Hello Everyone,
Lady M still here and for one more week before she hands you back to Sofia and Donald for the summer holidays. She's been through the archives and thinking back to three years ago when she hopped into her private jet and took you on a tour of some of the world's capital cities and has chosen to recapture Paris, that city of romance and the home of dear Edith who sang 'No Regrets'. Lady M certainly agrees with her on that one. When it's done it's done and regrets are a waste of time. It cannot be undone. Anyway, here are a few facts about Paris.
1. Paris is the capital of France; the largest country in Europe and a member of the EU (European Union).
2. It is on the River Seine.
3. You will find such landmarks as the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and the Louvre.
4. The national language is French.
5. The religion is mainly Roman Catholic (Christian), Protestant are in the minority.
6. The currency used to be Francs; it is now the Euro.
7. The Underground transport system is known as the Metro.
8. The Opera House is the one which Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical 'The Phantom of the Opera' is based on.
9. It is the city where in its surrounding area you will find the magnificent Palace of Versailles.
10. Paris is also renowned for its fashion houses - Christian Dior, Pierre Cardin, Chanel, Givenchy, Nina Ricci and Yves Saint Laurent.
11. It is famous for its food and gastronomic treats - bread and cakes, chocolates, cheeses, snails, truffles, smoked salmon, foie gras. . .
12. One of the most famous worldwide nightclubs is Paris' Moulin Rouge and the birthplace of the cancan.
13.Paris is also the home of Europe's Disneyland.
14. Its Left Bank has numerous cafes where eminent artists and writers have met including the American writers Hemingway and Fitzgerald.
15. For art lovers Paris has around 200 art galleries and more than 80 museums.
16. Queen Marie-Antoinette was brought to the guillotine in Paris and beheaded in 1793.
17. Voltaire, the eminent philosopher was born in Paris in 1694.
18. Bastille Day is celebrated annually to commemorate the storming of the prison on July 14th 1789. This was the start of the French Revolution.
19. More recently, in 1997, Paris was the place where Diana, Princess of Wales was killed in a car accident.
20. Paris is associated with music and romance. Edith Piaf was born in Paris in 1915.
Ah, Lady M visited Paris twenty years ago... such memories of the city of romance!
Back to the present and tomorrow, Saturday 13th July, she will be at the Gedling Book Festival, Arnot Hill Park, Arnold, Nottingham NG5 6LU. Free parking and admission and lots of excitement so if you're in the Nottingham area do pop along and say Hello!
http://www.newwritersuk.co.uk/gedling.html
There will be pretty pics on next week's blog.
Until then I leave you with a Edith Piaf's thought for the week:
Non, je ne regrette rien. (Have no regrets)
Lady M
