Why
Is Paris Considered To Be One Of The Most Romantic Cities In The World?
by Norm G
Norm Goldman, Editor of Sketchandtravel.com and
Bookpleasures.com is excited to have as a guest, world- wide Paris
expert, Thirza Vallois. Thirza is the author of the three volumes of
"Around and About Paris", and another excellent book," Romantic Paris".
Thirza has lived in Paris for the past 40 years
and holds several post-graduate degrees from La Sorbonne. She
contributes to television and radio and has appeared on PBS, BBC, The
Travel Channel, Discovery, CNN, The French Cultural Channel, among
others. She also writes for The Financial Times, United Airlines'
Hemispheres, Condé Nast Traveller, among others.
She is the author of Three Perfect Days in Paris,
aired as a film on all United Airlines international flights and on
television throughout the world. The article has won her the first
award of NATJA (the North American Travel Journalists' Association).
Thirza has also contributed the Paris entry of the
latest edition of The Encarta Encyclopaedia.
Thirza is also an expert on the Aveyron area in
southern France. During the past several years she has devoted much of
her time to exploring and studying this region of France. She is now
completing a new book on this last hidden region of France, to be
published in 2006.
Thirza has also informed me that she has been
travelling extensively in the USA, especially to California, about
which she has written a couple of articles, with more to follow
Today, Thirza will be discussing with us why
Paris is so romantic?
Good day Thirza and thank you for accepting to be
interviewed by sketchandtravel.com and bookpleasures.com.
Norm:
Thirza, could you tell us something about
yourself, how you started as a travel author and writer, how many
travel books have your written, and why have you chosen to write about
Paris?
Thirza:
A long time ago, when I was still a child, and
travelling was still the privilege of the "happy enlightened few", I
happened to be blessed with an exceptional mother who believed that the
best school was life itself and that the best way to embrace life was
by travelling.
My exposure therefore started at a very young age,
as did my love for writing, through which I expressed myself the way
one does through painting, singing, playing an instrument, dancing....
I never intended to become a writer, it was just part of me. And I
never chose to write about Paris. It just happened, and for two
specific reasons looking back with hindsight.
Being a savvy traveller, it upset me to see how
most visitors to Paris (and any other place), do it the wrong way,
using directory-like guidebooks that make them go through all the
endless lists of touristy "musts", rather than point them to the "real"
place, which is the city itself. It is only through an in-depth
exploration and the understanding of a place that one can make the most
of one's visit, and that's what my books "Around and About Paris" are
all about.
Like all forms of self-expression, there is always
an element of therapy behind the motivation, and I certainly needed to
do my own therapy regarding Paris when the idea of writing about Paris
began to gestate in my mind, back in the 1980s. Paris has changed
dramatically since, but in those days it was an exasperating place,
inhabited by very difficult people, to say the least, and my feelings
for it were far from the phony "I love Paris in the spring time"
picture postcard cultivated by Hollywood. It was really a love and hate
passion, and I needed to understand my own heart, which could only
happen through understanding the city.
It is the combination of the above that gave
birth to my 3-volume series, "Around and About Paris". As for "Romantic
Paris", it was their natural extension in a way. Once I provided my
reader with all the meaty stuff, it was time to relax, enjoy and feast,
and who does it better than lovers? It was a book written for lovers,
past, present, and future, for whom Paris, more than any other city I
can think of, has been designed by the gods. This also answers your
other question. I have so far written four books on Paris. I have
actually written a fifth book on Paris, targeting children, but have
never pursued its publication (to my regret), having embarked on my new
project, my book on the Aveyron which is now more than two thirds done.
Norm:
Can you explain to our audience why Paris is among
the top romantic venues in the world?
Thirza:
Everyone asks me this same question, on every
interview. The answer I give is always the same, and best resumed in
the introduction to "Romantic Paris". Rather than paraphrase, let me
quote directly from my book:
"For decades I tried to figure out why Paris is
shrouded in such mystique. Granted, walks at night along the Seine are
enchanting, but that alone cannot explain why the very mention of Paris
had always conjured up tales of romance, well before it was blessed
with gas or electricity, well before its exquisitely lit street-corners
were replicated the world over in black-and-white print. After all,
medieval Paris was a dark den of filth, reeking with nauseous stench,
and the two sinister prison fortresses that jutted out of its skyline
could hardly have been conducive to romance. Not to mention the 32
rotting corpses dangling in the offing when the royal gallows was used
to full capacity. Yet the myth has been perpetuated for a good thousand
years.
