Rick Steves' Europe (2000) s03e06 Episode Script
Highlights of Paris
1 Hi, Iâm Rick Steves⦠back with more of the best of Europe.
This time weâre exploring the wonders of Paris.
magnificent andâ thanks to Monsieur Eiffelâ riveting.
To me, Paris is the capital of Europe.
Itâs the city I can return to more than any other⦠with grand monuments that need no introduction.
And it hides a lifetime of cultural delights.
Everything in this episode is within easy reach⦠by foot or metro.
Weâll see some icons of this great city.
The Industrial Age iron of the Eiffel Tower⦠and the medieval stonework of Notre Dame.
Then, weâll see stark realism and dreamy impressionism⦠in the Orsay Gallery.
Weâll join a friend, dining on French favorites.
After looking at bones in the catacombs, weâll see how the French Revolution helped create this grand city.
The Seine River splits the city into the Right Bank and the Left Bank.
Its two islands mark the center of the old town.
Most of the essential sights lie near the Notre Dame, between the Eiffel Tower, the Latin Quarter, and Montmartre, the cityâs highest point.
The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889, to celebrate the 100th anniversary⦠of the French Revolution⦠and to show off at a worldâs fair.
It was a muscular symbol of the Industrial Age.
To a generation hooked on technology, it was the marvel of its day⦠trumpeting progress and manâs ingenuity.
This 900-foot-tall tower has three observation levels.
The higher you go, the more you pay.
For me the middle level is plenty high.
Thousands of iron bars and millions of rivets, all assembled in just over 2 years.
Today, it stands tall, an exclamation point, symbolizing the proud, independent spirit of the French.
The Trocadero Square, across the river, is the place to view the tower⦠and to check out a colorful scene.
Parisians own their city.
In fact, twice a week streets are closed⦠and thousands turn out to roll through their city⦠right here on the Ãle de la Cité, an island in the middle of the Seine River.
The Romans conquered the local fishing tribe and set up camp.
Today the Notre-Dame cathedral marks the place where a Roman temple once stood.
The cityâs first bishop, St.
Dennis, holds his head in his hands.
When Christianity began making converts here, the pagan Romans beheaded him.
But, according to legend, Dennis just picked up his head and kept on going.
Inspired by this miracle, Christianity flourished⦠and the temple was replaced by a church.
Imagine the faith of people who built this⦠breaking ground in 1163 on a building which wouldnât be finished for 200 years.
Gothic architects incorporated the latest technologyâ flying buttresses to support the heavy rooftop.
Its ghoulish gargoyles multi-task: they serve as fancy rain spouts and scare away the evil spirits.
The church is dedicated to âour ladyâ or Notre Dame.
Mary cradles the baby Jesus; the rose window provides a majestic halo.
The Virgin Mary was highly revered throughout the Middle Ages.
The faithful petitioned her in times of trouble for both comfort and, through her intervention, Godâs mercy.
As worshippers headed for Mass theyâd walk under a relief of Judgment Day.
Christ sits on his throne.
The trumpet sounds.
All are judged: peasants, knights, nobles, royalsâ¦even bishops.
An angel weighs cute little souls while cheating demons yank on the scales.
The saved stand happily at Christâs right hand.
The damned⦠a sorry chain gang are on His left.
Carvings like thatâand like this scene of Eve tempting Adam with an appleâ remind us that this art was more than decoration.
These images reinforced the stories people learned in church.
While the church is dedicated to Mary, the rest of Paris seems dedicated to regular Parisians.
The old center, with its two islands in the middle of the Seine, retains a charming elegance.
The Ãle de la Cité is laden with historic sights.
But the little Ãle St.
Louis, connected by a pedestrian bridge, is laden only with the delights of good living.
- Arnaud.
- Ah, Rick.
Iâm rendezvousing with my Parisian friend and fellow tour guide, Arnaud Servignat.
This is the Ãle St.
Louis, Rick.
I love this place.
You know, all around itâs really uniform architecture.
Everything dating from the 17th century.
And the beautiful apartments, very expensive The most expensive in town.
And I wish I could have an apartment here, if I could afford it.
-So itâs very trendy to live here? -Oh my God, wonderful.
And all along the street, youâve got galleries⦠quaint little boutiques and restaurants⦠and just down the street thereâs a placeâBerthillonâ where you have the best sorbets in Paris.
-Really? -Yeah.
Yes, the island is charming, but the whole city of Paris is charming.
In fact, it faces the river Seine.
And the river Seine has been called by Parisiens the mirror of the city.
-Ah, itâs a great people zone.
-Yeah, people strolling⦠-wandering around⦠-Festivals here? Yes, indeed.
On the Bastille Day we have a big party here⦠-Dancing? -Dancing all around the place.
And today itâs just so relaxed.
So, what is the French word for these little stalls? Bouquinistes, we call that.
It comes from the name bouquin⦠which is old French.
-Okay.
So âold booksâ in old French.
-Old books, yes.
