I always begin by trying to think of Paris by her original name -- ``Lutetia’’, during the time of the Roman occupation…and of her motto – ``Fluctuat nec mergitur’’ – ``Tossed by the waves, she does not sink’’.
Indeed, there is that magnificent side to the city of lights with its Jardin des Tuileries, La place des Vosges, Les Champs-Elysees, Montparnasse, Le Cathedrale Notre Dame, La Place de la Concorde, L’Opera, the many bridges, Mont Marte, Lido, Moulin Rouge, the artists gallery, and its many splendid museums, …the list is endless…Breath-taking Paris is undoubtedly one of the planet’s most culturally and architecturally exquisite cities.
I once heard that Paris is 8 miles from east to west and 6 miles from north to south, and that it has 2 million inhabitants, 12,000 cafes, 400 parks and gardens, 65 museums, 36 bridges, 20 departments, 14 lines of the metro, 10 cemeteries, 6 railway stations, 3 islands and one Tour Eiffel!!!
The city is also a major hub for fashion, business, arts, science and politics. It is an attraction for over 30 million foreign visitors every year. It headquarters ten of the world’s 100 largest companies, and is one of the world’s four major global cities.
Yet, I tend to be concerned about the scruffy underbelly of the city that threatens to blow up every now and then… what with the widening social gap between the original Parisians and the immigrant population. But don’t let that dampen your spirits because…despite that and everything else, The Paris that was Lutetia will continue to remain a historic city, mysterious and snobbish, and yet, oh-so overwhelmingly charming.
