Archive for July 16th, 2010

I Love Touring Paris – the Twelfth Arrondissement

The twelfth arrondissement is situated on the Right Bank of the Seine River in eastern Paris. It is home to one of Paris’s largest parks, the Bois de Vincennes which is described below. Its land area is about 6.3 square miles (16.3 square kilometers) counting the park. If you exclude the Bois de Vincennes the land area is less than 2.5 square miles (about 6.4 square kilometers). The population is approximately one hundred thirty seven thousand inhabitants, and the area is home to over one hundred twelve thousand jobs, mostly in the Bercy area near the Seine.

The Place de la Bastille was the site of the infamous Bastille prison, destroyed in the early days of the French Revolution. The square is shared by the fourth, eleventh, and twelfth arrondissements. Nothing of the old prison remains, except the memories. At the center of the square is the Colonne de Juillet (July Column) a 154 foot (fifty meter) column commemorating the 1830 Revolution in which King Charles X was overthrown in favor of his cousin Louis-Phillippe.

The Bastille was built during the late Fourteenth Century to help defend Paris. It was converted into a prison, mostly for political prisoners, in the Seventeenth Century. Just before its destruction the Bastille was composed of eight eighty foot (twenty-four meter) towers and an armory. By that time the cachots (dungeons) had been abandoned and the prison was not considered the worst in the city. When it was stormed on July 14, 1789 the jail contained seven inmates: four counterfeiters, two madmen, and a young aristocrat on the outs with his father. During the storming ninety-eight attackers and one defender died. Others died afterwards, including the governor. During excavation for the Paris Metro the remains of one tower surfaced and are on display in a nearby park. The Bastille square is often used in political demonstrations, and the area is full of night life, in particular to the northeast.

L’Opera de la Bastille (Bastille Opera) is a new home of the Opera National de Paris. It was supposed to replace the old Paris Opera House (Palais Garnier) described in our companion article I Love Touring Paris – The Ninth Arrondissement but such was not to be the case. Given the city’s size and cultural importance it seems that Paris can support two (actually more) opera houses. Interestingly enough the winner of the international competition was an unknown architect from Uruguay. Every one of the Bastille Opera’s nearly three thousand seats has an unrestricted view of the stage. On the other hand many say that the acoustics are disappointing at best. The building, replacing a train station, was inaugurated on the two-hundredth anniversary of the storming of the Bastille but its first opera performance was almost a year later.

The Promenade Plantee is a 2.5 mile (4.5 kilometer) long elevated park constructed on an abandoned Nineteenth Century railway viaduct, running from the Bastille Opera almost to the Bois de Vincennes. The Promenade is said to be only elevated park in the world. Some portions are enclosed and others are open and provide great views. There are pedestrian and cyclist routes and arcades with arts and crafts workshops. The Promenade was featured in the 2004 movie, Before Sunset.

The Cimetiere de Picpus (Picpus Cemetery) is the only private cemetery in the city sitting on land seized from a convent during the French Revolution. It is a few minutes from the Place de la Nation, site of a 1794 guillotine in 1794 that dispatched up to fifty people a day. After Robespierre was beheaded the violence stopped. Among the cemetery’s dead are the Marquis de La Fayette, who died a natural death, his wife, and her sister and mother who died in the terror.

The Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy (Paris-Bercy All Sports Palace) is an indoor sports arena hosting a wide variety of sports including Basketball, Boxing, Gymnastics, and Show Jumping. It also hosts popular concerts with the likes of Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Madonna, and many, many more. The Palace seats up to eighteen thousand spectators.

The Bois de Vincennes (Vincennes Woods) is an English-garden type park covering over 3.8 square miles (a little less than 10 square kilometers). This Parisian gem is almost three times as big as New York’s Central Park and four times as big as London’s Hyde Park. The Bois de Vincennes was once a royal hunting preserve. After the French Revolution it was transformed into a military exercise area. Napoleon III made it a public park in 1860. Be sure to see the Chateau de Vincennes, once a royal castle, and later a porcelain factory, a state prison holding the Marquis de Sade among others, and even an arms factory. The famous spy Mata-Hari was executed here. The Chateau de Vincennes also served as the military headquarters of the Chief of General Staff in 1940 during the unsuccessful defense of France against the German invasion of 1940. The Bois de Vincennes is also boasts a small zoo and four lakes.

