Louis XIV at Carnavalet

Visit Louis XIV dressed as a roman emperor and made by Coysevox at Carnavalet Museum. The vast museum, devoted to the history of Paris, occupies to adjoining mansions. Decorated rooms, art, and furniture are just some of the treasures on display.

The Phantom of Garnier

The grand staircase of the Opéra Garnier shines in regal Neo-Baroque architecture.

Finished in 1875, construction of the operahouse was plagued by numerous setbacks, including swampy ground that the operahouse was built upon. A subterranean lake flows beneath it.

In 1896, a piece of the chandelier fell, killing one. This inspired Gaston Leroux to write his classic Gothic novel, The Phantom of the Opera.

Visit Belleville

Like an old-fashioned picture, it seems the streets of Belleville haven't changed in a century. Belleville is situated atop a hill, the second largest in Paris next to Montmartre. Home to working class citizens in years gone by, it now plays host to artists and their workshops.

Streets like rue Moinon or rue Sainte Marthe remind the visitor that Belleville is a place that time forgot.

A Tower with a View

Visit the top of the 689-foot Tour Montparnasse, France's tallest skyscraper. Does it surpass the view of Tour Eiffel? Not quite, (the Eiffel is taller), but it does give you a stunning view of the Parisian skyline with the Eiffel Tower.

Constructed from 1969 to 1972 it serves as offices on 59 floors and features a restaurant on the 56^th.

The Unveiling of Tour Saint Jacques

The beautiful Saint Jacques Tower has finally been unveiled. Built from 1508 to 1522, the gothic tower is part of the remains of the church Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie that was demolished in 1797.

The tower has been under scaffolding for years as surveyors investigated the condition of the stone. Unfortunately, cracks were found, but remarkably, the stone dates to the tower's original construction, not from a 19^th-century restoration.

Pont Neuf at Sunset

French for "New Bridge", the Pont Neuf is the oldest standing bridge (1578) across the river Seine in Paris. An extensive restoration began in 1994 and was finally completed in 2007. Enhanced with new lighting to highlight its architectural features, no bridge in Paris could claim to be more beautiful.

Summer Reads: From Here, You Can't See Paris

Clearly, I'm a fan of the expat memoir.

In From Here, You Can't See Paris, Sanders moves his wife and daughter to the southern French town of Les Arques where he studies the only business in town, the local restaurant and falls into the sweet rhythms and struggles to maintain a way of life in Les Arques (population 159) in a fast-paced world. This is definitely a book of choice for foodies and armchair travelers everywhere.

Summer Reads: A Year in Provence

Within the author's first month in his new country, he realizes the French countryside isn't quite as idyllic as he thought. Throughout the book, he paints colorful portraits of his neighbors, who amuse, confuse and befuddle him, and the frigid wind that nearly cripples his charming 200-year old farmhouse.

Part memoir, part homeowner’s manual, part travelogue and all fun, A Year in Provence is a charming jaunt into the French countryside.

Summer Reads: Words in a French Life

Words in a French Life details the author’s move to the south of France from Phoenix where she settled, married and had kids. The book is based upon her blog, "French Word-A-Day", where she outlines stories of culture shock and learning the language. She still struggles with being called l'Américaine and her French is still corrected, by her kids no less.

Summer Reads: My Life in France

If limited funds are keeping you from running away to France this summer, why not engage in a little armchair travel? Here are some of my picks for your French reading list.

Julia Child dazzles in her memoir My Life in France. While some memoirs can come up dry and ever so boring, Julia shines in recounting her time in Paris and Marseilles in the 1940's discovering her inner foodie.

An Introduction

I want to mention a beautiful blog I've been an avid reader of for a while now.

It's called A Foodie Froggy in Paris. The author features wonderful French recipes and many great pictures in each post.

Another plus, the blog is bilingual! So if you're working on your French, you can get the original and the English translation of each post to help you along.

Amaretti-stuffed Peaches and Mascarpone ice-cream

Carnac Megaliths

The "French Stonehenge" located in Carnac, Brittany, is home to more than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones, or megaliths. Much like Stonehenge, their purpose is unclear, though a new theory suggests the location could be a burial ground.

The view is stunning, with Carnac megaliths stretching as far as the eye can see, some dating to 6,000 years old, (older than Stonehenge).