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Paris is big...beautiful and amazing city... City of contrasts...
In this part of the tour I want to show you a different Paris... Not the one we see in advertising brochures...
Parisians are no less interesting than the architecture of Paris... What are they like? What are they doing? What are they thinking about? What are they interested in? One can only guess about this...
So, a year later... March 2009... part 3... "Paris and the Parisians"...
And this is my assistant... A European, made (as usual) in China... A traveler and part-time guide... His name is Chuk... and his brother Gek lives with my friend...
We saw them in a store at a gas station and couldn’t pass by... We probably didn’t play enough of them in childhood...
What did Chuk see?
Who is this? I think everyone guessed it... This is how people without a fixed place of residence spend their time. Yes, yes, they are in Paris too.
I remember how a friend told me..."What do you think was the first thing I saw in Paris? An intellectual homeless man who was lying on a mattress under a bridge and reading a book"...
Then I was surprised, because the St. Petersburg “comrades” don’t look like intellectuals at all... But then I was convinced... That’s right... They’re lying...reading...And, in the most tourist places... So they move with their mattresses from place to place...
Bicycles. There are a great many of them in Paris... Very convenient... You can take a bike in one place and return it in another... There are also traffic jams in Paris, so bicycles help out...
I didn’t notice that someone was guarding them. Simply, you throw money into the machine and take it... How this happens technically, I don’t know, but it’s very interesting... Maybe there is some kind of security deposit?
If you know, please tell me...
There are a lot of people... It’s probably hard to surprise Muscovites (I haven’t been for a long time, I don’t know how it is now), but in St. Petersburg there are still fewer...
I still continue to be amazed that everyone is sitting on the steps...
I really want to travel around Paris on a sightseeing bus... There are several routes with an audio guide. You can get off at stops..., in those places where you especially liked, walk, take pictures and get on the next bus... It's very convenient...
Cafe. They're on every corner. The tables are located very close to each other, so if you want privacy, it is almost impossible... Maybe it’s different inside... I don’t know...
The French love to have breakfast in a cafe and, it seems to me, watch passers-by...
Isn't it cute? A little Frenchman studies the world behind his dad's back...
A beautiful building... I guess I once knew what it was... but I forgot, so for me it’s just a beautiful building...
No... I went to get a book... What kind of “guide” is this that doesn’t know anything... I found it...
The Saint-Jacques Tower is 52 m high... This is all that has survived from the ancient church of Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie, destroyed in 1797 during the revolution...
I am sure that this information is not able to stick in memory for a long time, but for show we found out...
Children... They are children in Paris too... They play everywhere...
And we are going to the Luxembourg Gardens - a large park, which is located in the center of the Latin Quarter (the university center of Paris)...
A plant unknown to me... I love yellow flowers...
And at the end of March I simply adore them...
The Luxembourg Gardens are located on the left bank of the Seine.
The left bank of Paris is famous for the magical charm of a truly French flavor.
Here, every brick of ancient mansions is imbued with subtle notes of the Parisian mood, which sweeps through the centuries in romantic waves through small cafes, majestic cathedrals, captivating rose gardens and the smiling eyes of noisy townspeople.
It feels like all of Paris is in the park now... And again, like in a cafe, everyone is sitting very close to each other...
Or they lie... although the ground is still cold...
It’s better this way, on a bench... Paris is the city of lovers... Remember this?
There is a huge head in the Luxembourg Gardens. This is a bronze sculpture of “The Prophet”, 6.5 meters high and weighing 12 tons, created in 2007 by sculptor Louis Derbre.
He believes that the face of the prophet, personifying wisdom, is, as it were, opposed to the hypocrisy that has become common in our time. As they say, there is no arguing about opinions.
The center of the park is the luxurious palace of Marie de Medici - the Luxembourg Palace. Previously, works by Rubens dedicated to the queen hung there, and now periodically exhibitions of artists and sculptors of different schools and directions are held. Admission to them is completely free, since the masters are exhibited to gain fame and in the hope that the city or some admirer of this type of creativity will purchase their work.
The Seine is a large shipping route; the main ports of this waterway are Paris, Le Havre and Rouen. Many artificial canals connect the Seine with other rivers. Today, the Seine is an important factor in the development of the city; unofficially it is considered the 21st arrondissement of Paris (there are 20 in total). It is believed that the capital of France is divided into two parts: the right bank of the river, where the trade and business part of the city is concentrated, and the left bank with its cultural and educational life.
On the right bank is the world famous Louvre with a complex of art museums. Architectural structures in the Tuileries Garden, the triumphal arch of the Carousel, the obelisk from ancient egypt on the Place de la Concorde. There, on the Place de l'Etoile, is the Arc de Triomphe, Napoleon's dream, which he never saw. For opera lovers, on the right bank, the famous Grand Opera is located, and those who want to watch the famous cancan are welcome at the Moulin Rouge.
