The Travellers Warehouse

Paris, France is known as the City of Light, and is one of the most visited cities in the world. There is so much to see and do there. I will cover some of my favorite sites, and explain why they mean so much to me.

Paris is built on the Seine River, and had its roots and beginnings back to ancient times. We really start hearing about the French connection during the time of Julius Caesar when he brought Roman culture into Europe. He was a conqueror, and he was tough with all of the “barbarian” tribes of Europe. But, his journeys did change the course of Western History.

One of my favorite places in the world is the Cathedral of Notre Dame that sits on an island out in the Seine. There is the most wonderful feeling there, and I wondered why. I have visited a lot of holy and sacred sites around the world, but there was something special about Notre Dame. So, I started researching. One day I was in a used bookstore, and my hand literally landed on a book called The Biography of a Cathedral by Robert Gordon Anderson.. It is an incredible book, and is a must read before visiting the place. The book was written to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the completion of Notre Dame.

The saga begins in 32 B.C. Anderson talks about the island in the Seine all the way through to 1239 A.D. He talks about the fact that this particular spot was always special to someone or some culture. First, Druids came followed by the Romans, and then by the Christians. Some groups of individuals have always found something special about the site, and millions still find it inviting today.

There is so much to see in Paris. There is The Louvre , an ancient palace that has been made into one of the finest museums in the world. It is the final resting place of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. It is true that the eyes of the painted lady seem to follow a person around the room. A tour of The Louvre might take up 3 days, and then that might not be enough. Just making a trip to take in all of the art that is stored there can easily take a whole day. Dress comfortably, and wear good walking shoes.

The Paris underground is an excellent way to get around Paris and surrounding areas. The rail service all over Europe rates five stars. A traveler can check into a EuroRail pass, and save a lot on travel. A short train ride from Paris is the Palace at Versailles, birth place of the French Revolution. Versailles was the home of the French Royal family, and today serves as a museum. The grounds are magnificent. One area to visit on the grounds is the buildings where Marie Antoinette lived and raised her children. She didn’t always stay at the larger palace, and preferred her own corner on the estate. A lot of the buildings are quite simple, and nothing like the regular palace area.

Paris is a town where churches, old palaces and museums thrive. The traveler should try to get to the Impressionist Museum before moving on to another city. Examples of all of the Impressionist artist\u2019s works are housed there. In The Louvre the paintings are sometimes huge, and can take up a whole wall, while the works at the Impressionist Museum are smaller. The impressionist ideas represented have a beautiful, esoteric, and ethereal quality to them.

Of course, the city is a wonderful place to shop, and is one of the main fashion capitals in the world. Other high fashion districts in Europe are Rome, London, and Munich. A Paris fashion show is really a major event all by itself. Then, of course, there are the sidewalk cafes, good food, and nighttime cruises down the Seine.

A French dictionary is a handy tool to have anywhere in France. In a lot of European countries English is taught as an additional language. In France, however, the people are very proud of their home grown tongue. It doesn’t hurt to take a short course in French before leaving. Making this effort could mean the difference between finding a good restaurant or a restroom (Toilette–to the French).

Paris can honestly be called “The City of Light.”

Posted December 11th, 2006 by blogger in General, Travel Destinations, Vacation Planning |