-They sell prints, you know⦠-And it goes back a long time? Oh, back to the 1600s, yes indeed.
There were very wild vendors which were all on the River Seine⦠and they all had to be regulated in the 19th century.
-It's just a classic Parisian⦠-It has a kind of Bohemian lifestyle.
Iâm taking Arnaud to lunch.
Against his advice, Iâm eating all the Parisian cuisine clichés⦠in one meal.
Itâs a good civilized way to start a meal.
Aperitifâ¦tell me about the aperitif.
Aperitif is to open your appetite.
-Rick, look at that.
-This looks very nice.
Merci.
Soupe à lâoignon.
So, this is the first course.
Yes, this is the entree, and actually you guys call the entree the main course, when the entree is the starter in France.
Okay, I have my escargot⦠-And I just use this.
-Yes.
So, you stab it, then you twist it out.
It comes out eventually.
It's very chewy, you will see.
-Oh, thatâs good.
-Good, huh? Garlic, parsley⦠You know, a lot of tourists donât want the escargot, but I love it.
What is the history of the onion soup? The onion soup is something you eat more in the winter time.
because it was to warm up the employees on the central markets.
-I eat the onion soup all the year.
-I love it.
You guys, Americans, are eating everything all year round.
Merci, I think.
This is actually the main courseâ plat principal, we do it in French.
-Plat principal.
-Plat principal.
-Okay, the principal plate.
-Absolutely, yes.
-Steak tartare.
-Steak tartare, yes.
-You know what itâs made of? -No.
It's fresh ground beef.
-This is raw beef.
-Raw beef.
It's very fresh.
The spice come from the Worcestershire⦠the ketchup, the mustard, the Tabasco, salt, pepper⦠and the yolk of an egg.
And then you just mix them all together with the beef.
-Do you like it? -Yes.
I love it.
Youâve introduced me to something new.
This oneâs so good.
I canât believe it.
Iâm eating raw beef, and it tastes good.
It is good.
Especially with some red wine.
So we are having now the cheese course, which is very important You donât end up a meal without some cheese.
And basically, you know, you order cheese to finish the wine, and then order more wine to finish the cheese.
-Itâs a nice cycle.
-Itâs a vicious circle.
Ah, this is dessert time, Rick.
Youâre having crème brûlée, and I have a fondat chocolat, This is sacred for lunchtimeâ to stop at least an hour.
We donât work.
Look at these people.
Theyâve been here forever.
Yes.
Itâs sacred.
-Enjoy.
-Okay.
-The coffee always comes after the food.
-After the dessert, always.
What if you ask for your coffee with the meal? They will say, yes, sure, but it will come after the meal.
They donât want to be rude.
-What a meal! -Excellent, wasnât it? -Iâm heading for the Orsay Gallery.
-Go ahead, Iâm finishing my cognac.
-Au revoir.
-Bye-bye, Rick.
Getting around Paris is easy on the Metro.
The original stations were Art Nouveau.
This new one celebrates the systemâs 100th birthday.
And the latest generation shows Europeâs commitment⦠to ever more efficient public transit.
The train is completely automated, allowing passengers⦠to watch the tunnel coming at them.
Faster than a taxi can take us⦠we hurtle beneath the city to our next stop.
The Orsay Gallery, famous for its much loved collection⦠of impressionist masterpieces, fills an old train station.
The building itself is magnificent.
Train tracks used to go right down the middle.
The art of the Orsay takes you from 1848 to 1914.
This is the time when the old world meets the modern world.
Itâs conservative and revolutionary, side by side.
Before the impressionists, 19th century artists painted idealized beauty.
This was conservative art, popular throughout the 1800s⦠because it was simply beautiful.
Cabanelâs Birth of Venus is the quintessence of beauty.
The love queen reclines seductively, just born from the foam of a wave.
At the time, sex was considered dirty and could be exalted⦠only in a more pure and divine form.
But while mainstream artists cranked out these ideal beauties, a revolutionary new breed of artist was painting a harsher reality.
Cross the tracks and you find the Realists.
In The Painterâs Studio, Gustave Courbet takes us⦠behind the scene at the painting of a goddess.
The model, not a goddess, but a real woman, takes a break from posing to watch Courbet at work.
Ordinary people mill about.
The little boy seems to admire the artist, already notorious for his non-conformity.
No one would show Courbetâs work, so he put on his own art show.
He built a little shack in the center of town and hung his paintings, basically thumbing his nose at the shocked public and his conservative critics.
Edouard Manet rubbed realism in the publicâs face.
And they hated it.
Manetâs nude doesnât gloss over anything.
The pose is classic, but the sharp outlines and harsh colors are new and shocking.
Her hand is a clamp.
Her stareâ¦defiant.
Ignoring the flowers her servant brings from her last customer, this prostitute looks out as if to say: âNext.
â Itâs about 1880 and Manet and his rat pack of⦠conservatively-dressed radicals gathered in Paris, pushing the creative envelope.
Itâs time to let the revolution of Impressionism begin.