We are driving along the banks of the Seine. So what do we see?
Rows of used bookstores stretch along the Seine... In each district they sell different literature, somewhere science fiction, somewhere detective stories, etc... That is, if you need some kind of book, then it’s immediately clear where you can find it ...
Here they are...these book boxes...
And what do they not have...
Not only in Amsterdam they live on barges and ships. In Paris, too, there is such housing... expensive and elite... Pierre Richard lives on such a “vessel”... And he feels great in this environment...
I think he has other housing...
Parisian streets are very nice...and pleasant...
And everywhere there are cafes...cafes...cafes... They love to eat, they love... It’s not for nothing that French cuisine is considered one of the best...
I was thinking about something... I've never heard of English cuisine... Probably, the English only cook oatmeal well...
These neighborhoods resemble a branch of a large garbage dump... It feels like the streets are not cleaned at all...
There are no boutiques there, but there are shops that look like flea markets...
It turned out to be a strange photo... It’s like a shield in his hands... Protecting his neighborhood from uninvited guests... Scaring away with his appearance...
And again, a Parisian without a fixed place of residence... She carefully placed her slippers, hung up the bag... The “apartment” was in order...
And this is probably French fashion... Dress and trousers... And she’s not afraid that the fabric will get caught in the wheel... Nice girl, isn’t she?
Wow! We got out of that block... This is the Champs Elysees... The famous street, sung by poets...
For a long time I looked for what could inspire them... I couldn’t find it... An ordinary wide street without vegetation, on which expensive hotels, boutiques and restaurants are located...
I was not impressed by the Champs Elysees...
True, the street is long... Maybe we didn’t see the part that everyone likes? Although, it seems like we ran through it all when we had a free day...
How many people are there!!!... Are there really so many rich people in Paris that they hang out in such numbers on the Champs Elysees...
In 1977, the National Center for Art and Culture named after Georges Pompidou (Le Center National d'Art et de Culture Georges Pompidou) was inaugurated in Paris - a multifunctional cultural complex that includes the main Parisian Museum of Modern Art, a rich library, exhibition and concert halls, the Institute for Research and Coordination of Acoustics and Music with ultra-modern laboratories and, finally, a vast area in front of the main entrance, which serves as an arena for performances by traveling artists, musicians, and circus performers.
Built in a high-tech style, the Center, commonly referred to as Beaubourg, looks like a huge factory or oil refinery: steel, glass, intertwining red and blue pipes, beams - all structural elements are placed outside, while the interior is - kind of like hangars.
National Center for Culture and Art named after. Georges Pompidou is located in the center of the ancient quarter of Beaubourg. Among the restored and renovated buildings of the quarter, it stands out for its modern architecture. The idea of its creation belongs to French President Georges Pompidou. Out of 680 competition entries, the project of the Italian Renzo Piano and the American Richard Rogers was chosen. The constructed building consists of six glazed parallelepipeds, with all brightly painted fittings, elevators, escalators and pipelines exposed outside. This design of the building made it possible to free up a maximum of usable space - 40 thousand m2. But water pipes freeze, and very complex and labor-intensive maintenance of the building costs 5 million francs annually.
This strange, at first glance, building has caused debate and heated debate since its creation in 1977. Many argued that the building did not fit into its surroundings, calling it an oil refinery or a drilling rig. But over time they got used to Bobur, appreciating his many advantages. The Pompidou Center currently attracts more visitors than any other attraction in the capital.
I’ve already talked about it... But I want to come back here... Moreover, last time we didn’t go inside...
And it’s very beautiful there... and majestic... Frescoes, stained glass windows... Some kind of special atmosphere...
And how they sing there... The church choir in French is something... I didn’t want to leave...
An exact copy... This is how huge it is - this beautiful cathedral... Notre Dame Cathedral...
I remembered about Esmeralda... and Quasimodo... I remember how, as a child, I was amazed by the film, and then by the book...
The Latin Quarter (Quartie Latine) got its name from the Sorbonne, a technological college where teaching was conducted in Latin and in the open air since 1257 (the university building was built only in the 17th century).
There are still a lot of students in these places, although there are still more tourists...
This is one of the liveliest areas of Paris, here you can find a cozy cafe with reasonable prices... and at any time of the day you will meet street musicians and barkers near small restaurants.
There is a special charm in the small streets of the quarter, where it is sometimes difficult for even two pedestrians to pass each other.
And this is a foam fountain...Funny, isn't it? I haven't seen it anywhere else...
We wandered and wandered... and wandered somewhere... Beautiful... Flowers everywhere...
It’s a pity that they haven’t completely blossomed yet... It seems to be a magnolia... But I’m not sure...
We decided that this was a botanical garden...
