What I've learned in the first 6 hours

Charles De Gaulle airport is Huge!
Paris has an Ikea!
Traffic is like New York which means freaked me totally out! Merging with only an inch of space. I cringed several times.
People who ride motorcycles here are Very Very Brave!
Always check the cab before you exit! I left my hat :-(
Sidewalks are small
Boulangeries & patisseries are everywhere!
Use your debit card to get cash at the post office ( I brought cash, which means I'll get a terrible exchange rate :-( )
Our apartment is right next to a grocery store!!
Most importantly it's Paris, so who cares ;-)

Vive La France!

À bientôt mes amis!

My Trip is HERE

Today is the day I leave for my trip...I will do my best to update my blog with whatever I'm allowed to do using my cell phone, as I have chosen not to take my laptop..

A Tout A L'heure, Mes Amis...

1st arrondissement of Paris

The 1st arrondissement of Paris is the least populated and the one of the smallest in area at only 1,83 km2 (0.705 square miles or 451 acres). A significant part of which is occupied by The Louvre and The Tuileries Garden, much of the rest of the district is dedicated to business and administration.

It had it's peak in population in the period preceding the reorganization of Paris in 1860. As of 2005 there were roughly 17,000 inhabitants however there are over 63,000 jobs making it one of the most active for business after the 2nd, 8th and 9th arrondissements.

4 QUARTIERS

Quartier Saint-Germain-L'Auxerrois pop. 1670
Quartier Les Halles pop. 9980
Quartier Palais-Royal pop. 3190
Quartier Place Vendôme pop. 3040

EDUCATION

2 nursery schools (école maternelle)
2 primary schools (école élémentaire)
1 école polyvalente
1 high school or collège
1 sixth form of collège, lycée

PLACES OF INTEREST

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel
Banque de France Headquarters
Comédie-Française
Crédit Foncier de France Historical Headquarters
The Louvre
     Musée de la Mode et du Textile
Tuileries Garden
     Galerie nationale du Jeu de  Paume
Galerie Véro-Dodat
Les Arts Décoratifs
Les Halles
Musée du Barreau de Pais
Musée Grévin-Forum des Halles
Musée des Lunettes et Lorgnettes Pierre Marly
Musée de la Publicité
Palais Royal
Hôtel  Ritz Paris
La Sanaritaine

BRIDGES

Pont Neuf
Pont des Arts

STREETS AND SQUARES

Avenue de l'Opéra (partial)
Rue De Rivoli (partial)
Place Vend ôme & the Vendôm Column

While I may not see all of it my first go round, I do plan to visit the Louvre and the Tuileries garden, you can check my archives for information on those 2 places.

A Demain, Mes Amis...

Les Arrondissements de Paris!

The city of Paris, which is also the capitol of France,  is divided into 20 arrondissements (administrative districts). The last two digits in most Parisian postal codes indicate which arrondissement a place is located in or around, 75001-75002.

The 20 arrondissements are arranged in the form of a clockwise spiral starting in the middle of the city, with the first on the right bank (north bank) of the Seine river. The French cities of Lyon and Marseille are also subdivided in this way.

In French the number is often given in Roman numerals, for example, the Eiffel Tower is located in tehh VII arrondissement.

11 October 1795, Paris was only divided into 12 arrondissements. They were numbered from west to east, with the numbers 1-9 situated on the right bank of the Seine and 10-12 on the left Bank. Each arrondissement was also subdivided into four quartiers, which corresponded to the 48 original districts created in 1790.

1 January 1860 new territory was defined to be with Paris' city limits by Napoleon III. The previous 12 where rearranged with this new territory to become the present 20.

I will attempt to break down each Arrondissement, listing popular spots and things that make that area unique in upcoming blogs, so look out for it, but I will of course still be blogging about some places I hope to see or that represent Paris to me..

A Bientôt, Mes Amis...

Travel Tuesday: The Tuileries Garden or Jardin des Tuileries

The Tuileries Garden or Jardin des Tuileries is located between the Louvre and The Place de la Concorde in the 1st arrondissement of Paris (more about arrondissements later). The garden is a manifestation of a vision of Catherine de Medicis who moved to the Louvre Palace in July 1559 after her husband Henry II died. She moved with her son, the new king François II but decided that she wanted to build a new palace separate from the Louvre with a garden that was modeled after those in her homeland of Florence.

Catherine decided to use an empty area bordered by the Seine on the south, the rue Saint-Honore on the north, the Louvre on the east and the city walls and deep water moat on the west. The area has been occupied since the 13th century by workshops called tuileries which made tiles for the roofs of buildings. In the 16th century some of the land had been acquired by King François I and she acquired more land and began to make her vision a reality.

Catherine  commissioned Bernard de Carnesse a landscape architect from florence to build an Italian Renaissance garden complete with fountains, a labyrinth and a grotto decorated with faience images of plans and animals made by Bernard Palissy. Palissy was ordered by Catherine to discover the secret of Chinese porcelain. 