Impressionism initiated the greatest change in art since the Renaissance.
Now, artists were free to delve into the world of colors, light, and fleeting impressions.
They featured easy-going open-air scenes, candid spontaneity, and always⦠the play of light.
Impressionists made their canvases shimmer by an innovative technique.
Rather than mixing colors together on a palette, they applied the colors in dabs side-by-side on the canvas and let these mix as they traveled to your eye.
Up close it doesnât work.
But move backâ¦and voilá! Claude Monet is called the father of Impressionism.
For him, the physical subject was now only the rack upon which⦠to hang the light, shadows, and colors.
August Renoir caught Parisians living and loving in the afternoon sun.
Dappled light was his specialty.
In this painting you can almost feel the sunâs warmth⦠and smell the powder on the womenâs faces.
Even the shadows are caught up in the moodâ¦everythingâs dancing.
Renoir paints a waltzing blur to capture not the physical details⦠but the intangible charm of a restaurant on Parisâ Montmartre.
Montmartre, a Parisian hill crowned by⦠the dramatic neo-Byzantine Sacré Coeur church, was famous for the ambiance captured by the Impressionists.
A block away, the Place du Tertre is jumbled with artistsâand tourists.
If you really try, you can almost imagine Renoir, Van Gogh and Picassoâ who came here a century ago, poor, carefree, and seeking inspiration.
Back then, life here on Montmartre was a working class commotion⦠of cafés, bistros, and dance halls.
Painters came here for the low rent and ruddy joix de vivre.
To get away from all the tourists, simply walk the back streets, where a bit of Montmartreâs village charm survives.
Aah, the steps of Sacré Coeur.
This is a place where locals and travelers alike congregate⦠to marvel at Paris, or each other.
From here, the city of light fans out at your feet.
Your Parisian experience is a blend of great museums, fine food, and characteristic neighborhoods.
The Latin Quarter is the core of the Left Bank, as the South side of the Seine River is known.
This has long been the cityâs University District.
In fact, the University of Parisâ a leading university in medieval Europeâ was founded here in the 13th century.
Back then the vernacular languages, like French and German, were crudeâ good enough to handle your basic needs.
But for higher learning, academics, like this guy, spoke and corresponded in Latin.
Until the 1800s, from Sicily to Sweden, Latin was the language of Europeâs educated elite.
And Parisians called this university district âthe Latin Quarterâ, because thatâs the language they heard on the streets.
Today any remnant of that Latin is buried by a touristy tabouli of ethnic restaurants.
Still, it remains a great place to get a feel for the tangled city⦠before the narrow lanes were replaced by wide modern boulevards in the 19th century.
The scholarly and artsy people of this quarter brewed up a new rage: Parisâ café scene.
By the time of the Revolution, the cityâs countless cafés were the haunt of politicians and philosophers⦠who plotted a better future as they sipped their coffee.
And the Café society really took off in the early 1900s⦠as the worldâs literary and artistic avant-garde converged on Paris.
In now-famous cafés along Boulevard St.
Germain⦠and Boulevard St.
Michel, free thinkers like Hemingway, Lenin, and Jean Paul Sartre enjoyed the creative freedom these hangouts engendered.
With its café and university scene, Paris has long been a launch pad for bold new ideas.
In the 18th century, groundbreaking political and social thinking⦠by French philosophers like Voltaire and Rousseau⦠ushered in the Age of Enlightenment.
Later, this Enlightenment provided the French Revolution with its philosophical basis⦠and it gave the American Constitution many of its basic principles.
Paris honors its intellectual and cultural heroes with tombs and memorials⦠in its neo-Classical Pantheon.
It looks like an ancient temple but itâs only about 250 years old⦠from the time of the Enlightenment.
During the Enlightenment, and the Age of Revolution which followed, everything was subjected to what was called âthe test of reason.
â if it wasnât logical, it was tossed out.
Nothing was sacred: the very notion of royalty was challenged and churches were turned into temples of reason.
Even the use of city land for cemeteriesâ as you learn at the catacombs of Parisâwas rejected.
The sign reads: âHalt.
This is the empire of death.
â It kicks off a one mile hike you wonât soon forget.
The anonymous bones of six million permanent Parisians⦠line former limestone quarries deep under the streets.
In 1785 Paris decided to make its congested city more spacious and sanitary⦠by emptying the cemeteriesâ which traditionally surrounded churchesâ into this labyrinthine ossuary.
For decades priests led ceremonial processions of black veiled bone-laden carts⦠into the quarries where the bones were carefully and artistically stacked⦠as much as 80 feet deep.
Each transfer was finished with a plaque identifying from which church the bones came and the date they arrived.
While there is history in dem bones, the Carnavalet Museumâ filling a lavish aristocratic old mansionâ is the best place to sort through the story of Paris.
Pre-revolutionary France had a government by, for, and of the wealthy.
And as the rich got richer and richer, people who lived in fabulous mansions like this became blind to the growing gap between the haves and have nots in their country.
