Sorry, Rayne Man, I misread “Montmartre” in your post as “Montparnasse.” My apologies.
It was Montparnasse that I was talking about–Sartre et al. I haven’t visited the Montmartre cemetery, but isn’t Eduoard Manet buried there too? His grave is one I’d still like to see but haven’t yet.
I have a rather morbid fascination with the graves of the famous dead–seeing Wilde’s grave at Pere Lachaise was a highlight (incidentally, when his friend Robert Ross died, Ross’s ashes, or at least some of them, were interred in Wilde’s grave). I have a favorite picture of myself in front of Marx’s grave at Highgate Cemetery in London (I look very serious in my black trenchcoat, standing before the massive headstone).
BTW, has anyone heard how serious the eviction threats regarding Morrison’s grave in Pere Lachaise have become?
My DK guide book has no mention of Manet being buried in Montmartre but, of course it does not list everyone. Other famous people it does mention are the composers Berlioz and Offenbach ( he of the Can-Can). I agree about Wilde’s grave. When I was there a couple of years ago the whole thing was covered in lipstick kisses from he gay fan club. This tomb was sculptered in the 1950’s by the famous British artist Henry Moore. The Grave of Edith Piaf is also very touching . It is said that there are always fresh flowers left on it from an unknown admirer.
Hmm… so I guess my time in Paris will be spent mostly visiting churches and graves. As if I was so religious! I assume you don’t have to pay to visit the graves and churches, right? Are those places always open, or do they have a set schedule?
Most churches are free to enter and are open all day . The only time you have to pay is if you want to climb the tower or visit a crypt. One exception is Saint-Chapelle where there is an entrance fee but it is well worth it. Cemetaries are free to enter and are open from early morning and close in the evening . One great tip to see the whole of Paris without waiting in line to ascend the Eifell Tower is to visit the observation platform on the Tour Montparnasse. This is a fifty-five story 70’s office block that gives great views over the whole of Paris. We were there in August at sunset and from there you can see why Paris is called " The City of Light".
Manet’s actually buried (along with Berthe Morisot) in the Passy Cemetery, behind the Trocadero.
And the Wilde monument in Pere-Lachaise is by Jacob Epstein, not Moore, and was unveiled in 1909.
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Churches? A girlfriend and myself, in the course of a trip to the city, did once toy with the idea of improvising a graveyard themed holiday: having seen the Pantheon (interesting building), Montmartre cemetery (stumbled across it) and St. Denis (for the architecture), we briefly contemplated doing Pere-Lachaise, the Montparnasse cemetery, the Catacombs and Les Invalides as the checklist of all the dead in Paris. (Well, apart from the likes of Manet and Morisot. Obviously.) Sense prevailed, though I’ve since seen all of those, except Pere-Lachaise, and they’re all fascinating.
I’d say that French cuisine is better outside France. Nowadays, I’m amazed when there isn’t any cork in the wine. I’ve had fish in expensive resaurants erved with mushy fries, clearly re-heated in a microwave.
This isn’t saying that food is bad. It’s great. But if you’re thinking you’re gonna experience that famed Nouvelle Cuisine for a bargain, think again. So what to do?
Moules et frites. This is really from Belgium but a wonderful invention, though it defies logic. Basically, it’s clams boiled in wine, served with fries. Enjoy with a chilled white wine or a rosé.
Subs. The French love there stuffed baguettes.
Vietnamese food. The French are quite proud of their own kitchen, so ethnic foods are not so abundant as in other great cities. However, the Vietnamese cuisine is great. Stay away from Italian and Chinese restaurants. These are not so great in France.
Beware of prices. A beer, which is €2 at the counter inside the restaurant, could easily be €4 at a table outside. You’re not being ripped off for being a tourist, it’s just the way things are done. Prices go up with better seats, the later in the evening it gets ASF. Also, standard in France is that for each thing you order, they’ll drop a little receipt on the table, and when you leave, you add up these slips. Many places have portable card readers, so there is no risk of being ripped off using a CC. Tipping is not so heavy as in the U.S. You leave some change, but there is no 10 % stuff. If the bill is €8.45, you coul leave €10. If it’s €53.80, you leave €55.
Ah, the Pantheon! How could I forget? The resting place of Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Victor Hugo, etc. etc. Great place. I also love the Puvis de Chavannes frescoes in the church itself.
And of course, Napoleon over at Les Invalides. Lots of different sites for a death-themed tour.
I’ve been to most of the ones you mention, bonzer, except for Passy and Montmartre cemeteries. The only one I didn’t care for much is the Catacombs. I’m fascinated with the idea of filling these old mining tunnels with skeletal remains from the inner-city graveyards…but after waiting in a long queue to descend into the “Empire of Death” (or whatever the signs were proclaiming), I was not as impressed as I had thought I would be. The neatly arranged stacks of femur bones and skulls became monotonous after a few yards. I had to keep reminding myself, “These are bones. Of people. Dead people!” just to keep my interest up.