But, most likely, some kind of greenhouse...
We were freezing... We went to warm up in some cathedral... And again the French choir... Day off... Service...
So you can bask in a pleasant environment...
Added: Thanks to Helen (lev-alen)
I learned that this is the Church of Saint-Eustache (Eglise Saint-Eustache, in Russian texts often the Church of Saint Eustache. This church is one of the most unusual in Paris. Its construction began in 1532 and ended only in 1637.
The famous organ of the Church of Saint-Eustache is considered the largest organ in France, surpassing the size of the organs of the Church of Saint-Sulpice and Notre-Dame de Paris. The organ has 8,000 pipes
Richelieu, Moliere and Madame de Pompadour were baptized in it. Funeral services were held in the church for La Fontaine, Colbert, Moliere, Mirabeau, Rameau and the poet Voiture.
The church is named "Saint-Eustace" in memory of the Roman general Saint Eustace, who was burned along with his family for accepting Christianity.
Paris with Eiffel Tower looks wonderful... And it looks no less wonderful from the Montparnasse Tower...
Montparnasse (French tour Montparnasse) is a skyscraper located in the 15th arrondissement of the French capital Paris. The skyscraper has 57 floors and a height of 210 m. Construction of the skyscraper took place from 1969 to 1972.
The Montparnasse Tower is the only skyscraper located inside the city limits of Paris, and not in its “suburbs”.
On the upper floors of the building there is a café, a souvenir shop and an observation deck. There is a ladder to climb to the roof, from where you can open panoramic view for most of the city.
The simple design of the monolithic tower, its gigantic size and the architectural contrast it produces in the center historical Paris became the target of criticism, resulting in the banning of skyscraper construction in Paris two years after the completion of the Montparnasse Tower. Skyscraper design predates the trend of having a window in every office, so the Montparnasse Tower only has windows in the perimeter offices.
Cherry blossoms in Paris 2019: when to go, where to live, where to look for cherry blossom sites in the French capital. Annual start and end dates of flowering.
Parisians and guests of the capital never tire of thanking the Japanese for giving the world the cherry blossom festival. Or cherries, if we say so. The French quickly picked up the idea of making a cult out of an otherwise ordinary event, and received another reason for admiration. Now for local residents, swollen pink buds in the alleys become a harbinger of warmth, which means spring has finally come into its own.
For tourists, cherry blossoms (by the way, not only cherries, but also magnolias) are one of the main reasons to go to Paris in mid-spring. True, there are also travelers who find themselves in the capital in March by chance, and the blooming riot of pink simply sweeps them off their feet.
To avoid surprises, and possibly adjust your plans for visiting Paris, read the article from cover to cover. The spectacle is worth moving the trip from February to mid-April and even from May to the end of March - it’s not for nothing that Parisian photographers have all available places for these dates booked a year in advance.
When to go to Hanami in Paris 2019
Of course, it is impossible to predict the exact dates of flowering of the cherry trees in Paris - weather forecasters' forecasts vary too much. Hanami starts from the beginning of March and pleases the eye until mid-April. Nobody can say more precisely. Perhaps an experienced gardener who knows the character of each tree and the signs of future spring weather can give more or less specific guidance. And even then within one or two weeks. But this is still of little help to the average tourist. Because, whatever one may say, it’s better to look for tickets and book a hotel in advance.
The earlier the better. Even despite the prevailing opinion that cherry blossoms in Paris are a poorly promoted event, and the available hotel rooms are empty, and flights are cheap. Don't believe it. Firstly, hotels in Paris (especially good and inexpensive ones) are never idle by definition. Secondly, Europeans have long known how beautiful the capital of love is during this period, and for them, no matter where they fly from, Charles de Gaulle airport is just a stone's throw away - an hour or two and on the spot.
What should a Russian do when flying to catch most of the cherry trees in bloom? At the end of March or beginning of April - that's it. Focus on the dates from March 25 to April 7, you can’t go wrong. If you dream of a photo shoot (or photo excursion, as is fashionable now), book in advance. You can search on social networks, Instagram or Tripster, where you will get not only a photographer, but also a guide - two in one.
#2. Hotel Antin Trinity
Double room at Hotel Antin Trinité
Adequately priced hotel; The rooms are modern, newly renovated. Located opposite and a hundred meters from the Grand Opera. Stops nearby excursion buses, Rossybus to the airport and RER metro station. Breakfast is decent, staff is friendly.
#3. Hôtel De Lutece - Notre-Dame
Hôtel De Lutece near Notre Dame de Paris
The main advantage of the three-star hotel is its location on the island of Saint-Louis (through the bridge of the same name you can go straight to Notre-Dame de Paris). The interior of the rooms is designed in a light “palace” style, they have air conditioning and soundproofing, and free wi-fi. Breakfasts are very good!
