Paris, the City of Lights and the City of Love – the Ultimate City

Bonjour, So many sites to see so little time….. Paris is a great city to explore art, history, and culture.  The city of Paris consists of 20 districts or "arrondissements." In the eight oldest districts of the city is where many of the statues and monuments are located within the city.   In the western part of the city is where many of the castles of Paris are located.  The 16th district is a residentialarea and one of the most expensive with the cobblestone streets and limestone buildings.  When you look at the streets, you can go back in time to the 19th century and imagine the city back in that time.  ​

Baron Osman was the creator of the wide avenues that Paris is famous for.  He was directed by Napoleon I since Napoleon love the way London was built. It took 20 years to create the many squares and parks in the city.  Avenue Kleber is one of the avenues that converges with twelve other avenues to converge to "Star Square." In the middle of the square, you can see a star, and this is the place of the Arch de Triumph.  The Arch de Triumph was commissioned to be built to 164 ft. high. The scale is proportional to the size of the French Emperor.   The Arch depicts the triumphs of Napoleon.  There is a flame that burns continuously at the monument, and it represents the tomb of the unknown soldier.

The roundabout around the Arch de Triumph is very busy.  The La Nieve area is the business district. There is an arch in this area that lines up with the Arch de Triumph.   Inside the ring road is the city limits of Paris.  Here there are twelve million residents, while there are only 66 million in the country of France.  There is thought to extend Paris and push the limits of the city and include the suburbs around Paris. There are over 900 movies filmed in the city each year.

Another way to determine what part of Paris you are in is the right and left banks of the Seine River.  Long ago there was a big difference between the right bank and the left bank of the city.  In years past, it was said that on the right bank, you could earn money and on the left bank, you can spend money.  Trade was done on the right bank, and the left bank was the teaching center of Paris. Hence, earning and spending money.  

There are two natural islands in the city of Paris, the smaller Island of Saint Louis, and the bigger City Island.  On the City Island houses a few of Paris's most beautiful sights, Notre Dame Cathedral and Sainte Chapelle.  Notre Dame of Paris was built in 1163; this was the new Gothic style constructed in this era.

The Louvre was created in 1792, during the French Revolution. The Louvre is shaped in a rectangle with the palace being inside of a very small fortress.  It was built this way to protect the city of Paris from its enemies.  It had been constructed outside of the city limits along the side of the Seine River to protect the city.  The Louver Museums glass pyramid was designed to allow light to reach the entrance below since it was built underground.  There are no Van Gogh works in the Louvre, these works of art are in the Museum d'Orsay.

The city of Paris has many gardens and parks to explore.  Luxembourg Gardens is in the 16th district and is one of the wealthiest of the 20 districts.  There is a replica of the Statue of Liberty in Luxembourg Gardens that faces the Statue of Liberty in New York City.  The Luxembourg Palace is located in Luxembourg Gardens. The castle was built by the French Queen Maria de Medici.  

These are just a few of some of the sights to see in the city of Paris.  The city is a great place to explore the neighborhoods and shop for some of the world's best designer fashion.  No matter what your interests, this city is a fun and exciting place to visit.