Tuesday, September 26, 2006

When is the Eiffel Tower open?

The Eiffel Tower is open every day all year long,
 
- from 9:30am to 11:00pm, January 1 to June 15 and September 3 to December 31, 2006
- from 9:00am to midnight, June 16 to September 2, 2006

Access to the top of the Tower may be temporary closed due to unfavourable weather conditions or too many visitors at any given moment.


For security reasons, all or part of the visitor-accessible spaces could be closed and hand bags checked. No large-sized hand baggage nor animals will be allowed onto the monument except for Seeing Eye dogs. Furthermore, there is no baggage check service available at the Tower.

Diner in Paris at 125 meters above ground (Eiffel Tower)

You will have two options if you want to have a good meal while having a panoramic view of Paris.

1. The Jules Vernes restaurant (located on the second floor)
Réservations ( fax or phone) :
 Tél. : 33 (0)1 45 55 61 44
 Fax : 33 (0)1 47 05 29 41

The prestigious Jules Verne Restaurant is located on the second floor and has its own private elevator access (south pillar).
The head chef, Alain Reix, has brought the restaurant an excellent reputation, placing among the top in France (one star in the Guide Michelin, 16/20 in the Guide Gault Millau).  Sitting in the heart of this intricate iron structure full of angles and perspectives, the Jules Verne looks out over Paris from 125 meters above ground.
..............................

2. Altitude 95 (located in the first floor)
 Réservations :
 Tél. : 33 (0)1 45 55 20 04
 Fax : 33 (0)1 47 05 94 40
 Restaurant's E.mail : altitude-95.rv@elior.com
 
Altitude 95 is located on the first floor. The name comes from its height, 95 meters above sea level.
 The large bay windows of the restaurant look out over the Seine and the Trocadéro to one side and the inside of the Tower to the other. The atmosphere is reminiscent of an airship moored above Paris.
 The restaurant seats 200 and also has a ground floor bar serving drinks and refreshments all day.


--
Paris For Vacation
Luxury Vacation Rental in Paris
Email: info@parisforvacation.com
Web: http://www.parisforvacation.com

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Shoes Size: USA/Europe


FranceUSAGB
36L 63.5
37L 6.54
38L 7.55
39M 7/L 8.56
40M 7.5/L 96.5
41M 8.5/L 107.5
42M 9/L 10.58
43M 109
44M 10.59.5

M: men
L: ladies

Clothes size: US/Europe

Clothes

FranceUSAGBItaly
34extra small (XS)632
36small (S)834
38medium (M)1036
40large (L)1238
42extra large (XL)1440
44extra extra large (XXL)1642

AQUARIUM SEA LIFE PARIS VAL D'EUROPE


The Sea Life Aquarium is the biggest aquarium in the Ile-de-France region. Located at  about 20 minutes from the Paris city limits.
You can visit the fifty open tanks, spread over 2500 sq.m. and abounding in more than 300 marine species including rays, sharks, moray eels and tropical fish…

The Sea Life Aquarium is open every day from 10am.

AQUARIUM SEA LIFE PARIS VAL D'EUROPE
Centre Commercial International Val d'Europe 14 Cours du Danube - Serris 77711 MARNE LA VALLEE cedex 4

tPhone : 01 60 42 33 66 
Fax : 01 60 42 33 55 
www.sealifeeurope.com


Antiques - Fine arts - Jewellery

When:From 15 to 24 September.
Fo Who: Collectors and appreciators of antiques
Where: Grand Palais

The impressive architecture of the Grand Palais nave, with its magnificent glass roof and superb luminosity, creates an ideal setting for the 23rd edition of this major international art fair. There are three exceptional worlds contained within - antiques, decorative arts and jewellery -
Leading antique and art dealers reveal a selection of rare objects from different periods and styles representing the quintessence of beauty, rarity and pricelessness.


Information

GALERIES NATIONALES DU GRAND PALAIS
3, avenue du Général Eisenhower 75008 PARIS
Metro : Champs Elysées Clémenceau 
Bus : 28, 32, 42, 49, 72, 73, 80, 83, 93 
Info : 01 44 51 74 74 
fax : 01 45 63 54 33  

Thursday, September 07, 2006

CHAMBER MUSIC


The Festival de l'Orangerie de Sceaux, a series of chamber music concerts held in a 17th-century orangery just outside of Paris, runs until September 17, with performances on Saturday and Sunday  at 5:30 p.m.

You can get to the Orangerie de Sceaux, by taking the RER B, stop at parc de Sceaux.


