PARIS ÎLE-DE-FRANCE

PARIS ISLAND -OF-FRANCE: The CAPITAL AREA
Being a historical Heart of France, Paris ILE -de- France at the same time concentrates on (spirit and the creative impetus. It offers as in a case, the most vivid examples.
From the museum of Louvre to the castle of Versailless, and the museum of Orsay to the basilica of Saint-Denis, and the castle of Fontainebleau to the medieval city of Provins, both registered within the world Inheritance of UNESCO,Ile-de France is the most beautiful museum of the world. As far as nature is concerned, the historical gardens drawn by Nôtre at the XVIIth century, the large romantic parks with an English style and contemporary creations of the best landscape designers colour Island -of-Francewith thousand tonalities.
The three natural regional Parks offer numerous hiking trails and the 270 000 hectares of forests make it possible to practise multiple sports activities. Everywhere, finally, routes with themes are offered to you and possibilities of jaunts on bicycle or on horseback. For the quieter pleasures of a stroll along the water, 700 km of rivers and channels irrigate the area.
But Island -of-France can also innovate and unceasingly equip its face with the colors of the air of time. The Arch of Defense, the center George Pompidou, the Pyramid of the Louvre, the Large Library François Mitterrand, the New Cities as the art galleries form new examples of the architecture of today and contemporary arts.
Lastly, the festival, the shows and the international meetings place more than everIle-de France under fires of the slope. By testifying the unforgettable World cup of football in 1998, the next championships of the world of athletics in 2003 and the international exhibition on the Image in 2004.

Carried by the Breath, historical Heart of France,Ile-de France concentrates at the same time on the spirit and the creative impetus

 

THE INNOVATION: A TRADITION IN ÎLE-DE-FRANCE
Ile-de France is at the same time the historical cradle, the beating heart and the intellectual hearth of France. Paris, its suburbs ("small crown") and the area around ("large crown") form a centre of attraction for all the country and, beyond, for all Europe. Its central position within the country, its strategic position in Europe, the richness of its past, but, of course, the vitality of its present explain this established fact. From the new Pyramid set up at the court of the Louvre in Palacio d' Abraxas to Marne-the-Valley, from the cathedral of the Resurrection of Evry to the Library of France in Paris... the area does not cease growing rich by new testimonys of the human genius. It moves, it advances. It lives. Before being the great classic celebrated in the whole world, the majority of the monuments ofIle-de France were often decried by their contemporaries. The area has the art to explore the new tendencies, the genius to attract know-how and the love of the best creators of the whole world.
It is for example inIle-de France that, passing from the sober Roman sanctuaries of XIIth century to the incredible exuberance of the churches of XVth, that the large Gothic cathedrals were born. It is there that at the Middle Age some of the most beautiful strong castles stand up. There still that the sumptuous residences of court such as Fontainebleau, the Louvre, Versailless.
Mind of vanguard
This sense of the innovation gave us again, pell-mell, the Eiffel Tower, the villas of Corbusier, the Large Arch of Defense, the Institute of the Arab World. Better, far from limiting oneself to the only register of architecture, it was illustrated in all the fields. It is in Ile-de France that bloomed the contemporary music of Boulez as the astounding acrobatics rhythmized of the choreographer Découflé... And the history continues. Because if the continuous motion is even the essence of Ile-de France , the breath is since always its major quality.

LIFE OF THE CASTLE
Vaux-le-Vicomte,at the fall of the day, one evening of summer. The gleam of the candles populates the gardens having a French style of mysterious shades. Illuminated by thousands of candles, the castle shines with all its fires. HereYou are projected at the time of these magic festivals which marked out the history. To live on line these strong moments, this is what propose a considerable prestigious buildings. Well far from the traditional visit where the lecturer presents a solidified past, the new tendency is to make feel to make better understanding. Thus, at Houses-Laffitte or Ferrières in Brie, they are actors in costumes of time who accomodate you. In Versailless or Fontainebleau, new courses reveal you the intimate life of many sovereigns... The castle of Auvers proposes, as for him, a show in 3d... To propose the astonishment and the pleasure, such is the choice that also made many museums ofIle-de France . In the program: new experiences, course with topics and animations... there is for all the tastes!

Thousand Pretexts with the Meeting Knowledge to receive, taste of conviviality, sense of contact... The art of living inIle-de France

THE JOY OF LIFE IS SHARED...
For Fancy, any occasion to clink glasses is good. And each shared glass is an excellent pretext to chatter of all. Time is running, of the government, the best way of cooking mushrooms or of the compared merits of the high-class wines. You will invariably meet the largest chatterers in the cafés. But they also abound in the guinguettes, the inns of charm and on the markets. There, the coloured show of the stalls, or each producer praises with great cries the qualities of his tomato, of his asparaguses of country, his pear of Groslay... offers a picturesque approach of the soil. This taste , this natural sense of the exchange forged inIle-de France a solid tradition of the reception. At the restaurant, in the hotels, in the craftsmen... the smile is always of setting.

ILE-DE FRANCE , OR LOVE OF THE BEAUTIFUL
Opinion to the amateurs: the chips, fairs of the secondhand trade and small shops of antique dealers make lsland-of-France the paradise of the bargainers. Rare are the corners of the area which do not have their exhibition where old pieces of furniture and strange objects come to transform the pavements into large bazaars of street. The people hustle, discuss quality of a trinket or the color of a plate and are filled with wonder at the harmonious proportions of such sideboard of brie? without excess however, of fear of seeing the claims of the salesmen flying away! The show of the craftsmen who open for the big brands or work on their account will not leave you indifferent. In the secrecy of their workshops,a number of creators of luxury who carry out objects for Christofle, Hermès or John Loebb await your visit. The small craftsmen will show you also their turn of hand, as with the glassmaking of art of Soisy-sur-Ecole where the know-how of the blowers will undoubtedly fascinate you.

CAPE OVER THE SLEEPLESS NIGHT!
Followers of the sleepless nights... you found with whom to speak. When the sun disappears at the horizon, it is a very different Ile-de France which is born. In the program, all the rhythms, all the festivals for all the types of night birds. Gigantic multipost complexes where thousands of followers of the trance break out with the latinos bars where the most famous cuban pianists connect their swaying melodies, of the jazzy bars where you find a hot atmoshere in the boxes of house accomodating the DJ of the whole world coming to mix their tubes, while passing by the African clubs, salsa, raïou, plus local colour, java... psychedelic tendency, disco music, underground, pop? It is up to you to see: all is possible! Games of lights in 3D, evenings with topic, mega dawdle... In the series " pinch me I dream"... you are far from having all see!