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PARIS —
TRADITIONAL & REVOLUTIONARY
Paris has been a settlement for 2,300 years or so. Celts, Romans, Franks, French
royals,
English royals, French revolutionaries, Napoleon Bonaparte, French republicans,
Nazis & Vichy French, and post-war modern parliamentarians from the socialist
left
to the reactionary right have made Paris their place of power. Power politics
was nearly always
countered by revolutionary thought: in the universities, in
the streets, and among the
intellectual elite who found in Paris the proper conditions for experiments in
art, architecture,
education, literature, philosophy, politics, science, and theater. Pictured is
the cathedral of
Notre Dame, revolutionary architecture from the 12th century on the site of a
10th century
cathedral. The location is on the Île de la Cité, one of two islands in the
River Seine that have
been a center of habitation since pre-Roman occupation by a Celtic tribe called
the Parisii.
Photo ©
HOME AT FIRST |
Paris — city of grand
architecture,
manicured parks, and art on display.
Photo ©
HOME AT FIRST
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• With numerous
world-class art museums and galleries,
Paris houses the globe's greatest treasury of important artworks.
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We go for the food.
Not just the French food. And not just for the restaurant food. In
addition to restaurants featuring French cuisine, most Paris
neighborhoods have restaurants offering exotic foods from Asia, the
Middle East, and Africa as well as others offering the cuisines of
its European neighbors: Italy, Germany, Greece, Britain, and
Ireland. There are restaurants specializing in all the familiar
American menu favorites, too. It's neighborhood shops offer
delicious baked goods, fine wines, fresh-picked fruit and
vegetables, and delightful assortments of meats and cheeses.
• We go
for the picnics.
Paris is a city of wonderful open spaces. Plan picnics in the park
with baguettes, fruit, sausages, cheese, and wine from your local
shops.
• We go
for the shopping. Even if its
only
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window-shopping.
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• If
language creates culture, and if
English, in large part, has French roots, we return to Paris to
discover our cultural roots in the home of Molière, Voltaire,
Rousseau, Proust, Hugo, Dumas, Camus, Sartre, and many more.
•
North American history is tied
to the history of France: from New France, to Lafayette, to New
Orleans and Quebec, to the French Revolution, Napoleon, the
Louisiana Purchase, and the World Wars.
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Parisians lead lives that vary somewhat from our own, but more in
style than in substance. Typically, the
style and pace of life are of premier importance to the
French. At the risk of prolonging cultural stereotypes, we believe
Parisians choose walking instead of driving when distances are not
long, prefer lingering over meals and nursing coffees at cafés to
slamming back fast food, and, we wish to believe, still enjoy
reading books and practicing the art of conversation. Perhaps we
believe these things about Parisians because, given the opportunity,
we think we would choose them, too. And we go to Paris to try these
lifestyle modifications for ourselves. Paris, with all its
comfortable temptations, makes it easy for us to become Parisian for
a time.
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Home At First
offers
travel packages to Paris that include:
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Round-trip Flights to Paris from
New York (JFK) or Newark (EWR). Flights from all other
airports available at different fares.
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AIRPORT TRANSFERS: car service for those arriving and/or departing from Paris
airports (CDG, ORY).
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Lodgings FOR 7 nights: a choice of apartments in safe, pleasant neighborhoods throughout central Paris convenient to the Métro (subway), and very near a wide variety of shops, restaurants,
cafés, activities, and
other services.
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APARTMENT HOSTING: an English-speaking host will meet you when you arrive at
your Paris apartment. Your host will be on-call during your stay for
questions, suggestions, problems, or emergencies.
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paris pass — valid for 5 days of public transport on the Paris Métro,
RER trains, the Montmartre funicular, and Paris buses operating within
the principal zones 1-3 that define central Paris. The pass provides
discounts or reduced admission to
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The art nouveau Paris Métro entrance
at
Abbesses station, near Montmartre.
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HOME AT FIRST
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a number of popular sites and activities across greater
Paris. |
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OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES & GUIDED TOURS: we help you achieve your special goals & dreams: French
cooking classes, guided wine tasting, guided cheese tasting, and guided
champagne tasting. We can organize
private car touring with an
English-speaking driver/guide to any of a broad choice of day-trips away
from Paris, such as the Normandy beaches, battlegrounds of World War I,
the Loire Valley with its chateaux, and many more. These options are
available at extra cost.
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OPTIONAL
JOURNEY COMBINATIONS: before or
after your 1-week visit to Paris, you may choose to visit
HOME AT FIRST's LONDON,
connecting the cities in about 2.5 hours by Eurostar train via the
Channel Tunnel.
See
FULL DETAILS. |
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MORE ABOUT HOME AT FIRST'S PARIS TRAVEL
PROGRAM: |
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