“We’ll always have Paris.” Those iconic words uttered by Bogart to Bergman in Casablanca so many years ago are just as true and meaningful today. Maybe even more so. You see, recently Bertrand Delanoe, the Mayor of Paris, has created something called Paris Tourist Day, meant to encourage Parisians to adopt a more cordial view of tourists. Launched a few years ago – and acknowledging that an estimated two million jobs here are linked to tourism - this project looks to become a regular fixture. This lesson in Parisian etiquette includes the vow to take the time to give information to visitors and to attempt to reply to them in their own language. Merci!
A Cimetiere Extraordinaire
On your next visit to Paris, there is a "must-do" that perhaps you’ve not done in the past. You must visit a cemetery. No, not just any cemetery - the Pere Lachaise Cemetery with its starry lineup of illustrious corpses - indeed the celebrity resting place in Paris. Your visit, surprisingly, will have a touch of romantic history to it because you can visited the graves of old-timers such as Delacroix, Proust and Bizet, as well as the more recent dearly departed Jim Morrison, and that famous love duo: Simone Signoret and Yves Montand. Opened since the 1790s, Pere Lachaise was designed as a public park and still today is a green and pleasant, albeit somewhat somber place to wander. With the help of a map supplied upon entering, one can check out the sites of almost anyone French, talented and dead - they’re all here.
Bubbles in a Glass of Champagne
One evening, if you lust for glamour, luxury and the great American songbook, a suggested visit is the very elegant Georges V Hotel (www.fourseasons.com/paris). Flavien Compagnon sings and plays piano in the Georges V cocktail lounge and as you sit on a burgundy velvet banquet, sipping some bubbly, the room low-lit by crystal chandeliers and fragrant votives, and with floor to ceiling windows giving onto a perfect formal garden in the distance, it will be a pinch-yourself, dreamy moment.
Twinkle, Twinkle Eiffel Tower
A perfect nightcap idea to end an evening: a visit to La Tour Eiffel. As you arrive at this most iconic symbol of Paris, the Tower will begin to do its thing - The Great Eiffel Tower Light-Up! Back on New Year’s Eve, 1999 to mark the new millennium, 20,000 light bulbs were added to the tower and illuminated. And because we all like things that sparkle, the tower continues to be lit up every night for 10 minutes. Watch as this grand structure comes alive, twinkling and dancing before your eyes! The Eiffel Tower becomes something magical to behold. Ever since its appearance on the Parisian skyline in 1889, the Eiffel Tower has drawn both criticism and praise. Guy de Maupassant called it a giant and disgraceful skeleton while Paul Gauguin hailed it as a “triumph of iron.”
Going In Seine
Another day, take a Bateaux Mouches cruise on the Seine at twilight when the sky is pale mauve turning to shell pink. The lights will come up all over the city, and each monument will be bathed in its own special glow. No matter how many times you take this romantic meander down the Seine, slipping silently under Paris’ 37 bridges, gazing up at the Notre Dame Cathedral and gawking at the stately, exclusive residences on the Ile St. Louis, it never fails to thrill.
Field of Dreams
The Champs Elysees remains a symbolic gathering place, from July 14 Bastille Day celebrations to New Year’s Eve displays – not to mention the joy of sitting at one of its sidewalk cafes, aperitif in hand, simply people-watching. Plan to stay around the corner from the Champs at the Hotel Marignan, www.hotelmarignan.fr), a peaceful haven in the heart of this bustling business and fashion center. This property has a cozy, romantic feel, with an added plus: Alain Ducasse’s Restaurant Spoon is on the hotel’s site, serving a light and inspired menu from all corners of the globe.
One of the coolest and most colorful neighborhoods is Montparnassewith its good-time feel which recalls the area’s artistic heyday of the 1920s and30s. Bars, restaurants and cinemas abound and it was here on August 25, 1944 that the liberation of Paris took place. Your stay in this environ will be made all the more pleasant by checking into Hotel Le Littre (www.hotellelittre.com). Consisting of just 90 guest rooms with views of either the charming rue Littre or their quiet courtyard, the property is equipped with all the up-to-date features you’ll need to be totally comfortable.
Yes You Can Can
What is a trip to Paris without visiting the neighborhood of Montmartre and experiencing the touristy but oh so fun show at the Moulin Rouge? This world-famous nightclub opened its doors in 1889. The show is not dissimilar from what you might see in Las Vegas with one delightful exception: this is, after all, the place where the French Cancan was born over a hundred years ago, and today the Cancan still ends each show. The 60 Doriss girls give it their all – throughout the performance, they continually send amorous, passionate glances out to the gentleman in the audience, signaling that they sure Can!
Amour..passion..romance…puts one in mind of a most love-ly upcoming holiday - Valentine’s Day, of course - and to be sure, the French do that day up right. A long-ago holiday custom that is nowillegal was called “Une loterie d’amour,” where single men and women would enter houses that faced opposite each other for the purpose of pairing off. If a man was not particularly happy with his chosen partner, he’d simply leave the undesirable match for another mate. After the pairing off was finished, women who were left single built a large ceremonial bonfire and burned images of men who’d hurt them. During this ritual, the women would also yell abusive remarks at the men. Most undignified, non? Is it any wonder that this custom has since been banned?! Today the holiday is considerably more reserved and, as in many other countries, the French simply exchange small gifs, bouquets of flowers, words of affection and perhaps spend a glamorous night on the town.
Right in our own backyard, something tres romantique is going to occur: In NYC, the World Yacht has Valentine’s Day weekend packages. The Sweetheart package is $90 per person or $180 per couple plus taxes and fees. It includes a 3-course dinner plus a choice of dessert, a DJ providing entertainment and a single rose for all couples. The Romance package is $125 per person or $250 per couple plus taxes and fees. This package includes a 3-course dinner plus a chef’s sampling of dessert. You’ll also have a live band, champagne toast, single rose for all couples and a complimentary souvenir photo. The Valentine Cruise is sailing February 11, 12th and 14th. Boarding begins 6 pm, the boat will sail at 7 pm and return to Pier 81 a 10 pm. The cruise is guaranteed to provide a romantic setting and with the lights of the City as a back drop, this is a great way to celebrate this special day. Tickets may be purchased online by visiting www.worldyacht.comor by calling 212-630-8100.
To be sure, Valentine’s Day connotes romance, and no other city in the world embodies this concept more than Paris (Ok, New York too!). Its beauty is a seductive backdrop to start a "dangerous liaison" or to rekindle the magic of the past. That was, I’m sure, the inspiration for those memorable last words in Casablanca: We will always have Paris.
Paris 411 - www.franceguide.com
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