Louis XIV - a.
k.
a.
âthe Sun Kingâ was the ultimate king back when people accepted the notion⦠that a few were born to rule and be rich⦠while most were born to be ruled and taken advantage of.
Room after room shows the opulence of the upper classes⦠in the age leading up to the revolution.
Louis XIV, who enjoyed the luxury but anticipated trouble, said âAprès moi, le deluge.
â (After me the flood.
) The heart of the museum features that deluge, which hit when this man, Louis XVI, was king.
The French Revolution was kicked off with the storming of the Bastille prison.
Supporting the angry masses, the liberal wing of the government⦠took matters into its own hands, declaring it wouldnât quit⦠until the people had a constitution.
It was vive la nation, liberté, egalité, and fraternité⦠until the people literally beheaded the king and queen.
La Place de la Révolution, or Revolution Square.
It was here that the newfangled guillotine, considered a humane form of execution in its day, was set up.
And it was here that Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI, and over two thousand others were made⦠âa foot shorter at the top.
â According to this painting, it took three to run the guillotine: one to manage the blade, one to catch the blood, and one to hold the headâ in this case, of Marie Antoinette, up to the crowd.
Today, Parisâ vast Revolution Square is called Place de la Concordeâ place of harmony.
The guillotine is long gone, and its centerpiece is an Egyptian obelisk.
The king and queen were beheaded by a stark and egalitarian government.
But the French love of fine living couldnât be kept down.
The 19th century was a boom time for Paris.
The entire city was beautified with grand new boulevards and fancy architecture.
It was an exuberant age of money, if you had itâ¦you flaunted it.
From the Place de la Concorde, the Champs-Elyséesâ once a royal carriageway⦠now Europeâs grandest boulevardâ leads to the Arc de Triomphe.
The arch was dedicated to the victory of the people and their republic⦠the triumph of French Nationalism.
A glimpse of the decadence of Parisâ beautiful age or bellé epoque is enjoyed along the Champs-Elysées.
Parisâ old opera houseâ the grand palace of this gilded ageâ was finished in 1875.
The real show was before and after, when the elite of Parisâ out to see and be seenâ strutted their elegant stuff in the extravagant lobbies.
Think of the grand marble stairway as a theater itself⦠filled with Parisâ beautiful people.
The actual theater is a palace of plush and ornate seating.
Above it all, a delightful ceiling, painted by Marc Chagall in the 1960s frolics around an eight-ton chandelier.
Nearby, the Jacquemart-André Museum fills a 19th-century mansion⦠offering the public a rare aristocratic open house.
Ãdouard André and his wife Nélie Jacquemart⦠spent their lives and fortune designing, building and decorating this incredible mansion.
Iâm enjoying a tour by one of the museumâs fine guides: Kiera.
Because they had no children, they had a lot of money⦠And they used to travel a lot, and then they bring many souvenirs⦠-So these are souvenirs from their travels.
-Exactly.
-And what is this? -Thatâs the music room.
You could almost imagine the clatter of jewelry mixing with the chamber music⦠as Edouard and Nelie threw a party.
-This is the Italian room.
-Exactly⦠because they travelled in Italy, they loved Italian arts.
And they brought paintings of Bellini, Botticelli, Mantegna, Carpaccio.
And Tiepolo, whose fresco graces the mansionâs lobby.
-And this is the bedroom.
-So the monsieur and madame lived here.
Yes, but this was the room of Madame Jacquemart.
-Oh, they had two different bedrooms.
-Exactly.
That's Nélie Jacquemart.
And this was Ãdouardâs bedroom, complete with a deluxe bathroom.
For more of the decadence of that age, check out the ritzy shops.
Itâs ritzy in the true sense, since they cluster around the original Ritz Hotel.
Enjoy the luxury of this neighborhood by window-shopping.
Or, as the French say, âfaire du lèche-vitrineâ (window licking).
Actually, todayâs Paris thrives with ordinary people.
The good life feels accessible to all.
And, in the spirit of Franceâs revolution, the government truly seems to work for the people.
While the stunning Georges Pompidou center⦠holds one of the worldâs top modern art collections, most Parisians are happy just to hang out in front.
And apart from all its world class attractions, millions of people call this city simplyâ¦home.
Neighborhoods enjoy first-class public transit.
And, if a train lineâs decommissioned, itâs put to good use, with its arches housing colorful shops⦠and the elevated track made into a long skinny park.
The Promenade Plantée is popular for jogging or strolling⦠or just a peaceful break from the city.
Thereâs a time honored finesse to Parisian lifeâ a comfortable rhythm with kisses on the cheek, neighborhood street markets, and familiar faces at the corner café.
Whether you visit for its blockbuster monuments, its captivating history or the simple delights of a café, Paris just might steal your heart.
Thanks for joining us.
Iâm Rick Steves.
Until next time⦠Keep on travelinâ.
Au revoir.
DVDs from âRick Steves' Europe,â featuring four to eight shows per disc⦠are available for $19.
