I’ll be the first to admit that on my first visit to Paris, after the big-ticket items like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre one of the things I most wanted to see was Père Lachaise cemetery - in fact, my French cousins were so amused by my fascination with the cemetery (they really didn’t see the point) that they found an old book about it and gave it to me. I still don’t read French, so I have no idea what gems are contained within that book, but I still have it - along with a lasting love for Père Lachaise.
Now, I’ll also admit that when I first visited Père Lachaise (yes, I’ve been there multiple times) it was primarily to visit the grave of former Doors lead singer Jim Morrison. I’m not now, nor have I ever been, a massive fan of The Doors - but Morrison’s tomb is at least as famous as the man ever was, so I had to see it for myself. Little did I know how many other famous tombs I’d see there.
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What will be the oddest cars at this October’s Paris Car show? I’m ready to place bets on the QUICCI, Netherland’s contribution in the quest for fun and practical electric cars. 
I’m not sure it will outdo, Automobile Magazine’s choices for the two oddest cars of 2006 - the Tang Hua Xiao Ya and the PGO Cevennes -Speedster II. The Chinese-manufactured Tang Hua Xiao Ya received this glowing description from Sam Smith and Erik B. Johnson …
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Paris is the place to be this October if you’re crazy for cars. The biannual car show Le Mondial Automobile starts October 4 through October 19, 2008 featuring the latest trends in European cars, particularly French cars such as Peugeot, Citroen, and Renault. Hopefully, this year’s show will feature plenty of electric cars as the obvious remedy to our gasoline addiction.
The auto show will be held at the Porte de Versaille Paris-Expo convention center Metro: Porte de Versailles. Tickets are 12 Euros for Adults, 6.45 for Kids Age 10 to 18,and free for kids under Age …
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Move over Jane Fonda. While,Jane Fonda has been humbled into doing anti-wrinkle cream advertisements on French TV, you can watch Line Renaud work her magic charm on Guy Bedos in the film ‘Une Famille Pas Comme Les Autres’ or ‘A Family Not like Others’.
I don’t get much time to watch French television, but the first thing Americans notice about European television in general – is that adults act their age.
You can have the choice of watching ‘House’ dubbed in French. (It’s called ‘Dr. House’ here – and it …
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There might be songs written about other months of the year, but September in Paris is an excellent time of year to be in the city. Although the high season in Paris now extends beyond the summer season and includes the months of May and September (and sometimes April and October as well, depending on what your hotel is trying to charge you!), you may find that international ariline tickets are a bit less expensive in September than they were in June or July.
Paris is a city that never empties completely of tourists, but you may find that in September (especially later in the month) there are shorter lines for the big museums and just fewer people out and about. But while the tourists may not necessarily be flooding Paris in September, this is the month when many annual exhibitions and shows are on in the city - so midweek hotel rates may actually be higher than weekend rates in some cases, as business travelers come into town just for a show or exhibit and then leave by the weekend.
The Paris weather will still be lovely for the most part. You’ll find that the average monthly high temperature in September in Paris is right around 70F (around 21C), and the lows are usually right around 55F (13C). You might not expect this, but August is actually the wettest month in Paris according to rainfall, and in September you do risk getting hit by a random shower or two. Carrying a small umbrella isn’t a bad idea, and having an indoor activity as a back-up plan is smart so you don’t get stuck on a Seine cruise in the rain!
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If you own or operate Paris hostels, budget hotels or any other budget accommodation – or if you know someone who does – you (or they) should enter the information into the new worldwide Hostel Directory . This will be an extensive worldwide directory of budget accommodations, including hostels. You shouldn’t worry about spam from this but you should expect some extra bookings.
The site is new but is part of a big travel network, so it should be worth several minutes of your time. Go to …
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The Île de la Cité is not only where one of Paris’ most famous tourist attractions lies, it’s also the historical center of the city. It is, in fact, where the city began. So if you like Paris, you have the Île de la Cité to thank for it.
