First of all, let’s specify what “passage” means. In one of historical documents a name passage in Paris used to be exclusively given to walking path which connected two streets. These are such places where numerous shops and restaurants settle down; here enamored gentlemen appoint secret meetings to ladies. For today Paris has six thousand streets, and three tens from them are proudly called passages, however only their tenth part corresponds to the old name.

So, we will return to the object of our narration. Palais Royal along with many things in France has got interesting history. We all know that Cardinal Richelieu was an extremely influential person in the politics of France (and all Europe) in the seventeenth century. And this person constantly changed places, however he could not find really comfortable place for a life for a long time. In the countryside residences he could not show his active nature completely, and to live under the same roof with “the weak” monarch was below his honor, after all the Cardinal, whatever one may say, considered himself the main person in the country.

As a result in 1624 Richelieu has bought an estate of Angennes near the Louvre which at that time already had several buildings, a garden and defensive towers. It could not satisfy him, and he decided to erect a magnificent palace corresponding to the greatness of the Cardinal. The author of the project of this palace was a close friend of Richelieu architect Jacques Lemercier. He has constructed a majestic building fast enough; it has received the first name – Palais Cardinal.

The palace has turned out truly magnificent, it had everything possible to wish, including huge library, own theatre, a real Guards hall. The collection of picturesque paintings of the Cardinal consisted of hundreds of works of such well-known masters as Tiziano, Rafael, Rubens, Leonardo da Vinci, Dürer and others. Besides that, lots of unique sculptures pleasing a look of the owner have been installed in palace forcing to envy its visitors, including King Louis. As the Cardinal was the cleverest and most perspicacious person he understood that “impudence” of such kind can lead to serious problems with the monarch. And to exclude it, he bequeathed his palace to the Royal family after his death.

Louis XIII could not take full pleasure in all delights of the palace as he has lived a year longer than his minister and has left this world in 1643. However, the palace was not empty for long as his widow– Queen Anne d’Autriche has moved in there with the children (future king Louis XIV Le Roi Soleil among them) and her favorite Cardinal Mazarini. So, the palace got a new name of Palais Royal.

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Having ascended to the throne, the young monarch has left magnificent apartments which apparently did not cause warm feelings in him, and has presented it to his brother Philippe d’Orléans. The palace was in possession of this clan up to the Great French revolution.

For centuries Palais Royal (or Cardinal) has undergone many changes; however it always remained one of the most magnificent palaces in Europe. Today it is a gorgeous place which is visited by many thousand tourists from various corners of the world every year. We wish you, visiting Paris, come there personally to see all its magnificence.

Originally restaurants were places where visitors could try dishes from eggs and meat, and also broths. If to speak about restaurants, differing in personal servicing (a la carte) similar institutions have started to appear in the second half of the XVIII th century in Louvre vicinities. The quantity of beloved by inhabitants of Paris and city visitors restaurants increased very fast, and there soon enough appeared the “premium-class” institution – a tavern in English style in Palais Royal. In magnificent halls of this institution there were mahogany tables, on ceilings smart crystal chandeliers hung, cloths have been embroidered by magnificent Damask patterns, waiters in beautiful dresses, and excellent dishes and remarkable wines on tables.

With the restaurant boom in Paris, the delicatessen actively developed. By the end of the eighteenth century there was a restaurant in Paris which offered the visitors of the menu from more, than hundred various dishes, the known head cook Orleanogo Meo was its owner. Such Parisian restaurants, as “Fevrier”, “Couver Espanol”, “Jure”, “Veri” and others were open at that time and were greatly popular. From institutions of that time at present in Paris there is only one remained – «Cafe de Shartre», known today as “Le Grand Véfour”.

Almost all restaurants in Paris at that time had the distinctive culinary features, somewhere it was possible to try remarkable mutton legs, somewhere – dishes from fish, pubs where fans gathered is noisy to spend time also existed.

1804 became significant in the history of the French capital; the first edition of “The Almanac of gourmets” was published. It contained the list of the best restaurants of Paris.

In various decades the new restaurants appeared in Paris, some of them in due course disappeared completely, and others became rather cult.

For example, during the Second empire time restaurant “Cafe Angle” became very popular after 1867 when three European Emperors had a supper there. Also such institutions, as “Duran”, “Vuazen”, “Fuajo”, “Mani”, “Mayor” were known.

