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The Eiffel Tower Paris's most famous landmark was built
by Gustave Eiffel for the world exhibition of 1889, the centennial
of the French Revolution. Such a splendid piece of engineering that
even in the strongest winds it never sways more than 4 ½
inches.
Louvre The world's largest museum, is actually the product
of centuries.It was built in the 13th century originally as a fortress
by Philippe-Auguste . Henry 1V (1589-1610), Louis X111 (1610-43)
Louis XIV (1643-1715), Napoleon (1804-14) and Napoleon 111 (1852-70)
all contributed to its construction. The glass pyramid, the most
famous recent addition, by I.M. Pei was unveiled in March 1989.
The collections are divided into seven sections :Oriental antiquities,
Egyptian antiquities, Greek and Roman antiquities, Sculpture; paintings,
prints and drawings (including the Mona Lisa) ; furniture and objets
d'art.
Arc de Triomphe 164 ft Triumphal arch, planned by Napoleon,
but not finished until 1836, 20 years after his rule. There is a
small museum halfway up the arch devoted to its history. France's
unknown soldier is buried beneath the archway, the flame is rekindled
each evening at 6.30
Left Bank (Rive Gauche) - Flowing along with the Seine as
it heads toward the sea, its left bank will be found on the left.
At Paris, the river flows roughly westwards, cutting the city into
two halves; north and south. Left Bank has come to mean more than
simply a geographical region of the city and can now refer to a
particular style of life, fashion, or even `Look'. Some of its famous
streets are Boulevard Saint Germain des Prés, Saint Michel,
and Rue d'Ulm.
Right Bank (Rive Droite) - Opposite the Left Bank, and generally
refers to the northern half of the city. However, like the Left
Bank, and due to its association with places such as Place Vendôme,
the Right Bank can now be used to refer to a level of elegance and
sophistication now found in its more bohemian sister to the south.
Its most famous street is undeniably the Champs Elysées,
but there are others such as Rue de la Paix, Rue de Rivoli, and
Av Montaigne.
Arrondissement - Paris is divided up into twenty ``arrondissement''
or districts. The ``First'' is in the center of the city, and the
others are laid out in a clockwise manner about this. As these are
such a basic unit to the city, they are constantly referred to in
guides and literature; almost always using simply their associated
number (1er, or 2em etc). The Louvre is in the First, the Arc de
Triomphe is in the Eighth. NB: You can determine the arrondissement
of an address from its postal code. The last two digits of a Paris
address give the arrondissement; 75018 is the eighteenth for example.
The exception to this rule are addresses with the word ``CEDEX''
appearing in them.
The Latin Quarter - a Left Bank region in the 5th arrondissement
so named because it has been the center of the Paris's university
life for over seven hundred years.
The Marais - Comprised of roughly the 3rd and
4th arrondissements (Right Bank) it is a quartier which has retained
many small streets and hints at how Old Paris looked.
Haussmann - This Baron was responsible for the
significant urban planning project of 1852 - 1870. The twenty arrondissements
date from this time. Haussmann pushed through many of the major
boulevards through the old sections of the city.
Métro - the Paris subway. It is extensive
and serves nearly every corner of the city. The last trains are
around 00h30.
RER - Réseau Express Régional - similar
to the Métro except that it also serves the outlying suburbs
and regions of Paris. In the center of the city, the distance between
RER stations is more significant than for the Métro; an advantage
if you want to go larger distances quickly - even in the center
of the city.
Bateaux Mouches - This is the name given to tourist
boats which ply the Seine. Literally translated it means the ``fly
boats''. The name probably comes from the district of Lyon - ``La
mouche'' - the place where such boats were commonplace before they
were in Paris.
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