#4. Elysees Union
Elysées Union is close to where the cherry blossoms bloom in Paris!
3 star hotel 10 minutes from the Eiffel Tower. Quiet Parisian street, calm area, with shops, cafes and bakeries. The rooms are small, but everything you need is available; The tower is visible from some windows. Breakfast " Buffet", and for Paris it is surprisingly generous, tasty and varied!
Other cherry blossom sites in Paris
Several Yet secret places cherry blossoms in spring Paris:
- Park Montsouris. Located on the left bank of the Seine, the nearest metro station is Cité Universitaire. The cherry trees bloom there quite generously, and the place is beautiful: in the center there is a small lake, a lot of cozy benches, and golf courses.
- Park So. This is for few people famous place in Paris, it is not even included in the rankings of the top 10 gardens and parks of the French capital. But the sakura blooms there surprisingly wildly - there are both pink and double-white ones. Remember the name in French "Sceaux". Metro station: Parc de Sceaux, RER line B.
- Martin Luther King Park. someone official name The square can be confusing because it is also known as Clichy-Batignolles. The nearest metro station is Brochant, not the RER.
That's all. For the first time, passwords and appearances are more than enough. Have a fragrant trip to Paris and mutual love in the most romantic city in the world!
Photo album containing best places cherry blossoms in Paris (near Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, in the parks of Seau, Montsouris and the Garden of Trees):
At noon on March 31, 1814, the cavalry led by Tsar Alexander I triumphantly entered Paris. The city was overrun by Russians. The Cossacks turned the banks of the Seine into a beach area. “Water procedures” were taken as in our native Don - in underwear or completely naked.
Chess move
On the 20th of March, Napoleon, after successful actions against the allies in France, went to the northeastern fortresses to strengthen the army and force the allies to retreat. He did not expect an attack on Paris, counting on the well-known intractability of the allied armies. However, on March 24, 1814, the Allies urgently approved a plan to attack the capital. To distract Napoleon, a 10,000-strong cavalry corps under the command of General Wintzingerode was sent against him. Meanwhile, the Allies, without waiting for the concentration of troops, began an attack on Paris. 6,000 soldiers were lost due to lack of preparedness. The city was taken within a day.
Having defeated a small detachment, Napoleon realized that he had been tricked: “This is an excellent chess move! I would never have believed that any Allied general was capable of doing this.”
All Paris
Most of all, the Parisians feared Russian revenge. There were stories about soldiers loving violence and playing barbaric games. For example, driving people naked for flogging in the cold.
Major General Mikhail Fedorovich Orlov, one of those who signed the surrender, recalled his first trip around the captured city:
“We rode on horseback and slowly, in the deepest silence. All that could be heard was the sound of the horses’ hooves, and from time to time several faces with anxious curiosity appeared in the windows, which quickly opened and quickly closed.”
When a proclamation of the Russian Tsar appeared on the streets of houses, promising residents special patronage and protection, many townspeople rushed to the north-eastern borders of the city to get at least a glimpse of the Russian Emperor. “There were so many people in the Place Saint-Martin, the Place Louis XV and the avenue that the divisions of the regiments could hardly pass through this crowd.” Particular enthusiasm was expressed by the Parisian young ladies who grabbed the hands of foreign soldiers and even climbed onto their saddles in order to get a better look at the conqueror-liberators entering the city. The Russian emperor fulfilled his promise to the city, stopping the slightest crimes
Cossacks in Paris
If Russian soldiers and officers could not be distinguished from Prussians and Austrians (except perhaps by their uniform), then the Cossacks were bearded, wearing trousers with stripes - the same as in the pictures in French newspapers. Only real Cossacks were kind. Delighted flocks of children ran after the Russian soldiers. And Parisian men soon began to wear beards “like the Cossacks”, and knives on wide belts, like the Cossacks.
During his stay in French capital The Cossacks turned the banks of the Seine into a beach area: they swam themselves and bathed their horses. “Water procedures” were taken as in our native Don - in underwear or completely naked. The popularity of the Cossacks and the great interest of Parisians in them is evidenced by the large number of references to them in French literature. George Sand's novel is even called: "Cossacks in Paris."
The Cossacks were captivated by the city, especially the beautiful girls, gambling houses and delicious wine. The Cossacks turned out to be not very gallant gentlemen: they squeezed the hands of Parisian women like bears, ate ice cream at Tortoni's on the Boulevard of Italians and stepped on the feet of visitors to the Palais Royal and the Louvre.
The Russians were seen by the French as gentle, but also not very delicate giants in their treatment. Parisian women gave the soldiers their first lessons in etiquette.
The French were frightened by the Asian cavalry regiments in the Russian army. For some reason they were horrified at the sight of the camels that the Kalmyks brought with them. French young ladies fainted when Tatar or Kalmyk warriors approached them in their caftans, hats, with bows over their shoulders, and with a bunch of arrows on their sides.
