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10 Films of Paris
In the days before a trip to Paris we immerse ourselves in great Paris movies
Our Top 10 List expanded to 18 videos
Critically Acclaimed Award Winners
The Intouchables (2011)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
(coincidentally featuring paraplegics)
A Collection of Paris Segments within the Film
Holy Motors (2012)
Paris Je t’Aime (2006)
Hollywood Musicals
Funny Face (1957) Fred Astair
An American in Paris (1951) Gene Kelly
Contemporary Romance
Le Weekend (2013) Roger Mitchell
Picture Paris (2011) Brad Hall
Midnight in Paris (2011) Woody Allen
Before Sunset (2004) Richard Linklater
Montmartre (2001 Films)
Molin Rouge!
Amelie
Animation
Ratatouille (2007)
The Triplets of Belleville (2003)
The Pink Panther
-Peter Sellers Version (1963)
-Steve Martin Version (2006)
French Directors
Truffaut: Day for Night (Jacquline Bisset) 1973
Brunel: Belle de Jour (Catherine Deneuve) 1967
Goddard: Breathless (1960)
The A History of Paris educational (5) DVDs are eternally informative
Dr. William J. Neidinger
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/france/articles/10-new-french-films-you-need-to-watch-2009-2014/
2017 Itinerary
Here is an draft of the Paris Itinerary
What follows is simply a suggestion
Saturday, December 23rd 2017
Depart for Paris
Depending on your flight, you might leave late morning or afternoon
We prefer to arrive in Paris on Christmas Eve, in the early morning
Sunday, December 24th (Christmas Eve)
Arrive in Paris (CDG)
Conduct Airport Business (Museum Pass, Postage Stamps, Metro Tickets)
Buy an RER ticket into Paris and a stack of 10 Metro Tickets “a Carnet” for travel through Paris
Be Careful: It’s Jet-Lag-Day – your nerves with be frayed and your patience has been spent,
it’s time to engage your “sangfroid”
Check-in to Montmartre Hotel
Don’t take a Nap. Take a hot bath and change clothes
Discover Montmartre, the Artists District
Shop for Groceries and Supplies in some stores which will be closed on Christmas Day
Purchase Advance Tickets for a Christmas Day Movie
Our best way to adjust your body-clock to Paris time is to go to bed early and get up and get out of bed early the next morning.
Monday, December 25th (Christmas)
A Sunrise Church Service at Notre Dame is a good plan
Afterwards, the narrow streets of the Latin Quarter are uncharacteristically desolate, so are the iconic (overpriced and touristy) cafes which we have yet to visit
Last year we visited Au Pied de Cochon after mass for a great bowl of onion soup, served on white table cloth
It’s an easy walk over to Centre Pompidou, which is open of Christmas morning
Then it’s back to Montmartre and up to Sacre Couer
A great and storied area to explore along with the Montmartre Cemetery
Sometimes there is a first run movie worth seeing, Christmas Evening
Tuesday, December 26th
Moving Day (from Montmartre to Versailles)
Up and Out, Early and in-line when the Museums Open
Le Louvre
Back to Montmartre for Check-out
Travel over to Bercy
Check-in to Hotel
Interesting area with local grocery, parks
Bercy provides a great Velib bike opportunity
Despite our tendancy to get lost in Paris (which is not always a bad thing) the ride into Paris along the Seine is a no-brainer
Wednesday, December 27th
Weather permitting bike into Paris along the Seine for an early church service, perhaps the best time to visit a Paris church
Musee D’Orsay is the only major museum open on Tuesdays
Get in line early after visiting Eric Kaiser for a Pain au chocolat or Pain aux raisins and our daily Baguette aux céréales
Then bike to L’Orangerie, Centre Pompidou or the Pantheon.
