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Tresors CH 2 Paris Intro Rauschenberg
Tresors CH 2 Paris Intro Rauschenberg
The City of
Lights
Paris Geography
When people talk about where in Paris something is located, they use
two basic terms: which "bank" the place is on, and which
"arrondissement" it is in.
The bank refers to which side of the river (if you are
facing downstream). Since the Seine is flowing west
towards the English channel, the area north of the river
is the Right Bank (or Rive Droit), and the area south
of the river is the Left Bank (or Rive Gauche).
Ponts:
Over 30 bridges span the river within the city,
some of which are notable in and of themselves.
Some people say that everyone who knows and
loves Paris has a favorite among her bridges.
Le métro
The Paris subway system is called the métro. You
can quickly get anywhere in the city through the use
of its various lignes (lines).
Each ligne has a number, and two endpoints. To use
the subway you need to know the number and which
endpoint you are traveling towards (the direction).
Whenever two or more lignes meet in a station (where
you can change from one to the other) it’s called a
correspondance.
Buy your tickets from the vending machines in the
station. It's cheaper to buy them in carnets, packets of
ten tickets. You can also buy tickets at the ticket
booths if you want to ask questions or the lines at the
machines are long.
You have to put the ticket in a slot in the turnstile to
enter. Follow the signs to the ligne and direction you
need.
Many of the older stations have interesting decor
inside, and can be entered through great Art Nouveau
entrances.
First Arrondissement
The tower is so vast that it can only be fully seen from a distant vantage point. This
view, the most commonly photographed, is from across the river at the Palais de
Chaillot. The opposite view is from the military school seen under and through the
base of the tower here.
Les Invalides (Hôtel des Invalides)
Louis XIV founded Les Invalides as the first
Veteran's Hospital. The hospital held as
many as 7000 wounded or disabled veterans
at its peak. Today, there are only a few
living there. Most of the building is taken up
by museum space and military offices now.
The Musée de l'Armée (Army Museum)
houses a large collection of weapons. It was
founded in 1794 and includes weapons and
other equipment, uniforms, prints and
paintings, and other memorabilia. It has
everything from stone axes up through World
War II, including an extensive Napoleon
collection, up to and including his horse and
dog (stuffed)!
Under the Dome of les Invalides lie
Napoleon’s remains, in the center of six
nested coffins.
Rodin Museum
La
Défense
Saint Denis
Saint Denis is not as well-known as the
churches closer to the city center. A
fact which might amaze many of those
buried within.
Though the church now lies off the
beaten path of most tourists, it is filled
with the heritage of France.
For centuries, the kings and queens of
France were buried in this church and
its crypt. Anyone who has studied the
history of this country will want to
make the trip out here. The tombs are
decorated with statues and inscriptions
and seem to be a Who's Who of pre-
revolutionary France.
La Défense
La Défense is primarily a business center. Its tall buildings
are home to international corporations and their offices.
There are also large hotels for business travelers.
Tourists can also enjoy visiting this area. There is shopping
(including the 4 Temps mall). There is an IMAX theater.
There is a large open plaza, where one can enjoy nice
weather and people watching.
On the plaza is the Grande Arche de la Défense. This huge
square arch continues the straight line which begins with the
small (comparatively) Arc de Triomphe de Carrosel in the
courtyard at the Louvre, continues through the Tuileries
gardens, across the Place de la Concorde, up the Champs
Elysees and through the Arc de Triomphe, then ends here at
La Défense.
For those, like me, who like to go up to high places and look
out over the city, the Grande Arche de la Défense has a
rooftop viewing platform.
Further Out
Disneyland
Paris
Versaill
Disneyland Paris
Versailles started out as a royal hunting lodge. Louis XIV expanded it into a huge palace.
One of his reasons was to keep the aristocrats out of the city and under his control.
Louis XIV understood power and used this palace to show himself as the center of power,
the Sun King.
The regular tour takes you through the state rooms, including the Hall of Mirrors, where the
treaty that ended World War I was signed.
Other tours allow you to see other parts of the main palace, such as the bedrooms
of the king and queen, the chapel, the opera theater, etc.
Versailles: the Trianons
All photos were taken by Jane Rauschenberg (mostly in the summer of 2000)
The text comes primarily from her Paris website:
ms.loganhocking.k12.oh.us/~madame/paris.htm