The third Republic was characterized by the occurrence of the most prestigious Parisian restaurants such as  «Pavilion de la Cascade», “Pavilion d’Armanville”, “Laurent”, “Prune”, “Weber”, “Laperuz”, “Drouant”, “Maxim’s”, “Fouquet’s”, many of which please fans of delicatessen nowadays. It was then when popular guidebooks to the Parisian restaurants “Michelin” and «Gault et Millau» were published.

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The World-wide known bicycle race Le Tour de France attracts the strongest bicyclists and is their main start in season. Only for latest decades France has presented to the world a huge number of great sportsmen, among which are such well-known names, as Just Fontaine, Michel Platini, Zinédine Zidane, Dimitry Starchevsky, Jean-Baptiste Grange, Thierry Henry, Amélie Mauresmo, Surya Bonaly and many-many other which have brought glory to the French sports.

France and its capital Paris can brag of nice sportsmen and places where the sports history was created.

There is a stadium in Paris on which the national football team of France succeeded to create a present sensation in 1998 and for the first time in history to win a title of world champions. It is Stade de France. This stadium was open directly before that FIFA World Cup which became triumph of local football players. Then in the summer of 1998 the fact that the French football players happened to be in the final was a sensation itself and when it became clear that magnificent Brazilians led by Ronaldo and Rivaldo would confront them in the match for the main prize very few people put on a victory of the French.

However, sports are sports and especially football which is always unpredictable enough. The stadium Stade de France has been filled in some hours prior to the beginning of the match, and many thousands of fans on tribunes expected the starting whistle of the judge with impatience. Contrary to forecasts, the title of world champions has gone to the French national team, and the game became a benefit performance of the magnificent and inimitable Zinédine Zidane who have become not only the best player of a match, but also of all tournament.

And after that favorable opposition Stade de France became the most cult football place not only Paris, but also in all France. At this stadium finals of the Cup of the country on football are annually held, competitions on Rugby, all national teams of these kinds of sports meet the contenders from other countries.

And, if you are a sports fan after you have decided to visit Paris, necessarily bring in the schedule (along with the Arch Triomphe, Montmartre, the Champs Elysée and the Louvre) visiting one of the best sports constructions of the Old World and if at this time there will be a football or a rugby match at it, you receive really unforgettable impressions. It is situated in the Parisian area Saint-Denis that in northern part of a city.

Besides, if you happen to visit Paris, pay attention to other most famous football stadium – Parc des Princes which homes one of the most titled French football club – “Paris Saint-Germain”. Except for summer months when there’s a break in the European championships, you can always visit a game of this interesting and picturesque team.

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The first Parisian department store Le Bon Marché has been created under the project of Gustave Eiffel in 1852. The name “bon marché” is sometimes wrongly translated as “cheap”. And though the department store concept assumed in due time sale of the goods under lower prices, today Le Bon Marché is not the cheapest shop.

One of the meanings of “bon marché” is “the successful deal”. Today it seems improbable, but in the first French department store it was accepted to bargain. It was here for the first time when price lists on the goods and the fixed prices appeared; because of great volumes of trade the need for price discussion between the seller and the buyer has gradually disappeared. Here for the first time there were seasonal sales which make customers of all world go nuts.

Then, in the end of the XIX-th century, being surrounded by the abundance of luxury in a huge, by measures of that time, shop, female customers often sinned with larceny, using the magnificent skirts to hide the stolen goods. And it is not sophisticated, after all Le Bon Marché is a present kingdom of the goods and services.

Nowadays it is possible to find practically everything here. From perfumery, cosmetics, bags and hats located on the ground floor, to the goods for children, animals, house ware, and special design departments and so on. On the last floor there is a completely not modern and rare department “everything for needlework”, also there is a wedding salon and an excellent department of antiques that is not typical for today’s department stores.

And the grocery department – also exclusively rich – is not in this building. It is situated in a separate «Big grocery», located on the other side of the road. La Grande Epicerie is a present find for gourmets. There is an opinion among Parisians that if you cannot find something here it is possible that this product does not exist in the nature.

However, despite all variety of the offered goods Le Bon Marché is not overcrowded. And even during the sales season of there are practically no tourists. Or maybe the shop is just so huge…?

Planning having a walk on the left bank of the Seine after visiting Champ de Mars, Les Invalides and Jardin du Luxembourg take some time and visit Le Bon Marché. By the way it is the only decent shop on the left bank.

The department store works on week days 09:30-19:00, on Thursday 10:00-21:00, on Saturday 09:30-20:00. Grocery department La Grande Epicerie works from Monday to Saturday 08:30-21:00.

