This could be a really short post: Eat anything anywhere you want. You cannot starve in Paris.

Paris is famous for food at every level of production, from the absolutely finest (and expensive) cuisine in a grand dining room with more tuxedo-clad wait-staff than diners, to the tiny, casual sidewalk cafés. Ah, the wine! Ah, the pastries! Ah, the sauces! Ah, the surly French waiters! A word about the sauces. The French, not being rich, ate all cuts of meat, even the poor ones. They learned to improve them with sauces, and that was the origin of French cooking. Or so I’m told.

Traditional pastries aren't as garish as what you will find in the US. Click to enlarge

Speaking of Bistros, on the last day of his life the famous French Philosopher, Renée Descartes was seated at a sidewalk café when the waiter asked if he would like some more wine. He said “I think not,” and he disappeared.

(If you don’t get it, write me and I’ll explain it.) Paris has so many good places to eat, I hesitate to mention any lest I slight another of equal esteem. I did hunt around all over, without success, for a bistro named Ratatouille.

Paris is a big city, and it’s old. It has twisty narrow streets that go back to the Romans, maybe earlier. A river runs through it, which means you have to cross a bridge to get from one side to the other.

Pont Neuf, the oldest standing bridge in Paris. Click to enlarge

Here’s a very brief geography lesson.

Left Bank. At Paris, the Seine flows roughly westwards, and you face downstream when you choose right and left, so the Left Bank is mainly the south side of town. You probably know that the term “Left Bank” has all sorts of social and cultural and lifestyle connotations. That’s why it’s interesting to go there. The rumors are all true.

Right Bank. Opposite the Left Bank (duh), and refers to the northern half of the city. Right Bank connotes elegance and sophistication in contrast to the more bohemian area to the south.Think Champs Elysées.

Arrondissement. Okay, you have to know about this even if you don’t “learn” it. Paris is divided up into twenty arrondissement or districts. The First is in the center of the city, and the others are laid out clockwise around it. These are such a basic unit to the city, they are constantly referred to in the guides, usually using the number and a French suffix (1er, or 2em etc.). The Louvre is in the First, the Arc de Triomphe is in the Eighth. The last two digits of a Paris address give the arrondissement; 75018 is in the eighteenth.

The Latin Quarter. A Left Bank region in the 5th arrondissement. It has been the center of the Paris’s university life for over seven hundred years. So it’s Latin as in the language of the Romans (and scholars), not Latin as in Hispanic.

The Marais. This area has retained many small streets and hints at how Old Paris looked.

The Métro. The Paris subway. It is extensive and serves nearly every corner of the city.It is famous for how well it is run. Take the metro; you won’t get lost.

Where else to vacation but France? How about Paris? Ah, yes, gay Paree; I remember it well. (Back before the word “gay” was taken up by another, uh, cause—and “paree” is how the French pronounce “Paris.” In French you drop the final consonant. Usually.)

Paris is a big place. A lot goes on there, and the city has a million things to do and see, and the locals do and see them, too. I don’t think you’ll find too many tourist traps there. The whole place is a tourist trap, and you’ll love it. Here’s a view of the Eiffel Tower that you don’t get every day.

Yes, Paris has a modern downtown. Click to enlarge.

How do you decide what to do in Paris? Do your homework. Shoot an email to the French consulate asking for info. Do an online search. Talk to someone who has been there. Take a French teacher out for coffee. Learn a little French and French history. (Yes, you’ll find Parisians who snicker at your accent, but most of the citizenry will be pleased that you made the effort.) You’ll get ideas as you go along; make a list, but don’t be too enamored of it. When you get there, be really flexible. It’s about impossible to go anywhere wrong.

In a place like Paris, serendipity is the name of the game. Speaking of which, did you notice the quote from a musical about Paris? Brag in the comments.

Next post: a bit about how to find your way around Paris.

…but I’m going to post a link to a game. A travel game. I have not played it. (I don’t do games. Too much good stuff to do, like vacation.) But this came from a trusted source. You can try it for free, and to buy costs $6.99, pretty cheap. Lotsa levels and lotsa bling, requires Windows.

This is the graphic on the game site

The name is Dream Vacation solitaire. Here’s  a link to the site.

http://www.infopackets.com/news/software/windows_games/2010/20100712_dream_vacation_solitaire.htm

Really—if you try the game, come back and tell us what you thought.

If you looked at the last post, you know it was about a solar eclipse. Those don’t happen very often. How about a reason to visit the South Pacific that’s always exciting? Such as a volcano that’s been erupting pretty much steadily for the last century. It’s a popular tourist attraction even though there have been three fatalities from people being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not virgins getting thrown into the caldera, either. Here’s a shot of the more dangerous north crater:

Tourists don't get this close to the edge

Vanatu has some pretty cosmopolitan areas that offer an airport, fine dining, duty-free shopping, scuba, volcano watching, a really varied topography, and relaxing on the beach. Native vilages are practically in walking distance from the touristy areas. And like any area that depends on tourism, everyone is friendly. Maybe this shot of the place you actually can go looks more romantic:

Technically, you're not supposed to go here, either, but everyone does. Click to enlarge.

You fly there from the US by way of Fiji, another pretty good vacation stop. Talk to your Serenity agent.