One of my favorite places in Paris was the Pantheon, a neo-Classical church in the Latin Quarter.  It was modeled after the Pantheon in Rome, and topped with a dome similar to Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London.  Although it was originally an abbey, it now primarily serves as a burial place for many famous French heroes, leaders, artists, and writers.

This beautiful building was constructed as a result of a promise made by King Louis XV in 1744.  He was suffering from a serious and mysterious illness (later believed to be gout), and vowed that if he recovered he would construct a building worthy of the patron saint of Paris. 

He recovered, and construction of the Pantheon began in 1758 and was completed in 1789.  Many delays were related to lack of finances – a common reason for construction delays even today!

Since its completion coincided with the start of the French Revolution, the Revolutionary government order the building changed from a church to a mausoleum where the remains of great Frenchmen could be interred.  Although it has reverted to a church twice since then, today it is once again a mausoleum.

When I walked into the Pantheon it felt austere and cavernous.  I felt the need to use my “library voice.” 

It’s basically a cross-shaped building, with a domed center.  Around the walls are murals depicting religious and revolutionary figures (I particularly liked the series of Joan of Arc), as well at statuary and frescoes.

Continue reading for more information and photos!

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Location:  The interior pillars and a glimpse of art from inside the Pantheon in Paris.

There’s marvelous murals on the walls, all sorts of interesting frescos, niches, an cubbies, and some beautiful windows.  It was amazing to wander about, and every time you turned around there was something awe inspiring.

Photo credit:  personal collection

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Standing in the center of the Place Charles de Gaulle (also called the Place de l’Étoile) at the western end of the Champs-Élyseés, the Arc de Triomphe is the largest triumphal arch in the world. 

It honors those who bravely fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars.  ,  Beneath the arch is the tomb of the unknown soldier from World War I, marked by the very first eternal flame.  The flame burns in memory of those who died, but were not identified, in both WWI and WWII.  An inscription reads “Here lies a French soldier who died for his fatherland 1914-1918” (translated here into English).

The arch stands about 165 feet tall, and measures about 148 feet wide, and around it is a roundabout that is one of the busiest in Paris.  Do not try to dodge in and out of this traffic!  That would be dangerous, and brand you as a serious nutcase.  While I watched, I saw many people tempted by it – but fortunately no one crazy enough to actually attempt it.

You can reach the arch sensibly by following the signs to the underground passage way that will take you beneath the crazy roundabout to the arch.  From there you can take a short elevator ride back to ground level or climb the stairs.  In the photo above you see me waving at you before heading to the passageway to cross over.

What will you see?  Keep reading to find out!

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If the thought of a fine bag, a decadent pair of heels, or the feel of the fabric of a finely crafted suit makes you swoon, then an afternoon on the Champs-Élysées in Paris may be your definition of heaven.

Avenue des Champs-Élysées is not only one of the most recognized street names in Paris, but in the entire world, and is lined with luxury and specialty shops, theaters, cafes and restaurants.  Its name translates to “Elysian Fields” a refererence to the “place of the blessed” in Greek mythology.  With the prices you’ll see at most of these shops and cafes, you’ll need to be blessed, indeed, to make this your prime shopping district.

The street itself is a little over a mile and a quarter long (see photo at left), running from the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe in the 9th arrondissement.  While its easy to get caught up in its current incarnation as the ultimate shopping location, originally, in the de Medici era, the area was a field and garden market.  It was also the location of the famous marches to celebrate the 1944 liberation of France, one march by the French and the other by American troops.  Today, the Champs-Élysées is home to the annual Bastille Day parade and is the end of the Tour de France. 

It seems like the Champs-Élysées is always full of people, day or night.  You’ll find people stopping off to shop at places like:  Drugstore Publicis (filled with so many upscale products that it seems a misnomer to refer to it as a “drug” store), Louis Vuitton (its largest store in the world), Virgin Megastore, Adidas (its largest store in the world), and Nike Paris, as exclusive stores co-exist with the growing presence of large chain stores. 

Above the street level stores, you’ll find offices, attracting still more people.  And, of course, day or night, patrons are flocking to the restaurants, cafes, and theaters.

I enjoyed wandering the street, stopping of at a few shops now and again.  Although the strength of the dollar was not on my side, I did manage to justify a purchase at Louis Vuitton, followed by lunch at cafe right in the heart of everything.  While lunching on the Champs-Élysées is quite expensive (some might say over-priced), I considered it both a meal and an opportunity to do some people watching as I whiled away a beautiful fall afternoon in Paris.

Photo credit:  personal collection

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Today I have a guest post from Leyla Giray from Backpacking Women on the Road. 

Now I know what you must be thinking. . . “MJ, you’re not a backpacker.”  Well, that might be true enough, but there’s all sorts of things backpackers can teach the rest of us about travel, and one of those things is how to enjoy things off the beaten path — like spending a day is the French countryside.

Not south enough to be Provence, nor north enough to be Alsace or the Vosges, this tiny corner of France hides between two massive mountain ranges - the Alps and the Jura - and is so off the beaten path you often only get here by accident.

Except if you live here, as I do, a big-city transplant to this most rural and proud region of France.

How can such a tiny beautiful pocket be only 45 minutes from Geneva, 1hr 15 each from Lyon, Grenoble and Chamonix, and an hour from the vineyards of Burgundy?

Welcome to the Bugey, where the grand Rhone River winds powerfully south.

It’s a calm day today. The snow has settled, turning the seasons upside down. Last week we were planting lavender and cleaning the kayaks. This week we’re shoveling snow.

