Ile De France and Paris

Defined by boundaries of rivers and canals, the Ile de France region is the area surrounding the capitol city of Paris. The vicinity includes several castles, the famous of which is Louis XIV’s monument to excess, the magnificent Versailles.

 

But the shining star in the Ile de France region is no doubt the City of Light herself, Paris. The River Seine divides the city into two parts, aptly named the Right Bank (Rive Drite) and the Left Bank (Rive Gauche). History delineated the Left Bank as the home to starving artists, while the Right Bank catered only to the well heeled. Those distinctions are long gone, but the spirit remains. 32 bridges link the two banks, some of which provide access to the river’s two islands, Ile de la Cite (the site of early Paris and Notre Dame) and Ile St-Louis (home to gorgeous 17^th century mansions).

 

On the right bank, avenue des Champs-Elysees serves as the primary thoroughfare, running from the Arc de Triomphe to place de la Concorde. 11 other avenues radiate out from the Arc de Triomphe. The city of Paris is divided into arrondissements (districts), each with an individual style. They are numbered (1^st arrondissement, 2^nd arrondissement, etc.), but some have alternative names they are more famous for, such as the Latin Quarter and Montmartre.

 

Paris possesses some of the world’s most iconic images, the Eiffel Tower being chief among them. Originally built for the Universal Exhibition of 1889, Gustave-Alexandre Eiffel is responsible for designing the 1,056-foot tall structure. There are three separate levels from which to choose if you want to scale the tower and view Paris from above. The aforementioned Arc de Triomphe was originally commissioned by Napoleon in 1806. It stands 165 feet high.

 

Paris is also home to the world’s most famous museum, the phenomenally expansive Musee du Louvre. Millions of art lovers have sojourned here to gaze at Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and the ancient Greek statues, the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory. The nearby Museum d’Orsay is a storehouse of Impressionistic works, among other art styles. Some of the famous artists with displays include Monet, Manet, van Gogh, Degas, and Renoir. The most famous in the collection is Manet’s, The Luncheon on the Grass.

 

Another of the famous museums that call Paris home is Musee Picasso, which contains a massive collection of Pablo Picasso’s works. The displays include 203 paintings, 158 sculptures, 16 collages, and more than 1,500 sketches. 

 

Ile de la Cite is the city’s birthplace and home to the most famous gothic cathedral in the world, Notre-Dame. The church was one of the first buildings to employ the use of flying buttresses, an architectural technique that has become symbolic of the gothic style. Sainte-Chapelle is another chapel located on the Ile de la Cite.