Once again about the bistro
The Parisians were amazed by their interactions with the Russians. French newspapers wrote about them as scary “bears” from a wild country where it is always cold. And the Parisians were surprised to see tall and strong Russian soldiers, who in appearance did not differ at all from the Europeans. And the Russian officers, moreover, almost all spoke French. There is a legend that soldiers and Cossacks entered Parisian cafes and hurried food peddlers: “Quickly, quickly!”, which is why eateries in Paris began to be called bistros.
However, this version is confirmed by French linguists. The first mention of the use of the word "bistrot" in French dates back to the 1880s. In addition, there are similar dialect and colloquial words, for example, bist(r)ouille, bistringue or bistroquet. The French etymological dictionary "Robert" associates bistro with dialect bistouille - "swill, bad alcohol." The Russian version qualifies it as “pure fantasy.”
The commander of the Russian occupation corps, Count Mikhail Vorontsov, paid everyone’s debts in 1818, when the last soldiers were leaving France. To do this, he had to sell the Krugloye estate.
Every person dreams of visiting Paris at least once in their life. But, having come here for a few days, you can easily get confused: after all, in this city the number of attractions is very large, and, of course, you won’t be able to see everything at once. Therefore, it is better for a tourist to plan in advance where to go in Paris first: see something during the day, something at night, and somewhere you will have to buy a ticket in advance, otherwise you may not get there.
The most famous attractions
In the capital of France, there is a whole list of world-famous sites that every tourist dreams of visiting, but some of them will require large quantity time for review. Therefore, such excursions must be planned in advance.
The most popular places, where you can go in Paris are, of course, the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, which are the most visited by tourists. In this regard, in order to save time, it is better to book such excursions in advance via the Internet, otherwise a confused tourist risks not getting there at all or standing in line for several hours, losing precious time.
Eiffel Tower
This tower, built in 1889 for the World's Fair, is a symbol of the city. At one time, it caused a storm of indignation among some sections of the city's artistic elite. And in 1909 they even planned to demolish it, but the tower was saved only because of its height and the ability to place transmitting antennas on it, necessary for radio broadcasts in the capital of France.
So this place is the most popular for tourists who come to Paris, where it is a must-see. Due to its height (324 m), the Eiffel Tower is visible from almost half of the city, and by climbing to the observation decks, any tourist will be able to see and admire almost all of Paris.
Louvre Museum
In order to walk around and examine all the works exhibited in the Louvre, you don’t even need a whole day, but a whole week or month. The entire palace complex (the former residence of Napoleon) occupies an area equal to 22 football fields. And this entire space is filled with thousands of works of art and a variety of jewelry, ceramics and decorative items. Every day it is visited by 25-30 thousand people.
The main sections of the museum are dedicated to the Ancient East and Egypt, Ancient Rome and Greece, painting (paintings by Raphael, Titian and about 6 thousand others), sculpture and decorative art. Even if a person is not very interested in art, then he will most likely definitely want to look at the famous “Madonna” by Raphael. Ticket price 10 euros.
Other Parisian museums
There are also museums and interesting places Paris, where a tourist interested in art would want to go:
- The Museum d'Orsay is one of the most popular and visited in the capital of France. It houses collections of impressionist artists. It is located directly opposite the Louvre in the former building of the same name railway station, built in 1900 also for the beginning of the World Exhibition to receive visiting visitors. However, after the event, train service on these routes was not in demand, and they wanted to demolish it. In 1971, with the support of J. Pompidou, they decided to reconstruct it as a museum, and part of the collections from the Louvre was moved here.
- Orangerie Museum - appeared on the site of the greenhouse in the Tuileries Garden in 1927, and after reconstruction in 2006 it became a full-fledged exhibition displaying collections of the Impressionists (1st floor), and its main highlight is 8 huge canvases with water lilies by K. Monet, occupying almost the entire 2nd floor. According to visitors' reviews, the water lilies even change slightly in different weather: they become grayer in the rain, and glow on their own on a sunny day.
- The museum (opened since 1977) presents exclusively modern forms of art; exhibitions are constantly held here, where all lovers of unusual and extraordinary forms of art will definitely want to go to in Paris.
- Museums of artists Salvador Dali, Picasso, sculptor Rodin.
- For lovers of French literature, there are the museums of Balzac and Victor Hugo.
- As well as museums of advertising, erotica, fashion, playing cards, magic, even sewers and many others.
Famous Notre Dame de Paris
Notre Dame Cathedral is another must-see in Paris. It is located on the island of Cite, from which the city itself once began to be built. This year the cathedral turns 855 years old, and it was built over two centuries, and during these years its style managed to change from Romanesque to Gothic, incorporating the best features of both.
