The towering Eiffel
by ayesh
There is no going around this one: the Eiffel Tower. For me this was the best experience in those few Paris days. When we arrived we dropped our stuff at the hotel and went straight for the tower. We wanted to see it glow in the dark and watch all those tiny light beneath us.
It was freezing cold, but absolutely worth it. The dark night embraced the city with its bulk of lights and gave us an eternal impression. The thing I miss the most when I am not in the city of lights is.... the crèpes with sugar! They are never the same when you make them at home, unfortunately...
Understanding Paris
by Jenniflower
Paris is split in half by the river Seine. The north side is referred to as the Right Bank (Rive Droite) and the south side is called the Left Bank (Rive Gauche). We walked the Seine well, it is a lovely river, with plenty of space for pedestrians to walk alongside it. Paris is divided into 20 districts called arrondissements (In London this is called zones). We found this very easy to follow, and never got lost once, glad to say! :)
Place de la Concorde
by Fam_Stoica
Place de la Concorde (the largest square in Paris) was created between 1757 and 1779 by Jacques-Ange Gabriel on land donated by the king in 1743.
During the Revolution, this square became the site of the guillotine, under whose blade many great figures of the time lost their heads : the king Louis XVI, the queen Marie Antoinette, Madame Roland, Robespierre.
The square became Place de la Concorde in 1795. In the centre stands an Egyptian obelisk (75 feet high, covered with hieroglyphics which illustrate the glorious deeds of the pharaoh Ramses II) from the Temple of Luxor, donated to Louis Philippe in 1831 by Mehmed-Ali. Eight statues, symbolising the main cities of France stand at the corners of the square. To the north are two gemini colonnaded buildings (designed by the same Gabriel) : Hotel Crillon and Hotel de la Marine (Ministry of the Navy).
Street cleaners
by tiabunna
I have put this tip under the grouping "les dogs" because I suspect they provide much of the work for these street cleaners. I came upon them not far from my hotel.
Paris is a very large place with a great many people, many of whom are dog owners and dogs ... well, when you've gotta go you've just gotta go! Add to that the general detritus which is dropped randomly (cigarette tips for example, many French still smoke) and the cleanup needs to be constant. This seemed a rather impressive way of going about it: on my previous visit I'd photographed (unfortunately on video) a cleaner on a motorcycle with a back-mounted vacuum cleaner, circling around the pedestrian plaza near Abesses Metro, doing much the same thing.
Update My VT friend JLBG has advised me that the nickname for these cleaners is "Moto-crottes"
Ice Skating at Hotel de Ville
by CALSF
Every winter (from middle of December to early March) there is a free outdoor ice skating rink constructed at the Hotel de Ville (City Hall) located in the 4th district.
This is such a beautiful setting to have an outdoor ice rink as not only is it closeby to the Seine but also one can skate while observing some beautiful buildings.
In case you are not a skater and just a spectator, well, that is alot of fun too. You can be part of the crowd anyway. Skates are rented for around 5 euro or bring your own!
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Arc de Triomphe
Louvre
Palais du Luxembourg, Paris, France 2009
Napoleon's Tomb
