- 5 hours ago
Rick Steves' Europe - Season 13 Episode 7 -
Paris of the Parisians
Paris of the Parisians
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FunTranscript
00:00We're in a city that puts the sparkling life like none other, Paris.
00:04Thanks for joining us.
00:30Paris is a city of world-class attractions,
00:40perhaps the most popular city in Europe.
00:42But more fundamentally, it's a city of locals, of Parisians.
00:47As a visitor, it's rewarding to see this city, beyond its great sights,
00:51as a place millions call home.
00:55Enjoying the Paris of the Parisians,
00:58we'll cruise the River Seine and share in French pride.
01:03We'll shop for a dinner party, the way Parisians do,
01:07and enjoy vibrant life on the riverbanks.
01:10And we'll groove with the locals at an underground jazz club,
01:15before finishing by celebrating the city of light in vintage style.
01:21We start with a sight near and dear to the Parisians, the Eiffel Tower.
01:27We built it in 1889 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution
01:32and to show off at a world's fair.
01:35And this muscular symbol of the industrial age has been showing off ever since.
01:44This thousand-foot-tall tower was a marvel in its day,
01:47an engineering feat trumpeting progress and ingenuity.
01:51And today, it's a major tourist attraction.
01:54Lines can be long, but we've booked online in advance and can go right up.
02:00In its day, this elevator must have been a marvel.
02:04We're checking out all three levels.
02:08The first level, at about 200 feet, has a restaurant, a few amusements, and nice views.
02:16But my favorite view is from the second level.
02:19At about 400 feet, it's plenty high.
02:23From here, I can spot the big sights we'll be visiting
02:26and take a moment to get the lay of the Parisian land.
02:31And for a price, you can go all the way to the top.
02:35Imagine the spectacle a century ago,
02:38atop what was the world's tallest structure,
02:41enjoying an airplane view before there were airplanes.
02:46After summiting, I enjoy walking down from the second level
02:50without the elevator for a close-up look at Eiffel's erector set construction.
02:56Thousands of iron beams and countless rivets.
03:06Talk about a confident age.
03:08They built this entire thing on schedule in about two years
03:11with prefabricated parts.
03:13And when the fair was over, they planned to tear it all down.
03:17Thank goodness they reconsidered.
03:20For perhaps a more relaxing overview of the city,
03:24I like a touristic cruise up and down the river.
03:27Boats go all the time and come with a light narration.
03:32The Seine is the lifeblood of Paris.
03:35It's busy with boatloads of both cargo
03:38powering from the Atlantic deep into France,
03:41and tourists, enamored with the parade of Parisian landmarks.
03:47The bridges, bestowed on the city by kings and emperors
03:53over the centuries, tell a story.
03:56N means thanks to Napoleon.
04:00The delightfully ornamented Alexander III Bridge
04:03celebrates a French-Russian alliance from 1892.
04:07And Pont Neuf, that means the new bridge,
04:11is actually the oldest.
04:13From 1607, it was the first stone bridge crossing the Seine.
04:19The city was born in ancient times,
04:21on an island in the middle of the river.
04:23It was here, on the Ile de la Cite, centuries before Christ,
04:27that the Romans conquered a local fishing tribe
04:29called the Parisi,
04:31and founded a city named for them, Paris.
04:34And on that island,
04:36built upon the ruins of a Roman temple,
04:38was the Notre Dame Cathedral.
04:41Imagine the faith of the people who built this,
04:44breaking ground in 1163
04:46on a building which wouldn't be finished for 200 years.
04:51And the faithful have been worshiping in this church,
04:54inspired by its art and architecture,
04:56for more than 800 years.
04:59Gothic architects incorporated the latest technology,
05:03flying buttresses, to support the heavy rooftop,
05:06and its ghoulish gargoyles multitask.
05:09They serve as fancy rain spouts,
05:12and scare away the evil spirits.
05:16The church is dedicated to Our Lady,
05:18or Notre Dame in French.
05:21Mary cradles the baby Jesus,
05:24while the rose window provides a majestic halo.
05:30Heroically rebuilt and looking brand new
05:33after the tragic fire of 2019,
05:36today the beloved Notre Dame is, as much as ever,
05:40a beacon of hope for the City of Light.
05:45Just upstream from the Ile de la Cité
05:47is another island, the Petite Ile Saint-Louis,
05:51connected to its big sister by a cute pedestrian bridge.
