Paris

toc  Paris, the City of Lights, is the most visited city on the planet. We're going to be a part of that statistic come this August. People know the city of Paris as the City of Lights, but they may have never heard of Paris being referred to as Lutèce. Paris was formally called as this expression Lutèce, which is the French form of Lutetia, the Roman city where Paris now stands. Paris is located on the River Seine and is divided into 20 Arrondissements (pronounced AH-ron-DISS-mont), or administrative districts. Paris' attractions are spread out over the various Arrondissements, making the trip a walking one.
 * Paris** 



**Geography**
Paris is located on the northern arc of the River Seine. Paris has a population of around 2.15 million in the city and 10.5 million in the Île de France (the suburban area around Paris) and there are two islands in the Seine: Île Saint-Louis and the larger Île de la Cité. The latter comprises the oldest section of Paris. There are very few hills or mounds in Paris, with the tallest point being the Montmarte at 427 feet. There are two forests in Paris: the Bois de Boulonge and the Bois de Vincennes. Many of the tree-line Boulevards are thanks to the work of city-planner Georges Haussmann under Napolean III's renovation of the capital.

**Climate**
The Parisian climate is that of an oceanic one, which means the City has a moderate temperature range that ensure great sight-seeing, unhindered by oppressive heat or cold. For the month of August, the average high will be around 77 F, or 22 C, with an average low of 62 F, or 17 C. There shouldn't be much rain during the trip, but if there is, less than one inch should be expected. As for dress, shorts are advisable.

**Historical Landmarks**
Paris is a smorgasbord of different architectural styles, ranging from remnants of the middle ages, to Louis XIV, to the latest trends of skyscraper, a prime example of which is La Défense, Paris' custom-built business district and yuppified area. Originally, Paris was a Roman fortress, and many of their

ruins can be seen in excavated areas, such as those underneath the plaza in front of the Notre Dame. "Construction of Notre-Dame, Paris's most famous cathedral, began in 1163 and was completed in 1345." Later on, the Middle Ages struck, and for the most part, thankfully, very little of that depressing architecture is still around today, with the exception of the Notre Dame, one of the largest Gothic Cathedrals in the World.



Most of this style continued until the massive renovations of Napoleon, who build many of the bridges and monuments in Paris. A great example of Napoleonic Architecture is the Arc du Triomphe,a French monument dedicated to those who died during the Napoleonic War. The Arc de Triomphe, was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 and today it serves as the marker for the tomb of "France's unknown soldier" and also the largest triumphal arc in the world. (We can see how France is the "city of lights") The Champs-Élysées, or Paris' most famous boulevard, is where the Arc is located. The Champs-Élysées is the Parisian basis for Michigan Avenue. So just imagine tree-line sidewalks, flanked by luxury good shops, starting with the Place de la Concorde and ending with the Place Charles du Gualle.



Across from the Arc du Triomphe lies Paris' most visited landmark: the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is the tallest building in Paris and many a law has been promulgated that no building shall be constructed to be taller than the Eiffel Tower. Built for the 1889 Paris World Exhibition, it stands at 324 meters, or 1,063. It was designed to mimic the shooting of a rocket, with its base being the woosh of smoke and its apex being the rocket itself. There is a system of elevators to reach the observation deck; but for the more adventurous, one can still reach the observation deck by stair (I did that!).





 The Louvre is known today for being one of the most visited museums in the world, a historical landmark to France, and home to 35,000 works of art through out the history of the world. Some of the most renown artists such as DaVinci, Michelangelo, Monet, Raphael, and many more have multiple pieces of work in the museum. All of the work in the museum varies in style from the Renaissance to the 20th century postmodernist. The Louvre also maintains works of art from every corner of the Earth, whether it be Islamic, Christian, Jewish, agnostic, or other. The Louvre also wasn't a museum; overtime, it started out being a fortress in the 12th century to Palace where multiple monarchies through out French history resided, and now to Paris' foremost art museum. Moreover, this incredible landmark is one of the most renown places in the world and one discovers a new paining every time one goes, even if he/she has gone more than ten times. (Done by Gabby)



**Getting Around Paris**
Paris is a city built for walking. That was Georges Haussmann's goal, was it not? On the tour, we'll do a lot of walking from one place to another to better see the many sights. The City of Paris has provided an excellent map for tourists that has superb street information, as well as various sights. If you're feeling lethargic, Paris sports a world class bus and subway system for tourists. Their public transportation was revamped in order to secure the 1992 Summer Olympic games, which they did not. As for the Subway, or Metro, all stations are marked with a big sign indicating "Metro". There are sixteen subway lines that criss-cross the entire city, along with fifty-nine bus routes in the city proper, and two hundred five bus routes in the suburbs. An important tip for the subways: you'll have to push your way during rush hours as the cars can get pretty filled-up. To ride these routes, Paris made it very efficient. Like Chicago's CTA passes, RATP or RER, Paris' transport authority, issue passes that can be used on both buses and on the Metro. Multi-use passes can be bought at vending machines, or single use passes can be bought as well.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Paris#Get_around





**Food**
Eating in Paris is an art. Many people dedicate their entire lives and fill many books studying the art of French cuisine. As a lover of cooking and international cuisine, I have learned that there are three important ingredients in French cooking: 1. butter 2. butter 3. butter. The sauces in French dishes are sometimes more delicious than the food itself.
 * A Parisian day of eating begins with breakfast or petit dejeuner. It is typically hot chocolate or tea, a roll with butter, and a croissant. However, our hotels may be serving breakfast buffets.
 * Picnics are also very prominent in Paris. They can be first-class affairs and adventures in high cuisine.
 * For lunch if a quick meal is what you want look for food stands and bakeries selling takeout sandwiches and drinks. For an affordable sit down meal try a crepeire or cafe
 * Some good lunch picnic sites are at the Palais Royal (across the street from the Louvre)
 * French Cafes provide reasonable light meal, although the French waiter won't overwhelm you with friendliness it is good to appreciate how hard they work, they never stop
 * Almost all cafes and restaurants include a service charge in the bill usually (15 percent), but its polite to round up for a well served meal (if bill is €19, round up to €20). When you hand your payment and tip to the waiter, say "C'est bon..." meaning its good.
 * Choosing restaurants is a bit trickier, but go to places filled with locals, not places with big boasting neon signs. If a restaurant does not post its menu outside, move along.
 * When asking for a menu, it is not a literal translation in French, a menu is la carte, and menus in French are three or four courses which are fixed price meals
 * Baguettes are fairly common articles of bread in France.
 * In France an entree is the first course and le plat is the main course
 * By American standards the French under-cook meat, so if you would like well done or medium: bien buit, medium: a point, saignant is raw

**And now... 79 Years of** **European History in 30 seconds**
media type="youtube" key="_57s6PK8SUw" height="340" width="560" 12 Phrases you MUST know!

1. Quelle heure est-il? = What time is it? 2. Je voudrais___s'il vous plait. = I would like___please. 3. Je prends un chocolat chaud = I'll have a hot chocolat 4. Ca coute combien? = How much does this cost? 5. Vous fermez a quelle heure? = What time do you close at? 6. Parlez-vous anglais? = Do you speak English? 7. Prenez vous des cartes de credit? = Do you accept credit cards? 8. Je ne comprends pas = I don't understand 9. Combien = How much 10. Aujourd'hui, demain, hier = Today, tomorrow, yesterday 11. Comment allez-vous = How are you? 12. Merci, pardon, excusez-moi = Thank you, pardon me, excuse me

