The most talked about change to occur in Paris, and all over France in this new year has been the country's law making it "smoke-free."
It is now illegal to smoke in all public places like bars and restaurants. This has brought all the smokers out into the streets of Paris. Because of this one seems to get the impression that there are more smokers in Paris than ever before. What seems impressive to most visitors is the fact that the Parisians are heeding these no-smoking laws. Of course smokers are allowed to enjoy themselves outside at cafés and restaurants. So, you may end up being closer to a smoker when enjoying the outdoor experience around the city.Another perk for visitors to Paris in the new year will be the free entrance to a had full of museums around town. There is an effort to increase attendance to these less visited spots in the city. This is just being done on a temporary basis to see what affect this will have on attendance. There is an effort to bring more of the natives out to these museums. This will be in affect for the next six months until June 30, 2008. If you are visiting Paris in the next few months you might think to add this to your list of sites:
Musée de Cluny - http://www.musee-moyenage.fr/
Musée des arts et métiers - http://www.arts-et-metiers.net/
This is a favorite place to visit. It's a museum dealing with of design and technology. The permanent collection focuses on seven sections: scientific instruments (like Foucault's pendulum and Pascal's arithmetic machine), materials, construction (bridge and building models along with a statue of Liberty model),
communication (like cameras of Niepce, Daguerre and Edison), energy, mechanics and transportation (how the metro line 14 works without a driver on board). Part of what I like about this museum is that parts of the collection are contained in the old Priory and Church of Saint-Martin-des-Champs. Some of these buildings date back to the 12th century. Part of the priory's crenelated defensive wall is visible on the rue de Vert bois side of the museum building.Musée Guimet -http://www.museeguimet.fr/
This is a museum for the fan of art from Asia and the Far East: India, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Southeast Asia, Japan, Korea. Just up the street you can also visit for free the “Galleries of the Buddhist Pantheon.” This houses the Guimet Museum's original collection, as conceived by the founder Émile Guimet from a collection of works brought back from his travels in Japan. If you have any interest in the art of Asia, this well worth a visit.
For the first time in my ten years in this city, I went to the Chinese New Year's Parade. The parade was held in the large "China Town" area in Paris. (One year I saw part of this parade when it was held on the Champs-Elysées during that year's "Year of China celebrations.) I went to the area that the parade was to begin near the Rue du Disque in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. It was a beautiful day for a parade and the crowd was quite happy in part because of this. But so much excitement was generated by the firecrackers, costumes, dancing and bright colors that made this event so much fun. I really enjoyed the parade because it came from the locals of this part of Paris. It had such a personal touch that gave it it's own personality. This was not the Mummer's Parade. It was simple but beautiful. Again, it seemed to truly reflect the people that live in this neighborhood of the city. I had the great privilege of having a number of dragons pass over my head. Hopefully they will bring some luck in this year of the rat. Wishing lots of luck to everyone this new year. Visit my posted photos of the parade at facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=27320&id=712776764
