Seeing Paris
Paris arrondissements, neighborhoods, day trips, museums, monuments, greenery, tours, guides, walks and wheels, cultural places open, closed and renovating
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THATLou Hunts Treasure at the Louvre
The Louvre treasure hunt begins when "Daisy de Plume" sends you an email dropping hunting hints written with tongue in cheek humor. Once you set off on a THATLou (Treasure Hunt at the Louvre) treasure hunt, your eyes capture a multitude of treasure in one and half hours. Add to this the excitement of looking for specific treasures, taking specific photos for bonus points, posing in front of treasure in specific poses, learning to write a limerick, experimenting with strategy and naming your team.
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Handy QR Codes for Paris Buses and Museums
QR codes are a handy way to visit Paris. The Paris transportation system (RATP) uses the code at the bus stops. The Arts and Decoratifs Museum uses the codes for some of their exhibits. Two QR code readers available for my smart phone are Mobiletag and QRReader. Bus stops post the time before the next bus. It is rare to find a stop without this service. Look for the QR code on the sign. You will be taken to the RATP site for the next two arrival times. Until January 5, 2014 at the Musée des Arts décoratifs, bring your smartphone with a QR code app. Using the QR code…
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A Fat Tire Bike and Boat Tour
[youtube]http://youtu.be/cWkim65A6-s[/youtube] Monica asked me if I wanted to take the night time Fat Tire Bike Tour. It was the last day of August and the days were noticeably shorter. 2006 was the last time I wrote about the tour. It was time to go again! Still lots of fun and laughs; light on history, big on sights! The cycling group was much more diverse this time around: Germany, Mexico, Florida USA, Canada …. A wealth of travel information was exchanged among the group on the boat. Listening to strangers with a mutual Paris interest sharing tips was an added treat of the tour.
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July Activities in Paris
July 14 activities Parade along the Champs Elysées beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the Arc de Triomphe Bal du 13 juillet – The July 13th Ball at the Bastille from 8 p.m. to midnight Bal des pompiers – Fireman’s Ball – All of the neighborhood fire and rescue departments open their doors July 13 and 14 for their annual balls with the fire brigade acting as the barmen Feux d’artifice – fireworks near the Eiffel Tower at 10:30 p.m. July 14 Tour de France “After leaving the heart of London and setting off the timers as it passes by the Greenwich Meridian, the peloton will speed off across Kent. A flat route through the English…
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The Zoo (La Ménagerie) At Jardin Des Plantes
Associating a zoo with Paris strikes a different chord from looking at historic buildings. However, le Jardin des Plantes is historical with its own zoo called La Ménagerie . Founded in 1794, this zoo is considered to be the oldest in the world along with de Schönbrunn in Vienna. Among its 2,000 inhabitants, the ménagerie celebrated 168 births in 2010. One of the newborns in the singerie (monkey house), Coumba, became a bit of a celebrity in 2011 with an accident. The inexperienced mother mangabey became too rough with her baby and broke its arm. Wearing a cast is a hard way to start off life for a newborn. Coumba,…
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Constant change in Paris
This article is no longer being updated. Through the grapevine I hear that Paris is an open-air museum. True in some respects, but it is a living open-air museum for some and the home front for others. Nothing stays the same. Search out scenes from a movie from another decade, and you might be disappointed. However, more recent movies by the dozen have left their prints. Look for that smoke filled room and it has probably been gentrified. The spirit of Paris, however, remains. Modernization can mean a return to what was. For example, the Parc Butte Chaumont will be restored to its 1867 landscape between 2013 and 2017. In…
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Pantheon Has the Best Panoramic View of Paris
It is close to take off. The anticipation mounts. For those at the end of the line, the hope is to be within the fifty chosen ones. The climb to the top of the Pantheon (les colonnades) includes about 276 steps. It is not a straight climb up. Your visit to the top in no way resembles your descent. It is an easy walk that combines flat and sloping surfaces. This is not one steep climb up the same stairs, but broken up into sections. That’s why it is not an exhaustive walk. The waiting area is close to the entrance in a cordoned-off area in a niche in the…
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More Things to do with Children in Paris
Highlights of Things To Do This page contains things to do in both English and French. Children who speak French? For those of you who have children who speak French up-to-date activities for children (in French) using the Paris Mayor’s website for Paris d’Enfants. The association, Paris d’enfants, has suggestions for families and school groups over fifty tours and activities such as rallies, scavenger hunts, museum, monument and neighborhood visits. The association, Paris d’enfants, has suggestions for families and school groups over fifty tours and activities such as rallies, scavenger hunts, museum, monument and neighborhood visits. Example of a Quiz (in French): Get out your magnifying glass and test your knowledge…
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A Weekend with Children in Paris
Having fun with children in Paris Travel to Paris with the eyes of a child. Hopefully, you have visited the city before so you can begin to think along those lines. You might bring your own children; we rent ours by the week. One of the beauties of bringing children to Paris is the new view — seeing it through their eyes. Come take a springtime visit with us in Paris. Our niece and nephew live on the outskirts of west Paris and stay with us every now and then while their parents take a little vacation. We make a list of things to do, places to see, pizzas to…