The larger of the two natural islands on the Seine, the Île de la Cité is where the city’s first people settled, and there have been people on this island for more than 2,000 years - there were people living on the island when Caesar showed up from Rome in 53 BC. The island went from being simply the place where people lived, to the center of the city’s new government, to the city’s legal and religious center. Today, the Île de la Cité is once again largely residential, although it still has two major churches and an old royal palace which now serves as the Palais de Justice.
Easily the top tourist attraction on the Île de la Cité is the Notre Dame cathedral. The cathedral was started in the early 12th century and built over a period of 170 years, and it’s one of the city’s must-see sights. But although the cathedral is a relatively recent construction on the Île de la Cité, the ruins of some of the island’s first buildings lie beneath it. You can visit some of what’s been excavated in the Crypte Archéologique - the entrance is right on the main square in front of Notre Dame.
Also on the square facing Notre Dame’s Gothic towers (the square is known as the parvis), you’ll find a star-shaped marking on the ground which is called Point Zéro. This is considered the very center of Paris, and is the point from which all distances are measured in the entire country of France.
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From September 1st to October 29, 2008, Air France will be offering flights from New York to Paris starting at $357.00 one way. This translates to approximately $830 and change when you include all the taxes (including a September 11 security charge).
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What better time to be in Paris in September than for the annual Apple Expo Remix? This year’s Apple Expo begins on September 17th through to September 20th ‘08. The convention will be held at Paris’s Porte de Versailles Convention center, located in Paris’s 15th arrondissement.
Some of the highlights of this year’s expo will be of interest to fellow bloggers. A workshop on blog journalism will cover such issues as how to check one’s sources on the internet For all of you bloggers out there who like to do your fact-checking (yes, some of us do try our best to get the facts!), you’ll want to make sure not to miss this workshop.
And here’s one for budding movie directors: Cinema and Music Creation. If your videos are not complete until you’ve found just the right soundtrack to go with your video, then I know you’ll be at this workshop. (September 19th). The description sounds too tantalizing to pass up:
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Senator Barack Obama will be visiting with French president Nicolas Sarkozy this Friday, July 25,2008 in Paris. Republican candidate, Senator John McCain was received at the Elysees Palace for an ‘unofficial visit’ earlier this year as part of a military delegation.
As Parislogue readers know, one day in Paris is hardly enough time to appreciate this city’s layered history, but there are some points of interest that should be at the top of Obama’s ‘must-see’ list. He probably won’t be able to see all of these sites in a day and still have time for a traditional French ‘dejeuner’ at the Elysees Palace but . . . he can try. Bon courage!
The Arc de Triomphe
Built by Emperor Napoleon, the Arc de Triomphe was built to glorify and commemorate French battle victories. Here rests the unknown soldier and the eternal flame is relit every evening at 6:30 pm.
This is also the arch through which passed triumphant World War I American troops, specifically the US Army’s all-black 369th Regiment. The Harlem Hellfighters, The Chicago Colored Volunteers were just two of the regiments who marched along the Champs Elysees Avenue at the end of World War I.
Since the Arc de Triomphe was inaugurated in 1837, millions of Americans have climbed its steps to admire the ‘spine’ of Paris, running from the Place de la Concorde to Bastille, but for freed slaves such as Wiliam Wells Brown, the view represented a newfound sense of freedom: “You could look out over a city where you are finally free, even from bounty hunters and fugitive slave laws.”
Picpus Cemetery
Not as famous as Pere Lachaise where many of the world’s most famous artists, writers, and musicians are buried, the tranquil private Picpus Cemetery houses one extremely good friend to the United States : General Lafayette.
An American flag still flies over Lafayette’s grave. It’s been suggested by some that Lafayette’s contribution of ships and volunteers during the American Revolution may have tipped the balance in favor of a victory for the American colonies. Although Lafayette died peaceably, many of the other Picpus residents, including sixteen Carmelite nuns, were arbitrarily thrown into a pit after having been guillotined at the Place du Trone during the French revolution. In those days, the nearby guillotine (which had been relocated from the Place de la Concorde) was knocking off approximately 55 heads per day. After the Reign of Terror, the plot of land was subsequently purchased by an aristocrat (one of the few who hadn’t lost her head) and was kept as a burial ground for family members.
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