95 each, plus shipping.
To order, please call 1-800-440-2651.
Major credit cards are accepted.
For updates on this destination, more European travel information, and a copy of Rickâs free travel newsletter, visit ricksteves.
com
This time weâre exploring the wonders of Paris.
magnificent andâ thanks to Monsieur Eiffelâ riveting.
To me, Paris is the capital of Europe.
Itâs the city I can return to more than any other⦠with grand monuments that need no introduction.
And it hides a lifetime of cultural delights.
Everything in this episode is within easy reach⦠by foot or metro.
Weâll see some icons of this great city.
The Industrial Age iron of the Eiffel Tower⦠and the medieval stonework of Notre Dame.
Then, weâll see stark realism and dreamy impressionism⦠in the Orsay Gallery.
Weâll join a friend, dining on French favorites.
After looking at bones in the catacombs, weâll see how the French Revolution helped create this grand city.
The Seine River splits the city into the Right Bank and the Left Bank.
Its two islands mark the center of the old town.
Most of the essential sights lie near the Notre Dame, between the Eiffel Tower, the Latin Quarter, and Montmartre, the cityâs highest point.
The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889, to celebrate the 100th anniversary⦠of the French Revolution⦠and to show off at a worldâs fair.
It was a muscular symbol of the Industrial Age.
To a generation hooked on technology, it was the marvel of its day⦠trumpeting progress and manâs ingenuity.
This 900-foot-tall tower has three observation levels.
The higher you go, the more you pay.
For me the middle level is plenty high.
Thousands of iron bars and millions of rivets, all assembled in just over 2 years.
Today, it stands tall, an exclamation point, symbolizing the proud, independent spirit of the French.
The Trocadero Square, across the river, is the place to view the tower⦠and to check out a colorful scene.
Parisians own their city.
In fact, twice a week streets are closed⦠and thousands turn out to roll through their city⦠right here on the Ãle de la Cité, an island in the middle of the Seine River.
The Romans conquered the local fishing tribe and set up camp.
Today the Notre-Dame cathedral marks the place where a Roman temple once stood.
The cityâs first bishop, St.
Dennis, holds his head in his hands.
When Christianity began making converts here, the pagan Romans beheaded him.
But, according to legend, Dennis just picked up his head and kept on going.
Inspired by this miracle, Christianity flourished⦠and the temple was replaced by a church.
Imagine the faith of people who built this⦠breaking ground in 1163 on a building which wouldnât be finished for 200 years.
Gothic architects incorporated the latest technologyâ flying buttresses to support the heavy rooftop.
Its ghoulish gargoyles multi-task: they serve as fancy rain spouts and scare away the evil spirits.
The church is dedicated to âour ladyâ or Notre Dame.
Mary cradles the baby Jesus; the rose window provides a majestic halo.
The Virgin Mary was highly revered throughout the Middle Ages.
The faithful petitioned her in times of trouble for both comfort and, through her intervention, Godâs mercy.
As worshippers headed for Mass theyâd walk under a relief of Judgment Day.
Christ sits on his throne.
The trumpet sounds.
All are judged: peasants, knights, nobles, royalsâ¦even bishops.
An angel weighs cute little souls while cheating demons yank on the scales.
The saved stand happily at Christâs right hand.
The damned⦠a sorry chain gang are on His left.
Carvings like thatâand like this scene of Eve tempting Adam with an appleâ remind us that this art was more than decoration.
These images reinforced the stories people learned in church.
While the church is dedicated to Mary, the rest of Paris seems dedicated to regular Parisians.
The old center, with its two islands in the middle of the Seine, retains a charming elegance.
The Ãle de la Cité is laden with historic sights.
But the little Ãle St.
Louis, connected by a pedestrian bridge, is laden only with the delights of good living.
- Arnaud.
- Ah, Rick.
Iâm rendezvousing with my Parisian friend and fellow tour guide, Arnaud Servignat.
This is the Ãle St.
Louis, Rick.
I love this place.
You know, all around itâs really uniform architecture.
Everything dating from the 17th century.
And the beautiful apartments, very expensive The most expensive in town.
And I wish I could have an apartment here, if I could afford it.
-So itâs very trendy to live here? -Oh my God, wonderful.
And all along the street, youâve got galleries⦠quaint little boutiques and restaurants⦠and just down the street thereâs a placeâBerthillonâ where you have the best sorbets in Paris.
-Really? -Yeah.
Yes, the island is charming, but the whole city of Paris is charming.
In fact, it faces the river Seine.
And the river Seine has been called by Parisiens the mirror of the city.
-Ah, itâs a great people zone.
-Yeah, people strolling⦠-wandering around⦠-Festivals here? Yes, indeed.
On the Bastille Day we have a big party here⦠-Dancing? -Dancing all around the place.
And today itâs just so relaxed.
So, what is the French word for these little stalls? Bouquinistes, we call that.
It comes from the name bouquin⦠which is old French.
-Okay.
