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00:00Hey, I'm Rick Steves, back with more of the best of Europe.
00:04This time, we're in a city that puts the sparkling life like none other, Paris.
00:09Thanks for joining us.
00:30Paris is a city of world-class attractions, perhaps the most popular city in Europe.
00:47But more fundamentally, it's a city of locals, of Parisians.
00:52As a visitor, it's rewarding to see this city, beyond its great sights, as a place millions call home.
01:00Enjoying the Paris of the Parisians, we'll cruise the River Seine and share in French pride.
01:08We'll shop for a dinner party, the way Parisians do, and enjoy vibrant life on the riverbanks.
01:15And we'll groove with the locals at an underground jazz club,
01:20before finishing by celebrating the city of light in vintage style.
01:26We start with a sight near and dear to the Parisians, the Eiffel Tower.
01:31They built it in 1889, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution,
01:37and to show off at a world's fair.
01:40And this muscular symbol of the industrial age has been showing off ever since.
01:45This 1,000-foot-tall tower was a marvel in its day, an engineering feat trumpeting progress and ingenuity.
01:56And today, it's a major tourist attraction.
02:00Lines can be long, but we've booked online in advance and can go right up.
02:06In its day, this elevator must have been a marvel.
02:10We're checking out all three levels.
02:13The first level, at about 200 feet, has a restaurant, a few amusements, and nice views.
02:21But my favorite view is from the second level.
02:24At about 400 feet, it's plenty high.
02:28From here, I can spot the big sights we'll be visiting and take a moment to get the lay of the Parisian land.
02:37And for a price, you can go all the way to the top.
02:40Imagine the spectacle a century ago, atop what was the world's tallest structure,
02:46enjoying an airplane view before there were airplanes.
02:51After summiting, I enjoy walking down from the second level without the elevator
02:56for a close-up look at Eiffel's erector set construction.
03:01Thousands of iron beams and countless rivets.
03:10Talk about a confident age.
03:13They built this entire thing on schedule in about two years with prefabricated parts.
03:18And when the fair was over, they planned to tear it all down.
03:22Thank goodness they reconsidered.
03:25For perhaps a more relaxing overview of the city,
03:28I like a touristic cruise up and down the river.
03:32Boats go all the time and come with a light narration.
03:37The Seine is the lifeblood of Paris.
03:40It's busy with boatloads of both cargo powering from the Atlantic deep into France...
03:46and tourists, enamored with the parade of Parisian landmarks.
03:54The bridges, bestowed on the city by kings and emperors over the centuries, tell a story.
04:01N means thanks to Napoleon.
04:05The delightfully ornamented Alexander III Bridge
04:08celebrates a French-Russian alliance from 1892.
04:12And Pont Neuf, that means the new bridge, is actually the oldest.
04:18From 1607, it was the first stone bridge crossing the Seine.
04:24The city was born in ancient times, on an island in the middle of the river.
04:28It was here, on the Ile de la Cité, centuries before Christ,
04:32that the Romans conquered a local fishing tribe called the Parisi,
04:36and founded a city named for them, Paris.
04:40And on that island, built upon the ruins of a Roman temple,
04:43was the Notre Dame Cathedral.
04:46Imagine the faith of the people who built this,
04:49breaking ground in 1163,
04:51on a building which wouldn't be finished for 200 years.
04:56And the faithful have been worshiping in this church,
04:59inspired by its art and architecture,
05:01for more than 800 years.
05:04Gothic architects incorporated the latest technology,
05:08flying buttresses, to support the heavy rooftop,
05:11and its ghoulish gargoyles multitask.
05:14They serve as fancy rain spouts
05:16and scare away the evil spirits.
05:20The church is dedicated to Our Lady,
05:23or Notre Dame in French.
05:25Mary cradles the baby Jesus,
05:28while the rose window provides a majestic halo.
05:35Heroically rebuilt and looking brand new
05:38after the tragic fire of 2019,
05:40today the beloved Notre Dame is, as much as ever,
05:45a beacon of hope for the city of light.
05:50Just upstream from the Ile de la Cité is another island,
05:53the Petite-Ile-Saint-Louis,
05:56connected to its big sister by a cute pedestrian bridge.
06:00This smaller, more residential island
06:02is a reminder of how,
06:03even in the historic core of the city,
06:05Paris is a collection of neighborhoods.
06:08The island gives us a first taste
06:10of this city's love of good living.
06:12It seems to specialize in that joie de vivre,
06:15from thriving bistros,
06:17to decadent ice cream shops,
06:19to families and friends gathering
06:21on the banks of the river.
