Paris La Ville Lumire La Seine The Seine

Paris La Ville Lumière

La Seine • The Seine is the river that flows through Paris. • It divides Paris into two parts. The upper side is known as the right bank and the lower side is known as the left bank. • There are many boat tours of the Seine; one is called a Bateau Mouche.

Les Arrondissements • Paris is also divided into small sections, or arrondissements. There are 20 of them. • The number of the arrondissement is printed on the street signs in that area. Street signs are attached on the corners of buildings.

Les Arrondissements

Public Transportation • In Paris, you can take le métro, le bus, or un taxi. • Many people also choose to ride bikes or mopeds rather than to drive a car in the city. • A month-long bus/subway pass is called a carte orange.

Communications • Many people in France rely on cell phones for communication. • If you need to use a pay phone you cannot insert coins. A special card, called a telecarte must be purchased. • Telecartes may be purchased at a Tabac. • Also at a Tabac, one can buy stamps, lotto tickets, tobacco products, drinks, etc.

La Tour Eiffel • The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 for the centennial celebration and world fair. • It was built to demonstrate the ability to build such a structure and was supposed to be torn down. • It was saved because it functioned as a radio tower. • Now it is one of the most well-known monuments in the world.

Notre Dame • Notre Dame is a cathedral in Paris. • Notre Dame is an example of Gothic Architecture. • Construction began in the 1100’s and didn’t finish until nearly 200 years later.

Gothic Architecture • Pointed Arches • Spires • Flying Buttresses • Stained Glass

Arc de Triomphe • The Arc de Triomphe was built to commemorate Napoleon’s war victories. • Underneath the arc is the tomb of the unknown soldier. • The Arc stands in the Étoile on the Champs-Elysées, and is in a direct path of the Louvre, Place de la Concorde, and La Défense.

Arc de Triomphe

Le Louvre • The Louvre once served as home to the Kings and Queens of France, until they moved to Versailles. • It is now a world-famous art museum. • Famous works such as the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged-Victory are housed here. • It is now characterized by a large glass pyramid that serves as an entrance to the museum.

Le Louvre

Le Musée d’Orsay • The Musée D’Orsay once served as a train station in Paris. • It is now an art museum that houses mostly impressionist and postimpressionist pieces. • It is here where you will see the works of Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, and Cézanne.

Le Musée D’Orsay

Other Monuments • Centre Pompidou- Modern art museum, built to look inside-out. • Place de la Concorde- area where the guillotine stood during the revolutionnow is an Egyptian Obelisk. • Les Invalides- Military museum and tomb of Napoleon.