So âold booksâ in old French.
-Old books, yes.
-They sell prints, you know⦠-And it goes back a long time? Oh, back to the 1600s, yes indeed.
There were very wild vendors which were all on the River Seine⦠and they all had to be regulated in the 19th century.
-It's just a classic Parisian⦠-It has a kind of Bohemian lifestyle.
Iâm taking Arnaud to lunch.
Against his advice, Iâm eating all the Parisian cuisine clichés⦠in one meal.
Itâs a good civilized way to start a meal.
Aperitifâ¦tell me about the aperitif.
Aperitif is to open your appetite.
-Rick, look at that.
-This looks very nice.
Merci.
Soupe à lâoignon.
So, this is the first course.
Yes, this is the entree, and actually you guys call the entree the main course, when the entree is the starter in France.
Okay, I have my escargot⦠-And I just use this.
-Yes.
So, you stab it, then you twist it out.
It comes out eventually.
It's very chewy, you will see.
-Oh, thatâs good.
-Good, huh? Garlic, parsley⦠You know, a lot of tourists donât want the escargot, but I love it.
What is the history of the onion soup? The onion soup is something you eat more in the winter time.
because it was to warm up the employees on the central markets.
-I eat the onion soup all the year.
-I love it.
You guys, Americans, are eating everything all year round.
Merci, I think.
This is actually the main courseâ plat principal, we do it in French.
-Plat principal.
-Plat principal.
-Okay, the principal plate.
-Absolutely, yes.
-Steak tartare.
-Steak tartare, yes.
-You know what itâs made of? -No.
It's fresh ground beef.
-This is raw beef.
-Raw beef.
It's very fresh.
The spice come from the Worcestershire⦠the ketchup, the mustard, the Tabasco, salt, pepper⦠and the yolk of an egg.
And then you just mix them all together with the beef.
-Do you like it? -Yes.
I love it.
Youâve introduced me to something new.
This oneâs so good.
I canât believe it.
Iâm eating raw beef, and it tastes good.
It is good.
Especially with some red wine.
So we are having now the cheese course, which is very important You donât end up a meal without some cheese.
And basically, you know, you order cheese to finish the wine, and then order more wine to finish the cheese.
-Itâs a nice cycle.
-Itâs a vicious circle.
Ah, this is dessert time, Rick.
Youâre having crème brûlée, and I have a fondat chocolat, This is sacred for lunchtimeâ to stop at least an hour.
We donât work.
Look at these people.
Theyâve been here forever.
Yes.
Itâs sacred.
-Enjoy.
-Okay.
-The coffee always comes after the food.
-After the dessert, always.
What if you ask for your coffee with the meal? They will say, yes, sure, but it will come after the meal.
They donât want to be rude.
-What a meal! -Excellent, wasnât it? -Iâm heading for the Orsay Gallery.
-Go ahead, Iâm finishing my cognac.
-Au revoir.
-Bye-bye, Rick.
Getting around Paris is easy on the Metro.
The original stations were Art Nouveau.
This new one celebrates the systemâs 100th birthday.
And the latest generation shows Europeâs commitment⦠to ever more efficient public transit.
The train is completely automated, allowing passengers⦠to watch the tunnel coming at them.
Faster than a taxi can take us⦠we hurtle beneath the city to our next stop.
The Orsay Gallery, famous for its much loved collection⦠of impressionist masterpieces, fills an old train station.
The building itself is magnificent.
Train tracks used to go right down the middle.
The art of the Orsay takes you from 1848 to 1914.
This is the time when the old world meets the modern world.
Itâs conservative and revolutionary, side by side.
Before the impressionists, 19th century artists painted idealized beauty.
This was conservative art, popular throughout the 1800s⦠because it was simply beautiful.
Cabanelâs Birth of Venus is the quintessence of beauty.
The love queen reclines seductively, just born from the foam of a wave.
At the time, sex was considered dirty and could be exalted⦠only in a more pure and divine form.
But while mainstream artists cranked out these ideal beauties, a revolutionary new breed of artist was painting a harsher reality.
Cross the tracks and you find the Realists.
In The Painterâs Studio, Gustave Courbet takes us⦠behind the scene at the painting of a goddess.
The model, not a goddess, but a real woman, takes a break from posing to watch Courbet at work.
Ordinary people mill about.
The little boy seems to admire the artist, already notorious for his non-conformity.
No one would show Courbetâs work, so he put on his own art show.
He built a little shack in the center of town and hung his paintings, basically thumbing his nose at the shocked public and his conservative critics.
Edouard Manet rubbed realism in the publicâs face.
And they hated it.
Manetâs nude doesnât gloss over anything.
The pose is classic, but the sharp outlines and harsh colors are new and shocking.
Her hand is a clamp.
Her stareâ¦defiant.
Ignoring the flowers her servant brings from her last customer, this prostitute looks out as if to say: âNext.
â Itâs about 1880 and Manet and his rat pack of⦠conservatively-dressed radicals gathered in Paris, pushing the creative envelope.