05:54This smaller, more residential island
05:57is a reminder of how,
05:58even in the historic core of the city,
06:00Paris is a collection of neighborhoods.
06:03The island gives us a first taste
06:05of this city's love of good living.
06:07It seems to specialize in that joie de vivre,
06:10from thriving bistros,
06:12to decadent ice cream shops,
06:14to families and friends
06:16gathering on the banks of the river.
06:21Centuries ago, the banks of the Seine
06:23were just miserable mud, like a mucky cesspool.
06:26Then, in the 1800s, these embankments were built,
06:29and today, the city no longer turns its back on its river.
06:32Its renovated banks are now thriving,
06:35a great equalizer where all citizens
06:38can enjoy a waterfront perch.
06:41All along the river, Parisians savor the moment,
06:44gathering with friends and enjoying a picnic dinner.
06:48Summer evenings bring out the crowds, young and old,
06:51enjoying urban living at its best.
06:55Once-busy expressways along the riverbank
06:58are now closed to cars,
07:00and each summer, the city government
07:02creates an urban beach for its people.
07:05They truck in potted palm trees,
07:08hammocks, lounge chairs,
07:10and 2,000 tons of sand
07:12to make a popular fun zone,
07:14a virtual riviera in the city center.
07:18And the fun spills all along the riverbanks.
07:23Here, it's a multi-generational free-for-all.
07:28People dancing their hearts out,
07:30like an impromptu music festival.
07:33Inviting scenes like this
07:47offer a perfect chance to see Paris at play
07:50and play with Paris.
07:58Paris can be overwhelming.
08:00To feel more settled,
08:01I like to choose a neighborhood and make it home.
08:03And it seems like each neighborhood
08:05has a market street
08:06that gives it a small-town charm.
08:09For those learning the fine art
08:11of living Parisian style,
08:13market streets can be ideal.
08:15My local friend, Natalie,
08:17is shopping for a dinner party on Rue Claire,
08:19and I'm tagging along.
08:22So in France, I like the way it's all about seasonal,
08:25and that means good flavor.
08:27It's almost like a religion.
08:29You have to have the best flavor.
08:30Yeah, you have to have the best flavor,
08:32the best colors.
08:33And for example, like tomatoes.
08:35You don't eat tomatoes during the winter
08:37because they are tasteless.
08:39If it's in season, it's local.
08:41Oh, yeah.
08:42Most of them come from the Ile-de-France.
08:44You know, it's around Paris.
08:46And especially, look at this.
08:47These are beautiful.
08:48Yeah, look at these tomatoes.
08:49You can have this one, this color,
08:52little ones like this, you know.
08:54This one, for example, you see.
08:56I can see that now.
08:57So we know it's going to be flavorful,
08:58but also you're thinking how it looks.
09:00Yeah, yeah, yeah.
09:01So you're raising the bar.
09:02It's seasonal and it's pretty.
09:04Yup.
09:05Okay, it's time for the meat course.
09:06There's a lot of options.
09:07Yeah, yeah.
09:08But as it's summer,
09:09we don't want to eat too much meat,
09:11so lamb chops are perfect.
09:13Bonjour, monsieur.
09:14Bonjour.
09:15Je voudrais des petites côtes d'agneau, là .
09:17Je les cuis pendant combien de temps?
09:20Je vais mettre trois minutes.
09:22OK, deux, trois minutes.
09:25OK, deux, trois minutes.
09:26So what did he tell you?
09:27I asked him how long should I cook them.
09:30He said, if you like them, rosé.
09:32He said, not to cook, you know.
09:34Two, three minutes on each side.
09:36That's it.
09:37So I love this.
09:38You know this man.
09:39You trust his advice.
09:40Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
09:41Because they know.
09:43Ça sera tout aujourd'hui, merci.
09:45Ah, yes.
09:46The cheese shop.
09:47This is just a festival of malls.
09:49Smell how good that is.
09:51In a French meal, you really have to have cheese.
09:55Oh, we'll take this.
09:57Camembert à la truffe, un morceau.
09:59That's beautiful.
10:01It's truffle camembert.
10:03Oh, it's a new thing.
10:06Before, they started with the brie,
10:08but now they do the camembert.
10:10It's so good.
10:11It's so good.
10:12Hot cheese now, you see.
10:13Morceau de comté, vous avez du...
10:15Moi.
10:16I like 24 months old comté because it's flavor-y.
10:21Okay, so older is more flavor-y.
10:23Oh, the older is better.