The address: 24 rue de Sèvres, 7th district.
Ph.: +33 1 44 39 80 00

Web site: www.bonmarche.fr

Metro station: Sèvres Babylone

Located on Saint-Germain-des-Près in the centre of quarter of boutiques, Cafe de Flore is breathing the Bohemianism and history. The interior in style of the twentieth years, huge mirrors, leather armchairs, smell of coffee and croissant. However, Cafe de Flore is not famous for its interior and style but for those people who visited and continues to visit it.

From the end of 60-ies and up to now Cafe de Flore is a place of attraction for film bohemia, musicians and fashionable designers. Here just some names: Jane Fonda, Roman Polanski, Alain Delon, Yves Montand, Brigitte Bardot, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, Francis Ford Coppola, Jim Morrison, Cher, Tim Burton, Harvey Keitel, Givenchy, Sonia Rykiel, Yves Saint-Laurent.

A little earlier, before film industry development, Cafe de Flore was popular with artists, writers, poets and philosophers. Those days, starting with 20th years, the history of world art was created in cafe. Every day, as if to work, poet Jacques Prévert came. He used to collect menus from tables, pieces of paper (happened, toilet too), wrote on them, sometimes forgot. After his leaving the owner of cafe Bubal accurately collected them and handed over to Prévert next day. Guillaume Apollinaire the great poet and the expert on painting, thanks to his articles written here after long conversations with artists, has for ever changed a sight of the world on cubism and surrealism.

Milan Kundera, Paco Rabanne, Karl Lagerfeld, Roland Barthes, Françoise Sagan, Pablo Picasso, André Breton, Louis Aragon, Jean-Paul Sartre – all these glorified names relate to Cafe de Flore. At will of destiny in the early thirties the cafe was a favorite place of fascists, but during German occupation – a place of meetings of the French communists. After war it was often visited by Lev Trotsky, Ernest Hemingway and Albert Camus.

Today the cafe is on peak of its popularity and simple mention that Johnny Depp and Sharon Stone happen to be here is enough for attraction of a considerable quantity of tourists. They write novels about cafe, it is mentioned at cinema, they compose verses about it and it can be recognized on pictures painted in Paris. “Lovers of Cafe de Flore” – is the name of a world-known novel about mutual relations of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre.

This place associates with French and a Bohemianism so strongly that this impression finds the reflection even in music. Modern music of Cafe de Flore is original musical sub-style or mini-style of music either old, or stylized so to absorb the spirit and to pass charm of the French song of bygone days. Such a mix of Cool Jazz and French chanson.

To make out the prices in Cafe de Flore, check up an official web site www.cafedeflore.fr. Visiting Cafe de Flore remember that Parisian cafe is not a place in which it is possible to eat tasty during the lunchtime, for these purposes try to choose a restaurant. In Cafe de Flore it is necessary to enjoy the atmosphere behind a coffee or French wine cup slowly. By the way, Cafe de Flore is one of rare places in Paris where Dom Pérignon is possible to get in a glass.

Choose an evening if you love noisy parties and music. Well and if noise and crowd is not your cup of tee – the best time, free from tourists, is a morning week-day. The cafe is open at 7:30 am and if you rent apartment near Cafe de Flore for the period of visiting of Paris you can enjoy morning coffee, absorbing the bohemian romanticism, though every day.

172, boulevard Saint-Germain
75006 Paris
Tel. 01 45 48 55 26

Great armies of various directions of art were always attracted to Paris. Here it is possible to meet young writers, artists, actors and musicians which have arrived here in search of inspiration, glory and recognition of the talents. Time spent here, highly affects artists as they have possibility of constant dialogue with the same kind of people, the adherents.

Sometimes there is a feeling as if Paris possesses a certain magic charm, magic attractiveness for talented and creative people, and at the same time has some kind of “dope” thanks to which these people completely change their world outlook, create the present masterpieces, in literature, architecture, design, fine arts, music or cinema. And after all it is valid so. Perhaps, nobody challenges the fact that many great people created their greatest masterpieces in Paris. As an example: Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso, Charles Aznavour also Marc Chagall, Claude Monet and Eugene Delacroix, Voltaire and Gustave Courbet and many-many other.

All these great representatives of the big art world worked in different trends and styles, however all are connected by one thing – Paris – the city of artist and poets wandering in search of originality. So it was, and so, probably, will always be until creative natures among us searching for something higher than daily work.

And art in Paris fills practically everything that surrounds a human being. Even passing by a usual cafe, inadvertently you notice that a usual signboard over a door is made with a certain highlight you never met before.