I racked my brains, I dug into the past, I
travelled into my own psyche looking for an answer, but I came back
empty-handed. There simply is no answer. There lies the beauty of the
enigma. Paris is poetry, Paris is mystery, Paris is beauty-an
exasperating decoy that never quite delivers, all the more compelling
for its imperfection, the archetypal reservoir of all our passions...."
Norm:
If you had to choose six unique romantic venues in
Paris, where would they be and why?
Thirza:
Very tough question, and it sometimes depends on
the season or time of day or night, because "romantic" implies
seclusion.
*Definitely the two western tips of the two
central islands, Ile de la Cité and Ile Saint-Louis, but down the
steps, at water level, and in the case of Ile Saint-Louis, preferably
after dark.
*The tiny place de Fürstemberg, near the church of
Saint-Germain-des-Prés: it is a rare jewel after dark, but is also
quite heavenly in the morning, when one can meanwhile take in the
delightful little Delacroix Museum.
*Place Dauphine, on the western side of Ile de la
Cité, also preferably after dark.
*Buttes Chaumont, which has all the ingredients of
a Brahms symphony that would have appealed to the likes of Lord Byron:
a grotto, a dramatic waterfall, a lake with weeping willows, sheer
cliffs topped by a Temple de l'Amour-what better place for a lovers'
kiss with eastern Paris spread like a carpet at your feet!
* Palais Royal (the home of writer Colette and
Jean Cocteau), in early morning, before the arrival of the crowds, or
at night time, after they have departed.
* Montmartre, especially on the little frequented
side streets, again in the early hours of the morning, or after dark.
Norm:
Could you describe to our audience six unique
wedding venues in Paris to celebrate a marriage, and explain why you
would consider these venues to be most unique?
Thirza:
Once more the choice is tough, so I am trying to
be as eclectic as I can, to match people's different tastes.
*Without any shadow of doubt, my first choice
would go to a cruise boat on the river Seine. These come in different
categories and different price ranges, my favourite fleet being "Les
Yachts de Paris". Nothing equals in terms of urban beauty and glamour
the city's river views, even more so when seen from the water. Try to
prolong your festivities into the night so as to enjoy the splendour of
the floodlighting.
Les Yachts de Paris 10, quai Henri IV, 75004 Tel:
01 44 54 14 70
*At a price, every monument of Paris is for hire,
even the Château of Versailles. If I were to hire one of them (or just
part of one) for my wedding, I would probably go for the
Jacquemart-André Museum, because as the one-time home of the famous art
collectors Edouard André and Nélie Jacquemart, it has a private feel,to
a certain extent, despite its palatial glamour, which makes it an ideal
venue for a wedding occasion. The couple's fabulous art collection is
on permanent display on the magnificent premises of the museum.
Musée Jacquemart-André 158, Boulevard Haussmann,
75008
*Countrified weddings are always appealing, and
the Bois de Boulogne is as countrified as you can get within the
boundaries of Paris. Le Pré Catelan offers luxury and refinement amidst
beautiful green surroundings, combined with the the renowned Le Nôtre's
top-quality catering.
Le Pré Catelan Bois de Boulogne Route de
Suresnes, 75016 Tel 01 44 14 41 14
*If you wish to have it countrified while staying
in central Paris, you can opt for the discreet magnificence of the
peach-coloured Laurent, in the lower gardens of the Champs-Elysées, and
still enjoy the leafy surroundings of one of the city's most
prestigious neighbourhoods (the presidential residence is across the
street). Make sure to hire a dining room that comes with a terrace.
Le Laurent 41, avenue Gabriel, 75008 Tel: 01 42
25 00 39
*There was once an excellent film by Chabrol, Le
charme discret de la bourgeoisie. That kind of charm, which was first
and foremost that of the old aristocracy, was beautifully captured by
Marcel Proust. It still lingers on Faubourg Saint Germain in the 7th
arrondissement, notably in the 18th century townhouse, now the home of
the celebrated Ecole Polytechnique alumni, where many of the nation's
creme de la creme elite were trained.