10:25Oui, oui, c'est bien, c'est bien.
10:29The street is lined with shops to cover each item on Natalie's menu.
10:33Up next, wine.
10:35Bonjour, Chloé.
10:37Bonjour.
10:38So we know our meat.
10:39We know our cheese.
10:40Yeah.
10:41Now we select the correct wine.
10:43Absolutely.
10:44You can't have, like, any wine with your food.
10:47You have to pick up the right wine
10:50because it is a combination of wine and food that people enjoy in France.
10:55For the lamb chops, we select a light red wine and something more robust for the cheese course.
11:03Ça, c'est la région de Bordeaux.
11:05Absolument.
11:06Et c'est un médoc.
11:07Like that.
11:08This is so beautiful.
11:09With the cheese and now with the wine neighboring on the same street with beautiful people who
11:14are experts to help us out.
11:15Absolument.
11:16Absolutely.
11:17Life is good.
11:18Life is good.
11:19And no French dinner would be complete without a fresh-baked baguette.
11:24Okay.
11:25Merci.
11:26And a bouquet of flowers for the table.
11:28This one would be perfect.
11:30This here?
11:31Yeah.
11:32This, like little sunflower.
11:33That's nice.
11:34I like this one, the pinky one.
11:36Look how pretty.
11:37Oh, look at that.
11:38Yeah.
11:39Me too.
11:41It was fun.
11:42Bon appétit.
11:43Merci beaucoup.
11:44Merci, darling.
11:45Bye.
11:46Bye.
11:47I'm hopping the metro to visit another neighborhood.
11:50Paris has the most extensive subway system on the continent, and it's clearly the fastest
11:55and most convenient way to get around town.
11:58Trains come frequently.
12:00The system is state-of-the-art and easy to use.
12:04It works, and the people here love it.
12:13The Marais is another distinct Parisian neighborhood, and I'm meeting up with my friend and fellow tour guide, Thierry Godusol.
12:22I love the Marais.
12:23Of course you do.
12:24I mean, this is a typical classical neighborhood of Paris.
12:28Look at the beautiful atmosphere.
12:29Look at the architecture everywhere, you know?
12:31Yeah, yeah.
12:32And this is my neighborhood.
12:33I live here.
12:35I love to take a moment just to appreciate Parisian street scenes like this.
12:40Once a mucky slum, Marais means swamp, it was drained and gentrified in the 17th century by King Henry IV.
12:49With Henry's support, Place des Vosges became the centerpiece of what was the finest neighborhood in town.
12:55The Marais is a pretty small part of Paris.
12:58Pretty small neighborhood, but now this is the place to be.
13:01And this would be the center, this Place des Vosges.
13:04Exactly.
13:05We say it's Bobo.
13:06Bobo.
13:07Bobo.
13:08Plus beau stands for bourgeois, second beau for bohemian.
13:12I like that.
13:13Bobo.
13:14It's very Bobo.
13:15Yes.
13:16The park-like square is a reminder that Paris is more than a collection of world-class museums.
13:23For millions of people, it's home.
13:26A place to raise a family, enjoy a relaxed retirement, or rendezvous with a lover.
13:35The Marais has long been home to Paris's Jewish community.
13:39Historically, they're the oldest Jewish neighborhood of Paris.
13:43So why did the Jews settle here?
13:45Because before there were some swamps here.
13:47Swamps.
13:48Okay.
13:49And nobody wanted to come over here.
13:50It's very poor real estate in a real cheap part of the city.
13:54I remember when I first came here, this was delis and so much Jewish business here.
13:59Still a couple of them left, but most of the time you can see everywhere some trendy shops,
14:04boutiques everywhere.
14:05It's a good example of how neighborhoods, they evolve and change their personality.
14:10The evolution of so many neighborhoods, you know.
14:12If it's cheap, it attracts the Bobo.
14:14Exactly.
14:15You're right.
14:16A new word for you, Bobo.
14:17That's pretty cool.
14:18And then it becomes trendy.
14:19Exactly.
14:20And trendy Marais boutiques make for fun window shopping.
14:26Paris is famous for its fashion.
14:29So the window is like a work of art.
14:31Yeah, we said in French, like to lick the window.
14:36Literally, you lick the window.
14:39You want to step in, you want to spend money, you want to become French.
14:43Along with classy boutiques, Paris is famed for its elegant department stores.
14:48Invented here in Paris, department stores were the first to offer the convenience and efficiency
14:53of a variety of small shops under one roof.
