Thirty years ago, Paris used to have tons of small cars. For the past twenty years we’ve been renting or leasing cars, and each year the Peugeot models have added more length and breadth. Still the Peugeot 206 that we drive is easy to park in tight spaces. Yet, the 206 is humongous when you compare it the Smart Car.
You can’t miss the Smart Car. It’s everywhere in Paris - and with good reason. As parking becomes more and more of a problem, …
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Put on your combat boots if you decide to join the foray of frenzied shoppers at Passage du Havre, Metro: St. Lazare. Sale season begins the last week of June (this year (2008) June 25th and will continue through the first week of July. Actually, summer clothes continue to remain discounted until the summer inventory disappears at the end of August - but these are the ‘official’ sale dates. Zara, one of the chain stores …
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June 2008’s Gay Pride Parade starts at Place Denfert Rochereau at 2 pm. Get there by 1 pm if you plan on participating in the parade. The parade will wind its way along Boulevard Saint Michelle, turn onto Saint Germain -des-Pres and end up at La Bastille. There’ll be three minutes of silence at Place de la Bastille to remember those who’ve died from AIDS.
The Gay Pride Parade kicks of another music-filled weekend - the La Defense Jazz Festival - which ends on Sunday, …
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Summer sales have begun, as of Wednesday, June 25th, 2008. If you’re in Paris, you still have time to find a great deal - until July 8th. These are the ‘official’ sales dates. Parisgirl is getting a late start on shopping - but my neighbor who’s already hit the sales found her ‘bonheur’ a smocked sleeveless chemise at Zara.
There’s branches of the Zara department store in several Paris neighborhoods including Blvd. Haussmann, and here at the Montparnasse shopping center across from the train station.
If you happen to be in the Rue …
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Right Bank:Hotel de Ville and St. Gervais-St. Proteus Church
Even though the Rodin Museum is located on the Left Bank, its central location makes it easy to reach a number of different neighborhoods for afternoon visits. Easiest of all is Les Invalides and Napoleon’s Tomb, but we’re eager to visit the remains of medieval Paris, so rather than linger in the 7th arrondissement, we opt for a stop at Paris’s City Hall – Hotel de Ville before visiting St. Gervais-St. Proteus, then crossing over to Ile Saint Louis, Ile de la Cite and the Latin Quarter.
Apart from being the mayor’s office and the site of some excellent free temporary art exhibits (i.e. Paris en Couleurs, last February), the Hotel de Ville or City Hall is well worth a pause to admire the Renaissance-style façade and the large Hotel de Ville square. (The current building was reconstructed from 1874-1882 after it was burned down in 1871 under the Paris Commune).
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Photos by Chris Card Fuller ©2008
For truly urban creatures, spending one day wandering around in the mud at Mont Saint Michel might be enough. Then, there are those of you who are eager to squeeze as much French culture as possible into six days. By lingering in the Norman countryside after visiting Paris’s top museums and monuments, you’ll get a really well-balanced perspective of France. Normandy is easily accessible from Paris either by train or by car. Catch your Normandy-bound trains at Gare St. Lazare - or take the A13 following signs for Rouen off the southern peripherique. The toll route A14 via La Defense will also get you to Normandy.
If you choose to stay overnight on the Mont Saint Michel islet, (as I suggested in yesterday’s post) I’d recommend heading toward Bayeux. Bayeux, home to the Bayeux tapestry is app. an hour’s drive from the Mont. Bayeux was one of the few towns left unscathed from Allied bombings. It houses the extraordinary 11th century tapestry that recounts William the Conqueror’s conquest of England. Described by some as a sort of embroidered comic book account of the Battle of Hastings, the tapestry is a well preserved artifact for one of the most amazing feats in military history. The vestiges of a much more recent military feat, the 1944 D-Day landings at nearby Omaha Beach and, particularly the U.S. military cemetery at Colleville have been the focal point for commemorative services every year since the landings.
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Adventure travel is closer to Paris than you think. It takes only 3 1/2 to 4 hours to reach Mont Saint Michel in Normandy. It’s located approximately 225 miles to the west of Paris.
Listed as a World Heritage Site, this 8th century monastery built on a rock off the coast of Normandy is not only a cultural landmark but an environmentally fascinating phenomena. Surrounded by a vast bay who’s shifting sands can turn easily turn into quicksand, this is no place to explore unless you’re guided by a knowledgeable local guide (as we were with Stephane Gueno of Sport-Evasion Tours).
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How often do you get to see a jazz great like Herbie Hancock in concert - for free? This weekend, as part of the La Defense Jazz Festival, he’ll be performing along with Pura Fe, Sunday evening, June29th at La Defense esplanade.
Be sure to check out La Defense Jazz Festival website for the complete weekend program which also includes Pura fe.
And if that’s not reason enough to hop on the #1 Metro line, direction La Defense, keep in mind that Solomon Burke will be performing on Saturday, June 28th, 2008. …
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If you have allergies, be sure to come prepared with whatever prescriptions you need to combat hay fever. Currently (June, 2008) Paris is experiencing a Code Red Alert for an exceptionally high pollen count. Wherever we go, people are sneezing - in the parks and in the Metro. Likewise, mildew has had an impact on fruit harvests this summer.
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