"Paris is always a good idea" - the movie Sabrina
I must agree with this quote, but I will add that it's even a better idea to walk through Paris and its large Houssmanian avenues, or its winding streets, to visit its mysterious courtyards, and its parks.
Paris is divided into twenty districts, also known as les arrondisments. These are numbered from 1 to 20, starting in the middle of the map and spreading outward like a snail.
Each district has a unique beauty and identity.
I have already mentioned some of the arrondissements in my previous posts, and will surely mention many others in the future. For now it’s important to mention that there are at least two very important and idiosyncratic identities; that of the left and that of the right bank of the Seine River. Very different vibes!
the left bank is Quartier Latin, Saint Germain des Pres, Montparnesse, Tour Eiffel, Musée d'Orsay, etc. The right bank is the Louvre, Marais, Opera, Montmartre, Chatelet/Les Halles etc.
The left was often thought of as the more bohemian part of town, now a days though, that is questionable. The left is quite bourgeoisie, although certain areas of the right bank are obviously as well. But then the right has Bastille, and the 11th district, it has Chatelet, Le Marais, the 2nd and 4th which are all very eclectic and inhabited by Les Bobos.
That's actually a good term to know. Le Bobo,a name derived from bourgeoisie bohemian, stands for a sort of a spoiled rich kids who looks like and lives like an artist. Think lower east side if you are familiar with NYC.
Anyways, here are a couple of other links for more info on the subject:
http://www.parisnet.net/parismap.html
http://www.paris.org/glossary.html
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