06:26Centuries ago, the banks of the Seine
06:28were just miserable mud, like a mucky cesspool.
06:31Then, in the 1800s, these embankments were built,
06:34and today the city no longer turns its back on its river.
06:38Its renovated banks are now thriving,
06:41a great equalizer where all citizens
06:43can enjoy a waterfront perch.
06:46All along the river, Parisians savor the moment,
06:50gathering with friends and enjoying a picnic dinner.
06:53Summer evenings bring out the crowds,
06:56young and old, enjoying urban living at its best.
07:00Once-busy expressways along the riverbank
07:03are now closed to cars,
07:05and each summer, the city government
07:07creates an urban beach for its people.
07:10They truck in potted palm trees, hammocks, lounge chairs,
07:14and 2,000 tons of sand to make a popular fun zone,
07:19a virtual Riviera in the city center.
07:25And the fun spills all along the riverbanks.
07:28Here, it's a multi-generational free-for-all.
07:31People dancing their hearts out,
07:34like an impromptu music festival.
07:37Inviting scenes like this offer a perfect chance
07:53to see Paris at play and play with Paris.
07:57Paris can be overwhelming.
08:04To feel more settled,
08:06I like to choose a neighborhood and make it home.
08:08And it seems like each neighborhood has a market street
08:11that gives it a small-town charm.
08:14For those learning the fine art of living Parisian style,
08:18market streets can be ideal.
08:20My local friend, Natalie,
08:22is shopping for a dinner party on Rue Claire,
08:24and I'm tagging along.
08:27So in France, I like the way it's all about seasonal,
08:30and that means good flavor.
08:32It's almost like a religion.
08:33You have to have the best flavor.
08:35Yeah, you have to have the best flavor,
08:36the best colors, and for example, like tomatoes.
08:40You don't eat tomatoes during the winter
08:42because they are faceless.
08:44If it's in season, it's local.
08:46Oh, yeah.
08:47Most of them come from the Ile-de-France.
08:49You know, it's around Paris, and especially,
08:51look at this.
08:52These are beautiful.
08:53Yeah, look at these tomatoes.
08:54You can have this one, this color,
08:57little ones like this, you know.
08:59This one, for example, you see?
09:01I can see that now.
09:02So it's going to...
09:03We know it's going to be flavorful,
09:04but also you're thinking how it looks.
09:05Yeah, yeah, yeah.
09:06So you're raising the bar.
09:07It's seasonal and it's pretty.
09:09Yup.
09:10Okay, it's time for the meat course.
09:11There's a lot of options.
09:12Yeah, yeah.
09:13But as it's summer, we don't want to eat too much meat,
09:16so lamb chops are perfect.
09:18Bonjour, Monsieur.
09:19Bonjour.
09:20Je voudrais des petites cĂ´tes d'agneau, lĂ .
09:22Je les cuites pendant combien de temps?
09:24On avait...
09:25On avait...
09:26On a deux, trois minutes.
09:27On a deux, trois minutes.
09:28On a deux, trois minutes.
09:29OK, deux, trois minutes.
09:30OK, deux, trois minutes.
09:31So what did he tell you?
09:32I asked him how long should I cook them.
09:35He said, if you like them, rosé.
09:37He said, not to cook, you know,
09:39two, three minutes on each side.
09:41That's it.
09:42So I love this.
09:43You know this man.
09:44You trust his advice.
09:46Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
09:47Because they know.
09:48Ce sera tout aujourd'hui, merci.
09:50Ah, yes.
09:51The cheese shop.
09:52This is just a festival of molds.
09:54Smell.
09:55Smell how good that is.
09:56Yeah.
09:57In a French meal,
09:58you really have to have cheese.
10:00Oh, we'll take this.
10:02Camembert Ă la truffe, un morceau.
10:04That's beautiful.
10:06It's truffled camembert.
10:08Oh.
10:09It's a new thing.
10:11Before, they started with the brie,
10:13but now they do the camembert.
10:15It's so good.
10:16It's so good.
10:17Oh, cheese now, you see.
10:19Un morceau de comté, vous avez du...
10:21Moi.
10:22I like 24 months old comté
10:25because it's flavory.
10:27Flavory, OK.
10:28So older is more flavor.
10:29The older is better.
10:30Oui, oui.
10:31C'est bien.
10:32C'est bien.
10:34The street is lined with shops
10:36to cover each item on Natalie's menu.
10:38Up next, wine.
10:40Bonjour, Chloé.
10:42Bonjour.
10:43So we know our meat, we know our cheese.
