Well, It's Been 9 Months -- Time To Take a Break....
But deciding on that first holiday was a real chore .... so many places ....
so little time .... so little money. Our first thought -- a whim really -- was
Morocco
Casablanca .... very exotic .... a neat place to say you've been. But, also,
as we found, very expensive .... £3800 for 4 ($6500) for a week -- "decide
today or all places will be booked" -- easy decision, especially for a whim
-- we didn't go.
Other Alternatives That Fit Our Budget ....
included Florida .... always a great choice .... DisneyWorld was actually
cheaper than Morocco, including a week long "stop-over" in Jamaica !!
But .... been there .... done that. What could we see that we otherwise
wouldn't ?? In the end, since no one was too interested in the beach, we
decided on .... Paris !!! A great choice as it turned out .... alot to do for
everyone .... museums, history, stunning architecture .... just out and out
fun. So, this page is devoted to "The City of Lights" (No silly, not Aurora,
Illinois) .... ok then "The City of Love" .... and Pepe LePew ....
| Museums | The Louvre Metro Lines 1, 7 -- Palais Royal / Musee de Louvre |
 |
| "More museums per square foot (?) than any other city in the world" | Arc de Triomphe Metro Lines 1, 2, 6 -- Charles de Gaulle Etoile (Star) -- named for the 12 streets that intersect here |
And you thought it was only a monument ... there is a small museum at the top ... and the terrace has a great view down the Champs Elysees, and up Avenue de la Grande Armee to the Grande Arch ... not to be outdone by London, at the base is the biggest roundabout we've ever seen ... 8 lanes (we think). |
| Musee d'Orsay | Museum of Fine Art -- this link is from Paris Pages -- it includes a link to the official site, which is, of all things, in French | |
| Cite des Sciences et de l'industries | Museum of Science and Industry official site | |
| Museum National d'Historie Naturelle | Museum of Natural History -- Paris Pages link -- includes a link to the official site, in French | |
| Musee national d'Art Moderne | Museum of Modern Art -- Paris Pages link | |
| Beaubourg Centre -- Georges Pompidou | Cultural Museum, along with Modern Art, official site (in French) .... our understanding is that this museum is being built, and will officially open in 2000 | |
| Paris Museum Links | A comprehensive list of Paris Museums -- from Paris Pages -- more than 100 museums -- in French or English -- by name or geographically |
| "Tourist Spots" | ||||
Tube Line |
Station |
Comments |
||
| Arch Carousel
|
Metro Lines 1, 7 | Palais Royal / Musee de Louvre | In the main courtyard of The Louvre -- built by Napoleon, as the start of "The Royal View". It is half the size of the Arc de Triomphe. The little tiny shadows through the middle are the Luxor Obelisk at Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe. | |
 This is a pretty good website, but not quite like Disney.com |
RER A4 -- RER are the train lines outside of Paris proper | Marne la-Vallee / Chessy -- the last stop east on this line, in Zone 5. | Hey, we couldn't go to Paris without going here -- just can't get enough of Disney, we guess. Alot like the Magic Kingdom at Disney World -- good rides, not too crowded while we were there. | |
| The Eiffel Tower | Metro Line 6 | Bir Hakeim | 1,710 steps -- 276 metres
high and very imposing, especially from on it. Lighting
is stunning at night. Child # 1 - all the way to the top Dad - wimped out at 2nd floor Others - stayed home. |
|
| RER C | Champ de Mars | |||
| Grande Arch | Metro Line 1 RER A |
Grande Arch de la Defense Zone 3 |
A huge, square donut, twice the size of the Arc de Triomphe -- built in 1989 to commemorate the bi-centenial of the French Revolution -- lies at the NW end of "The Royal View" | |
| Hotel des Invalides / Gold-Domed Church | Metro Lines 8, 13 | Invalides
|
Hotel (Mansion) is a massive home for French war veterans, most recently from the Gulf War. The church on the south side is gorgeous -- and is Napoleon's burial site. | |
| Hotel de Ville
|
Metro Lines 1, 11 | Hotel de Ville | Paris' City Hall -- within walking distance to Notre Dame -- The Addams Family Mansion .... x 5 | |
| Notre Dame
|
Metro Line 4 | Cite
|
The coolest looking building we've ever seen -- Go at night, the lighting makes it look very spooky and foreboding. Note: The front is under renovation, not good for pictures, but the flying buttresses in the back are amazing. Also great pics from the Rue de Montebello on the south side / Left Bank. | |
| Palace of Versailles | RER C5 | Versailles - Rive Gauche |
|
|
|
||||
| The Pantheon | RER B | Luxembourg |  |
|
| Place de la Concorde | Metro Lines 1, 8, 12 | Place de la Concorde | Europe's biggest square -- like a parking lot with stop lights. In the centre is the Luxor Obelisk -- looted from Egypt by Napoleon, but in the words of our guide "Egypt hasn't said anything yet, so we don't know". Also great fountains, and a view up the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. | |
| Pont (Bridge) Alexandre III | Metro Lines 1, 13 | Champs Elysees -- Clemenceau | We counted 29 bridges across the Seine -- this is the most beautiful -- dedicated to France's friendship with Russia, prior to the Russian revolution of 1917 | |
| The Louvre Pyramid | Metro Lines 1, 7 | Palais Royal / Musee de Louvre | About 50 ft tall and made of glass (?), it is in the main courtyard of The Louvre -- built within the last couple of years, as the latest addition to "The Royal View" | |
| Sacre Coeur
|
Metro Line 2 | Anvers | This white-domed basilica on a butte in north central Paris stands out on the sky-line, and provides outstanding views of the city. In Montemartre, the artist's district. |
|
| "The Royal View" | From The Louvre Courtyard | To the Grand Arch | ||
|
||||
"Other
Fun Things" |
||||
Tube Line |
Station/Directions |
|||
| Restaurants -- Burger Style | Hard Rock Cafe | Metro Lines 8, 9 | Richelieu - Drouot Rue Montmartre |
|
| Planet Hollywood Paris | Metro Line 1 | George V -- on the Champs Elysees | ||
| Planet Hollywood Disneyland Paris | Disney Village | The smallest PH we've been to | ||
| Shopping | Les 4 Temps -- (The Four Seasons) Mall -- multi-level, reasonably priced -- by the Grande Arch | Metro Line 1 RER A |
Grande Arch de la Defense | |
| Boat Ride on the Seine | Bateaux-Mouches -- many different cruises available -- probably our most relaxing afternoon, cruising past the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Notre Dame | Metro Line 9, RER C | Alma Marceau | |
Links to Good "Paris in General" Sites |
|
| Site | Comments |
| ParisFranceGuide | From Europe On Line -- comprehensive, best site we've found |
| MiningCo. | These guys always have some good travel pages |
| The Official Paris Website | The City ... It's Culture ... Tourist Information -- well done |
| All About Paris | An interactive map (not detailed) with walks, museums, shopping and shows |
| Paris Tourism | A very nicely done, comprehensive site |
| Paris Serve | Good information, but arranged geographically -- if you don't know Paris, it is hard to use |
        |
[Hits Since 03/07/99 20:00 GMT -- {or, English Style, 07/03/99}]