Even after reading the famous book by V. Hugo or getting to know him through textbooks or films, it is impossible without visiting him personally to experience all the beauty and grandeur of this monumental structure. Having seen with your own eyes its portals and the scary figures of gargoyles on the facade, visiting it on a tour or during a Sunday mass, held to the sounds of the organ (the largest in France), everyone will receive an indelible impression that they will remember for the rest of their lives.
Montmartre and Sacré-Coeur Church
The Montmartre area has been famous for more than 100 years for the artists' workshops located here, some of whom practice their art in the nearby streets. On the most high point On the Montmartre hill there is also the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Christ - one of the most beautiful churches that many experienced tourists will recommend to visit in Paris.
The Sacré-Coeur Church was founded in the place where bloody revolutionary battles had previously taken place at the end of the 19th century, and was built over the course of 40 years, and received its name in honor of one of the Catholic holidays.
The cathedral, 94 m high, is built of snow-white limestone, the property of which is that when exposed to rain, the stone becomes covered with a shiny coating, from which the building itself sparkles with such whiteness. The architecture of the basilica mixed elements of Gothic, Romanesque and Byzantine architecture, which is why locals gave it the nickname “national cake.”
Triumphal Arch
This monument to military valor was built in the northern part of the Champs-Elysees during the reign of Emperor Napoleon, who dedicated this building to the valiant French army. The Arc de Triomphe is still a symbol of the military power of France, from where the military parade of French troops and equipment begins every year on Bastille Day (July 4). Therefore, when choosing places to go in Paris, it must be included in the list.
Another solemn ceremony takes place here every evening at 18.30, when the fire is lit in honor of the fallen soldiers in the Second World War. The building contains beautiful reliefs and the names of 300 French generals are engraved.
Theater Paris
The capital of France is considered one of the most famous theater cities in Europe. Premieres of Moliere's productions once took place here, such famous theater actors worked here, as well as the Grand Opera, a world-famous opera house operating since the 17th century, is located here.
The beautiful Grand Opera building was built in 1875 according to the design of the architect C. Garnier; the famous singer F. Chaliapin once performed there and danced
V. Nijinsky and S. Lifar. For classical music lovers who don't know where to go in the evening in Paris, we can also recommend the Opera Bastille and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, which regularly show opera, ballet performances and symphony concerts.
The drama theaters of Paris “Comédie Française” and “Odeon”, “Palais Royal” and “De la Ville”, where performances in various genres are shown: dance performances, comedies and tragedies.
Moulin Rouge and night excursions
Another side of Paris, more exciting and frivolous, is the various cabarets, of which the most world-famous are: Moulin Rouge, Lido, cabaret restaurant Bobino and others. The classic cancan, whole rows of flying long female legs, in modern director's productions combines a dance and song show, intended only for adult audiences. Therefore, visiting a cabaret is one of the most attractive places where you must go at night in Paris to feel the cheerful mood and national charm of France.
Due to the great popularity, it is almost impossible to get to such performances impromptu, so you can take advantage of the possibility of booking via the Internet (entrance costs 90-120 euros).
Night boat trips along the Seine are extremely popular among tourists in Paris, allowing you to see the entire city in beautiful and original multi-colored illumination. There are also buses at night and night excursions for those who like unusual experiences and have no time to sleep.
Spring Paris
Paris at the beginning of spring is full of fresh, bright colors of emerging greenery and the first blooming magnolias. At this time of year, tourists should stock up on warm clothes and an umbrella, as the weather can be changeable. When asked where to go in Paris in March, we can recommend a walk through the famous parks of the French capital:
- Champs Elysees is one of the busiest central streets, planted with trees and beautiful flower beds, stretching for 2 km from Concorde Street to the Arc de Triomphe. There were once wastelands and swamps here, until in the 17th century. Louis the 14th did not come up with the idea of laying park alleys in their place.
- Tuileries Garden - located in the center near the Place de la Concorde and the Louvre.
- Luxembourg Gardens - palace and park ensemble in the Latin Quarter, the palace of the same name is located here, where the French parliament meets.
- Parc Monceau is located near the Arc de Triomphe.
Paris in March is not filled with huge masses of tourists, so you can safely walk around all the museums and attractions with virtually no queues.
The main events taking place at the beginning of spring, where to go in Paris (reviews from tourists confirm this), are listed below:
- fashion week of famous couturiers;
- contemporary art festivals;
- book and music fairs.
Such events will allow you to have a fun and educational time with friends or enjoy solitude, relaxing after a snowy winter.
In 1973, my dad happened to become the son-in-law of the first deputy chairman of the KGB of the USSR. My mother was the only and dearly beloved daughter of Semyon Kuzmich Tsvigun. Dad was a graduate of the Faculty of Economics of MGIMO, the son of the creator of Exportles, Vlas Nikiforovich Nichkov, and worked in international scientific and technical cooperation.