Of course you don’t want to be in Paris without sampling fine French wine and food. In my article I Love French Wine and Food – A Midi Syrah I reviewed such a wine and suggested a sample menu: Start with Garbure (Cabbage Soup with Poultry). For your second course savor Cassoulet Toulousain (Bean and Pork Stew). And as dessert indulge yourself with Violette de Toulouse (Violet Flower Crystallized in Sugar). Your Parisian sommelier (wine steward) will be happy to suggest appropriate wines to accompany each course.

what do you think of this persons last fm playlist?

trawling through the site I found this last fm playlist and wanted your opinions on it?
Selena Gomez & The Scene – I Promise You yesterday evening
Selena Gomez & The Scene – Falling Down yesterday evening
Selena Gomez & The Scene – Naturally yesterday evening
Selena Gomez & The Scene – Crush yesterday evening
Selena Gomez & The Scene – Stop And Eras yesterday evening
Selena Gomez & The Scene – I Won’t Apologize yesterday evening
Selena Gomez & The Scene – The Way I Loved You yesterday evening
Selena Gomez & The Scene – Stop And Eras yesterday evening
Selena Gomez & The Scene – The Way I Loved You yesterday evening
Selena Gomez & The Scene – Naturally yesterday evening
Selena Gomez & The Scene – Crush yesterday evening
Selena Gomez & The Scene – I Promise You yesterday evening
Selena Gomez & The Scene – Falling Down yesterday evening
Selena Gomez & The Scene – I Won’t Apologize yesterday evening
Selena Gomez & The Scene – More yesterday evening
Selena Gomez & The Scene – As A Blonde yesterday evening
Selena Gomez & The Scene – I Don’t Miss You At All yesterday evening
Emily Osment – this is emilys other favorit song yesterday afternoon
Alicia Keys – Superwoman yesterday afternoon
Anna Abreu – Work It Out yesterday afternoon
Miley Cyrus – Party in the U.S.A yesterday afternoon
Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus – Stand yesterday afternoon
Madonna – Like a Prayer yesterday afternoon
Joe Jonas – I Gotta Find You yesterday afternoon
Ashley Tisdale – What If yesterday afternoon
Jordin Sparks – Tattoo yesterday afternoon
Anna Abreu – Ivory Tower yesterday afternoon
Selena Gomez & David Henrie – Make It Happen yesterday afternoon
Kevin Rudolf – Welcome To The World yesterday afternoon
Ashley Tisdale – Overrated yesterday afternoon
Britney Spears – 3 yesterday afternoon
Blue – One Love yesterday afternoon
Ashley Tisdale – Crank It Up yesterday afternoon
Lady GaGa – Love Game yesterday afternoon
Justin Bieber – First Dance yesterday afternoon
Justin Bieber – First Dance yesterday afternoon
Justin Bieber – First Dance yesterday afternoon
Justin Bieber – First Dance yesterday afternoon
Justin Bieber – First Dance yesterday afternoon
Miley Cyrus – The Climb Yesterday 1:07pm
Justin Bieber – One Time Yesterday 12:56pm
Justin Bieber – One Time Yesterday 12:56pm
Justin Bieber – One Time Yesterday 12:56pm
Justin Bieber – One Less Lonely Girl Yesterday 8:14pm
Justin Bieber – One Less Lonely Girl Yesterday 8:14pm
Justin Bieber – One Less Lonely Girl Yesterday 8:14pm
Justin Bieber – Love Me Yesterday 8:10pm
Justin Bieber – Love Me Yesterday 8:10pm
Justin Bieber – Love Me Yesterday 8:10pm
Justin Bieber – One Time Yesterday 7:56pm

Reflecting On Britney Spears – New York – September 2005

Image taken on 2005-09-21 16:54:00 by canonsnapper.

RG Hop – Fesadan 2007

Apresentação do Grupo RG Hop como convidado especial do Fesadan 2007 – Festival Santista de Dança. Coreografia: Fashionista Coreógrafos: Sérgio Biller (Alfinete), Fabiano Costa e Eric Santos (Metade) Contato: 13 9159-3209 Email: thailafontes@hotmail.com

Bigboy Films- Jay skating

skate with a sling and stuff

watching britney spears music videos

Image taken on 2009-03-29 00:05:44 by mfriedenberg.

CIRCUS [BRITNEY SPEARS] OFFICAL MUSIC VIDEO!

Britney Spears music video!!!! haha

Beerfest in 5 seconds

Beerfest in 5 seconds

Britney forever 1st commercial

Go to Britney-forever.weebly.com for loads of stuff. And while your their please make a small donation we need 12 bucks a month for the website to be able to be called .com

Can Jewish Mysticism Fix the Deficit?

Can Jewish Mysticism Fix the Deficit?
No. But New York Gov. David Patterson is giving it a shot anyway. He’s wearing a kabbalah bracelet… Britney Spears – Madonna – New york – Kabbalah – Demi Moore

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