What can be said
about Paris that has not been said before?
Everyone, and I do
mean everyone, eventually visits Paris and comes away entranced. During the
second world war it was not bombed or blasted like London, Budapest or Berlin
so still maintains its 18th century cohesity and cityscape. To go with this is
a thirst for technology, and a real penchance for the cutting edge. Side by
side will be domed baroque churches next to futuristic glass buildings. Where
else on earth would you have a stain-glass pyramid smack-bang in the courtyard
of the largest Renaissance palace in the world?
But the best thing
about Paris is it's liveability - it's full of characterful neighbourhoods
where people spend their lives in restaurants, charcuteries, zinc bars and
boulangeries. And after visiting this city - you may start to envy them. After
all, with all they have in Paris, what is the point of the rest of the world?
Someone once
said all great cities must have water in the equation somewhere. And with Paris
it is the Seine, which flows east to west through the city. The Rive Gauche is
the fabled left bank, once the haunt of bohemians, writers and revoloutionaries
and the great monuments of the Pantheon and the Tour Eiffel. In the centre is
the Ile de la Cite and Ile St Louis, once the medieval heart of the city, and
now housing Frances' most famous Cathedral - Notre Dame. The Rive Droite (Right
bank) is the biggest section housing all the great sights and is probably where
most people stay.
But there must be
something wrong with Paris you are thinking - no city can be this beautiful
without a counterbalance? Of course, there are the Parisians - how rude they
are - they must be Paris' achilles heel? In actuality, they are some of the
nicest people in the world and make very good friends. And when you live in
heaven,try as you might, it is hard not behave like a god...
The mark of a great
city is when the public transport is so good you do not need a car. Paris'
public transport is c'magnifique, mainly due to large government
investment.Most of Frances' rail network passes through here and the great
station (including the Gare D'Nord for the Eurostar) connect with the metro.
The metro covers
the city exhaustively, and your best bet is a carnet of 10 billets for 70
Francs you can use all over the city. The metro itself connects up with the
overground/underground RER network which you may use visiting Versailles and
the Tour Eiffel and these double-decker trains are a sight in themselves.
One fact that I
always enjoy about the Paris metro are the escalators taking you right up to
the street and the old Guimard Art Nouveau metro entrances are still dotted
around the place. But the best thing is to walk, you will find yourself
compelled to walk as you encounter great sight after great sight. For sheer
physical pleasures - Paris has no match in the world.
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