City of the Dead
by Stasigrace
The single most wonderful thing we did in Paris (besides eat) was visit Pere-LeChaise Cemetery. It is absolutely beautiful. People back home, who scoffed at the idea, are dropping their jaws at my photos. If you like B&W photography it's a great place to get really moody shots.
The statuary is excellent. We had more fun when we weren't searching for certain graves, but just wandering around and coming upon beautiful monuments.
One thing: we'd been told to look for cats but only saw one. Montmartre Cemetery, however, had DOZENS of cats and they let you walk right up to them. We took loads of pictures--cats in a cemetery make for lovely shots!
Montmartre was also much less crowded--we didn't see another soul most of the time we were there. I miss the food! I miss prix-fixe menus!
The Pantheon is located...
by la_beba
The Pantheon is located several Metro stops east of the Invalides in the Latin Quarter. Originally built as Church between 1758 and 1790 in fulfillment of a vow made by Louis XV, it soon after became a Pantheon for the burial of France's greatest men. Voltaire and Rousseau are buried in the crypt here.
Double-Glazed Windows
by BeatChick
What are double-glazed windows you ask? Double-glazing - yes, it's that wonderful architectural convenience of double panes of glass. They help keep out the noise of the street below plus they keep your room warm during winter & cool in summer (assuming you have A/C). So if you have a street-side room be sure to find out if your hôtel has installed these types of windows. It will certainly provide restful nights of slumber while in Paris, where you most certainly need a good night's sleep before trekking around the city the following day. The beautiful & beautifully old double-glazed leaded panes in my windows of my first hotel in Paris: Hôtel les Degrés de Nôtre Dame (my favorite hotel in Paris0. Through them I had a lovely view of the south tower of Nôtre Dame!
Photo: March 2001
D'Accord. Too Many French People Speak English
by ForestqueenNYC
I went to France to learn French and I wanted to use it as much as possible. But so often I got English back. I just pressed on with my beginner's French anyway. So it is not always true that the French want you to speak French. I think that may be an idea left over from the old days.
This is an interesting fact that I read in a French paper. The French speak the poorest English in all of Europe because the requirements to teach English in the schools is so stringent, that is, they must almost perfectly pass a French language test (not English, go figure) that no nonFrench mother tongue person can pass it. Thus all the English teachers in France, according to this article, are French mother tongue speakers. If any of you had a person, whose mother tongue was Enlish, teach you French in grade and highschool, as I did, you know how that goes.
The French school I attended while in Paris was Ecole Eiffel. It was very small and a very good environment. Not too expensive.
List of HOSPITALS for medical urgencies in PARIS
by BenFromParis
I give here the official list of public HOSPITALS that have an office for medical URGENCIES open all day and 24/24. And I also give the URL where you can find the list. Don't hesitate to go there if you have any problems of health. Be carefull, this list is for adult urgencies, if you have young children, this list of hospitals could be a little bit different.
Hospital BICHAT - 18th district
Hospital EUROPEEN-GEORGES POMPIDOU - 15th district
Hospital COCHIN - 14th district
Hospital HOTEL-DIEU - 4th district
Hospital LARIBOISIERE - 10th district
Hospital PITIE-SALPETRIERE - 13th district
Hospital St LOUIS - 10 th district
Hospital St ANTOINE - 12th district
Other hopitals with medical urgencies but not public :
Hospital Léopold-Bellan - 15th district
Hospital Saint-Joseph - 14th district
Hospital de la Croix Saint-Simon - 20th district