Itâs time to let the revolution of Impressionism begin.
Impressionism initiated the greatest change in art since the Renaissance.
Now, artists were free to delve into the world of colors, light, and fleeting impressions.
They featured easy-going open-air scenes, candid spontaneity, and always⦠the play of light.
Impressionists made their canvases shimmer by an innovative technique.
Rather than mixing colors together on a palette, they applied the colors in dabs side-by-side on the canvas and let these mix as they traveled to your eye.
Up close it doesnât work.
But move backâ¦and voilá! Claude Monet is called the father of Impressionism.
For him, the physical subject was now only the rack upon which⦠to hang the light, shadows, and colors.
August Renoir caught Parisians living and loving in the afternoon sun.
Dappled light was his specialty.
In this painting you can almost feel the sunâs warmth⦠and smell the powder on the womenâs faces.
Even the shadows are caught up in the moodâ¦everythingâs dancing.
Renoir paints a waltzing blur to capture not the physical details⦠but the intangible charm of a restaurant on Parisâ Montmartre.
Montmartre, a Parisian hill crowned by⦠the dramatic neo-Byzantine Sacré Coeur church, was famous for the ambiance captured by the Impressionists.
A block away, the Place du Tertre is jumbled with artistsâand tourists.
If you really try, you can almost imagine Renoir, Van Gogh and Picassoâ who came here a century ago, poor, carefree, and seeking inspiration.
Back then, life here on Montmartre was a working class commotion⦠of cafés, bistros, and dance halls.
Painters came here for the low rent and ruddy joix de vivre.
To get away from all the tourists, simply walk the back streets, where a bit of Montmartreâs village charm survives.
Aah, the steps of Sacré Coeur.
This is a place where locals and travelers alike congregate⦠to marvel at Paris, or each other.
From here, the city of light fans out at your feet.
Your Parisian experience is a blend of great museums, fine food, and characteristic neighborhoods.
The Latin Quarter is the core of the Left Bank, as the South side of the Seine River is known.
This has long been the cityâs University District.
In fact, the University of Parisâ a leading university in medieval Europeâ was founded here in the 13th century.
Back then the vernacular languages, like French and German, were crudeâ good enough to handle your basic needs.
But for higher learning, academics, like this guy, spoke and corresponded in Latin.
Until the 1800s, from Sicily to Sweden, Latin was the language of Europeâs educated elite.
And Parisians called this university district âthe Latin Quarterâ, because thatâs the language they heard on the streets.
Today any remnant of that Latin is buried by a touristy tabouli of ethnic restaurants.
Still, it remains a great place to get a feel for the tangled city⦠before the narrow lanes were replaced by wide modern boulevards in the 19th century.
The scholarly and artsy people of this quarter brewed up a new rage: Parisâ café scene.
By the time of the Revolution, the cityâs countless cafés were the haunt of politicians and philosophers⦠who plotted a better future as they sipped their coffee.
And the Café society really took off in the early 1900s⦠as the worldâs literary and artistic avant-garde converged on Paris.
In now-famous cafés along Boulevard St.
Germain⦠and Boulevard St.
Michel, free thinkers like Hemingway, Lenin, and Jean Paul Sartre enjoyed the creative freedom these hangouts engendered.
With its café and university scene, Paris has long been a launch pad for bold new ideas.
In the 18th century, groundbreaking political and social thinking⦠by French philosophers like Voltaire and Rousseau⦠ushered in the Age of Enlightenment.
Later, this Enlightenment provided the French Revolution with its philosophical basis⦠and it gave the American Constitution many of its basic principles.
Paris honors its intellectual and cultural heroes with tombs and memorials⦠in its neo-Classical Pantheon.
It looks like an ancient temple but itâs only about 250 years old⦠from the time of the Enlightenment.
During the Enlightenment, and the Age of Revolution which followed, everything was subjected to what was called âthe test of reason.
â if it wasnât logical, it was tossed out.
Nothing was sacred: the very notion of royalty was challenged and churches were turned into temples of reason.
Even the use of city land for cemeteriesâ as you learn at the catacombs of Parisâwas rejected.
The sign reads: âHalt.
This is the empire of death.
â It kicks off a one mile hike you wonât soon forget.
The anonymous bones of six million permanent Parisians⦠line former limestone quarries deep under the streets.
In 1785 Paris decided to make its congested city more spacious and sanitary⦠by emptying the cemeteriesâ which traditionally surrounded churchesâ into this labyrinthine ossuary.
For decades priests led ceremonial processions of black veiled bone-laden carts⦠into the quarries where the bones were carefully and artistically stacked⦠as much as 80 feet deep.
Each transfer was finished with a plaque identifying from which church the bones came and the date they arrived.
While there is history in dem bones, the Carnavalet Museumâ filling a lavish aristocratic old mansionâ is the best place to sort through the story of Paris.
Pre-revolutionary France had a government by, for, and of the wealthy.