La Maison des Polytechniciens 12, rue de Poitiers
75007 Paris Tél: 01 49 54 74 74
*The avenue d'Iéna, in the plush neighbourhood of
the 16th arrondissement, is home to a magnificent town mansion from the
late 19th century, decorated in traditional, period French style and
overlooking a beautiful garden. Ideal for a wedding in grand style.
La Maison des Arts et Métiers 9bis avenue d'Iéna
75116 Paris Tel: 01 40 69 27 00
Norm:
If you are planning to have a destination wedding
in Paris, how far in advance should you prepare for the wedding, and
where would you go to find out about the legal requirements?
Thirza:
There is a strict separation between state and
church in France (see the recent headlines about the Islamic
veil.....). This is important to understand because only civil marriage
is recognised by French law. It is celebrated by the Mayor of the
arrondissement where one of the spouses resides, and the ceremony takes
place in the Salle de Marriage of the Mairie of that same
arrondissement. There is a legal procedure to go by and you will need
to seek legal advice for that. If you are considering a civil marriage
in France, a lawyer is the person to consult, obviously (although I do
know how it works, this is not the right forum to expand on
administrative issues). You may also require the service of a notaire,
should you be dealing with property issues. Your lawyer can refer you
to a notaire. On the other hand, you don't need to be a French resident
for the celebration of your religious or non-religious ceremony, nor do
you need any legal advice for that. However, you should definitely
prepare for it as early as possible because, as they say, "the early
bird catches the prey". Certainly months ahead, if not a year, should
you plan your wedding to take place in spring or early summer.
Norm:
If you had to choose three of the most romantic
restaurants in Paris, which ones would you choose and why?
Thirza:
* If by romantic we imply secluded cosiness which
is what lovers usually seek, and since I haven't yet focused on winter,
the Coupe Chou comes first to my mind, located in an ancient medieval
house in the Latin Quarter, a few steps away from the Sorbonne. It's
all dark nooks and crannies, which are graced with glowing log fires.
If only it could snow more often in Paris than it does these days! It
would then be altogether fit for a fairy tale. As an extra bonus, this
is a medium-range restaurant pricewise.
Le Coupe-Chou 9, rue de Lanneau, 75005 Tel: 01 46
33 68 69
* Le Beauvilliers in Montmartre, on the other
hand, is a pricy place, but as good as it comes and cheaper than others
that fall into that category. Here you step into the romantic splendour
of the Second Empire in the heart of real Montmartre, just a few
minutes'walk from the differently (yet equally) romantic and cottagy
Lapin Agile cabaret, where I would head after dinner, for a night
filled with old French songs, sketches and hearty laughter.
Le Beauvilliers 52, rue Lamarck, 75018 Tel: 01 42
54 54 42
* Lapérouse, a pricy place too, cannot be
overlooked either, its scintillating setting having been the rendezvous
of Venus's protegés. There is even a private boudoir-lounge where the
two of you can dine alone undisturbed. It comes with elaborate, dainty
decorations and is named La Belle Otero after the famous, fiery
courtesan. If you are worried for your good reputation, note that
France's most honoured members of literati also dined here regularly,
Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, George Sand among them. Remember that the
French have a sophisticated, unpuritanical approach to love.
Lapérouse, 51, quai des Grands-Augustins, 75006
Tel: 01 43 26 68 04
Norm:
If a couple were planning to honeymoon in Paris,
and were not sure which area to stay in, which three areas of the city
would you choose and why?
Thirza:
Saint-Germain-des-Prés/Luxembourg area, Paris at
its most sophisticated, colourful and arty, lined with extraordinary
boutiques that will be hard to resist. It boasts a greater number of
"hôtels de charme" than any other part of the city, which speaks for
itself, and that's exactly the kind of hotel a honeymooning couple
would choose to stay at, short of choosing one of the city's luxury
hotels.
The Marais is similar in spirit but is less
spacious, and doesn't have a park. It also has several "hôtels de
charme", though not quite so many as Saint-Germain.
Ile Saint-Louis because it is a self-contained
miniature of romance, lined with boutiques and eating places of all
sorts, and conveniently located for every part of Paris. It has four
"hôtels de charme" to choose among and is within a few minutes' walk
from both the Marais, on the Right Bank, and the Latin Quarter on the
Left Bank.