The garden and Palace changed hands many times  however it became the National Garden or Jardin National of the new French Republic after King Louis XVI was removed from power and executed during the French Revolution. 

In 1870, Emperor Louis Napoleon was defeated and captured by the Germans and Paris was the scene of the Uprising of the Paris Commune. When the army arrived and fought to recapture the city, the Communards deliberately burned dow the Tuileries Palace and attempted to burn the Louvre as well but were unsuccessful. The Palace ruins were not torn down until 1883 and the empty site, which was located between the two pavilions of the Louvre, became a part of the garden. 

Today the garden is a place where Parisians and of course visitors go to celebrate, meet, promenade and relax and I truly look forward to seeing it's beauty...

A Bientôt Mes Amis!

Travel Tuesday: Saint Martin

Saint Martin is an Island in the Northeast Caribbean about 190 miles east of Puerto Rico. It is an island divided by France and The Kingdom of the Netherlands. While Marigot the capital of Saint Martin is the most populated city, the dutch side or Saint Maarteen has more people total on it's side of the island.  The island has been divided since March 23, 1648 when the two nations signed The Treaty of Concordia. Saint Martin is know for it's nude beaches, clothes, shopping and rich French and Indian Cuisine.

Today my Husband Dusty and I are celebrating 8 years of marriage and we spent our honeymoon on the island of Saint Martin at Le Meridien Hotel.  We enjoyed our time there, good food and because it was off season, it wasn't busy. The only thing that freaked me out was the fact that it was up a very narrow hill, but thankfully whenever we were leaving or coming back, there was no other vehicle going the opposite direction (thank you Jesus).. One thing I loved about the hotel was that it was just a few yards from the beach. The hotel also offered several activities and we went on a boat ride to one of the outer beaches (yes we saw some folks sunbathing in the nude, but hey the island is know for it's nude beaches).. I enjoyed visiting the Dutch side or Saint Maarteen, bc of the shopping, I appreciated the quietness of the French side.. We also ended up seeing a movie while we where there and it was pretty cool because they had an intermission (the first time, I'd ever been to a movie with an intermission), we were able to use the restroom and buy some more snacks.. We saw Shrek, still an extremely funny movie :-)

While I'm not sure if I would stay at this hotel again (because of the hill), I definitely would love to go back and we definitely will stay on the French side again and I actually think, I'd like to take the kids, I know they would enjoy it..

Travel Friday because I missed Travel Tuesday: Les Champs Èlysèes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champs-Élysées

It is one of the most popular streets in Paris and probably richest, with stores like Gucci and Louis Vuitton and now more affordable stores like Gap and H&M, it is the premiere place to shop and YES, I will be spending money there.. I might not be spending much, but rest assured I will come home with a bag or two that were gained while perusing The Champs Elysee. 

You can read all about it in the link provided..

A tout A l'heure..Mes Amis..

Travel Tuesday: Musée du Louvre

It's another Travel Tuesday and of course Paris is still on my mind and I must talk about The Louvre. From my understanding it is an all day affair and I will definitely be spending one of my 10 days seeing as much of the Museum as possible.
I will also make sure and re watch the movie and reread the book The Da Vinci Code since the Louvre played an important part in both.

http://www.louvre.fr/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louvre


I've included the links to the Louvre's home page and the Wikipedia Page  because I truly can't do justice to the beauty that is the Louvre until I actually visit it and rest assured in less than 6 months, I will have tons of photo's of this most visited museum in the world.

Á tout à L'Heure

Travel Tuesday: La Tour Eiffel

On this travel tuesday, I'm talking about one of the most famous places in the world, The Eiffel Tower located in Paris, France which I will be visiting for 10 days in 6 months.

The Tower named after  Gustave Eiffel, whose company built the tower in 1889 as the entrance arch to the 1880 Worlds Fair. It is an global and cultural icon of France and one of of the most recognizable  structures in the world and is the most visited paid monument in the world. It is the tallest building in Paris  at 320 meters or 1050 feet about the same as a 81 story building and the 2nd tallest building in France.
The Tower has 3 levels, the 1st and 2nd level include restaurants. From ground floor to 1st floor it's about 300 steps and the same between 1st level and 2nd level. The third level is only accessible by lift or elevator.
My goal is to walk from ground level to 1st level and from 1st level to 2nd level and take the lift (look at me using foreign words already, LOL) to the 3rd level. I mean after all I must take it in its full glory, since I've only wanted to see it in person for 23 years..

The Eiffel Tower is absolutely beautiful and I am truly looking forward to seeing it in person and can't wait to share it's beauty one day soon with my children.

À Bientôt mes amis!

6 months and counting

6 months from today, I will be boarding a plane headed to  Paris..To say I'm excited is an understatement.. I have wanted to go to Paris since I was 15 years old and 23 years later it's happening..I also get to go with a person who i've know for 29 years..WOW...10 days to explore the City of Lights.....I can't wait..