From left to right: my grandmother, Rosa Tsvigun, my mother, Violetta, my grandfather, S.K. Tsvigun, my father is Vladislav Nichkov, my paternal grandmother is Lyubov Nichkova. Moscow, August 4, 1973
In 1980, he and his mother went on a long business trip to Paris, where my father began working in the group of the State Committee for Science and Technology, and a year later I joined them to go to the first grade of the embassy school.
My parents: V.V. Nichkov and V.S. Tsvigun, Paris, early 80s.
The spy scandal erupted three years later when France expelled 47 Soviet diplomats from the country in April 1983. The French press immediately dubbed them the “Club of Forty-Seven.” In the entire history of diplomatic relations, only one case exceeded this expulsion in scope: in 1971, the British authorities simultaneously “threw out” 105 Soviet diplomats from their country.
The main person involved in the new espionage scandal turned out to be career KGB colonel Vladimir Vetrov, also known as agent Farewell, who transmitted information in the early 80s. many top-secret documents to the French intelligence services. However, this story goes far beyond the framework of USSR-France relations. Here is just one fact that speaks of the true scale of what happened: then US President Ronald Reagan made the following entry in his diary in those spring days of 1983: “This is one of the biggest spy cases of the entire 20th century.”
It was this quote from Ronald Reagan that became the epigraph to feature film"Farewell", which was released on a large scale in France in 2009. But all this will happen later, and then, in 1983, everything was very tense.
“In connection with the events here, there was a lot of hype in the press that everyone in the embassy was “spies”, that some of them left the country, and even more remained (...) In Marseille (in the south of France) some schizos at night in 2:00 the building (ours) of the Consulate and Aeroflot was shelled. There were no casualties, but the guys were caught. I am writing so that you know from me as it is, and not from others with exaggeration. We were given instructions to go out into the city, move around as before, work and live as before, so that they do not think that we are afraid of them, only in families (at least 2 families).
It was 1983. My grandfather, who could have calmed down and informed my grandmother about everything, died a year before. Therefore, my mother tried to convey all the events to her grandmother in as much detail as possible.
(...) It’s bad in the newspapers that they published all the numbers (codes) of Soviet cars, so now I don’t want to go out again. The newspaper also published all the diplomats by name, who worked for whom and what institution they came from. About so many, even those who have nothing in common with K.B. [for the purpose of secrecy, my vigilant mother omitted one letter “G” in her letters when she wrote the abbreviation KGB - approx. author] wrote that he is an agent of the service. They wrote about Vlad that there were two of them from the State Committee for Science and Technology (he and Borya Narutdinov, who was sent home), that ours is not an agent, and Borya is a secret service agent.
My father was not included in the list of 47 (spy “fame” overtook him a little over a year later). During the time spent in France before the expulsion of our diplomats, he managed to send the first French cosmonaut Jean-Loup Chrétien into space, and in general his activities, apparently, did not arouse suspicion among the local intelligence services.
From left to right: Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov, the first French cosmonaut Jean-Loup Chretien (unfortunately, almost hid behind Dzhanibekov), French cosmonaut (Chretien's understudy) Patrick Baudry (in the center, with an order on his chest), my father, Vladislav Nichkov, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the USSR to France Stepan Vasilyevich Chervonenko.
From a letter from my mother Violetta Tsvigun to my grandmother, Rosa Mikhailovna Tsvigun, April 13, 1983:
People like Vladik (not very long on the list) they told everyone on TV that their secret service was systematically monitoring us. This means that over the course of 3 years, we became convinced that Vlad did not pry into other people’s affairs in his work, and in fact, we are not going to pry into other people’s affairs in the future. To each his own.
On the day our comrades were sent home, a telex from the French came to Vlad’s science and technology group: “Shame on the French government. With friendly greetings…." (the richest company). And many French businessmen called, stuttered, tried to sadly probe whether Vlad was on these lists, they say, they tried to schedule business visits. And when he answered that we would call in a week and decide, there was joy in his voice. There are French people who are far from politics or against such gestures; they are interested in business, cooperation in various fields, and much more in work; the determining and positive link is personal human sympathy.
A fragment of a letter from my mother, Violetta Tsvigun, from Paris to Moscow to my grandmother, R.M. Tsvigun, April 13, 1983.
Due to the tightening of measures for issuing visas and other controls on the part of Paris, Moscow was unable to send a new resident to France for a long time. Months passed and the situation did not change. At first, the French counterintelligence officers were happy, but then they began to be overcome by doubts: what if, after all, “the mouse slipped through?” Or, seeing that the embassy was under siege, did Moscow decide to appoint one of the people in the embassy as a resident?
