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‘I love Paris in the Springtime.’ Cole Porter famously went on record singing the city’s praises of the city in this season, yet it is never alone year-round. Autumn crowds fill leaf-strewn boulevards; summer visitors queue to savour exquisite Berthillon icecream. relishing the relative quiet as most Parisians take their annual holidays. Winter brings its own special thrill of silent snowy footpaths, green-clad council workers like so many gnomes struggling to clear the roads and gardens – and the winter sales!
There is no valid excuse to stay away from Paris at any time, but once you are there, the choices can be numbingly confusing. Left Bank, Right Bank, city or suburbs; small and intimate hotel or large and prestigious; a welter of hysterical shopping or endless museums and galleries; culture in favour of hedonism, cafes versus restaurants, bistros, bars or nightclubs? Just how do you decide?
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This article continues with details of Paris and includes information on accommodation provided, local food and cuisine, things to do and see.
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A favourite with many visitors is the Left Bank Latin Quarter, although don't panic. You won't need a word of that dead language to survive here! In the Middle Ages it was the area of the city where the intellectually elite Latin-speaking students hung out around the Sorbonne, but it matured into a bohemian, artistic area which today has morphed yet again into the esteemed address of many rich and famous Parisians.
Interestingly French evolved its word for pleasure, plaisir, from the Latin 'placere'. Today's Paris derives a lot of its pleasure from the Latin Quarter. Go figure!
Better yet, go visit.
©Sally Hammond 2006
Picture Credits: ©Gordon Hammond 2006
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