Going to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre

Mona Lisa - possibly the most famous painting in the world

The Louvre is the largest art museum in the world and if you spent a minute looking at every painting it would take you four months to get round! So it's best to do a little bit at a time. There is usually a queue outside to get in, especially at peak holiday times. The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is normally surrounded by a mob of tourists with cameras. It's possible to elbow your way to the front so you can actually see the painting, which is covered by glass and actually quite small.

Da Vinci started painting the Mona Lisa in Florence, Italy in approximately 1503 and finished it shortly before he died in 1519 after he had moved to France. The painting has had an interesting life and has spent  time in the chateaus of Fontainebleau and Versailles. It was also on the wall of Napolean I's bedroom in the palace at the Tuileries in Paris, before it finally came to rest at the Louvre.

The look on Mona Lisa's face has fascinated people for centuries.

At the time of writing it cost 10 euros to enter the Louvre, with under 18s free.

The Paris Metro

The metro is a very good way to travel around Paris. It is simple to use. Once you know the station you need to get to you need to find out which line number it is on. But it is extremely important that you work out which direction you need to travel in. You need to look on the map to find the last destination that the train you want is going to. So if for example you are at the Gare du Nord and you want to get to the Gare de l'Est you will see that both stations are on line 4, which is deep purple, so you look from the Gare du Nord on the map run your eyes past the Gare de l'Est and see that the end of the line is Porte d'Orleans, so that's the direction you want!
In the metro stations there are lots of signs pointing to the different directions, so you follow the sign which says Porte d'Orleans, (remembering it's line 4) all very simple. Once you know that you can work out how to get all over the place, changing trains wherever you need to.

Helpfully outside metro stations it usually tells you which lines that particular station is on. Here at Place d'Italie you can see it's on lines 5,6 and 7.
Click here for a brilliant Paris Metro Map

Bastille Day! The Storming of the Bastille - July 14th

"Prise de la Bastille" (the taking of the Bastille.) 1789, by Jean-Pierre-Louis-Laurent Houel.

The Bastille was a fortress built in the 14th century as part of the defenses of Paris, but it was later turned into a very uncomfortable prison. It held political and religious prisoners and writers. It was also well known for locking up people who had had a lettre de cachet served against them. These lettres de cachets were bought by the wealthy and those in power and were used to imprison people who they wanted out of the way. There was no appeal against them.

Hardly surprisingly the bastille was stormed by the people and burnt to the ground on July 14, 1789, at the beginning of the French Revolution. Nothing of it remains. Where it once stood is now Place de la Bastille with a column to mark the spot.
There are many cafes, bars and concert halls in the area.

French Food: Moules Marinieres and Moules et Frites

The French take food very seriously. In other words you can usually find really fantastic food in most cafes, restaurants and brasserries.

A very popular and common dish served all over the place is Moules Marinieres. This is the shellfish mussels, cooked in white wine, or sometimes cider, with onions, garlic, cream and a variety of herbs such as parsley, thyme and bay leaves.

Moules marinieres usually arrives at the table in a large steaming pot. You will also be given a dish to put the shells in and a saucer of lemon water to rinse your fingers afterwards. Yes you have to get in and take the mussels out of their shells, but it's very easy, you can use your fingers, a fork, another mussel shell, or just bite it out even.

Moules et Frites or  Moules Frites can be found on menus all over France. It's moules marinieres served with chips, or french fries, depending on what you call them.

  

Frenchman Tsonga knocks Federer out of Wimbledon

Tennis history was made yesterday when Frenchman Tsonga beat six times Wimbledon champion on Centre Court.

In a pre match interview Tsonga had said what happens when you chase a chicken? It runs away. What happens when you chase a lion? It roars and chases you and he said he was a lion. Oh no no we all thought this is Federer the unbeatable at Wimbleon, but Jo-Wilfried showed he is a lion!

A spectacular match, made all the more exciting as Federer was two sets up before Tsonga fought his way back to victory.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was born in Le Mans in 1985, to a French mother and a Congolese father. Le Mans is one of the towns you drive through or past if you are making your way from the channel ports at Calais/Bolougne to the Vendee on the west coast of France. Tsonga now lives in Switzerland. 

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the French Open

Camping in France

A mobile home holiday in France is an affordable way to take the whole family away for a few weeks of sun and fun. Even during the school holidays it won't break the bank and if you cross the channel by ferry or tunnel you'll have your own car with you, giving you the freedom to literally go where you want.

Many camp sites in France provide a combination of space for tents, caravans and tourers also mobile homes which come equipped with everything you need. A mobile home is usually more spacious and comfortable than a caravan.

If you haven't taken the car or the kids to France before you might prefer to book with a tour operator, such as Canvas Holidays. They arrange everything for you, such as the channel crossing, the mobile home or camp site booking, provide a route planner and kids club. Their camp sites can get busy in the summer holidays, but there will also be other British families and kids for your children to make friends with.

If you plan to tour around France and visit several sites there are guides such as  Alan Rogers The Best Campsites in France  and the Michelin Camping Guide France which list details about sites. It's always best to book during the school summer holidays. You can also book a mobile home directly with many camp sites.

Many camp sites in France are in fantastic locations, near beaches, rivers, lakes or in beautiful countryside. Larger sites have swimming pools with slides and lots of entertainment and activities. There are endless sports and other activities also available at many sites, such as canoeing, sailing, football and tennis. Table tennis seems to be everywhere, along with washing machines, cafes, restaurants and bars. So there is something for everyone.

If you take your own tent, electricity is widely available and clean wash blocks with hot showers are the norm.

Staying in a mobile home is a bit like staying in a miniature house. They have all the same things inside and are very comfortable.

Tennis - The French Open at Roland Garros in Paris

The top names in tennis have arrived in Paris for the French Open this week. The tournament, held at Roland Garros, is a major grand slam event and the most important clay tournament in the tennis calendar.

Although the clay surface can lead to long rallies the tennis at Roland Garros is highly entertaining. In fact long back of the court to and fro's can be just as thrilling as serve and volley, even if you have gone off to make a cup of tea and come back to find it's still the same point. 

Roland Garros, Paris.

Five times winner in the last six years, will Rafael Nadal keep his crown? Novak Djokovic looks like a threat, but he has looked like a threat in Grand Slams before and not seen it through. Roger Federer is also in the mix, but Rafa is very at home on clay and at the French Open - much the same as Federer on grass at Wimbledon, although of course Nadal has knocked him off his throne twice - so we shall see. But then again Federer did win the French two years ago. 

Roland Garros is on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne in the 16th arrondissement. As with other Grand Slam events you can arrive as early as you can in the day and queue up to buy a ground pass. This will allow you into the grounds, and outside courts though not the show courts. However there is usually the chance to buy tickets later in the day for play after people have gone home and handed their tickets back in.

There is a vast range of places to stay in Paris, from reasonably priced hotels to inexpensive apartments to of course top end luxury. 

Of course if you have got as far as the French Open the whole of Paris is there before you to see whatever you want.

The following metro stations are convenient for getting to the French Open: Porte d'Auteuil, Michel-Ange Auteuil, Michel-Ange Molitor and Porte de Saint-cloud.

You can find all the latest news about the tournament here Roland Garros. Click here Paris Metro Map for a map of the metro.

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