MOVIE FOR TWO. September 10 to 17, 2006

Between September 10 and 17, you can purchase  a ticket to a film  anywhere in France and it will entitle you to buy a second ticket (for the same movie at the same time) for only €uro 1.
m

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Festival in France (September to December 2006)

Septembre musical de l'Orne
Where : Département de l'Orne (61)
When :  26 août au 24 septembre 2006

Festival du cinéma américain
Where  : Deauville (14)
When  : 1er au 10 Septembre 2006

La Grande Braderie de Lille
Where : Lille (59)
When  : Les 2 et 3 septembre 2006

Biennale de la danse
Where : Lyon (69)
When  9 au 30 septembre 2006

Technoparade
Where  : Paris (75)
When  : 9 septembre 2006

Festival international de musique de Besançon
Where  : Besançon (25)
When  14 au 30 septembre 2006

Festival mondial des théâtres de marionnettes
Where  : Charleville-Mézières (08)
When  15 au 24 septembre 2006

Féria des vendanges
Where  : Nîmes (30)
When  15 au 17 septembre 2006

Journées du patrimoine
Where  : France entière
When  : 16 et 17 septembre 2006

Les Francophonies en Limousin - Festival de théâtres francophones
Where  : Limoges (87)
When  26 septembre au 8 octobre 2006

Chantiers ouverts au public
Where  : France entière
date : Les 29 et 30 septembre 2006

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
Where  : Hippodrome de Longchamp
When  : Début octobre 2006

Festival International Toulouse les Orgues
Where  : Toulouse (31)
When : 1ère quinzaine d'octobre 2006

Festival du film britannique
Where  : Dinard (35)
When  : début octobre 2006

Nancy Jazz Pulsations
Where  : Nancy (54)
When  : du 7 au 21 octobre 2006

Nuit Blanche
Where  : Paris
When  : Début octobre 2006

Lire en fête
Where  : Toute la France
When : 13 au 15 octobre 2006

Lille 3000
Where  : Lille (59)
When  : 14 octobre 2006 au 17 janvier 2007

Semaine du Goût
Where  : France entière
When  16 au 22 Octobre 2006

Beaujolais Nouveau
Where : France entière
When  : 16 novembre 2006

Les Trois Glorieuses
Where  : Vougeot, Beaune, Meursault (21)
When  18 au 20 novembre 2006

Vente aux Enchères des Vins des Hospices de Beaune
Where  : Beaune (21)
When  : 19 novembre 2006

Salon nautique international de Paris
Where  : Paris-Porte de Versailles (75)
When  1er au 11 décembre 2006

Transmusicales
Where : Rennes (35)
When  : 8 au 10 décembre 2006


Where to find Revues in Paris

In Paris, you can find in kiosk of the guides of the Parisian exits - Pariscope, the Official one of the Revue. They enumerate all the programs of the cinemas, museums, exposositions, spectacles in all kinds.

For the theatre, will know that there are two kiosks, about the square of the Montparnasse station and place of the Madeleine, which propose places for the very same day with reduced tariff.

You can buy your places (theatre, concert, spectacle.) in particular in the points of sale of the FNAC and Virgin, or directly on the place of the spectacle.



Paris Train Stations

Gare Saint Lazare

108, Rue Saint-Lazare; 75008. Chronologically the first Parisian railway station, it was first built (1837) a little further to the North, next to the Place d'Europe. Its main line was its link from Paris to Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

Rebuilt by Alfred Armand between 1841-1843, it was later extended by Eugène Flachat (1851-1853), notably through the addition of five metal structure covered halls, the largest having a span of 40 meters. Trains leaving here will take one to Normandy and to Great Britain, via Dieppe.

1. The station's exterior clock
2. Ticketing.
3. Eastern façade.

The present building (Juste Lisch, 1885-1889) surrounds the older structures and presents a XVIIth century Beaux-Arts style façade. A hotel -Terminus - is the first important example of an association between these two functions and, it was built to accommodate travellers coming to the Universal Exhibition of 1889.

The station was immortalized by Claude Monet in 1877 with his painting of the same name. In 1985, two works by Arman were added to La Cour du Havre and La Cour de Rome : L'Heure de tous (Everybody's Time) and Consigne à vie (Checked Luggage for a Lifetime) respectively.

