Visiting Paris’ cemeteries may not be your idea of having fun. However, if you are truly in love with the City of Light, you have every reason to walk through the gates of one of the city’s 14 intra-muros sites. The Père Lachaise, Montmartre and Montparnasse cemeteries figure among the most prestigious in Paris and France. Each one is a lesson in …
If you’ve seen the 2013 film “Les Misérables,” then you are already familiar with Place de la Bastille. It is the setting for much of the second half of the film, marked by the large, decaying plaster elephant. Place de la Bastille is a historic Parisian square that still plays a large role in contemporary …
“Paris has another Paris under herself”, said the novelist Victor Hugo, in reference to 1300 miles of sewers, caverns, catacombs, alleys, and intersections underneath the great city. On my trip to Paris we had originally planned to tour the elaborate sewer network in honor of Hugo, who described the medieval labyrinth at length in his …
If Paris is the capital of French fashion, Les Galeries Lafayette Boulevard Haussmann is its window displays, many Parisians say. In fact, Les Galeries stands for a lot more than that. Founded over one hundred years ago, the department store serves as a reference for ‘made in France,’ goods. Therefore, when you walk through the glass doors on 40 …
James turned to the hovering waiter. “Encore, deux cafés.” The big cups of creamy coffee arrived and soon my husband had sketched out a plan for my seventh visit to Paris, his ninety-third. He filled our September week with authentic Paris, must-see places and events that any tourist can fit around the obligatory sightseeing. …
Paris’ world-famed bookstore, Shakespeare & Co., went through some rough times in earlier days, but all’s well that ends well. The book-filled store at 37 Rue Bûcherie, a few steps from the Seine River, Ile de la Cité and Notre Dame Cathedral, is going strong, and represents a significant piece of Parisian and literary history. The …
The Eiffel Tower or Tour Eiffel symbolizes Paris now, but when it was built for the Universal Exposition (World’s Fair) in 1889, it was expected to be torn down within 20 years. The main thing that saved it was technology. Wireless transmissions, sent from an antenna on the tower, could travel far, so the French government …
If you’ve been to Paris, you’ve seen the work of Baron Haussmann. You may not have even known you were looking at it. It’s hard to miss, because it permeates the entire city, well, it is the city. Most city tours of Paris will at least mention Haussmann. To tell you the truth, for a …
Located in Paris’s 6th arrondissement, the 55 acre Luxembourg Gardens is home to the French Senate, which is housed in the luxurious Palais du Luxembourg. The garden is comprised of gravel walkways, grassy expanses, and large pools and fountains in which one often finds children sailing model boats (no, that’s not just in the movies!). …
It’s early. Church bells fill up the morning air. Trams are chugging along, cars are filing out, and at the cafés, office goers are sharing gossip over coffee. That’s Zagreb for you; it’s unhurried and always has time for kava. Zagreb is cradled between the River Sava and Mount Medvednica, and while the city doesn’t …