24 hours in Paris: Save time for a smooch in the city of romance

Truly appreciating the beauty of Paris is a pleasure that can’t be hurried.

Stop, breathe, appreciate and perhaps kiss in the romantic city of Paris.

more photos » Take time to wander down its wide boulevards, savour every sip of strong, black coffee and resist the temptation to fall into step with the throng of tourists and sightseers.

Our advice to anyone who finds themselves with 24 hours to spare in the French capital is to stop, breathe, appreciate and indulge.

Start the day with a walk down the Champs-Élysées. For some, it retains the title of the world’s most beautiful avenue. For others, the road’s historical charm has been blighted by the arrival of global brands, traffic and tourists.

Sunrise offers the history without the hurry. Take a leisurely stroll down its expansive pavements and look up for impressive architecture without fear of bumping into shoppers.

Treat yourself to breakfast at one of Paris’ oldest tea salons. Ladurée was founded as a family business in 1862 and now appears in luxurious locales in London, Monaco, Switzerland and Japan. The original, Ladurée Royale on Rue Royale, doesn’t open until 8:30am (and later on Sundays), so for early morning pastries drop into the Champs-Elysees store which opens at 7:30am every day.

The queues at Paris’ most famous art gallery, the Louvre, are notorious so impatient visitors are advised to go to the Musée de l’Orangerie, set in the historic Jardin des Tuileries. You won’t see the Mona Lisa, but the gallery does boast a collection of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies. The queues are shorter the earlier you go and to really beat the crowds pre-book your time slot online.

Head north to have your own images sketched by street artists in Montmartre, a former stomping ground for famous names including Salvador Dali, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh.

Drop into the Basilique du Sacré Coeur to pray, light a candle or simply enjoy the spectacular views over Paris.

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From there, visit Rue Lepic where you will find Café des Deux Moulins, where actress Audrey Tautou waited tables in the 2001 film “Amélie.”

Note that when you ask for a coffee in France, you’ll automatically receive a black espresso. If you’d like something bigger and milkier, ask for a café au lait (already popular elsewhere) or café Americain (filter coffee) with milk (lait).

Further down Rue Lepic you’ll find Au Virage Lepic, a quaint bistro dripping in traditional Parisian atmosphere. It’s usually crowded with locals so book in advance.

Getting around is easy in Paris. Take a bus or the Metro or join the legion of cyclists on hugely popular Vélib rental bikes.

Pick up your own bike at one of the service points scattered around the city. You’ll need a credit card to register for a one-day subscription, or to speed up the process pre-book a one-day ticket online. It’ll cost you one euro and the first 30 minutes of every journey for the next 24 hours is free. After than, any additional time will be charged to your credit card until you return the bike to any stand in the city.

In the afternoon, walk — or cycle — down Boulevard Saint-Germain on the historic Left Bank. Discover your inner intellectual over a coffee or dinner at Les Deux Magots, a former meeting place for Paris’ great literary minds including Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre.

From Boulevard Saint-Germain, walk down Rue Saint-Sulpice, past Saint-Sulpice, a striking church founded in the 1646 and brought to a new audience as one of the buildings featured in Dan Brown’s best-selling novel (and subsequent film) “The Da Vinci Code.”

Wander further on to Rue de Sèvres where you can batter your credit card with some upmarket shopping at Le Bon Marché and La Grand Epicerie.

In the evening, soak up some Parisian chic at the De La Ville Café on Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, or indulge in the opulence of Hotel Costes on Rue Saint-Honore. Both serve food and close at 2am. Treat yourself to a glass of champagne and start planning your next sojourn in Paris

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Luis-Leon Sanchez takes overall lead in Paris-Nice

FAYENCE, France (AP) — Spanish rider Luis-Leon Sanchez took the lead of the Paris-Nice race on Saturday, pulling away from the pack about 9 miles from the finish to win the seventh stage.

Overnight leader Alberto Contador tried to keep up but ran out of steam 2.2 miles from the finish and was then passed by the main pack.

Sanchez completed the 119-mile trek in 4 hours, 43 minutes, 34 seconds, with fellow Spaniard Antonio Colom 50 seconds back in second place. Frank Schleck of Luxembourg was third.

Sylvain Chavanel of France climbed to second place in the overall standings, 1:09 behind Sanchez, while Contador slipped to fourth place, 1:50 off the pace.

“I don’t know what went wrong with Alberto,” Sanchez said. “But it goes to show great champions can have their bad days and there is room for the others.”

Contador, the 2007 Tour de France champion, unexpectedly faltered Saturday after having outclassed his rivals in Friday’s uphill finish. He said he failed to eat and drink properly during the race.

“It was so hard,” the Astana rider said. “Due to the speed, I neglected my nutrition. At 15 kilometers (from the finish) it was over. I had no forces left any more. My only aim was to arrive at the finish.”

Lance Armstrong, who is also racing for Astana this season but has yet to compete alongside Contador in a race, called it an “unfortunate day” for the Spaniard.

“Amazing talent but still a lot to learn,” the seven-time Tour winner said on his Twitter blog. “Appears Alberto ‘bonked.’ Not that uncommon in endurance sports. It’s miserable. He’ll be back fightin’ tomorrow.”

Since Armstrong came out of retirement over the winter there has been speculation that he and Contador would be rivals for victory at the Tour de France this summer.

Both will compete together for the first time at the Tour de Castille-Leon later this month.

Contador, who won the Tour of Algarve last month in Portugal, is considered the best climber in the world and one of only five men to win cycling’s three premier races: the Tour, the Giro d’Italia and the Spanish Vuelta.

The Spaniard will have one last chance to win the Paris-Nice in Sunday’s final stage, a 73.9-mile run around Nice featuring three category 1 climbs.

Sources -Google.com

Filed under: Paris , luis leon sanchez, Paris