Gare Montparnasse

The streets around this station still have the names of the places it serves such as Avenue du Maine and Rue de Rennes. One of oldest stations in Paris (1840), it was completely rebuilt after WWII. The earlier neo-classical building was hiding behind it a cast iron roof (Fauconnier) which collapsed a few month after completion. A new station, by architect Victor Lenoir, was built between 1848-1852.

On October 22 1895, a terrible accident brought the locomotive engine and the first coach out the window from the first floor, where the platforms were situated, into the street. The building had suffered several major transformations, up through the 1960's, when the whole area was reorganized and the Montparnasse Tower, together with the present station, were built. Trains towards Brittany and western France leave from here, including the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) Atlantique.

Three modern buildings (1969) arranged in "U"-shape surround the station : in the East wing, 1000 apartments ; to the West, the Air France Headquarters. The tracks have been recently completely covered by an impressive concrete structure bearing offices and gardens. The main hall is decorated by large op-art compositions signed by Vasarely. A small chapel, dedicated to Saint-Bernard (1969), accessible to all religions, has its lectern carved in a railroad tie.


Gare d'Austerlitz

Place Valhubert; 175013.  The name of Austerlitz recalls the famous battle won by Napoléon in Austria on the 2nd of December 1805, against Austro-Russian armies. It was originally conceived as a railway terminal for the Orléans Company, running its first line here starting with 1840. Consequent extensions took place in 1846 and 1852. Finally, the station as seen today was rebuilt by the architect Pierre-Louis Renaud (1865-1868). Trains depart from this station bound for the South-West of France, Spain and Portugal.
Austerlitz has never had the favours of the Parisians. The administration building screens the platforms and their XIXth century steel and glass roof from sight. Two allegorical statues in antique drapery, by Elias Robert, representing Agriculture and Industry (the one with the locomotive, of course), decorate the façade. The later arrival of the Métro line crosses the station at the same level as the main hall - ie one floor above ground level, and then spans over the Seine river, a few meters from there. The large interior dimensions (52 meters wide by 280 meters long) made it possible for the postal balloons to be built inside during the siege of Paris in 1870.

Gare du Nord

Place Napoléon III; 75010 .  The precursor to the Gare du Nord - the Belgiun railway platform - controlled by the Rothschild Group and inaugurated in 1846 (Léonce Reynaud, architecture - Bréville, engineering) was already inadequate by around 1854. This station soon proved to be too small for the increasing traffic, especially when Queen Victoria's visit had to be rerouted to Gare de l'Est.

In 1857, the decision was made to build a station three times larger, while the neighborhood was to be modernized. The previous structure was rebuilt at Lille. The new architectural team leader was the German born Jacques Ignace Hittorff and construction began in 1861. The new station was functional starting with 1864, but completed only in 1866. As its name indicates, from here one can go to Belgium, Holland, northern Germany, and the Scandinavian countries.Neoclassicism and XIXth century new metal structures meet in this building. The main elevation, in neo-Corinthian style, is decorated with 9 statues personifying the most important cities of France and Europe towards which the railway leaving the platforms would lead. Inside, two rows of Corinthian cast iron columns support the main glass roof covering a width of 72 meters at 38 meters high. Two side wings embrace the main building symmetrically. At ground level, a Doric colonnade has seen its elegance reduced by an awning at mid level added in 1891 and extended in 1930.
Other works by Jacques Ignace Hittorff : the 2 fountains on Place de la Concorde, the Champs-Elysées garden design, the 12 buildings around the Arc de Triomphe at Place de l'Etoile.


Gare de L'Est

Place du 8 Mai 1945; 75010. The Gare de l'Est provides the only witness left from the first generation of railway buildings. The square in front of the station was occupied between the XIIIth and the XVIIIth century by the Saint-Laurent Fair or Carnival, mentioned by an inscription situated in the left wing corner pavilion. The original building, now the western wing, was built between 1847-1850 by François-Alexandre Duquesney with the help of the engineer Pierre Cabanel de Sermet, and served the line Paris-Strasbourg, functioning since 1844. Streets in the neighborhood still recall the origins of the first passengers : Boulevard de Strasbourg, Rue d'Alsace and so forth.

Its name was changed from Gare de Strasbourg to Gare de l'Est in 1854. The growing traffic brought several extensions, including the building of the present eastern wing, copied symmetrically on the original station between 1924-1931 by the engineer Bertaud. Today, trains leave from here for eastern France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

The western wing, actually the original building, finds itself in axis with the Boulevard de Strasbourg, the main avenue leading to the center of Paris. The statues represent the cities of Strasbourg - by Philippe-Henri Lemaire, and, of Verdun - by Varenne (1930). This last artist is also the author of the decoration of the right clock, representing the rivers Marne and Meuse, while on the other side, the Seine and the Rhine were sculpted by Jean-Louis Brian.