14:57And the Galerie Lafayette's roof is a fine example.
15:00Its centerpiece is a Belle Epoque dome.
15:03Dating from 1912, it's an unforgettable example of Art Nouveau and a hit with shoppers.
15:13The good life in Paris is easy to take for granted.
15:16But today's freedoms and civil liberties didn't come without a struggle.
15:20And the pinnacle of that struggle, an epic event that reverberates in the spirit of its
15:24people to this day, was the French Revolution.
15:27It was launched in 1789 with the storming of a prison that stood on this square.
15:33That notorious prison was called the Bastille.
15:36Angry Parisians stormed it, released its prisoners, and then tore it down.
15:42Today, it's one of Europe's great non-sites.
15:47There's nothing left to see.
15:49But what we do see is the modern city that followed that revolution.
15:53A city designed not for kings, but for people.
15:57That urban design goes back to the mid-1800s, when the government commissioned Baron Haussmann
16:03to modernize the city, including its riverside embankments.
16:08Along with that, he ripped up most of medieval Paris and created the city's grand boulevards.
16:14And he lined those avenues with what became known as Haussmann architecture.
16:19Stately buildings with uniform facades, wrought iron balconies, and iconic slate rooftops.
16:26Paris is built upon that planning heritage, making the city ever more green and livable,
16:34creating pedestrian zones, favoring bikes and public transit over cars,
16:40and even turning elevated rail lines of the industrial age
16:45into skinny green belts high above street level, ideal for bikers and strollers.
16:51Today, like a city-wide game of connect-the-dots,
16:54wide Parisian boulevards lead to famous landmarks,
16:58like the Pantheon, built to honor illustrious Parisians,
17:01and to the stately Opera House.
17:08The opera's lobby, as big as the auditorium itself,
17:11provided the public an elegant showcase in which to see and be seen.
17:16A dazzling hall, just right for sipping champagne,
17:20leads into the grand theater,
17:23famously crowned with a wondrous ceiling by Marc Chagall.
17:30Another majestic avenue leads to the Hotel des Envalides.
17:35Built by Louis XIV in the 1600s as a veteran's hospital,
17:39this massive building now houses Europe's greatest military museum.
17:44And under a grand dome,
17:47which glitters with 26 pounds of thinly pounded gold leaf,
17:51lies the majestic tomb of Napoleon.
17:59The Arc de Triomphe was finished just in time for the funeral procession
18:04that welcomed Napoleon's body home in 1840.
18:07The stately arch is a memorial to France's many military campaigns
18:12and is particularly stirring on national holidays,
18:16when it flies the French flag.
18:19And that arch caps the city's main drag,
18:22arguably Europe's grandest avenue, the Champs-Élysées.
18:26Built in the 1600s, it originated as a queen's carriageway,
18:30leading away from the palace gardens.
18:32The boulevard has been redesigned.
18:34With fewer lanes for cars and wider sidewalks,
18:37it's a promenade not for royals, but for the people.
18:43Some days it's the finale of the Tour de France bike race.
18:46Some days it's stepped out for Christmas,
18:48for Bastille Day parades,
18:50and some days it's entirely car-free.
18:53In post-revolutionary France, the people rule,
18:57and there's always a garden or park nearby.
19:00Perhaps the finest originated as the king's backyard,
19:03the Tuileries.
19:05The café's gardens and ponds provide a fine place
19:08to simply enjoy a quiet moment of contemplation
19:11in the middle of the city.
19:13Here in Luxembourg Gardens, there's a tranquility,
19:16a refined orderliness enjoyed by young and old alike.
19:20The gardens are impeccably tended,
19:23and for generations,
19:25children have launched dreams on this pond.
19:29Beyond its glorious monuments and buildings,
19:32Paris is a city simply in love with life.
19:38Paris is home to the ultimate café culture.
19:41With thousands of cafés, there's always one nearby.
19:46These are where friends rendezvous,
19:49and we're meeting up with Steve Smith,
19:51co-author of my France guidebook,
19:53and a consummate café sitter.
19:56Café sitting, quintessentially Parisian.
19:59Yeah, it is. It is.
20:01I think the first cafés were invented here since the 1600s.
20:04People have been coming to places just like this
20:07to talk to each other,
20:09to get out of their small apartments,
20:11and enjoy life, and be part of it,
20:14not be separated from it.
20:16Slowing down is the whole point, Rick.
