Dominique in the Seventh Arrondissement, or broad tree- lined boulevards like Champs Elysees. Some of these commercial thoroughfares even have traffic lights on street dividers as well as checkered crosswalks.
The only neighborhood that I know that is different from the rest of Paris is the Eighteenth Arrondissement because of Montmartre and Goutte D’or, Paris's "Little Africa."
One thing I noticed about Paris is that it is a very monotonous city. Whether you are in the Latin Quarter, Le Marais, the Sixteenth or the Seventeenth Arrondissement, the architecture and layout is very similar to each other.
In many of the neighborhoods, the historic buildings are mainly five to six stories, some with balconies.
Mansard roofs are very common here, as well. After all, mansard roofs have their origins in France.
But the buildings aren't the only monotone thing here in Paris. It seems like every pharmacy in Paris has a miniature cross in the front that is lit green when it gets darker during the day. It also seems like there is an outdoor cafe with red awnings on every single block
The main commercial streets are either narrow streets, like Rue Saint Dominique in the Seventh Arrondissement, or broad tree- lined boulevards like Champs Elysees. Some of these commercial thoroughfares even have traffic lights on street dividers as well as checkered crosswalks.
The only neighborhood that I know that is different from the rest of Paris is the Eighteenth Arrondissement because of Montmartre and Goutte D’or, Paris's "Little Africa."
The Eiffel Tower
I was surprised to see that there were vendors selling wine) openly in the park here. This is not something you see in the states. There were also people selling Eiffel Tower trinkets.
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We stayed at a lovely hotel in the 7th Arrondissement, called Hotel 7 Eiffel. If I never become rich in my life, I at least could say that I stayed in a really nice hotel in the wealthiest section of Paris.
7th Arrondissement - The Upper East Side of Paris An arrondissement is a section of Paris. Think of it as a mini borough of Paris with four or five different neighborhoods. The reason why I say I call it the Upper East Side is because it is the wealthiest section in Paris.
Main commercial streets, include Rue Saint Dominique and Boulevard Saint Germain.
Rue Saint Dominque, the first one was taken during the morning, the one at the bottom was taken during nighttime.
I cannot take credit for the first photo, that was taken by my big sis.
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Night scenes of Paris
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Areas in the 7th Arr. near the Eiffel Tower
Hotel Les Invalides
Hotel Les Invalides This is the museum in Paris that is devoted to the French Military. This is also where the remains of Napoleon are found.
Pont Alexandre III.
Just south of le Grand Palais is the bridge, Pont Alexandre III. The bridge is anchored by four pillars on each side of the bridge. On top of the pillars stand golden horses and there are statues of angels attached to the pillars in the middle.
The Latin Quarter
Place Saint Michel
Latin Quarter
Place de Saint Michel is also here. In this place, there is a statue of Saint Michel crushing an evil spirit.Haussman desgined this statue.
The Latin Quarter is the Greenwich Village of Paris. This was one of my favorite parts of Paris. The layout is peculiar in that you have narrow winding streets as well as streets that move diagonally.
The Latin Quarter got its name because this is the college district and there was a time when just about everybody that went to college spoke Latin. However what is interesting is that I think this neighborhood goes back to Roman Times. Speaking of colleges,
Although I don't have pictures here (I didn't know it was here until I did some more research after my trip), Sorbonne University is located here.
Sorbonne is a prestigious university and like many things in Paris, it goes back centuries. The confessor of King Louis IV, also known as Saint Louis, built this university and it was originally for poor seminarians. Now it enjoys a world famous reputation. how did it become famous?
Speaking of saints
This was designed under Haussman. Describe Haussman before or after or in another article? Just as a heads up, they do free walking tours that start here at Place de Saint Michel at around 10AM or12AM I think.
Place Saint Michel
Me, in front of the statue.
Ma grand soeur a Paris
This was my tour guide, originally from Ireland. He gave a very descriptive tour of Paris. For example, I did not know that In Paris the poor and the rich would live in the same apartments. However, the rich would live on the bottom floors and the poor would live on the upper floors. This is pretty convenient because after all who wants to climb five flights of stairs?
Anyways, I found this interesting because in the United States, the rich and the poor live in the neighborhoods separated from one another.
Sandeman's New Europe does free walking tours throughout Paris. They meet at St. Michel's every morning.