Gare de Lyon

20, Boulevard Diderot, 75012. Built to replace the old landing stage of Lyon, the present building was built between 1895-1902 by the architect Marius Toudoire. Its construction was undertaken by the PLM (Paris-Lyon-Marseille) Company, and timed with the Universal Exhibition of 1900 in mind.

Recent modernization work allows the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) to serve this station. Departures for southern France, the Alps, Switzerland, Italy and Greece are from here.Marius Toudoire, helped by 30 artists, decorated the famous "Train bleu", the restaurant situated above the main entry and listed as an historic monument since 1972 for its "Belle Epoque" interior, left unchanged since the opening in 1901. About 40 paintings illustrate the cities served by the Company
Interior of Le Train Bleu (collage).

At ground level, Navigation, Steam, Electricity and the science of Mechanics are allegorically represented between the arcades by nudes glorifying technological progress. On the exterior, one cannot avoid noticing the characteristic square tower and its four clocks. Statues representing the cities of Paris and Marseille, together with low reliefs personifying Fishing and Hunting, decorate the main building.


Parks and gardens in Paris

Parks


Gardens

Two of Paris's oldest and famous gardens are the Tuileries Garden, created from the 16th century for a palace on the banks of the Seine near the Louvre, and the Left bank Luxembourg Garden, another formerly private garden belonging to a château built for the Marie de' Medici in 1612. The Jardin des Plantes , created by Louis XIII's doctor Guy de La Brosse for the cultivation of medicinal plants, was Paris' first public garden.

A few of Paris' other large gardens are Second Empire creations: the formerly suburban parks of Montsouris, Buttes Chaumont and Parc Monceau (formerly known as the "folie de Chartres"), were creations of Napoleon III's engineer Jean-Charles Alphand and the landscape . Another project executed under the orders of Baron Haussmann

architect Barillet-Deschamps was the re-sculpting of Paris' western Bois de Boulogne forest-parklands; the Bois de Vincennes, to Paris' opposite eastern end, received a similar treatment in years following.

Newer additions to Paris' park landscape are the Parc de la Villette, built by the architect Bernard Tschumi on the location of Paris' former slaughterhouses , and gardens being lain to Paris' periphery along the traces of its former circular " Petite Ceinture" railway line

Cemeteries in Paris

Cemeteries Cemetery of Père Lachaise

Paris' existing inner-city cemeteries were to its outskirts upon their 1804 creation. Many of Paris' churches had their own parish cemeteries, but these by the late 18th century contributed to making living conditions quite unsanitary in an ever-growing Capital. Abolished from 1786, all parish cemeteries were excavated their contents taken to abandoned limestone mines outside the southern gates of then Paris, today the 14e arrondissement's place Denfert-Rochereau. The latter are known today as the Paris Catacombes.

Although Paris today has once again grown to surround all its former extra-muros cemeteries, these have become all-too-rare and much-appreciated oases of quiet, greenery and sculpture in a thriving city. Many of Paris's illustrious historical figures have found rest in Père Lachaise Cemetery. Other notable cemeteries include Cimetière de Montmartre, Cimetière du Montparnasse, Cimetière de Passy and the Catacombs of Paris.

Paris created new suburban cemeteries for its defunct from the early 20th century: the largest of these are the Cimitière Parisien de Saint-Ouen, the Cimitière Parisien de Bobigny- Pantin, the Cimitière Parisien d'Ivry and the Cimitière Parisien de Bagneux .


Opéra de la Bastille


Place de la Bastille, 75012
Tel.Information (1) 44 73 13 99
Tel Reservations: (1) 44 73 13 00
Métro stop: Bastille.
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L'Opéra de la Bastille (Bastille Opera) is a modern opera house in Paris, France. It is the home base of the Opéra National de Paris and was supposed to replace the Palais Garnier. Operas are still given in that house, which is also used for ballet performances.

In 1968 the idea for a new opera house in Paris first came from the composer Pierre Boulez along with Jean Vilar, a believer in the need for popular theatre, and Maurice Béjart . Their report inspired François Mitterrand, the former French president, to sponsor a competition to build a new house. He wanted it to become a "modern and popular" place in order to share classical music with the masses.