10:45Yeah.
10:46Now we select the correct wine.
10:48Absolutely.
10:49You can't have, like, any wine with your food.
10:52You have to pick up the right one
10:54because it is a combination of wine and food
10:57that people enjoy in France.
11:00For the lamb chops, we select a light red wine
11:04and something more robust for the cheese course.
11:08This is the region of Bordeaux.
11:10Absolutely.
11:11And it's a medoc.
11:12Like that.
11:13This is so beautiful.
11:14With the cheese and now with the wine neighboring
11:16on the same street with beautiful people
11:18who are experts to help us out.
11:20Absolutely.
11:21Absolutely.
11:23Oh, life is good.
11:25And no French dinner would be complete
11:27without a fresh baked baguette.
11:29Okay.
11:30Merci.
11:31And a bouquet of flowers for the table.
11:33This one would be perfect.
11:35This here?
11:36Yeah.
11:37This, like little sunflower.
11:38That's nice.
11:39And this one.
11:40I like this one, the pinky one.
11:41Look how pretty.
11:42Oh, look at that.
11:43Yeah.
11:44Me too.
11:45Thank you, Rick.
11:46It was fun.
11:47Bon appétit.
11:48Merci beaucoup.
11:49Merci, Natalie.
11:50Bye.
11:51I'm hopping the metro to visit another neighborhood.
11:55Paris has the most extensive subway system on the continent,
11:59and it's clearly the fastest and most convenient way
12:02to get around town.
12:03Trains come frequently.
12:05The system is state-of-the-art and easy to use.
12:09It works, and the people here love it.
12:13The Marais is another distinct Parisian neighborhood,
12:22and I'm meeting up with my friend and fellow tour guide,
12:25Thierry Godusson.
12:27I love the Marais.
12:29Of course you do.
12:30I mean, this is a typical classical neighborhood of Paris.
12:33Look at the beautiful atmosphere,
12:34look at the architecture everywhere, you know?
12:36Yeah, yeah.
12:37Yeah.
12:38And this is my neighborhood.
12:39I live here.
12:40I love to take a moment just to appreciate
12:43Parisian street scenes like this.
12:45Once a mucky slum, marais means swamp,
12:49it was drained and gentrified in the 17th century
12:52by King Henry IV.
12:54With Henry's support, Place des Vosges became the centerpiece
12:58of what was the finest neighborhood in town.
13:01The Marais is a pretty small part of Paris,
13:03a pretty small neighborhood,
13:04but now this is the place to be.
13:06And this would be the center, this Place des Vosges.
13:09Exactly.
13:10We say it's Bobo.
13:11Bobo.
13:12Bobo.
13:13First Bo stands for bourgeois,
13:15second Bo for bohemian.
13:17I like that.
13:18Bobo.
13:19It's very Bobo.
13:20Yes.
13:22The park-like square is a reminder
13:24that Paris is more than a collection of world-class museums.
13:28For millions of people, it's home.
13:30A place to raise a family,
13:33enjoy a relaxed retirement,
13:35or rendezvous with a lover.
13:40The Marais has long been home to Paris's Jewish community.
13:44So historically,
13:45they're the oldest Jewish neighborhood of Paris.
13:48Okay.
13:49So why did the Jews settle here?
13:50Because before there was some swamps here.
13:52Swamps.
13:53Okay.
13:54And nobody wanted to come over here.
13:55It was a very poor real estate
13:57in a real cheap part of the city.
13:59I remember when I first came here,
14:00this was delis and so much Jewish business here.
14:03So right.
14:04Still a couple of them left,
14:05but most of the time you can see everywhere
14:07some trendy shops and boutiques everywhere.
14:10It's a good example of how neighborhoods,
14:12they evolve and change their personalities.
14:14The evolution of so many neighborhoods, you know.
14:16If it's cheap, it attracts the bobo.
14:19Exactly.
14:20You're right.
14:21A new word for you, bobo.
14:22That's pretty cool.
14:23And then it becomes trendy.
14:24Exactly.
14:25And trendy Marais boutiques make for fun window shopping.
14:30Paris is famous for its fashion.
14:33So the window is like a work of art.
14:35Yeah.
14:36We said in French,
14:38like to lick the window.
14:41Literally you lick the window.
14:44You want to step in, you want to spend money,
14:46you want to become French.
14:48Along with classy boutiques,
14:50Paris is famed for its elegant department stores.
14:53Invented here in Paris,
14:55department stores were the first to offer the convenience
14:57and efficiency of a variety of small shops under one roof.