20:18It is the whole point.
20:19You're not judged by how much you've accomplished in a day
20:21by any means in this country.
20:23You're judged by whom you've talked to,
20:25how much are you savoring life,
20:27however you define it.
20:29A lot of times back home,
20:30when I go to my favorite café,
20:32it seems like a temporary office space.
20:34Everybody's got a laptop.
20:35It seems like a library to me.
20:36I know what you mean.
20:37But here, there's noise in the café
20:39because people are talking to each other.
20:40You won't see a laptop.
20:41The point of coming to a café is not to work.
20:45It is to visit.
20:47It's a requirement not to be in a rush.
20:49And why would you,
20:50when you have five weeks paid vacation
20:51and a 35-hour work week?
20:53And did I mention every Catholic holiday?
20:55They have time to enjoy doing exactly
20:58what we seem to have to wedge in to a busy day.
21:02It's one of the bad things about travel.
21:04You realize how good other people have it?
21:06Yes, it's true.
21:08I've got so many friends
21:09that I've heard complain about slow service in France.
21:13Yeah, well, slow service is good service over here.
21:16That's right.
21:17In fact, you won't get your bill until you ask for it.
21:19It's rude for the waiter to present the bill
21:21before you ask for it.
21:23What's your take on the tipping situation
21:25in a place like this?
21:275%. That's good.
21:29The waiters are paid well.
21:30They get health benefits.
21:31They get retirement.
21:32They're not working for a tip.
21:34A tip is a polite thing to do if the service was good.
21:36So you could just round it up?
21:37I think rounding up is a really...
21:39If it's 18-year-olds, leave 20.
21:41It really is about enjoying the moment.
21:43And it's, you know, for me, it's theater.
21:46I've sat right here many times over the years,
21:49and it never gets old.
21:50I mean, look how these seats are set up.
21:52It is a theater.
21:53And the stage is Paris.
21:59The leisurely afternoon soon turns into
22:01a bustling evening.
22:04And much of Paris lights up after dark.
22:10The characteristic lanes of the Latin Quarter thrive
22:12with a fun-loving energy popular with tourists.
22:16And that includes jazz clubs.
22:19I love how jazz is so American,
22:21and at the same time it's very Parisian and French.
22:23You're right about that, man.
22:24It was the rage between the wars,
22:26thanks to American soldiers.
22:28Still is today.
22:29In fact, there are jazz clubs everywhere.
22:31I'm gonna take you to my favorite.
22:33In this well-established haunt,
22:48which fills a centuries-old cellar
22:50with lovers of jazz and dance,
22:52locals and tourists alike mix it up.
23:17Steve and I have a fun ritual
23:19for capping any visit to Paris.
23:23We're taking a blitz tour
23:25of the city's best nighttime views.
23:28While you can do it by taxi or Uber,
23:30we're splurging for a ride in a vintage car
23:33at Du Chavon.
23:35Paris is la ville des Lumières,
23:37which means the city of lights,
23:39and its magic at night.
23:43The French raise flood lighting to an art form,
23:46and with a city as beautiful as Paris,
23:48it's no wonder.
23:52The stately Arc de Triomphe crowns its boulevard.
23:56Les Invalides, with its golden dome
23:58marking Napoleon's tomb, is magnifique.
24:02The nostalgic blades of Moulin Rouge keep turning
24:06as red lights still tempt lost souls in Pigalle.
24:11Notre Dame is particularly dramatic after dark.
24:16Sightseeing boats enliven the river
24:19and its sparkling bridges.
24:21The pyramid at the Louvre glows from within,
24:25and the Eiffel Tower stands like a reliable friend
24:29to the millions of Parisians
24:31proud to call this, the city of light, their home.
24:40Traveling here, I realize I could come back to this city
24:42for the rest of my life and never get enough.
24:45And that's why, to me, Paris is the capital of Europe.
24:49Thanks for joining us.
24:50I'm Rick Steves.
24:51Until next time, keep on traveling.
24:55And today, the city no longer turns its back,
24:58cha-cha on its river.
25:00I want my snail.
25:06Well, this is fun.
25:07I'm going back and forth like a pinball.
25:09It's the best of a city that puts the sparkling life
25:12like none other, Paris.
25:15It just went off.
25:17What's that?
25:18It's gone.
25:20Did we finish it?
25:21No.
25:22No.
25:23No.
25:24No.
25:25No.
25:38No.
25:39No.
25:40No.
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