To speak about Paris and thus to mean art, undoubtedly, the first which comes to mind is the legendary Montmartre – a place where everything is filled with romanticism and cheerfulness – the world of art. Here you will always find something new and interesting. Visiting Paris without seeing Montmartre is incomplete. Montmartre is more than the Arc de Triomphe or Tour Eiffel, it lives and moves.

In the beginning of the nineteenth century this well-known Parisian hill was flooded with poor French bohemia which in consequence has glorified itself and Montmartre. Some time passed and the place became the recognized centre of new French and European creativity and art. And, in spite of the fact that recently Montmartre represents the historical value rather than is a place of artists’, writers’ and musicians’ conglomeration – inexpressible romantic atmosphere still belongs to this place.

If you have decided to visit Paris take advantage and visit Montmartre, here you can get at least a small piece of Paris on artist canvas possible to take home with you. Ah yes, by all means it is necessary to book tickets for Moulin Rouge – a magnificent cabaret-theatre, the native land of modern striptease.

Modern artists in Paris have more and more dispersed in other places which, quite probably, will become cult in some time. If you have decided to make a tour to Paris and are interested in art, visit the palace of Tokyo with its various opening days, where young artists of Paris demonstrate their creations (palaisdetokyo.com – the schedule of events).

Also, if your trip to Paris is long time, visit a popular habitat of the Parisian artists which is situated on the territory of an old refrigerating warehouse of the city (the address: 19, rue des Frigos). Here almost every day different performances – concerts, exhibitions, video displays, and presentations are held.

Also do not follow a saying “to see Paris and to die! “. Live, come to this city more often, and you will always find something new of the world called Paris – the most important artist in the world!

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For returning to Montmartre Parisians are obliged to the director of a movie called “Ameli” – Jean-Pierre Jeunet. It has shown “not tourist” Montmartre in this movie and has inhaled new spirit of magic in the district La Butte. This district has ceased to interest the Parisian builders in the 19th century and was considered absolutely unpromising for development because of too steep slopes and descents. Partly therefore it is still one of the cheapest in the city. It is easily possible to rent an apartment for some days to plunge into the world of romanticism.

In 1975 Jean-Pierre Jeunet rented apartment on this hill. Being a 20 year old young man full of hopes and embarrassed financially, he has moved here to save on payment. Probably, in gratitude to Montmartre for his success, he has pictured these places with love and has shown Paris from other, unfamiliar side.

The excursion on “Ameli’s Paris” begins at a metro station Lamarck-Gaulaincourt which is called Abessess in the movie. All scenes connected to the underground were shot here. Having turned from the underground to the right along the street Rue Lamarck, we turn off on a paved small street going upwards Rue des Saules and we go to a crossroad with Rue Saint Vincent. It is the movie’s index point; the story about the childhood of Ameli begins exactly with this crossroad.

Popularity of Audrey Tautou has come after this role. Despite that the film scenario has been written specially for other actress, at latest moment Jean-Pierre Jeunet has invited Audrey Tautou to a meeting after he has seen her bottomless eyes on one of advertising posters, and without tests has confirmed her for the role. The actress has been enamored in her heroine, though in her real life she is a full contrast to Ameli. During the first two days Audrey has read the scenario for 12 times.

“The house of Ameli” is located on Rue des Trois Freres №56. Here is “Attics of Kollinon” where Ameli does her purchases. In reality the store is called «At Ali» (Chez Ali) and except for absence of bags with grain, in which Ameli started hands, looks just as in the movie.

From this corner, having passed along the street Abessess, we turn on the left on Rue Lepic. This is the route Ameli took to see a blind old man off, telling him what was happening around. In the apartment building №15 on Rue Lepic is that bar «Two mills» (2 Moulins) in which the heroine worked as a waitress. In reality it seems much smaller and waiters here are men. However, the interior did not vary since 1950.

The cinema, to which Ameli goes to watch spectators’ faces, is very old; it has been constructed in 1928. It is situated in the house № 10 along the Rue Tholozc. Here in district there is a sex shop, to which Ameli comes in search for Nino Quincampoix. It is located in boulevard de Clichy, opposite to cabaret “Moulin Rouge”.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet really shows Montmartre with deep trembling for the days of his youth. Even the surname of the heroine – Poulain – is the name of a chocolate the director once bought in the shop “At Ali”. Now it is difficult to imagine someone else in the role of Ameli instead of Audrey Tautou though the boots of the heroine were awfully great to the actress. Audrey thanks the director for this role: “I have read this scenario about a girl – a small fairy making good to people … I liked the role tremendously!”

Paris is fine in all displays, it is equally magnificent any time of the year, you will always find something new in it, something surprising, subdue, amorous, remaining in memory for ever.

