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France / French Republic
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Paris, Île-de-France
Rodin Museum - Musee Rodin, Paris, France Musée Rodin:
While I'm not too much of a fan of sculpture, it is very hard not to be intrigued by Rodin's sculptures. I highly recommend walking around the Rodin Museum, as there is a wooded garden where the statues seem to come to life in an eerie fashion.
Pont Neuf at night, Paris, France Accordian player at Montmartre, Paris, France

Pont Neuf:
(Left)   I happened to come across this bridge at the perfect time of day and shot an entire roll of film. I was lucky enough to get this shot which is now one of my favorite photographs

Street Musician:
(Right)  I came across this musician at Montmartre and was captivated by her sound. Surprisingly the accordion can actually be pleasant if played well!

Arch De Triumph, Paris, France Arch De Triumph, Paris, France

Arch de Triumph:
(Left) While the Arch de Triumph is quite imposing, I was more impressed that vehicles were not crashing around the massive traffic circle than I was of the arch itself.
Arch De Triumph:
(Right)   As seen from the Eiffel Tower, the Arch de Triumph dominates its surroundings. The Champs Elysées, which leads up to it, is not to be missed.

Pont Des Arts, Paris, France Pont Des Arts:
This bridge, which connects the Louvre to the Institut de France (pictured), seemed to be a favorite for budding artists and for backpackers who, like myself, were eating their picnic lunches which consisted of cheese, baguettes, and maybe a little wine...
North Station - Gare du Nord, Paris, France Bastille Monument, Paris, France

Gare du Nord:
(Left)  The North Station is the Parisian home of the Eurostar, which links London to Paris in only 3 hours. Unharmed during the war, the train stations in Paris are works of art themselves.

Bastille Monument:
(Left)  Unless you care for modern architecture, the Bastille section of town is not spectacular, except for this monument which stands in a busy traffic circle.

Bastille Farmer's Market, Paris, France Bastille Farmer's Market Cheese, Paris, France

Bastille Market:
(Left)   If you happen to visit the Bastille on a Sunday, you will be treated to a fabulous market with amazing fruit, cheese, meat, and bread. I love farmers markets so this was a great treat for me.

Cheese Market:
(Right)   Another view of the market at the Bastille. I was very happy to stumble across this!

Invalides, Paris, France Invalides Garden, Paris, France

Invalides:
(Left)   This gorgeous building is home to Napoleon's ashes, which lie in state under the grand dome. The building is also part of the Museé de l'Armee, which celebrates the French military. (This must be a small museum!)

Invalides Garden:
(Right)  Another view of the Invalides from the gardens which surround it. I love this photograph!

Invalides Inner Courtyard, Paris, France Louvre Pyramids, Paris, France

Invalides:
(Left)  Seen From the inner courtyard, Invalides is beautiful no matter how you look at it.

Louvre:
(Right)  I didn't want to spend my entire trip to Paris looking at art, so I had to be content with looking at the Louvre from the outside. (Which suits me fine, since the outside is prettier than most museum's insides!)

Champ de Mars, Paris, France Sacre Coeur, Paris, France

Champ de Mars:
(Left)  The Champ de Mars is a wonderful park which was seemingly built to handle the staggering amount of tourists which visit the Eiffel Tower, from which this picture was taken

Sacre Coeur:
(Left) I had a great time hiking to this church, located at the top of Paris's tallest hill, Montmartre . The views of the city from this church are unbelievable.

A deluxe French hood ornament - or the Paris Opera House, Paris, France Paris City Hall - The Hôtel de Ville de Paris, Paris, France

Opera House:
(Left)  The Opera House occupies a prime piece of real estate in Paris and is quite stately. As the building is too large to fit in a normal camera lens, this rooftop statue should give you an idea of the opulence that lies beneath.

The Hôtel de Ville de Paris:
(Right)   While walking down the boulevards in Paris, you come across gorgeous buildings such as the Parisian City Hall.

Monument at Place de la Nation, Paris, France Rodin's The Thinker, Paris, France

Place de la Nation:
(Left)   The large monument at the Place de la Nation was one of my favorites, as the graffiti on the statue made it seem like a piece of living art

The Thinker:
(Right) I've always loved the Thinker, as I like to sit and contemplate life myself, although unlike the Thinker I usually wear clothes!