Maybe enjoy a Flaffel or Soup
Thursday, December 28th
Moving Day (From Versailles to Bercy)
Up and Out Early (maybe bike)and in-line when the Museums Open
Le Louvre
Back to Hotel for Check-out
Travel to Versailles on RER train
Check-in to Versailles Hotel
Tour the Chateau (if the line is manageable)
Otherwise tour the grounds and outlying buildings
There are a variety of bakeries and groceries in historic Versailles, we avoid the other touristy side of town
Friday, December 29th
Up and Out Early into Paris and In-Line when Le Louvre Opens
Back to Versailles on RER
Tour the Chateau or the Grounds of Versailles
Saturday, December 30th
Moving Day (from Bercu to La Defense)
This is a day to enjoy the morning, sleep-in, jog the grounds of Versailles and buy something for breakfast at the outdoor Marché
The hotel has an excellent breakfast, it’s one of the few Paris Hotel Breakfasts worth paying for
Check-out of Versailles
Ride RER into Paris
Check-in to La Defense
(The room will probably not be ready)
Climb up into Arc de Triomphe or Visit the Opera House
Lunch: It’s a weekday in Paris, you might find someplace for lunch
Grocery Shopping downtown (we haven’t found any grocery stores in La Defense)
Evening Meal at Chartier or a concert
Sunday, December 31st (New Years Eve)
Final Day in Paris
It’s guaranteed to be a wacked-out crowded, crazy day in Paris
Up and Out Early and in-line when the Museums Open
Le Louvre
OR maybe we join a Paris Meetup Group (Run Paris) for their Saturday morning run
Then Tie Up Loose Ends
Do some final shopping
Finish your correspondence and write Postcards
(Best Selection of Postcards on ground floor of le Louvre and a post office to buy French stamps)
Buy some groceries and New Years Eve goodies, maybe some Champagne
Relax and enjoy your last afternoon in Paris
The last two (3) years we purchased theater tickets, but it is not the best night to be out in the Metro returning to our hotel at 11p while people rush through the subway on the way to midnight celebrations. So celebrate early and visit churches and theaters the night before (you can be practical in Paris or you can succumb to the tourist experience)
There have been no fireworks in Paris on New Years Eve for several years
Last year there was an impressive light-show at the Arc de Triomphe
Although we are seldom up for midnight, La Defense has an spectacular plaza overlooking the City Lights of Paris
Monday, January 1st 2017 (New Years Day)
Up Early and Out for a Jog, with several paths about La Defense
Mail your postcards (or leave them at the Front Desk – to amuse the staff)
Check-out then ride Metro into Paris and RER train to Airport
(All trains are free from late New Years Eve through New Years Day)
Departure from Paris (CDG)
* A good traveler has no fixed plan and is not intent upon arriving” – Lao Tzu
Les Quatre Hôtels provides further information on the Four Hotels where we stay
Subscribe to Paris Memos (our email list)
Join Paris for the Holidays MeetUp
Waiting List
Why should I join the Waiting List?
Cimetière du Père-Lachaise
Père Lachaise Cemetery
16 Rue du Repos, Paris, France
Top 10 Fascinating Graves in Père Lachaise
http://listverse.com/2011/10/27/top-10-fascinating-graves-in-pre-lachaise/
15 Famous People Buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris
http://hubpages.com/entertainment/PereLachaiseCemetery
9 Most Haunting Graves in Paris’s Pere Lachaise Cemetery
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-lineup/9-most-haunting-graves-in_b_8357276.html
The 10 Unforgettable Graves to See In Père Lachaise Cemetery
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/france/paris/articles/the-10-unforgettable-graves-to-see-in-pere-lachaise-cemetery/
Jim Morrison
The sprawling French cemetery is home to plenty of big names (Victor Hugo, Oscar Wilde), but one American in particular continues to draw crowds. The Doors frontman died in Paris at age 27, and although no autopsy was done, most believe he died of heart arrest associated with drug use. When Morrison’s most recent grave marker was made, his father requested the Greek inscription: ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΝ ΔΑΙΜΟΝΑ ΕΑΥΤΟΥ. The phrase translates to “according to his own demon,” although the intended meaning was “faithful to his own spirit.”
http://www.the-line-up.com/9-famous-graves-add-bucket-list/
Marie Curie
Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas
Marie Skłodowska Curie
7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934
Pantheon
Noble Prize in Physics 1903
Noble Prize in Chemistry 1911
In the footsteps of Marie Curie
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Marie_Curie
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/curie_marie.shtml
La Tour Eiffel
Eiffel Tower
La Tour Eiffel (9:30 to 11:00pm)
The Eiffel Tower’s Voice: Stefania Rousselle (Arts: New York Times)
Surprisingly, it may be difficult to spot the Eiffel Tower from most streets of Paris. A great perch for viewing the Paris skyline is from the front balcony of the Pompideu Center. Another great view of the Tower is from beneath it.
Our favorite moment at the Eiffel Tower was jogging early in the morning before dawn. This area along the Seine is open, with an iscolated even dangerous feeling.
The rest of the time, this area is mobbed by tourism The neighborhood atop Butte Montmartre is even more congested but to us more acceptable because of it’s artistic, bohemian aire and its spiritual proximity to the Basilica Sacré-Cœur. And far in the distance you will spot the tiny Eiffel Tower.
Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923)
also designed the inner framework of the Statue of Liberty
La fontaine Stravinsky
Stravinsky Fountain
Centre Pompidou
Fontaine des Automates A View on Cities
Luxenbourg (6e)
La fontaine Médicis Paris By Foot
Pantheon (5e)
The Story Behind The Saint Michel Fountain Paris By Foot
La Defense
Fontaine Esplanade de la Defense
Fontaine d’Agam
Les Halles (1e)
Fontaine des Innocents
Montmartre (18e)
Fountain Square Suzanne Buisson Walking Tour of Montmartre (Rather Luvly)
The fountain consists of a semi-circular basin, dominated by the stone statue of Saint-Denis holding his head in his hands. According to legend, it is at this holy place where he washed his head after decapitation in 280. Thereafter he continued on his way – head under his arm, to the crypt of the Saint-Denis basilica , where he was buried
La fontaine Médicis
Luxembourg Garden Gem Paris By Foot
The Story Behind The Saint Michel Fountain Paris By Foot
