What is the longest street in Paris?

-La plus longue rue de Paris : Vaugirard.
A cheval sur les VIe et XVe arrondissements, c’est la plus longue rue de Paris, avec 4 300 m. Vaugirard serait établie sur une ancienne voie romaine. Elle abrite une bonne partie de la ligne 12 du métro.
Elle fait partie des emplacements à acheter dans le jeu de Monopoly mais elle ne vaut pas grand chose.
-La plus étroite rue de Paris : Rue du Chat-Qui-Pèche.
On l'aurait baptisée ainsi à cause d'un chat dégourdi qui, au XVème siècle, venait régulièrement y déguster des poissons qu'il chopait dans la Seine. En 1832, une grille en fermait les deux extrémités.
-L'avenue la plus large de Paris : Avenue Foch.
Sa largeur de 120 mètres. Elle tire son nom de Ferdinand Foch, maréchal de France. Elle a été ouverte en 1854, mais porte ce nom depuis 1960.
-La rue la plus courte de Paris : Rue des Degrés.
Avec seulement 5,75 m de long, il s'agit en fait d'un simple escalier d'une quinzaine de marches et de 3,30 m de large. Aucune habitation n'ouvre dessus et les murs ne possèdent aucune porte.
-La rue la plus pentue de Paris : Rue Gasnier-Guy.
Elle se situe dans le 20e arrondissement. Elle est, avec 17%, la rue la plus pentue de la capitale. Cette rue a connu au cours des quinze dernières années une radicale rénovation.
-La rue la plus haute : Rue du Télégraphe.

Vous en connaissez d’autres ? N’hésitez pas à laisser un commentaire.

-The longest street in Paris: Vaugirard.
Riding in the sixth and fifteenth arrondissement, it is the longest street in Paris, with 4300 m. Vaugirard would be established on an former Roman road. A large part of the line 12 follows the street. It is one of the places to buy in Monopoly, but it is not worth much.
-The narrowest street in Paris: Rue du Chat-Qui-Pèche
Named after a very smart cat that, in the fifteenth century, had regularly fished in the Seine and brought it back to eat in this street. In 1832, a grid was closing both ends.
-The broadest avenue in Paris: Avenue Foch.
Its width is 120 meters. It takes its name from Ferdinand Foch, Marshal of France. It was opened in 1854, but has had the same name since 1960.
-The shortest street of Paris: Rue des Degrees.
With only 5.75 m long, it is in fact a simple staircase of a dozen marches and 3.30 meters wide. No residence has an opening on it and the walls have no door.
-The steepest street in Paris: Rue Gasnier-Guy.
It is located in the 20th district. It is, with 17%, the steepest street of the capital. This street has experienced over the last fifteen years some radical renovations.
-The highest street in Paris: Rue du Télégraphe.

Do you know more? Feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks to Jorge Cueto for the photo.
Via Wikipedia.org

Paris smells good and seems clean

Eleven railway stations are currently testing a device to broadcast perfume in their undergrounds and their corridors.

These perfumes are aimed at strengthening the feeling of cleanliness, and especially to create a different and unique atmosphere.

The eleven stations are: Musée d'Orsay, Invalides, Chaville, Rive Gauche, La Verrière, Plaisir Grignon, Rambouillet, Saint-Cyr, Saint Quentin en Yvelines, Trappes, Versailles-Chantiers and Defense.

Some people will pass by to ask you your opinion on this device.

Via Anous.fr

Amazing Eiffel Tower photoshoped

While surfing on the Internet I found these awesome photoshoped pictures of the Eiffel Tower.
I love them! Which one is your favorite?

More photos HERE.

Update on the Cendrier Mairie de Paris

Remember the beautiful pocket ashtray from the Ville de Paris?
Well, if you are interested in get one, you need to go to the Mairie of Paris, 29 rue de Rivoli, metro station -> Rivoli.
Just go to the Accueil and ask for the magnifique cendrier. People are going to be jealous for sure!
Feel free to send us a picture of the desired item.

Paris offers you free pocket ashtrays

Ok well smoking is now prohibited in cafes, restaurants, clubs and bars in France; but it doesn't mean you are not allowed to smoke in the streets! (I can see the happy smoker smiling!)
And in order to do so, the city of Paris makes available these pocket-ashtrays with a "pretty" Mairie de Paris logo!
So now you want to know where to go to get one of these, right?
It isn't said on paris.fr but I found on another site that says "these pocket ashtrays will be distribute in 4 emblematic places within Paris during two weekends and the project will be repeated on Fall 2008."

If you have more info, please go ahead!

How to become a real Parisian

Parisians have a little je-ne-sais-quoi that you would die to know about? Would you kill to know what's their secret? Well, there won't be any blood splashed on this blog but some tips and advices to help you reach "your dream".
- You can learn French, it's easy with Mr. Frog with a Blog. If you haven't watch this video yet, you have to do it now because it's hillarious and not quite far from the truth. Mr. Frog does teach you how to speak French in 5min and 36secs.
- Now it's time for you to meet French people so you will be able to reproduce their accents, gestures, style and so on...basically what ever you can get. Of course, it isn't quite easy to meet Frenchies because you need to know the French doesn't like meeting new people, the French isn't very social and especially not toward foreigners. But lucky you, you have money so you can "buy yourself some French friends". Meeting The French is a site where you can organize a diner with Frenchies or have a commented tour of Paris with a French accent guide. Cool, hu?!
- On Paris Gourmet, you are taken for a Parisian - classical - tour: you will go to a flea market, prepare the meal with a French cook, eat it and then go for a shopping tour of designer's boutiques and fashion stores. I bet you will feel at least 40% French after that, won't you?
- You can also learn from others. For example, this article How to be a perfect Parisian girl. It passes by the XXL bag, the XXL sunglasses so nobody can see your eyes and you can keep that je-ne-sais-quoi style that makes you so unreachable. Because that's your point right?
Well, boys and girls I think you ready to become French. Just need to practise and don't be shy, French aren't, French are always proud to be French!
Now you are pretty close to the 100% French!
Bonne chance.