Located in the Place de la Bastille, in the 12th arrondissement, the house was designed with 2723 seats, every one of which has an unrestricted view of the stage. The theatre, described by Thierry Beauvert in Opera Houses of the World was "surmounted by the opaque cube of the stage building and wrapped in gridded walls of glass...... the Opera stands sociably open to the world outside, whereas the foyers, with their broad overview of the city, have the slick, impersonal look of an airport lounge". However, he goes to describe its backstage facilities as being extremely modern, allowing for nine times the volume of the stage and the ability to roll entire sets off and on intact. However, compared to other world-class opera houses, the acoustics have been described as disappointing at best.

Construction began in 1984 with the demolition of Paris Bastille train station, which was opened in 1859 and closed on December 14, 1969, and where art expositions were held thereafter until its demolition. The building was inaugurated on July 13, 1989, on the 200th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, with a gala concert conducted by Georges Prêtre and featuring singers such as Teresa Berganza and Plácido Domingo. However, it did not see its first opera performance until March 17, 1990 , with Berlioz's Les Troyens.


Opéra Garnier

Palais Garnier - Place de l'Opéra , 75009 Paris
Metro: Opéra
RER:Auber
Bus:20, 21, 22, 27, 29, 42, 52, 53, 66, 95

It was built between 1862-1875 by architect Charles Garnier. He had been picked from among 171 contestants, and was relatively unknown although he had won the Rome prize in 1848. He was only 35 when awarded with the design of the new opera house. The origins of the idea for a new opera house can be traced back as far as forty years previous to 1820. When construction was finally started, it was just as quickly suspended after the discovery of an underground lake and spring. 

A large building, it has a total area of 11000 square metres (118404 square feet) and a vast stage with room for up to 450 artists. The auditorium itself comprises roughly half of the total space, most of the rest being used to house necessary logistical support so that the stage demands of any opera can be met and even surpassed. This can include live horses running on a rotating stage. The opera seats only 2200.

Legend has it that the Empress Eugénie asked Garnier whether the building was to be in Greek or Roman style to which he replied ``It is in the Napoléon III style Madame !'' It remains an ornate building richly decorated with friezes, columns, and winged figures among other statues and embellishments.

This richness continues inside with velvet, gold leaf, and nymphs and cherubs. The auditorium's central chandelier weighs over six tons, and its ceiling was painted in 1964 by Chagall.




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Paris For Vacation
Luxury Vacation Rental in Paris
Email: info@parisforvacation.com
Web: http://www.parisforvacation.com

London/Paris under the Channel in 3 hours

London/Paris under the Channel in 3 hours. Also known as The Ch unnel, connects London and Paris via a tunnel under the English Channel. Its fast, convenient and superb! Buy your tickets online and have them delivered to your home, or at your vacation rental.

London-Paris:
2 hours 35 minutes
London-Brussels: 2 hours 20 minutes

Reopening of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in September 2006


Palais du Louvre, 107, rue de Rivoli , 75001 Paris
Phone: 44 55 57 50
Fax: 42 60 49 48
Metro: Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre
RER: Châtelet-Les Halles
Bus 21, 27, 39, 69, 72, 81, 95


After several years of refurbishment, the museum is opening again fully.

An exhibition area of 9000 square meter. provides a chronological itinerary which offers a complete overview of decorative arts from the Middle Ages to the present day. The renovation work also enabled the restoration of the 5,000 works on display.
Already open in recent months, the Galerie des Bijoux exhibits some 1,200 pieces illustrating the history of jewellery - it is open every day except Monday, from 11am to 6pm, and at weekends from 10am.

The Musée des arts Décoratifs is a museum about interior design, furniture, objets d'arts, wallpaper, tapestries, ceramics, glassware, and toys from the Middle Ages to the present day.

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs; was established in 1905 by the Union des Arts Decoratifs. At one time, the museum was state owned but today although the museum is open to the public, it is however private because of the integrity and autonomy of its administration.

At first, the decorative arts were on the fringe of the fine arts. It is today a more accepted art form due in part to the wealth of the collection of decorative arts. That collection is largely made up of restorations of decorative art from different periods an Asian section, a Gothic section, Contemporary, and all sections imaginable between those previously listed. There are today even more sections of decorative arts, due to the reinstallation during 1945 to 1949.


Another bridge in Paris


The Simone-de-Beauvoir footbridge links the François Mitterrand library on the Left Bank to the Parc de Bercy on the Right Bank. It measures 304 metres long and weigh 1,600 tons.It was inaugurated in July, it is the fourth bridge in the capital reserved to pedestrians only and Paris's 37th bridge .