Norm:
Is Paris a safe city to visit?
Thirza:
No city and no place on earth is full proof. As I
am writing this interview South East Asia is subjected to a deluvian
tragedy, all the way to the eastern shores of Africa. Paris is as safe
as a big city can be, but one should always use one's common sense and
avoid carrying cash and other valuables when going out. Pickpocketing
is rife, and I have been victim to it many a time myself- A brief
moment of distraction and your wallet is gone. Leave all your valuables
in your safe, and carry a photocopy of your passport rather than the
original document. Watch out even at the airport and hold on to your
handbag in all public places (including your taxi: some delinquents may
open the door and snatch your bag at a traffic light or in a traffic
jam. They often operate on motorcycles and that has happened to me
too). Be sensible but not paranoid.
Norm:
When is the best time to visit Paris from the
point of view of climate, crowds, travel deals, etc?
Obviously spring time is unique. Good weather is
never guaranteed though, no matter what time of year, but should the
gods be with you, then spring, by definition, is the season of romance,
and an early feel of spring can even be detected as early as on
Valentine's.
I personally have a distaste for July and August,
especially from the middle of July on. Most Parisians are replaced by
tourists, often in organised crowds, and it just isn't it. This can
also happen at weekends during spring because Europeans nowadays are
very fond of weekend city breaks. Fall is a beautiful time of year,
often accompanied by a lingering Indian summer, which the golden beauty
of the trees contribute to enhance.
Strange as it may seem, I find Paris particularly
romantic in winter, when the leafless trees allow you to enjoy the
architecture of its buildings. After dark the city is altogether
magical,as its street lamps don it with an amber light. It can be cold,
but all you have to do is dress accordingly and make the most of the
fact that you are likely to be alone out there and the entire city will
belong to you and your sweetheart, as you stroll through the streets or
by the river into the late hours of the night. At Christmas time you
will also enjoy the festive decorations, which, it being Paris, tend to
be exquisitely elegant and tasteful. As for travel deals, they are the
same all over the world. Prices shoot up in the summer and plummet in
the low season.
Norm:
How easy or difficult is it to get around Paris?
Thirza:
It is extremely easy to get around Paris. Public
transportation (buses, métro and RER express trains) is very efficient
and many lines run beyond midnight. Taxis are easily available except
on weekend nights. They also get grabbed into thin air as soon as it
starts raining. However, Paris is regularly disrupted by protest and
other demonstrations (the French thrive on them), which can paralyse
the city, usually from 2:00 pm on, often with no forewarning. It is
therefore good to stay in central Paris so that you can make your way
back to your hotel on foot, should you experience one of those
typically French "happenings".
Norm:
Is there anything else that you wish to add about
Romantic Paris that we have not discussed?
Thirza:
Most of the recommendations in this interview are
on the pricy side, because we are speaking here of a special event and
moment in your life. My book "Romantic Paris" has pages and pages of
tips and recommendations of things to be done and enjoyed on all
budgets, including low budgets. Paris can truly be enjoyed romantically
on a shoestring. The best of Paris is strolling through its streets,
and that costs little or nothing. I have designed several romantic
walks for you in "Romantic Paris". That's over and above the scores of
walks woven into "Around and About Paris". Put on your most comfortable
footgear and venture into the city, including in the heart of winter.
Soak it all up. And try, just once, to stay up all night, so that you
can enjoy a sunrise either from the river, or from the foot of the
Sacré Coeur.
Thanks once again and best of luck on all of your
future endeavours including your future book on Aveyron.
Norm Goldman is a graduate of Sir George Williams
University (now Concordia University) in Montreal, Canada, as well as
the Université de Montréal, Faculty of Law. He practiced law for 35
years then retired to pursue a career in book reviewing and travel
writing. He and his wife Lily are a unique husband and wife team,
writer and water colorist, who write and paint about romantic
destinations and wedding destinations featured on their site at
http://www.sketchandtravel.com, as well as several other sites. Norm is
also editor of a book reviewing site http://www.bookpleasures.com and
contributes to various other sites, as well as being a regular
contributor to the Canadian Book Review Annual.
Norm G may be contacted at http://www.sketchandtravel.com
or l.goldman@sympatico.ca
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