I am so glad my sister told me this.
Notre Dame
A glance at Notre Dame. Unfortunately this church caught on fire in the summer of '19. It's a shame really since this is a symbol of French Roman Catholicism.
This pic was taken at the south bank of the Seine River.
This is a shot of the Notre Dame from Quai de Montebello, directly across from the Seine.
Some shots of Boulevard Saint Germain
A view of Place Maubert, off of Saint Germain
Traffic along Quai de Montebello.
Rue de Petit Pont
A fruit market on Rue Dante
Rue Lagrange
Boulevard Saint Germain
Rue Dante
Rue Langrage
do something special on this blog for this..
Chinese drinks an Asian presence in Paris
Quai de Montebello
Rue Saint Julien le Pauvre
Rue de la Bucherie
Rue de Petit Pont
Seine River
Rue de la Huchette there are a lot of cheap eats on the street that connects you from Rue de Petit Pont to Place St. Michel!
This narrow and touristy thoroughfare, is located one block away from the Seine River.
Pics of Rue Galande
court
Put Pont Neuf in latin quarter section.
This is the Pont Neuf. This is where couples go to put keychains on this fence in order to preserve their romance.
They don't call this the "city of love" for nothing.
Thanks sis, I appreciate it!
The Louvre Museum--one of the finest and most world renown museums in the world. You can't visit it all in one day and according to our tour guide, if you go by yourself you can get easily lost!
Street scene with the Louvre on the left.
Jardin de Tulieres
A fountain in the middle of Paris, with sculptures in the background.
Paris is one of the most artistic cities in the world. In fact, I noticed so many equestrian statues in Paris. Even when you exit la Place de la Concorde entering Champs Elysees you see equestrian statues on pillars.
Place de la Concorde
Between the Champs Elysees and Les Jardins de Tulieres lies the Place de la Concorde. This is the largest square in Paris, as well as perhaps one of the busiest public areas in Paris.
Place de la Concorde contains a lot of history. During the French Revolution, this is where King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antionette have been guillotined.
Also at Place de la Concorde, lies the Luxor Obelisk, which is basically a symbol of French colonialism in the middle of Paris. It is an obelisk brought over from Egypt when Napoleon wanted to conquer Egypt to stop British control.
The Luxor Obelisk is over 3,000 years old.
Luxor Obelisk with the Eiffel Tower in the background to the left.
Two great Parisian monuments.
Hotel de Crillon is where Marie Antoinette relaxed and played the piano.
The Arc de Trionfe
The Arc de Trionfe was ordered by Napoleon in the early 1800's, to honor the military that fought during the French Revolution, as well as the French Empire.
Champs Elysees
Views of the Arc de Triomphe from Champs Elysees
Driving on the Champs Elysees with the Arc de Trionfe in the background.
a small taxi in Paris (I forget what they are called)
Le Grand Palais - Off of Champs Elysees, is a museum and exhibition hall.
It is the largest ironwork and glass structure in the world.
I really liked Champs Elysees. I did not know that this area was a bunch of fields at one point. When I was walking along Champs Elysses, I saw Maghrebis., sub Saharan Africans, Indians, Chinese and Japanese. A lot of the people there were young.
One thing that surprised me was how wide this boulevard is. The sidewalks are so wide. There are also trees are on the left side and the right side of the sidewalk.
Champs Elysees was once a swamp. Today this Parisian boulevard is one of the most well renown shopping avenues in the world. Big-chain stores such as Zara, Disney, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, and Banana Republic can be found on this wide street.
Champs Elysees was once a swamp. Today this Parisian boulevard is one of the most well renown shopping avenues in the world. Big-chain stores such as Zara, Disney, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, and Banana Republic can be found on this wide street.
Night scenes of Paris
Montmartre
Montmartre is located in the eighteenth arrondissement of Paris, in the outskirts. One of the most famous icons that the Montmartre is known for is the Moulin Rouge, a cabaret house.
You may remember this place from Christina Aguilera's hit song "Lady Marmelade"
However the neighborhood is more than just a trip to the Moulin Rouge.
Montmartre also offers sweeping views from the hills as well as narrow cobblestoned streets.
In fact, one national landmark that is not to be avoided is Sacre Coeur.