I shouldn’t have worried. My neighbor, Patrick the wine-maker, beat me to it, unasked. He ran his tractor around the front of my house, piling the snow off to the side to allow me to drive out of the barn - my own personal snowplow.

Last week, before the snow fell, a horse appeared in my field. These things happen. The young farmer down the hill tells me it belongs to the mayor’s nephew and that my field is green and good for food. Seems to make sense.

The next day some plastic electrified fencing cropped up. Keeps the horse from running away. Makes sense too. Two days later, the horse, the fence and the greenery were gone.

In the afternoon I returned home to the sound of chainsaws. My neighbor thought (rightly) that my brambles had grown out of control, so he decided to cut them. Makes sense.

Continuing reading for more about life in Bugey. . . .

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One of the most famous museums in the world is the Louvre, or more correctly the Musée du Louvre, and it was one of the items that was high on my Paris must-see list.  It is located on the Right Bank (of the Seine) in the 1st arrondissement.

Originally a palace, the museum is now home to some of the most world-famous works of art, including the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and Aphrodite/Venus de Milo.  It opened to the public in 1793, and since then the collections have grown to their current number of over 380,000.  It’s not the largest collection in the world, but most art historians argue that it is the finest.

The main buildings of the Louvre look rather fortress-like, and much like I would imagine a fortress to have been, once inside the gates, there are all sorts of lovely things to see. 

The central courtyard houses the Louvre Pyramid, and serves as the main entrance to the museum.   The Pyramid was designed by architect I.M. Pei, and beneath it is the underground lobby to the museum.  There are several entrances into the courtyard, and all will get you to the Pyramid, so if you are encountering crowds at one courtyard entrance, just walk around to another one.

The Louvre is organized into eight departments, displaying artwork up to 1848.  You’ll see work by Rembrandt, Rubens, Titian, Van Dyck, and Leonardo da Vinci.

There is so much stuff to see, that tackling the Louvre can be a daunting task.  It is too big to see everything in one day, so unless you have several days to dedicate to viewing it, you will have to come up with a plan of attack.

Continue reading for suggestion on the best way to see the Louvre –

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March 31st is the 118th anniversary of the inauguration of the Eiffel Tower, and boy do I wish I was there to celebrate!

Located beside the River Seine in Paris, France, the Eiffel Tower is the tallest building in the city.  Following its completion in 1889, it was the tallest structure in the world, and remained so until the Chrysler Building in New York City displaced it from that top spot. 

The Eiffel Tower was originally built as the entrance arch for the Paris World’s Fair.  That  also marked the 100-year commemoration of the French Revolution.

It is now one of the most recognized buildings in the world, and is the most visited.  Since it is now considered a piece of structural art, it’s hard to believe that at the time it was built, many believed it would be an eye sore!  It was also a surprise to learn that originally the tower was to be torn down 20 years after it was erected.  Fortunately, some practical uses came of the tower (including the role it played in helping to catch the infamous spy, Mata Hari), and it remains to this day.

On the first floor of the Eiffel Tower, during the winter, is a skating rink.  You can skate for free, and catch a great view at the same time.

To go up the tower, you can walk up 360 steps to the first level, and another 359 steps to the second level.  But you will need an elevator to go beyond the second platform — once you move past the second platform, the tower is an open frame, with no other platforms.

A few tidbits of Eiffel Tower trivia:

• The tower is painted three different colors in order to make it look like it’s all the same color (it has to do with the light sky and dark ground)
• A con artist tried selling the tower for scrap metal.  It was sold — twice!
• A restaurant was removed from mid-way up the tower, was dismantled and shipped to New Orleans, where it was reconstructed.  It’s been known as the Tour Eiffel Restaurant and the Red Room.
• The Eiffel Tower is popular in movies, including:  A View to Kill, Superman II, and The Hostage Tower.
• There are 72 names engraved on the tower representing French scientists, engineers and other notables who played a part in getting the tower into existence.

If thinking about the Eiffel Tower doesn’t make you want to go to Paris, I’m not sure anything will.

Photo credit:  wikimedia

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Today’s post comes from Lynn Rodriguez.  Lynn previously wrote Paris in the Fall so be sure to go back and read it if you missed it the first time around.

Lynn makes me feel like I’m sitting in a little cafe, having espresso, and planning what I’m going to do with the rest of the day. 

Thanks again, Lynn.  I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of your writing!

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FUSAC has been around for years. It means France USA Contacts. If you’re thinking of going to Paris or have just arrived, it’s a must have, and best of all, it’s free!

You can find an abundance of information in the magazine: apartments for rent, jobs, au pair positions, meeting places, things to do, places to go, American restaurants and stores, personal ads, classes, exchanges, the list goes on and on and on! You can also buy or sell items: books, household goods, clothing….you name, they’ve got it.

If you’re like me, you may be asking, why would I want to contact other English-speaking people while I’m in Paris?! Okay, this may not be for you, but there are a lot of other Americans, Brits, Canadians, Aussies, etc. who would love to get together with others in the English-speaking community. Not to mention, a lot of French people who read this magazine because they, too, are interested in meeting Anglophones.

FUSAC comes out every two weeks. If you’re new to Paris, or planning on staying for awhile, you’ll find that FUSAC is a gold mine of information. You can find it in every single arrondissement of Paris and in a couple of suburbs as well. If you happen to pass by an English-speaking bookstore, any American style restaurant, the American Express near the Opéra, the English-speaking embassies and consulate offices, go on in and pick up a copy. They all have FUSAC near their entrance and you’ll be happy you did.

You can tell them I sent you!

Photo credit:  dalia