More on the bear later, but mention the word ‘Paris’ and the first image that appears in most people’s mind is the Eiffel Tower.  A trip to the world’s most famous landmark is worthwhile, if only to marvel at the remarkable engineering feat of Gustav Eiffel. Construction started in 1887 and took two years to complete. It was built to mark the city’s hosting of the 1899 Exposition Universelle and was only intended to stand for 20 years. Eiffel actually tried to sell the concept to Barcelona before Paris, but the Catalans thought it was too odd a design – ironic for a city that was later to found its tourist trade on the weird architecture of Gaudi. Barcelona’s loss was Paris’ gain and despite initial resistance from Parisians, it is now the best-known symbol of France worldwide.
Avoid all the hawkers selling tacky models of the Tower by approaching from the landscaped gardens known as the Champs de Mars rather than the River Seine. The best time to visit is early in the morning, when the mist is still rising from the fountain in the park and you feel as if you have the tower to yourself. Alternatively, join the courting couples on the grass around sundown while they lie back and watch the lights being switched on, which transforms the structure from iron girders to caramel, as if the whole thing is nothing more than a decoration atop the multilayered cake that is Paris. Parisian Review  It’s questionable whether a trip to the top of the tower is really necessary. The queues can be tiresome, it’s noisy and some visitors will struggle to climb the stairs to the lifts. For the best view in town, head south to the Montparnasse Tower. It might not be the most attractive skyscraper in the world from the outside, but the view from the roof is unbeatable and it seems you are looking down on the Eiffel Tower, even though it is 100 metres taller than the Montparnasse Tower. Buy a ticket for less than 10 euros and a lift will whisk you 200 metres heavenward in 30 seconds. There’s a very pleasant enclosed café at the top (which becomes a restaurant in the evening) so even if it’s raining you can peer out of the clouds while sipping a café crème. It gives a whole new meaning to the very French concept of watching the world go by.
Close by are the Luxembourg Gardens, a pleasant place for a leisurely Left Bank stroll while pondering the meaninglessness of existence – or even how great life can be, if you’re not one of Jean-Paul Sartre’s disciples. Queen Maria de Medici created the park in 1610. In fact, she started planning it the day after her husband, Henry IV, was assassinated, which suggests that either she wasn’t particularly upset about his passing or that she understood rather more about being and nothingness than Sartre, who could regularly be spotted philosophising among the trees and shrubs here in the 1950s. Tucked away in a discreet corner of the park is a statue by sculptor Auguste Bartholdi. If it looks strangely familiar, that’s because it was the small-scale model he used to develop the design of New York’s Statue of Liberty, a gift from France to the American people. Consumer Capital  As a card-carrying communist, Sartre would certainly have disapproved of conspicuous consumption and Paris’ modern reputation as a shopping metropolis. While it’s true that the city probably has more boutiques and brand names per square metre than any other European capital, you need to have your wits about you to track down a bargain. For a start, France has some curious laws regulating competition between shops that can make genuine price reductions hard to find. Shops are banned form selling at a loss and sales periods are strictly controlled – this year’s New Year sales weren’t allowed to start until January 9th by law.
While the centrally-located department stores of Printemps and Galeries Lafayette are still worth a visit, particularly for the extravagant window displays, the most interesting shopping experiences can be found elsewhere. Take the number 4 metro north to the end of the line at Port de Clignancourt and a couple of minutes’ walk away you’ll discover the Marche aux Puces, the original ‘Flea Market’. The history of the market (or rather, ‘markets’, as there are about a dozen different markets all located close to each other) dates back over two centuries. Rags to Riches This was where penniless ragpickers would go through Paris’ refuse outside the city gate to find a few things worth salvaging and selling. The more enterprising among them saved enough to open stalls and eventually became Europe’s largest flea market. Today there’s still plenty of rubbish but also an incredible array of the weird and wonderful. It’s a bit like wandering through a huge surrealist exhibition where it’s not unusual to see a shop dedicated entirely to ancient wooden shoe stretchers, a rainbow assortment of antique beads or the aforementioned bear-and-chandelier shop. In Paris, you rarely need to go far to discover the most delightful shopping experience of all – the local market. Each different ‘arrondisement’ or district of Paris has its own weekly market, centred around fresh fruit and vegetables, fish and meat, all sold by traders who know their particular speciality inside out. Not only will they be happy to explain why one apple, lobster or loaf of bread is more appropriate than another on any given day, they will also be able to tell you how to prepare it properly and what wine to serve with it. Just remember to look both ways if you’re crossing a Parisian boulevard on a Sunday. Every week, thousands of rollerbladers are given the freedom of the city, accompanied by marshals and even rollerblading police officers. It’s a good-natured affair and looks like fun – so why not rent a pair of skates and join in? Afterwards you can say you were given a guided tour of Paris with a police escort! | 