And if someone tells you that in Paris it is necessary to visit this or that place, do not doubt and take the person’s word for truth. The only thing, remember that Paris is never limited to a certain set of places and sights; Paris is interesting in each single moment. The Tour Eiffel, the Place Charles de Gaulle and the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Élysées, the Louvre, Versailles is only a top of an iceberg of that magnificence for which the French capital is famous.

If you have creative and romantic nature you will also open the unique Paris for yourselves pleasing you with the unique colors. And we suggest you begin with the well-known Montmartre – glorious mansion of art and its attendants. This article is dedicated to it.

Montmartre – is the highest area of Paris located on a hill visible from any part of this city, and the whole city is visible from it. Montmartre gets its special beauty with the sunrise the beams of which give it a unique charm and appeal.

Historically this area of Paris is inseparably linked with art and its adherents. Since nineteenth century, Montmartre is a peculiar “Mecca” for representatives of the world of art – poets and artists, musicians and writers. In due time such known all over the world people, as Jean Corot, Berlioz, Georges Seurat, Theodore Gericault, Auguste Renoir, Pablo Picasso and Van Gogh were inhabitants of local places. And each of these great masters has contributed to glorification of Montmartre by means of the pieces of art – present masterpieces of world art. Montmartre got additional colors by other part of its life – bohemian cabarets, salons of exotic dances and, at last, brothels – art and debauchery always had joined hands, it is in the human nature.

Nowadays Montmartre is not the place where it is possible to meet artists fascinatingly narrating about the new pictures behind a glass of absinthe liqueur; eventually they have found new places for realization of their creative impulses. But, even becoming a tourist point on the map of Paris, Montmartre remains extremely interesting. Opportunely is to recollect Maurice Utrillo – the artist was never interested in the bohemian component of the hill; he simply drew its streets, empty and deserted, cheerful and noisily crowded, but always attractive and charming. This person simply loved the Montmartre.

In general, you can find a lot of interesting places, including a majestic temple towering on eighty meters, Cimetiere de Montmartre (Montmartre cemetery), original small restaurants and bistro and the well-known cabaret Moulin Rouge and many other things.

There is no need describing everything Montmartre is famous for; it is impossible to describe in words what you can see with your own eyes, touch, and inhale with your lungs. Our advice is to visit Paris, to climb up Montmartre and … to take pleasure!

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Every year two more well-known long-lasting races take place in Europe – Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España namely; but Tour de France nevertheless is quoted much more above, its name unlike the two named above is familiar, perhaps, to everyone interested in sports in the slightest degree all over the world. Remarkable is the fact that starting in Paris the race is one of the most visited sport events in the world.

Coming back in this bicycle race history, it is necessary to notice that it is obliged by its birth to the newspaper L’Auto (the predecessor of the modern L’Equipe) and its founder Henri Desgrange (the guy himself seriously took a great interest in cycling), actually, at the first stage it was his advertising project, some kind of opposition to a popular bicycle race Paris-Brest (don’t confuse it to Belarusian city, there is a city with the same name in France). And the direct inspirer of “the Big loop” was a journalist of the named above newspaper – Geo Lefevre. And what is interesting, the owners of the newspaper have managed to achieve their goal, – in the first year the race took place the edition circulation has grown practically three times, and the further – the more, L’Auto became the most popular daily newspaper in France.

Nowadays a sports organization called “the Society of Tour de France” is engaged in organizing of the well-known race, it is a part of the same holding which owns L’Equipe newspaper. That is for it is possible to tell that the race has not lost the link with its founder.

Tour de France consists of a set of stages, each of which passes between two required settlements, thus each stage necessarily lasts for one day. As to the first in the history “Big loop» events only sixty sportsmen have taken part in it (quite modestly for present), it had six stages. The 1903 race was hosted by such big cities of France, as Paris, Nantes, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Lyons and Toulouse. The winner of the historical race was a local chimney sweep – bicyclist Maurice Garin. At that time professional sports simply did not exist, and many sports competitions, in France and behind its limits have been obliged to usual sportsmen-fans.

For over a centenary history Tour de France has seen many great sportsmen, it has given huge number of every possible records to the world, but what is the most important, for all this time it gave pleasure to fans supporting their favorite sportsmen.

And if once for the admirer of cycling from our country visiting the well-known race was something from the fantasy category, nowadays anyone interested having necessary means has a possibility to observe an event on the French roads. Besides, for example, planning visiting Paris, you can find time viewing one of the stages of Tour de France which passes the French capital.

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