Paris Highlights




  1. Bullet Marveling at the compact gas stations tucked neatly into sidewalks.  Forget about full-service gas stations!  Gas was $7/gallon at the time we were here (May 2007) and smart cars (which can be parked perpendicular along the sidewalk) abounded.

  2. Bullet Appreciating the “flaneur” (“stroller”—the person, not the baby carrier) culture, where wide boulevards and sidewalk cafes with armadas of chairs facing outwards gave new meaning to the phrase “people watching.”

  3. Bullet Viewing with awe all the original art at the magnificent Louvre, the irreverent Pompidou Centre, the stunning Musee d’Orsay —pieces I had heretofore seen only in art books.

 
 

What a unique time to visit France—just a few days before the second phase of the national elections.  With City Hall decked out in the vibrant red, white and blues of the tricolour, our Rick Steves’ Paris and Provence group felt like Paris had rolled out the red carpet just to welcome us.  On an afternoon stroll in Montmartre, our troop trekked past an elementary school; those of us that peeked in caught view of tables piled high with paper ballots.  At the café where the movie “Amelie” was filmed, Parisians enjoying their Sunday afternoon declared their political preferences by sipping the cocktail of choice: a Sarko Bleu or Sego Fraise.  The icing on the cake was sitting with local diners at the Bistro Eustache near the Pompidou Centre as the results were called in over the television--53% to 46% for Sarkozy over Royale.  A new political era for France had begun…

 

Vive la France!

Musee d’Orsay

City Hall

“Amelie” Café

Louvre