Paris
- Places to Visit
Eiffel Tower
Finished in 1889 for the International Exhibition of Paris, this
trademark icon of the Parisian skyline was at first considered unsightly
to natives. Today, however, the Eiffel Tower is a towering symbol of
Frenchness and draws tourists looking for the ultimate Parisian view up
its height-defying elevators in droves. It's a heady feeling just to
look up from the base, but for visitors, the Eiffel Tower is worth
seeing from the top (you can purchase lift tickets for the 1st, 2nd
and top floor). Views of the City of Lights at night from the
sparklingly lit Eiffel Tower are phenomenal.
Paris
Métro Stop: Bir-Hakeim
Louvre Museum
With more than 800 years of history, including stints as a medieval
fortress and a palace to kings, the Louvre is one of the world's most
impressive museums. Enter through a glass pyramid, the unlikely but
fitting juxtaposition of the archaic and the hyper-modern, to the
Louvre's "encyclodepic" collection of art, including works
from ancient civilizations all the way to contemporary art in every
imaginable medium.
Paris
Métro Stop: Palais Royal
Centre Pompidou
Although Parisians cannot agree whether this innovative architectural
creation is a masterpiece or a monstrosity, this center of performance
and exhibition has become one of the city's most popular tourist
attractions. Attraction type: Architectural building; Art museum.
Paris
Métro Stop: Les Halles
Arc de Triomphe
Place
Charles de Gaulle, Paris
A landmark Paris monument, the Arc de Triomphe is located in the center
of the circular place Charles de Gaulle, and forms the hub of a
12-spoked avenue grid that radiates from it. Currently dedicated to an
unknown soldier, the Arc de Triomphe's origins are much less humble,
being commissioned by the power-hungry Napoleon de Bonaparte.
Paris
Métro Stop: Charles de Gaulle
Chateau de Versailles
The former gluttony and extravagance of the French monarchy certainly
make for irresistible Paris attractions. A lavish spread with a Hall of
Mirrors, Stables and the most opulent guesthouses one could imagine, the
Chateau de Versailles is a lesson in luxury and an ostentatious display
of colonialism's gilded spoils.
Disneyland Paris
Patterned after Los Angeles' Disneyland, Disneyland Paris (formerly Euro
Disney) opened to less-than-rave reviews and lagging crowds, but now
this bastion of Americanism in Paris is a popular Paris attraction,
especially for visiting families and American tourists looking for an
updated, if still faithful, version of the original. With five theme
parks, including Frontierland, Main Street U.S.A., Fantasyland and Walk
Disney Studios, Disneyland Paris is a practically a Paris municipality
with hotels, restaurants, golf, shops and a massive entertainment
center. To avoid long lines, try to visit Disneyland Paris in the off
season, from September to June.
RER:
Marne-la-Vallée,
Paris, Tel. 01.60.30.60.53
Notre Dame Cathedral
Place du
Parvis de Notre-Dame, Paris
Frightfully-realistic gargoyles in all demonic shapes and sizes guard the Notre Dame on all sides and hint at this definitive Paris
attraction's long history. Originally commissioned in 1163, the Notre
Dame took 200 years to complete. Inside, two stunning, circular stained
glass windows fill the cathedral with a brilliantly subdued light and
impart a reverent tone. For a hunchback of Notre Dame view of Paris,
climb the winding staircase to the top of the Notre Dame Cathedral's
bell tower. For a post-climb snack, grab a cafe and crepe at the
moderately-priced Choice on Left Bank cafe in the Notre Dame's shadow.
Paris
Métro Stop: Cité
The Catacombs
Mortality is imminent at Paris' eeriest attraction. An underground
quarry housing several million skeletons, most of which are under 200
years old, The Catacombs are an underground burial ground and skeletal
showcase, not for the claustrophobic, the young or the faint of heart.
Métro,
RER Denfert Rochereau Bus 38, 68
Sacre Coeur
This
Montmartre landmark, a 19th-century basilica built by the French
government following the Franco-Prussian War, features a large medieval
dome that provides excellent views of the city.
Paris
Métro Stop: Montmartre
Centre
Georges Pompidou
Also
known as the Centre Beaubourg, this modern sits right in the heart
of Paris and is home to an incredible array of modern art, a cyber
café, a couple of restaurants and an excellent library. Although
you have to pay to visit the art galleries, it is free to ride up
to the top floor in the glass-tube escalators for a free view of
the city centre. The library is also free (although there is often
a long queue to get in) and has some English language books and
newspapers, CD listening stations and free use of language courses
on CD-ROM and cassette.
Paris
Métro Stop: Rambuteau
Paris
- a brief history
French
Revolution (1789-1799)
On
the 14th July 1789, an insurrection broke out in Paris.
The Bastille, a fortress symbolic of the arbitrary power of the
King, was taken by an armed mob. It was the beginning of the
Revolution, which comprised three phases:
From
1789-1792 the movement was controlled
by the elite who wanted
to reform the kingdom. The
king remained at the head of the regime, but he had, nevertheless,
to accept a constitution and an Assembly which voted on the laws.
The Parisian mob went to Versailles to seek him and to install him
in the Tuileries in Paris. They wanted to keep a watch on him.
Thus the monarchy returned to Paris.
During
this period utopian ideas reigned. In a frenetic atmosphere,
everyone understood that power had passed from the hands of a
single man – the absolute monarch – to the entire population.
The representatives of the people, united in the Assembly, adopted
the Declaration of the Rights of Man, the abolition of the
privileges of the nobility and suppression of the wealth of the
clergy. It was planned that the State would pay the clergy.
But
the armies of the monarchies of Europe invaded the country to
crush the Parisian revolt. In September 1792, after a massacre of
suspected Royalists, a group of revolutionaries seized power.
From
1792 - 1794, these revolutionaries led the country with a rod of
iron to save the Revolution.
The French monarchy was abolished. Louis XVI, who had
attempted to flee the capital in 1791, was executed in January
1793. The foreign armies were all defeated, but the regime
governed by terror. The most intransigent
of the revolutionaries, such as Robespierre had the moderates
executed, under a pretext of accusations of treason. They went too
far, and were executed in their turn in 1794. During this period,
the people of Paris often made and remade decisions without taking
into account the rest of France.
1795
- 1799 was the period of the Directories. The executions ceased
and the revolution ran out of steam. In order to avoid further
drift towards an authoritarian regime, the new leaders adopted
other institutions. They wanted to avoid all pressure from the
Parisians over the Assembly.
For example, a text had
to be read three times before being voted on.
The leaders did not have time to become dictators because
the rule lasted too short a time.
The result was that the regime was ungovernable. Only a
coup d`Etat could advance matters.
Another
problem arose later: the Assignat – the paper money issued by
the State – collapsed. Poverty
increased, which meant that the Directory lost popular support.
Corruption became the rule at the summit of the State: everybody
stole. To retain power, the regime leant more and more on the
forces of arms. It was one of these which was to put right the
situation.
In
1799 General Napoléon Bonaparte seized power during a coup d`Etat.
That was the end of the revolution.
Despite
this, the Revolution constituted a significant event in the
history of the world. It
inspired, for good or ill, other movements. The adoption of the
Declaration of the Rights of Man by the Assembly was an important
symbolic act for the defenders of liberty. It could be compared
with the adoption of Habeas Corpus by the British Parliament, or
the creation by Congress of the American Constitution.
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