How to survive a strike in Paris

Strikes suck! Yes we all agree on it so let’s try to make the best out of the situation. Nobody is glad not to have its usual public transport in good condition but that’s the way it is so survive it and try to find a plan B for this day, which will allow the grumpy Parisians to grumble more!

Let me say that post is mostly dedicated to Parisians; even if the methods could probably applied to the city you live in.

- To have your eyes stuck to the RATP webpage because it is the only way you wille be enable to be informed in – almost real – time.

- Batobus rather made for tourists, Batobus is a little expensive: 12€ for 1 day and 8€ for the student, orange, integral, Emerald and Amethyst card holders (thus you!). Which ways do they follow? As its name suggests it, Batobus goes only on water (here thus the Seine) which limits the places you could go to. Here are the 7 stops: Eiffel Tower, Saint Germain des Près, Jardin des Plantes, Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Notre Dame, Hôtel de Ville and Champs-Elysées.

- Roller and roller again: well done to practice sport and it does not pollute! It will cost you 15€ or 10€ according to the supplier for one day; they also rent bicycles and tandems. The tandem is a kind of carpooling except you are on a bike.

- Velib': everyone loves Velib' but I doubt this new mean of transportation will be able to regulate all the traffic on this strike day. For sure, it won’t solve every Parisian’s problem because there are only 10 000 of them. Vélib' expects a massive activity today. Measures were taken to reinforce the device: the processing capacities of the call center will be increased and the JC Decaux teams (those which move the bicycles to balance them in the city) reinforced of almost 30%. And if not the electric bicycle exists too.

- Carpooling is good and luck you, there are sites which are there to help you. And yes Internet is also used to help and not only to do download illegal movies and music (I can hear my grandmother talking).

- To take the line 14 because it is the only one that is automated, therefore doesn’t need a person to run it, so Line 14 is never on strike. Try to walk a little bit more than usually to catch this line. And I have to say, that line is much cleaner and faster than the other ones.

- Your feet: this mean of transportation is not expensive (can I say free?), it is true that it tears up your shoes and is also annoying (for some of us) but it has also the benefit to put you in contact with your environment (exhaust) and to discover your city from a different angle.

- Segway: well it costs 65€ for one day so make sure you tried all the other choices before picking this one.

- UrbanCab: a sort of taxi opened and respectful of the planet. One can hail it in the street or book it in advance. There are only 7 of them in Paris so on your mark, get set, go!

Thanks to Wes(gathering in light) for the photo

Funny expressions using "french" in English

As a French person, I’m always surprised to see how the word “French” is used in some English expressions or sentences.
I’ve done some searching and here are the results:

French fries: It’s actually from Belgium and not France but in XVIIIth century, the borders were not so clear.
French kiss: We call it “kiss” here.
French manicure: French manicures may have originated in the XVIIIth century in Paris and were popular in the 1920s and 1930s.
French press: The only French presses I have ever seen in my life were in the US.
French toast: They are called “pain perdu” (lost bread) in French. It comes from medieval times and was a way to use the old bread.
French dressing: French dressing is only called “vinaigrette” in France; mix of vinegar, oil, mustard and salt/pepper.
French bean: It is long, green and slim; called “haricot vert” (green bean) in French.
French horn: It seems that earlier horns and some horns used in Austria and France still use pistons but not the ones now-a-days, which make them “French”.
French bath: It consists in not taking a shower and spraying perfume instead. Funny to see how bad hygiene reputation French has!
Pardon my French: Whenever you swear, this will excuse you. Is it because we swear a lot in French?

Funny and interesting facts about Paris

-> Paris is the capital of France and the largest country of Western Europe and the sixth largest economy in the world.

-> There used to have a first class and second class in the metro and you had to hand your ticket to a poinçonneur. The first class wagons were yellow and the second ones, light blue.

-> The last known cases of plague in Paris, is from 1920 in Porte de Clichy.

-> The Eiffel tower was build for the Paris Exhibition in 1889 and was meant to stay only 20 years. And of course “Eiffel” is from Mr. Gustave Eiffel, the designer.

-> In Paris, you sometimes need to have a guarantor to rent an apartment, even if you are not a student anymore.

-> In the same cemetery, you will find graves of Jim Morrisson, Sarah Bernhardt or Oscar Wilde.

-> No, Paris is not called the City of Lights due to the light put out from the Eiffel Tower every evening. It referrers to the intellectual residents which made Paris a world-renowned centre, drawing other artists, writers and sculptors.

-> A Buddhist temple is located in the Bois de Vincennes, near the Colonial Exhibition building in 1931. But Catholicism stays the main religion in France.

-> The Hotel-Dieu is a hospital founded in 651 by Saint-Landry and is the oldest establishment in Paris. It has been the only hospital in the capital, until XIIth century.

-> The dog dejections are considered the main pollution of Paris, with 16 tones a day. About 650 accidents – leading to emergency- a year, happen because of these dejections.

Thanks to farrisgerard for the picture.

Ruyi Travel Book is Everywhere!

Thanks to Kastner