15:02And the Galerie Lafayette's roof is a fine example.
15:05Its centerpiece is a Belle Epoque dome.
15:08Dating from 1912,
15:10it's an unforgettable example of Art Nouveau
15:13and a hit with shoppers.
15:18The good life in Paris is easy to take for granted,
15:21but today's freedoms and civil liberties
15:23didn't come without a struggle.
15:25And the pinnacle of that struggle,
15:27an epic event that reverberates
15:28in the spirit of its people to this day,
15:30was the French Revolution.
15:32It was launched in 1789
15:34with the storming of a prison
15:36that stood on this square.
15:38That notorious prison was called the Bastille.
15:41Angry Parisians stormed it,
15:43released its prisoners,
15:45and then tore it down.
15:49Today, it's one of Europe's great non-sites.
15:52There's nothing left to see.
15:54But what we do see is the modern city
15:57that followed that revolution.
15:59A city designed not for kings, but for people.
16:03That urban design goes back to the mid-1800s,
16:06when the government commissioned Baron Haussmann
16:09to modernize the city,
16:11including its riverside embankments.
16:13Along with that, he ripped up most of medieval Paris
16:16and created the city's grand boulevards.
16:19And he lined those avenues
16:21with what became known as Haussmann architecture,
16:24stately buildings with uniform facades,
16:27wrought iron balconies,
16:29and iconic slate rooftops.
16:32Paris has built upon that planning heritage,
16:36making the city ever more green and livable,
16:39creating pedestrian zones,
16:41favoring bikes and public transit over cars,
16:45and even turning elevated rail lines
16:48of the industrial age
16:49into skinny green belts high above street level,
16:52ideal for bikers and strollers.
16:56Today, like a citywide game of connect-the-dots,
16:59wide Parisian boulevards lead to famous landmarks,
17:02like the Pantheon, built to honor illustrious Parisians,
17:06and to the stately Opera House.
17:13The opera's lobby, as big as the auditorium itself,
17:16provided the public an elegant showcase
17:18in which to see and be seen.
17:22A dazzling hall, just right for sipping champagne,
17:25leads into the grand theater,
17:27famously crowned with a wondrous ceiling
17:30by Marc Chagall.
17:35Another majestic avenue leads to the Hotel des Envelies.
17:39Built by Louis XIV in the 1600s
17:42as a veteran's hospital,
17:44this massive building now houses
17:46Europe's greatest military museum.
17:49And under a grand dome,
17:52which glitters with 26 pounds
17:54of thinly pounded gold leaf,
17:57lies the majestic tomb of Napoleon.
18:04The Arc de Triomphe was finished just in time
18:07for the funeral procession
18:09that welcomed Napoleon's body home in 1840.
18:12The stately arch is a memorial
18:14to France's many military campaigns,
18:17and is particularly stirring on national holidays,
18:20when it flies the French flag.
18:24And that arch caps the city's main drag,
18:27arguably Europe's grandest avenue,
18:29the Champs-Elysées.
18:30Built in the 1600s,
18:32it originated as a queen's carriageway
18:35leading away from the palace gardens.
18:37The boulevard has been redesigned.
18:39With fewer lanes for cars and wider sidewalks,
18:42it's a promenade not for royals,
18:45but for the people.
18:48Some days it's the finale
18:49of the Tour de France bike race.
18:51Some days it's stepped out for Christmas,
18:53for Bastille Day parades,
18:55and some days it's entirely car-free.
18:58In post-revolutionary France,
19:00the people rule,
19:02and there's always a garden or park nearby.
19:05Perhaps the finest originated
19:07as the king's backyard, the Tuileries.
19:10The cafes, gardens, and ponds
19:12provide a fine place to simply enjoy
19:14a quiet moment of contemplation
19:16in the middle of the city.
19:18Here in Luxembourg Gardens,
19:20there's a tranquility,
19:21a refined orderliness
19:23enjoyed by young and old alike.
19:25The gardens are impeccably tended,
19:28and for generations,
19:30children have launched dreams on this pond.
19:34Beyond its glorious monuments and buildings,
19:37Paris is a city simply in love with life.
19:41Paris is home to the ultimate cafe culture.
19:46With thousands of cafes,
19:48there's always one nearby.
19:50These are where friends rendezvous,
19:54and we're meeting up with Steve Smith,
19:56co-author of my France guidebook
19:58and a consummate cafe-sitter.
20:01Cafe-sitting, quintessentially Parisian.
20:04Yeah, it is, it is.
20:06I think the first cafes were invented here
20:08since the 1600s.