The DST (French counterintelligence) again took out the lists and began to re-analyze the biographies of the remaining employees of the Soviet embassy. In their opinion, my father, Vladislav Nichkov, was best suited for the role of the new resident. Despite the fact that during several years of work in France he never came under suspicion from the French intelligence services, his biography clearly let him down. Firstly, he was born in the USA, where his father worked. And although Vlas Nikiforovich Nichkov, my grandfather on my father’s side, was not a spy, DST apparently did not have accurate information on this matter. But a much more compelling argument was that Nichkov was the son-in-law of Semyon Tsvigun, whom they called the second man in the KGB (KGB #2). And it doesn’t matter that Tsvigun had already died by that time. The portrait of the head of the group for scientific and technical cooperation, Vladislav Vlasovich Nichkov, still loomed, if not sinister, then extremely suitable for demonization.
From left to right: my grandmother, R.M. Tsvigun, my grandfather - S.K. Tsvigun, my parents - Vladislav Nichkov and Violetta Tsvigun in a romantic kiss on their wedding day. Moscow, August 4, 1973
The decision was made and the French newspapers came out with photographs of my dad in profile and full face, accompanied by cinematic headlines: “Parisians, remember this face!” The embassy mobilized. Father and mother, and therefore automatically me, were strictly forbidden to leave the walls of the embassy for three weeks. I looked at my dad’s photo in the newspaper and listened to my parents explain the situation to me. She was bad for me. The fact is that at that time I was very interested in the Disney cartoon about the chipmunks Chip and Dale. And I really wanted such a toy chipmunk. And he was promised to me, and now everything was falling apart before my eyes. No going into the city - no trip to your favorite toy store! My 10-year-old heart was torn between “I want a chipmunk!” and “What if dad really is a secret spy?”
I, Violetta Nichkova, a primary school student at the USSR Embassy in France, Paris, early 80s.
Official protest from the Soviet Embassy, published in the French newspaper Le Monde, February 1985.
As time went. DST was silent. The father was not expelled, as would be logical to assume. Apparently, other than analyzing family ties, the French were unable to find evidence of involvement in the KGB. The situation was stalemate: no one apologized, but no one drove him out of the country. Dad’s French colleagues unanimously supported him, it was touching. No one, according to his recollections, stopped contacts, despite the “revelatory” publications in the press, the business circles of France calmly proceeded from their own interests, and the interest in scientific and technical cooperation with the Soviet Union in the mid-80s was great!
My father worked quietly in Paris for another three years, and we returned to Moscow as planned at the end of his business trip in 1988. The French side never apologized, but by not expelling the failed resident Vladislav Nichkov from their country, they by default admitted their mistake . But they never bought me a chipmunk. During my forced confinement at the embassy, my interest in chipmunks faded. But I began to pay more attention to dad: somewhere in the depths of my soul, a doubt did not disappear for a long time - what if the French were not mistaken, and he is still a real, deeply secret intelligence officer?
In 1993, the famous journalist Bernard Lecomte’s book “Bunker” was published in France. 20 years of Soviet-French relations,” in which he, among other things, described this interesting episode. The Parisians called our embassy a bunker, in many ways similar to a real fortress. Our intelligence services recognize this book as one of the best books about our politics and intelligence in France, paying tribute to the knowledge and, at the same time, the accuracy and talent of the author. For me, Lecomte has become one of my favorite journalists who can write simply and with irony about complex topics in international relations. I read “The Bunker” and even wrote one of my own based on this book. coursework at the Faculty of International Journalism at MGIMO.
Bernard Lecomte, "Bunker. Twenty years of Franco-Soviet relations"
Years later, already working as a correspondent and producer of the program “International Panorama” with Alexander Gurnov” on the RTR channel (now “Russia-1”), I decided to find Lecomte and invite him to be an expert on one of the topics of our program. To be honest, even though Lecomte was ideally suited to the role of our expert at that time, I, first of all, wanted to get to know him personally, taking advantage of his official position. I found his email and wrote him a letter, mentioning who I am, besides my work on TV and how much I love his book “The Bunker”.
Leconte responded with keen interest, agreed to the teleconference, and at the end succinctly asked: “Do you agree with what I wrote on page 243?” The question was posed bluntly. The choice had to be made finally and irrevocably. On this page, Lecomte wrote that Vladislav Nichkov, who was called in the media a resident of Soviet intelligence, in fact never had anything to do with the KGB, although he was the son-in-law of Tsvigun, who for many years held the post of first deputy chairman of the all-powerful Andropov. There was nothing to do, and I answered “yes.” With gratitude for your objectivity and awareness.
For many years, Lecomte and I have been planning to meet for a cup of coffee in Paris one day. He continues to write books, becoming, in addition to an expert in Russian-French relations, also one of the leading experts on the secrets of the Vatican. But that's a completely different story...
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