Bonjour Paris -- Travel, Hotel, France, Consumer Reports ... - Elzevir
Bonjour Paris -- Travel, Hotel, France, Consumer Reports ... - Elzevir
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The Best Way to See <strong>Paris</strong> - in a Citroen 2CV!<br />
Author: Bill O'Such
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As I wandering back to our apartment one afternoon during a recent week in <strong>Paris</strong>, I spotted a charming-looking Citroen 2CV driving down<br />
our street and took a quick picture of it with my new camera. When I got home and looked at the digital photo more closely, I realized<br />
that it wasn’t just someone stopping casually in front of the gardens at the Swedish Cultural Center on rue Elzévir, but rather a new,<br />
innovative way to tour <strong>Paris</strong>. I immediately went to the website indicated on the side of the car and discovered that Florent Dargnies is the<br />
leader of this inspirational little company that is just about to earn its 2 nd bougie.<br />
Imagine being picked up at your apartment or hotel whenever you want. The top of the 2CV is<br />
rolled back and your English-speaking guide (with a French accent, bien sûr) sporting a checkered<br />
driving cap is ready to show you <strong>Paris</strong>. Instead of being blocked on the main boulevards, you are<br />
able to flaner on little side streets everywhere. Your driver is typically a university student who<br />
knows <strong>Paris</strong> like the back of his hand. He’s happy to stop along the way for photo opportunities or<br />
a quick hop into a bakery or shop. Not only do you have the ultimate <strong>Paris</strong> experience, but<br />
everyone who sees you smiles and waves, such is the effect of the 2CV on the French psyche.<br />
Citroen stopped making the 2CV in 1990, so they continue to accrue feelings of nostalgia. So, what<br />
does a tour look like<br />
Pictures from our tour<br />
We took the tour insolite, which was adapted to the fact that we’ve been to <strong>Paris</strong> a lot. The tour<br />
started promptly at 1:00 p.m. with Julien’s picking us up at the Opéra Garnier (we were early so we had a coffee at Café de la Paix). Julien<br />
is in his final year of international business law, studying for the <strong>Paris</strong> bar, and had a good command of English thanks to interning at an<br />
American law firm.<br />
We motored off to the Louvre, past the glass pyramid, and then along the Seine as a warm-up. Soon we were meandering through the<br />
part of Le Marais near the quai, driving slowly by the oldest houses in <strong>Paris</strong> on rue François Miron and past hôtels particuliers from the 16 th<br />
and 17 th centuries, and then we cut across rue de Rivoli towards our neighborhood. We zigzagged through various streets, past the Musée<br />
Cognac-Jay, Musée Carnavalet and various gardens, including Julien’s favorite, Place des Vosges.<br />
We then cut back across the Seine and onto Ile de la Cité, zipped around Eglise Notre- Dame and dashed along the tiny side streets of the<br />
islands. Exiting the islands towards the left bank, we took some small streets deep into the 5 th arrondissement until we came upon an<br />
ancient Roman arena. Julien waited patiently while we walked into the arena for a photo. Back in the car again, we signalled to rejoin<br />
traffic and realized the blinkers make a sound akin to someone snapping their fingers to music. It almost felt like the car itself was<br />
smiling! We then rolled past the Jardin de Luxembourg and took a small street to the front of St.-Sulpice church, recently made famous by<br />
the bestseller The Da Vinci Code. After passing by the church’s fountain, we took a right and passed Les Deux Magots café, then a quick<br />
right down the charming rue Jacob and back towards the Seine on another cute side street.
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At the end of the rue de Seine, we passed the Académie Française and merged onto the quai, crossing over to Place Concorde, followed by<br />
a quick <strong>Paris</strong>ian right-of-way move across traffic to the Champs-Elysées. We had the full experience of going around the multi-lane Rond<br />
Point at the Arc de Triomphe (every novice driver’s nightmare) and then headed to Trocadéro for a great view of the Eiffel Tower. We then<br />
went downhill to the see the tower up close and back along the Seine to Pont Alexander. Along the way, groups of smiling, happy people<br />
continued to wave at us, even a stern policeman. We were starting to feel like 1950’s movie stars.<br />
Just for fun, Julien showed us the miracle of the 2CV suspension by going over the speed bumps in front of the American Church. He<br />
mentioned that the suspension was designed to not allow an egg to break if someone was crossing a field, and I believe it met its mark.<br />
Sadly, this was the last phase of our tour and Julien dropped us off at Aux Printemps for some afternoon shopping.<br />
Florent and his team have a couple of standard tours, but are also completely willing to create<br />
something special. During the hot summer days, they typically do the tours in the early morning or<br />
evening, while during winter they provide a nice warm blanket so you can still have the <strong>Paris</strong>ian<br />
equivalent of a carriage drawn by two horses (pardon the pun). I can’t think of anything more fun<br />
and more French than seeing <strong>Paris</strong> by chauffeur-driven 2CV! For more details, you should visit<br />
their web site and watch their cute little video:<br />
www.bonjourparis.com/publications/4roues-sous-1parapluie.php<br />
Article Pages: 1<br />
Click here to see more information about Bill O'Such.<br />
Check out the 10 most recent articles written by Bill O'Such:<br />
The Best Way to See <strong>Paris</strong> - in a Citroen 2CV!<br />
Visiting the Corbières Region<br />
Pondicherry<br />
Photo Contest<br />
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