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Paris Is the Capital and Largest City of France. It Is Situated on the River Seine, in Northern France, at the Heart of the Ile-De-France Region

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Paris Is the Capital and Largest City of France. It Is Situated on the River Seine, in Northern France, at the Heart of the Ile-De-France Region Paris Paris is the capital and largest city of France. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Ile-de-France region. With about 42 million tourists annually in the city and its suburbs, Paris is the most visited city in the world. The city and its region contain 3,800 historical monuments and four UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Paris is the head of barge and ship navigation on the Seine and is the fourth most important port in France (after Marseille, Le Havre, and Dunkerque). The Loire, Rhine, Rhone, Meuse and Scheldt rivers can be reached by canals connecting with the Seine. Paris is also a major rail, highway, and air transportation hub. Three international airports, Orly, Roissy and Le Bourget, serve the city. The city's subway system, the métro, was opened in 1900. Paris has many nicknames, but its most famous is "La Ville-Lumière" ("The City of Light"), a name it owes first to its fame as a centre of education and ideas during the Age of Enlightenment and later to its early adoption of street lighting. France is a nation of food lovers and the food culture contains some interesting facts. Food is to be enjoyed and savored, for example, lunch time in France is usually two hours long just for this reason. Except for large cities, almost everything closes from noon until two P.M when French restaurants are open for lunch. There are many restaurants operating in France with over 9,000 restaurants in Paris alone - from neighborhood Bistros, to lively Brasseries, to intimate Cafés and famous Michelin-Starred Restaurants. With so many restaurants in Paris, there are many food guides to assist. The most famous and successful restaurant guide in France is the Michelin Guide Rouge, which has approximately 50% market share. It has enormous influence; the award of a single star by the Guide Rouge to a restaurant can add 25% to its turnover and the loss of a star can mean financial ruin for a restaurant. The first French cookbook appeared in 1652. "Le Cuisine François," was written by a famous French chef, La Varenne, and it showed how French cuisine had become a vital part of cooking and dining in Europe. The book provided many preparation methods, including making a roux (a mix of flour and butter used for thickening soups and sauces). Before roux, the French, and others, had simply put bread in the soup to thicken it. Changes like these would make French cooking the most important type of cooking in Europe, and then the world. There are on average two new cook books produced every day in France. American Julia Child is world recognized for introducing French cuisine to America with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. There are four approaches to French food: • Classical French cuisine which is rich and filling, with many dishes using cream-based sauces. • Haute cuisine is classical French cuisine taken to its most sophisticated and extreme. Food is elegant and elaborate with a strong emphasis on presentation. Only the finest ingredients are used and the meal is correspondingly expensive. • Nouvelle Cuisine was developed in the 1970s, as a reaction against the classical school of cooking. The food is simpler and lighter. Portions are smaller and less rich; the heavy cream sauces of the classical approach are particularly avoided. Cooking is less elaborate and quicker, with more emphasis on seasonal ingredients. • Cuisine du terroir focuses on regional specialities and is somewhat more rustic in nature. Local produce and food traditions are the main focus. The cuisine from each different region in France differs greatly. The Provence region uses olive oils, tomatoes and herbs in many dishes. In Normandy, the food is influenced by butter, crème fraiche and apples. The Alps region is known for its cheese dishes, including fondue and raclette, while the Alsace region has a strong German influence which includes beer and sauerkraut. Paris has 20 arrondissements or administrative districts (below) and each is attributed with its own number. This is done according to the pattern of a spiral, beginning with the 1st arrondissement in the heart of the capital and ending with the 20th on the outer east Most Parisians, like the inhabitants of other major French cities like Lyon or Marseille where the same system of arrondissements applies, describe their neighborhood by its number instead of place names. There is also a broad description which divides Paris into two; this is a split of the capital into Rive Gauche (meaning the Left Bank, the south-side of the river Seine) and Rive Droite (meaning the Right Bank, north side of the Seine). The Right Bank conjures up an image of bourgeois respectability. Historically the stronghold of merchants and royalty, it remains today the home of commerce and government. Faubourg Saint Honoré offers the luxury of ‘haute couture’ and jewellery shops, also the authority of the President’s palace, while the Champs Élysées claims the shops, film, advertising and airline companies. Left Bank, in complete contrast, has always had a bohemian and intellectual image dating back to the founding of the university and the monasteries. Paris receives around 28 million tourists per year (42 million in the whole Paris Region), of which 17 million are foreign visitors. Its museums and monuments are among its highest- esteemed attractions. The River Seine is by far the best place to begin an exploration of Paris. The Seine provides a spectacular vantage point for city landmarks: the Palais de Chaillot and Trocadéro Gardens, the Grand and Petit Palais, the Palais Bourbon, Louvre Museum and Notre Dame all take on a dream-like quality when seen from a river boat. The Cathedral of Notre Dame has had religious significance for at least 2,000 years. Building of the main part of Notre Dame began in 1163 and took 167 years to complete. The transition it represented from Romanesque to Gothic has been called a perfect expression of medieval architecture. Given the cathedral’s gigantic size, the balance of its proportions and the harmony of its facade – it’s nothing short of a miracle. The Eiffel Tower was constructed for the World Fair of 1889 commemorating 100 years since the Revolution. It remains an outstanding example of engineering - 15,000 pieces of metal joined together by 2,500,000 rivets, soaring 324m (1063 ft) into the air. At the time, it was the tallest structure in the world. The critics hated it. Today however, it has become a symbol of Paris. The Champs Elysées still deserves to be called the world’s most celebrated avenue despite the commercialisation in recent years. It stretches in a perfectly straight line, from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde, and is lined with horse chestnut trees. The Lourve is one of the world’s greatest art museums. This former palace for the French King is now a storehouse for treasures such as the Venus de Milo, the Mona Lisa and the French crown jewels – just a few of the 200,000 pieces in six different collections on display. Musée D’Orsay on the Left Bank houses France’s collection of paintings and sculptures produced between the 1840s and 1914. Housing pieces by Monet, Van Gogh, Matisse, Renoir, Cezanne and Degas is definitely worth a visit. The Sacré Coeur Basilica situated on the top of Montmartre Hill deserves a visit. Its miraculously white facade derives from the special quality of the Chateau Landon stone that whitens and hardens with age. For many its most attractive feature is the view from the dome – you can easily see over 30 miles on a clear day! The French shopper is one of the most demanding, so you can expect to find quality and choice. Paris reigns supreme as the fashion capital of the world, famous for its haute couture and ready-to-wear clothing and accessories. For more modestly priced clothing visit department stores Printemps and the Galeries Lafayette near the Opéra, the Bazar Hôtel de Ville (BHV) and the Samaritaine on the Right Bank, and the Bon Marché on the Left Bank. Or wander down the Champs Élysées for stores such as Sephora (perfume and make-up), Petit-Bateau (childrenʼs wear), Louis Vuitton (designer leather goods), Lacoste (clothing) and international clothing stores such as Gap and Zara. Antique lovers should take a trip to the Louvre des Antiquaries on the Left Bank where shops specialize in everything from ancient Egyptian pieces to Art Nouveau. .
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