20:09People have been coming to places just like this
20:12to talk to each other,
20:14to get out of their small apartments
20:16and enjoy life,
20:18and be part of it,
20:19not be separated from it.
20:21Slowing down is the whole point, Rick.
20:23It is the whole point.
20:24You're not judged by how much you've accomplished in a day
20:26by any means in this country.
20:28You're judged by whom you've talked to,
20:30how much are you savoring life,
20:32however you define it.
20:34A lot of times back home, when I go to my favorite cafe,
20:37it seems like a temporary office space.
20:39Everybody's got a laptop.
20:40It seems like a library to me.
20:41I know what you mean.
20:42But here, there's noise in the cafe
20:44because people are talking to each other.
20:45You won't see a laptop.
20:47The point of coming to a cafe is not to work.
20:50It is to visit.
20:52It's a requirement not to be in a rush.
20:54And why would you when you have five weeks paid vacation
20:56and a 35-hour work week?
20:58And did I mention every Catholic holiday?
21:01They have time to enjoy doing exactly
21:03what we seem to have to wedge in to a busy day.
21:07It's one of the bad things about travel.
21:10You realize how good other people have it.
21:12Yes, it's true.
21:14I got so many friends that I've heard complain
21:16about slow service in France.
21:18Yeah, well, slow service is good service over here.
21:21That's right.
21:22In fact, you won't get your bill until you ask for it.
21:25It's rude for the waiter to present the bill
21:27before you ask for it.
21:29What's your take on the tipping situation
21:31in a place like this?
21:32Five percent.
21:33That's good.
21:34The waiters are paid well.
21:35They get health benefits.
21:37They get retirement.
21:38They are not working for a tip.
21:39A tip is a polite thing to do if the service was good.
21:42So you could just round it up.
21:43I think rounding up is a really...
21:44If it's 18-year-olds, leave 20.
21:46It really is about enjoying the moment.
21:48And it's, you know, for me, it's theater.
21:51I've sat right here many times over the years.
21:54And it never gets old.
21:55I mean, look how these seats are set up.
21:57It is a theater.
21:58And the stage is Paris.
22:01The leisurely afternoon soon turns into a bustling evening.
22:08And much of Paris lights up after dark.
22:12The characteristic lanes of the Latin Quarter thrive
22:17with a fun-loving energy popular with tourists.
22:21And that includes jazz clubs.
22:24I love how jazz is still American,
22:26and at the same time, it's very Parisian and French.
22:29You're right about that, man.
22:30It was the rage between the wars,
22:32thanks to American soldiers.
22:33It still is today.
22:34In fact, there are jazz clubs everywhere.
22:36I'm gonna take you to my favorite.
22:39In this well-established haunt,
22:53which fills a centuries-old cellar
22:55with lovers of jazz and dance,
22:57locals and tourists alike mix it up.
23:22Steve and I have a fun ritual
23:24for capping any visit to Paris.
23:28We're taking a blitz tour
23:30of the city's best nighttime views.
23:33While you can do it by taxi or Uber,
23:35we're splurging for a ride in a vintage car
23:38at Du Cheval.
23:40Paris is la ville des Lumières,
23:43which means the city of lights
23:45and its magic at night.
23:48The French raise floodlighting to an art form,
23:51and with a city as beautiful as Paris,
23:54it's no wonder.
23:58The stately Arc de Triomphe crowns its boulevard.
24:01Les Envalides, with its golden dome
24:04marking Napoleon's tomb, is magnifique.
24:07The nostalgic blades of Moulin Rouge keep turning,
24:11as red lights still tempt lost souls in Pigalle.
24:16Notre Dame is particularly dramatic after dark.
24:21Sightseeing boats enliven the river
24:23and its sparkling bridges.
24:26The pyramid at the Louvre glows from within,
24:29and the Eiffel Tower stands like a reliable friend
24:34to the millions of Parisians proud to call this,
24:37the city of light, their home.
24:44Traveling here, I realize I could come back to this city
24:47for the rest of my life and never get enough.
24:50And that's why, to me, Paris is the capital of Europe.
24:54Thanks for joining us.
24:55I'm Rick Steves.
24:56Until next time, keep on traveling.
25:00And today, the city no longer turns its back,
25:03cha-cha on its river.
25:05I want my snail.
25:10Well, this is fun.
25:12I'm going back and forth like a pinball.
25:14It's the best of a city that puts the sparkling life
25:17like none other, Paris.
25:20It just went off.
25:22What's that?
25:23It's gone.
25:24Did we finish it?
25:26No.
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