A Tour of Paris

 
 
 
 

Vocabulary

swish	triumph	lowdown
site	pattern	riverside
island	line (3)	bridge (2)
tower	antique	impressive
bell	emotion	masterpiece
oyster	heart (2)	beat/beat/beaten
scene	miss (3)	draw/drew/drawn (2)
noise	silence	engraving
revel	stall (2)	magnificent
taste	flock (2)	line of work
calm	disturb	attraction
sheer	lobster	sell/sold/sold
alone	postcard	in general
boast	touristy	up to you
depict	shortage	feel/felt/felt (3)
motif	team (2)	atmosphere (2)
flavor	majestic	overlook (2)
allow	area (3)	square meter
by law	head (3)	ever since then
take in	inspire	impressionism
lily	trip (2)	hit/hit/hit (3)
arc	brim (2)	down (2)
ultra	vendor	all manner
label	fan (2)	wind down
option	among	square (3)
finale	sojourn	legendary
flashy	cabaret	ambiance

 
 
 
 
 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

To get the lowdown on Paris, how about a trip down the Seine, past Thé Palais Bourbon, taking in the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay. Among the many other historic sites, the Île de la Cité, the island boasting Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Eiffel Tower.

Female Visitor, One: “My favorite architecture is all the different bridges.”

Male Visitor, Two: “The sheer size of Paris is impressive.”

Female Visitor, Three: “I find it a very emotional experience. There’s so much history in these buildings. The best part was the bells of Notre Dame.”

The masterpiece of Gothic architecture in the heart of Paris is the city’s top attraction, beating even the Eiffel Tower. The cathedral draws over thirteen million visitors a year.

Male Visitor, Four: “It’s a magnificent place; un-missible.
Female Visitor, Five: “The most impressive thing is being here in the middle of all the noise of Paris and feeling this inner peace, an inner silence.”

Also on the Île de la Cité is the Bird Market. Locals and tourists alike flock here every Sunday. Even the stall owners revel in the riverside scene.

Cecilia Badalamenti, Bird Vendor: “In this line of work, you have to stay calm, otherwise you’ll disturb the birds.”

And Paris wouldn’t be the same without the bouquinistes. Some of the vendors lining the banks of the Seine have been selling their antique books, postcards and engravings here for decades.

Books in general might be harder to sell these days, but this bouquiniste loves his job.

Raphael Sylvestrone, Book Vendor: “Because I’m all alone, and it’s all up to me. And it doesn’t feel like work.”

Julia Polak likes the more colorful, but less touristy areas in the north of the city. The German-French artist finds no shortage of ideas here, especially at the fish market.

Julia Polak, Painter: “The fish and all the colors give me inspiration for my work. All the different patterns the fish have. And I like the atmosphere here.”

The fish motif: in reality and in the art of Julia Polak. She’s a frequent visitor to Montmartre. The highest hill in the city is teaming with artists and tourists. Sacré-Cœur Church sits majestically overlooking the city below.

By law, no more than two artists per square meter are allowed on the Place du Tertre nearby.

Julia Polak, Painter: “The history of Montage includes Picasso and Salvador Dali. They worked at the Bateaulouvge Studio. It’s not far from here.

Ever since then, artists have been coming here to work and live.

Art fans also head to the Musée de l’Orangerie. The museum is famous for being the home of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies. The paintings depict the impressionist painter’s own garden outside Paris.

We then take in the Place de l’étoile with the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées before hitting the ultra swish Avenue Montaigne.

It’s brimming with luxury fashion labels and tourists.

For a classic taste of Paris, sample the macaron, available in all manner of colors and flavors.

Vasaris are a relaxing option for winding down in the evening. The groncober is a typical example.

Later in the evening, oysters and lobsters are especially popular.

Radar Nordwiek, Guest from Norway: “We like the atmosphere and the ambiance. And it’s very nice here. And you get good food.”

The nights are long in Paris. Just down the hill from Montmartre, you can’t miss the Moulin Rouge. The legendary cabaret theater offers a flashy finale Paris sojourn.

 

 

Questions

1. In the beginning, the present went on a bus tour of Paris. True or false? Does Paris lie on the seaside? Is Paris a coastal city?

2. Did the visitors all say the same things about Paris? Did they give the same description? Are they positive, negative or neutral about Paris?

3. Is the most impressive, most visited Paris attraction the Eiffel Tower? Does it feel hectic or tranquil there?

4. There are only supermarkets, department stores and shopping malls in Paris. Is this right or wrong? What are some things that people can buy in open markets?

5. Do artists paint only in studios? What famous artists were mentioned in the video?

6. Is the Arc de Triumph a museum or cathedral or a landmark?

7. What foods were mentioned?

 

A. I was born in Paris. I live in Paris. I have visited Paris. Yes or no?

B. What other great or famous cities have you visited? Describe them.

C. Is Paris the greatest city in the world? What is your favorite city or place?

D. Should cities build or rebuild old, classical, historical buildings?

E. What might happen in the future?