And moving from death to food… crepes have already been mentioned, but perhaps should be reiterated. There are also a lot of good Middle Eastern/North African restaurants, so you can always get a good falafel.
There are lots of good restaurants in the Latin Quarter, with a great deal of variety in both cuisine and price. Just go there and look around. I also like the restaurants in Montmartre, but they struck me as rather pricey. But I haven’t really explored all the winding streets up there, so there might be some pleasant surprises hidden away in there.
And just to follow up on the Montparnasse cafes, they are indeed way too expensive to eat anything in. I like to have a drink in those places, but not more than once per trip, as one drink would easily cost more than a nice simple lunch at a brasserie.
I’ve been to Paris many times and there are so many suggestions on where to go, I won’t add much. My favorites are just kicking around Montemarte and for sort of superstition sake, I have to alwasy say a prayer at Notre dame.
Here are a couple of tips about eating though. If the Bistro has a choice of a counter or a table, choose the counter, it’s cheaper to stand than if you choose the table [odd but true]. Also look for the places away from the tourist areas. You can usually find smaller mom & pop type restaurants with a daily lunch special for about 1/4 the price if you go down a side street two or three blocks (watch for pickpockets) . They probably won’t speak English so you may have to be flexible with what you order but you could get soup & bread and chicken for a very reasonable price.
Another word about pickpockets. as in most larger cities in Europe they are rampant. Don’t keep all your money in one location. Put a small amoutn of money you will be using in one pocket and keep y our stash someowhere else [like your shoe or money belt] Don’t give a quarter to the beggars as sad as the children look, they are casing you, their older child is somewhere else in the crown checking to see where you pulled the money from. Oh and the old lady sitting on the steps at Sacre Cour has been panhandling there for 25 years and drives a Mercedes…
Enjoy Paris. It is one of my favorite cities in the world.
On the subject of warnings watch out when going through the turnstiles of the Metro stations. Some people will try to push in behind you as you enter and get in for free . My wife had her leg badly bruised by someone trying this trick. I have seen this trick pulled several times so just look behind you before going through the turnstile.
:o I’m so embarrassed. I meant to say “Jim Morrison,” thanks for straightening that out, Zoe. [giggle] Who is Van Morrison anyway?
Anywho, KarlGrenze, about food, at the brasseries, omelets are pretty typical fare and pretty reasonable and filling. As far as getting food goes, I don’t know if you’ll get over to Rue Moufftard–not very far away from the Pantheon and Luxembourg Parc–but if you do, they have a wonderful market. You can get fresh veggies and fruits and and bread and pastries and coffee and even buy a chicken or something for a few Euros. And folks were real nice to clueless lil ol’ me when I went over there.
I’ve never seen this in a tourist guide, but the best place to view Paris is… the top of the Samaritain department store! It’s by the Seine (Port Neuf metro?), go up to the 5th floor, then search around for some barely-indicated steps to take you up to the rooftop café on the 9th floor.
It’s a wonderful viewpoint in the heart of Paris, you’re lined up with the Champs Elysées… and it’s free, a rare thing in Paris.
It’s the archeolgical dig in the shadow of Notre Dame on the Isle-du-Citie, I think. It goes down about 20 meters (IIRC) and underneath is one of the oldest settlements in the area. The pre-Paris, so to speak.
I’m planning an early Nov. trip to Paris and Amsterdam so I know a bunch of crap about sites from the guidebooks I’ve been reading. I get to spend my birthday in Paris. There’s something romantic about that.
In all the talk about la cemetaire du Pere Lachaise, no one has mentioned the grave of Abelard and Heloise? Their grave is the main reason I want to visit the cemetary (just like Voltaire is the only reason I plan on visiting the Pantheon).
I’m also very excited about the Cluny Muesuem of the Middle Ages (which no one has mentioned). I get a big kick out of seeing 700 yr old tapestries that depict unicorns, maidens, and the five senses.
I guess, overall, I’m excited about the sites which concern the Middle Ages. I"ve just never been anywhere that had a vastly recorded history that went back so far. The earliest European settlements in America, afterall, date to the 1600s, after the dawn of the “modern age”.
So that’s how I plan to get my Parisian ya-yas. That and pates with cheap wine.
If you’re interested in the middle ages, then you might want to go see Nicolas Flamel’s house, the oldest in Paris. It’s kind of cool that it’s not only the oldest but actually once belonged to someone famous. It’s a restaurant now, so you might even get to eat in it!
I assume you don’t have to pay to visit the graves and churches, right? Are those places always open, or do they have a set schedule?