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

La Tour Eiffel:
(Left)   What can I say that hasn't already been said about the Eiffel tower? I was very surprised that the tower was really as impressive as it was. I expected the tower to be "nothing much", but in reality it is something special.

Eiffel Tower:
(Right)  You can never have too many pictures of the Eiffel Tower!

 

Cogs of the Eiffel Tower Otis Elevator, Paris, France Eiffel Tower Cogs :
Since the tower is probably one of the best well-known buildings in the world, I searched long and hard in an effort to make a somewhat original photograph. I ended up photographing the elevator cogs, which I think are works of art themselves!
France


France Travel Resources

Encarta map of France: See an excellent map of France

France Travel Information: Lonely Planet Destination Guide: Lonely Planet's guidebooks are second to none. Go here to read their online edition

Eiffel Tower: The official site of the most overused emblem of Paris

DiscoverFrance.net: A comprehensive site with plenty of original information about French life and culture

History Channel: Napoleon: Learn about France's military hero, the "Little Corporal"

Louvre: The official site of the world's biggest line. I hear there's a museum at the end of that line, too.

DiscoverFrance.net: French Revolution: Learn about this "revolting" period of French history

Pepé Le Pew: Read about one of France's greatest lovers

Museé Rodin: In my opinion the best museum in Paris. Be sure to check out the gardens!

Hitler In Paris: See one of the most famous photos of WWII, Hitler in Paris

Paris-trip.org : A great site loaded with images and descriptions of Paris's tourist attractions

Les Catacombs: If you go to Paris do not miss this! It is one of the most morbid, yet interesting, things I've ever seen.

Disneyland Paris: There's nothing like going to a foreign country to see a little bit of America!

BBC News: France: Concise and factual country study of France

Evian: Although I'd never buy the stuff, it sure was good when it was free from the source!

Tour de France: Check out the official site of American cycling domination!

French Bread: Learn how to make one of the world's great breads

French Farmers vs. McDonalds: It seems like French farmers are always attacking one of the Mcdonalds over there.

BBC News: Memories of the French Franc: Now that the Euro is here to stay, read peoples thoughts about the old French Franc

French Fries: Not even French, but what good would a page about France be without a link to this tasty snack?

DiscoverFrance.net: History of the Metro: A history of one of the world's great public transport systems which remarkably similar to my last name!

What's Cooking?: The Smithsonian salutes Julia Child in a great exhibit

Beret: An history of that famous French headgear, the beret.

Flags Of The World: France: Information about and history of France's flag


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Questions and Answers

Time Visited: May 2000 & May 2002

Main Cities Visited: Evian, Paris

Modes of Transportation: Boat, subway, train (Eurostar), bus

How I Ended Up There: Quick jaunt across Lake Geneva to Evian while in Switzerland. In 2002 I spend a weekend in Paris while studying in London.

Memorable Foods: Lots of bread, escargot, wine, pastries, Evian water (from the source!)

What I Liked: Perfect urban planning kept the city's flavor while allowing growth outside of Paris, diversity of Paris was surprising, Strolling along the River Siene is an experience not to be missed.

What I Disliked: American attitudes of French people... I found them to be quite nice!

Where I Stayed: At the grungiest hostel in Europe

France in Five Words: immaculate, proud, isolated, gourmet, persistent

My Thoughts: I reluctantly visited Paris while I was studying in London in 2002 because I was expecting to meet a group of people who were arrogant, snooty, and generally unpleasant. Now, in the past I normally ignore preconceptions and stereotypes because they generally are not true, but with the almost universal dislike (by Americans at least) of the French, I thought there might be something to this. Needless to say, when I visited Paris I was shocked to see the degree to which these preconceptions were incorrect. The French were friendly, decent, clean, and surprisingly helpful to me, yet I was just one of tens of thousands of tourists in the city at the time. Once again, I learned that you can only make a truly informed decision with firsthand knowledge and experience. Everything else is just hearsay.

© David Metraux 1996-2006

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