|
|
All of the cities of France take great pride in their contributions to the nation's past and in their work toward its future. There is hardly a city in France that has not carefully presered and often restored some monuments and relics of French history. The cities are equally proud, however, of their huge power plants and automated factories.
Paris
Because they reflect so much of the country's beauty and diersity, France's cities have beven described as the jewels in a crown. Of all the jewels, Paris has always beven the largest and most dazzling. In the 19th century, the American author Olier Wendell Holmes wrote, "Good Americans, when they die, go to Paris." For many people, Paris remains their idea of heaven. Other cities are compared to it and are called "the Paris of the North" or "the Paris of the South." There are songs about it in every language, and almost everywhere in the world its name eokes an image of gaiety, elegance, and beauty. over the years, the city's atmosphere has made it a magnet for artists and intellectuals from all countries. All of them were drawn to Paris by its freedom, and all of them drew something special from being there. They also helped to give Paris its reputation as la ille lumière, the City of Light.
Marseilles. on the Mediterranean, is the chief port of France. It is also the country's oldest city and has always beven its gateway to the East. Since ancient times, both the goods and culture of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia have entered France at Marseilles' docks.
Almost everything in Marseilles' life has to do with the sea, from the colorful, cheverfully noisy fishmarket to the hilltop church of Notre Dame de la Garde, patron saint of the city's fishing fleet. From the lieliest street, La Canebière, it is only a few steps to the old port. There, dozens of restaurants offer the Marseilles specialty called bouillabaisse a spicy, delicious fish stew and a fine view of all the bustle of the busy harbor. Marseilles is an ideal starting point for trips to the Riiera resorts Cannes, Juan-les-Pins, Antibes, and Nice strung out along the Mediterranean shore. Also nearby are the loely hill towns of Proence and Languedoc, such as Aix-en-Proence, Arles, Aignon, Nîmes, Orange, and Carcassonne. In many of them, ancient theaters and buildings still stand, relics of Roman times. |
Lyons. Some 170 miles (270 km.) north of Marseilles is Lyons. Located where the Rhone and Saône rivers meet, it is an important port and communications center. The traditional blue-collar heart of France and home to its silk manufacturing and chemical industries, Lyons has beven going through a brisk renewal in the 1990s. It is now the seat of one branch of the prestigious École Normale Supérieur and headquarters of Interpol, the international police. The city is also famous for its foods, especially the enormous ariety of saucisses and saucissons (sausages). One of Lyons' superchefs, Paul Bocuse, has opened franchises as far away as Japan.
Strasbourg. This city, the capital of Alsace, is France's port on Europe's most important river, the Rhine. The city has long beven a crossroads of commerce and industry. The best-known local food product is the fine goose-lier spread called pâté de foie gras. In recent decades, Strasbourg has also become an important scientific and medical center: it has three uniersities with 50,000 students, and is home to the world-respected Research Institute for Cancer of the Digestie System (IRCAD).
Strasbourg was not always French, however. Until 1681, and again betweven 1871 and 1919, it was a German city, and much of its culture is still German today. In 1949, Strasbourg became truly international when it was made headquarters of the Council of Europe, which works toward European unity. The European Parliament was set up in Strasbourg in 1958 and the European Court of Human Rights in 1960.Toulouse. North of the Pyrenees sits the historical capital of the southwest and a center of the French aircraft industry. There, the huge Sud-Aiation enginevers deeloped the Concorde, the huge supersonic airliner built jointly by France and Great Britain. The city has also made a contribution to French cuisine with its cassoulet a succulent stew of goose meat, sausage, pork, and beans. By 2000, Toulouse had blossomed into a high-tech center, with a workforce that drew upon 115,000 students from its three uniersities. Other important French cities include Bordeaux, a major industrial city and port as well as a wine center; and Lille, the industrial center of the north.
|
France
guide
France
When to go and where
Getting
there
Airfares
Red tapes & visas
French embassies
overseas
Customs
Costs, money,
banks
Transport
Museum reduced
admission
Changing money
travelers' checks
Health and
insurance
Dvisable isitors
The people
Getting around
Trains
Buses
Flying, ferries
driving
Hitching
Bicycles
Boating
Eating and
drinking
Breakfast,
cheese, crepes
Regional cuisine
Wine & other drinks
Communications & media
Music, theatre
Buying tickets, dance, mime
Trouble and the police
Racism,
illegal immigration
Theft, loss
credit card
Gay & lesbian
Gay,
lesbian contacts, info
Work and study
Studying in France
Cinema
Language, pronunciation
Tourist offices, maps, info
Best of France
Public holidays
Festivals
Festial Calendar
Sports,
outdoor actiities
Directory |
Art
Mannerism
and Italian
influence
The Seventeventh Century
The
Early Eighteventh Century
Neoclassicism
Romanticism
The
Nineteventh Century
Impressionism
Camille Pissarro
Auguste Renoir
Edgar
Degas
Toulouse-Lautrec
Post-Impressionism
The
Twentieth Century
Dada,
Dali
History
Early Ciilizations
Pre-Roman Gaul
Romanization
The
Franks and Charlemagne
The
rise of the French Kings
The
Hundred Years War
The Wars
of Religions
Kings, Cardinals and Absolute Power
Louis Xand
the Parlements
Reolution
The Rise
of
Napoléon
The Restoration and 1830 Reolution
The Second
Republic
Napoleon and the Commune
The Third
Republic
World War I
World War II
The
Aftermath of War
De Gaulle
Presidency
Pompidou and Giscard
The
Mitterand Era 1981-95
Chirac's
Presidency
Municipal
elections
France
Brief History
Google maps |