And as the rich got richer and richer, people who lived in fabulous mansions like this became blind to the growing gap between the haves and have nots in their country.
Louis XIV - a.
k.
a.
âthe Sun Kingâ was the ultimate king back when people accepted the notion⦠that a few were born to rule and be rich⦠while most were born to be ruled and taken advantage of.
Room after room shows the opulence of the upper classes⦠in the age leading up to the revolution.
Louis XIV, who enjoyed the luxury but anticipated trouble, said âAprès moi, le deluge.
â (After me the flood.
) The heart of the museum features that deluge, which hit when this man, Louis XVI, was king.
The French Revolution was kicked off with the storming of the Bastille prison.
Supporting the angry masses, the liberal wing of the government⦠took matters into its own hands, declaring it wouldnât quit⦠until the people had a constitution.
It was vive la nation, liberté, egalité, and fraternité⦠until the people literally beheaded the king and queen.
La Place de la Révolution, or Revolution Square.
It was here that the newfangled guillotine, considered a humane form of execution in its day, was set up.
And it was here that Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI, and over two thousand others were made⦠âa foot shorter at the top.
â According to this painting, it took three to run the guillotine: one to manage the blade, one to catch the blood, and one to hold the headâ in this case, of Marie Antoinette, up to the crowd.
Today, Parisâ vast Revolution Square is called Place de la Concordeâ place of harmony.
The guillotine is long gone, and its centerpiece is an Egyptian obelisk.
The king and queen were beheaded by a stark and egalitarian government.
But the French love of fine living couldnât be kept down.
The 19th century was a boom time for Paris.
The entire city was beautified with grand new boulevards and fancy architecture.
It was an exuberant age of money, if you had itâ¦you flaunted it.
From the Place de la Concorde, the Champs-Elyséesâ once a royal carriageway⦠now Europeâs grandest boulevardâ leads to the Arc de Triomphe.
The arch was dedicated to the victory of the people and their republic⦠the triumph of French Nationalism.
A glimpse of the decadence of Parisâ beautiful age or bellé epoque is enjoyed along the Champs-Elysées.
Parisâ old opera houseâ the grand palace of this gilded ageâ was finished in 1875.
The real show was before and after, when the elite of Parisâ out to see and be seenâ strutted their elegant stuff in the extravagant lobbies.
Think of the grand marble stairway as a theater itself⦠filled with Parisâ beautiful people.
The actual theater is a palace of plush and ornate seating.
Above it all, a delightful ceiling, painted by Marc Chagall in the 1960s frolics around an eight-ton chandelier.
Nearby, the Jacquemart-André Museum fills a 19th-century mansion⦠offering the public a rare aristocratic open house.
Ãdouard André and his wife Nélie Jacquemart⦠spent their lives and fortune designing, building and decorating this incredible mansion.
Iâm enjoying a tour by one of the museumâs fine guides: Kiera.
Because they had no children, they had a lot of money⦠And they used to travel a lot, and then they bring many souvenirs⦠-So these are souvenirs from their travels.
-Exactly.
-And what is this? -Thatâs the music room.
You could almost imagine the clatter of jewelry mixing with the chamber music⦠as Edouard and Nelie threw a party.
-This is the Italian room.
-Exactly⦠because they travelled in Italy, they loved Italian arts.
And they brought paintings of Bellini, Botticelli, Mantegna, Carpaccio.
And Tiepolo, whose fresco graces the mansionâs lobby.
-And this is the bedroom.
-So the monsieur and madame lived here.
Yes, but this was the room of Madame Jacquemart.
-Oh, they had two different bedrooms.
-Exactly.
That's Nélie Jacquemart.
And this was Ãdouardâs bedroom, complete with a deluxe bathroom.
For more of the decadence of that age, check out the ritzy shops.
Itâs ritzy in the true sense, since they cluster around the original Ritz Hotel.
Enjoy the luxury of this neighborhood by window-shopping.
Or, as the French say, âfaire du lèche-vitrineâ (window licking).
Actually, todayâs Paris thrives with ordinary people.
The good life feels accessible to all.
And, in the spirit of Franceâs revolution, the government truly seems to work for the people.
While the stunning Georges Pompidou center⦠holds one of the worldâs top modern art collections, most Parisians are happy just to hang out in front.
And apart from all its world class attractions, millions of people call this city simplyâ¦home.
Neighborhoods enjoy first-class public transit.
And, if a train lineâs decommissioned, itâs put to good use, with its arches housing colorful shops⦠and the elevated track made into a long skinny park.
The Promenade Plantée is popular for jogging or strolling⦠or just a peaceful break from the city.
Thereâs a time honored finesse to Parisian lifeâ a comfortable rhythm with kisses on the cheek, neighborhood street markets, and familiar faces at the corner café.
Whether you visit for its blockbuster monuments, its captivating history or the simple delights of a café, Paris just might steal your heart.
Thanks for joining us.
Iâm Rick Steves.
Until next time⦠Keep on travelinâ.
Au revoir.
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