How did Montmartre get its name? The word "montmartre" is literally translated into "mount of the martyr." It was named after Saint Denis, a bishop who refused to give up Christianity under the Roman Empire. He was beheaded and thus became a martyr for the Catholic faith.
Much of Paris seems to be in unison with one another, similar archiecture and street layout---however Montmartre really looks different from the rest of Paris. Unfortunately, I did not go. But my sister went and she told me how awesome it was. She even let me borrow some of her pics so I could put them on this blog!
1st Montmartre
2nd Montmarrte
3rd mont
4th mont
Sacre Coeur
Montmartre Monday
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this was taken on Rue de Provence. Printemps is a large department store on Boulevard Hausssman
has its own parking
Fromage et vin avec pain sur le cote! Bon Apppetit!
A street scene in Montmatre.
Le Marais
Place De La Bastille
The Place de la Bastille housed the prisons here. After the French Revolution, however, they have been eradicated.
Today, La Place de La Bastille is a popular gathering place for many events as well as protests.
I'm so glad that my sister got the most in French culture in the least amount of time---Chanel and French food. You can't get any more French than that in a time span of less than twelve hours.
Before I walked around Le Marais, I ate at Hippopotamus. Hippopotamus is a French equivalent of Applebee's.
I ate probably some of the best chicken in my life and it was super cheap at 20 euros and it came with a drink and a side.
If you are looking to eat well in France but still be on the cheap about it (Hey we've all tried to eat on the cheap before), Hippopotamus is the answer.
Le Marais
1st Courbevoie
2nd Courbevoie
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3rd Eiffel
Church
Even the churches feel like museums in Paris lol.
Le Timgad- Moroccan Cuisine
This is a nice, little Moroccan restaurant where I tried cous cous, a dish from North Africa, but is popular among the Parisians.
Transportation in the city
Many people ride motorcycles in France just like in other parts of Europe like Spain and Germany I think. Because of this it is not uncommon to see motorcycles parked on sidewalks.
Paris has a well developed public transportation system. Even though Paris is much smaller than New York City, a Parisienne subway map looks just as complex. Paris’ Metro system is among the world’s busiest metro systems in the world. http://travel.cnn.com/
Gare Saint Lazare - this is one of the major transit stations in the city.
This is one of the train stations in Paris. Gare Saint Lazare takes you across France whereas Gare du Nord takes you to different parts of Europe.
This is La Tour Moubourg station, part of the Parisienne Metro (or subway).
Random street scenes of Paris
Rue Saint Lazare
Coco Chanel is in the area, as well.
(I apologize for the pigment)
I really wanted to go to the Jewish enclave of Rue des Rosiers. As I got lost, I did not make it there.
Rue de Rivoli one of the best in Paris
This is a picture of Rue de Rosiers though from Google Street view.
Rue de Rivoli
Gare du Nord
Rue du Havre
Rue du Havre (turns into Rue Tronchet)
(also Tronchet)
roadways
place de la concorde
I was not able to get a photo of it myself (the idea didn't occur to me). But the yellow dude from Google maps was able to get me a picture of that tunnel.
parc des rives de seine.
No go zones in France and Belgium
Works Cited
The French seemed more depressed than us and they smoke a lot
They are also so perfectionist that they become more even more depressed in work
They are so perfectionist that in the school system, a 20/20 is a perfect score and nobody gets that.
The most you’ll get is an 18/20.
They are pessimistic, maybe because the country is so old.
But the French are happy with less. In material items.
There are grocery stores there too.
If yo speak to them in French, they will speak to you back in English.
Despite the French being seen as “rude” they were all nice except for one guy in the metro who hated to have to show me where to go on the map.
The Asian waitress at Hippopotamus did not speak to me in English so she might only know French and her native tongue.
Some French women dress artsy and creatively like in NYC or Montreal but most Parisians dress more simple or at least more simple than you think given you have Louis Vuitton and Chanel there.
Champs elysees was diverse- blacks , East Asians Arabs and of course whites.
A lot of Brirs come here too.
I saw a white British girl come to Paris with four black British guys. It’s probably more racially tolerant in the UK.
I saw a British family near my hotel in Rue Saint Dominique.
housing projects
33 Rue de Bac
Paris comes really comes alive at night.
Night scenes of Paris
Paris comes really comes alive at night.
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Paris comes really comes alive at night.
Paris comes really comes alive at night.
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