La Defense
by Fam_Stoica
The name "Defense" originates from the monument La Défense de Paris, which was erected at this site in 1883 to commemorate the war of 1870.
In 1951, the Defense site was chosen as an office center. In 1958, development of the area was started by a special agency, the Etablissement Public d'Amenagement de la Defense. The first plan had 2 rows of skyscrapers of equal height. In 1964, a plan was approved to have 20 office towers of 25 stories each. Little of the development on the Defence was actually built according to this plan, as most companies started to press for taller office towers. The result is a mix of mostly cheap towers of different heights. The tallest of them, the GAN Tower, measured 200 meters.The height of several towers caused a public outcry as the forest of towers disturbs the view on the Arc de Triomphe. Partly in response to this criticism a new monument was built at the entrance of the Defense as a counterweight for the Arc de Triomphe - La Grande Arche de la Defense.
A 'home made' dinner
by Dee22
If you don't have dinner at your hotel and would like to 'stay home' eating some evening and thereby spare some money, ithe even the small Parisian super markets offer some good stuff. Go there and by some fresh 'baguettes' and some good-looking stuff to put in...and you can make your own tasty sandwiches in your hotel room, very cheap!
Don't forget to buy a pack of the french beer 'Kronenbourg' to go with it :)
Macarons
by BeatChick
Ah, you MUST try macarons when in Paris! Not macaroons, those hard, coconut-ey confections in the US. These are to die for – crispy on the outside and chewy/light on the inside glued together with a gooey ganache - and they come in a super variety of flavors.
They are found at most patisseries but I recommend Pierre Hermé, Ladurée, Boulangerie Paul, and Gérard Mulot. I've also had wonderful macarons at the Ritz when I partook of Afternoon Tea there in 2003 and at a great little salon de the in the Passage Jouffroy called Le Valentin. I had some wonderful macarons in Chartres, too, at La Chocolaterie, billing itself as a Macaronnerie/Salon de The, which has a wide selection of macarons.
Click here for an excellent Pierre Hermé Chocolat Macaron recipé to make them on your own. Buying a singular small macarons from the Ladurée on the corner of rue de Seine & rue Jacob in St-Germain-des-Prés! My fave flavors are Rsse, Caramel au Sel, Fleur d'Oranger & Pistache.
Cassis Violette was okay but had a confiture in the middle instead of the ganache. My least favorite macaron flavor would have to be Poivre de Java (black pepper) macarons from Ladurée - not terrible, not great, definitely edible but falls squarely into the "interesting" category.
In the 1st photo:
Clockwise from top - Pistache (pistachio), Poivre de Java (pepper), Cassis Violette (blackcurrant violet), Fleur d'Oranger (orange flower), Rose (rose), Caramel au Sel (salted caramel).
Photos: Feb 2006
French vs English
by IIGUANA
Since French is not a worldwide spoken language, most of the people do speak english, so don't worry about language. You should know at least the usual words (merci, bonjour, bonsoir, s'il voul plait, etc) so you don't look like the rude tourist. It's always good to know some local words.
Playing Tennis
by aliante1981
There's no need to be Serena Williams or Andre Agassi to pla tennis in Paris. Though in this case obviously nobody will let you do so at Rolland Garros during the tournament :))
But there are municipal courts you might use, if you do not wish to pay huge court rental fees for private clubs. To play on municipal courts you have to apply for a Carte Paris-Tennis from the Mairie, the city authorities, I mean. With French beaurocracy it might be a hazard to your health and sanity but, if you survive, you'll be able to enjoy the courts as if you where a local. The rent is 6 euros at day and 9 euros at night, becuase of the floodlight. But keep in mind that in evening it might be more comfortable to play
since it is cooler.
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Theatre Mogador interior
Palais Chaillot viewed from the Eiffel Tower
Donjon
staircase's ceiling
