One of my favourite parts of Paris is the historic area around the Palais Royal in the 1st arrondissement. The Palais Royal became famous in the 17th centruy when the Duc d'Orelans, younger brother of the Sun King Louis XIV, enclosed the gardens with covered galleries and turned them into a public area which was open to all, with shops, cafes and sideshows. For a time it was the playground of the aristocracy and elegant apartments were built above the arcades. In 1986, when I was living in Paris, one of the most controversial issues of the time was the installation of the black and white columns by Daniel Buren - it went ahead and they are still there, but they are about my least favourite thing - they seem so incongruous in the middel of such a grand courtyard!

It is still a wonderful area to wander and explore - the shops around the Palais are hugely varied, from traditional childrens' toys to the famous Didier Ludot, the grandest second-hand shop of them all, and the magnificent Shiseido-Parfums de Serge Lutens shop which is a paradise for perfume lovers - but almost all of them are gorgeous (and expensive!). I love an hour or so window shopping (and trying on!!) before a drink around the corner at Willi's Wine Bar. This is in rue des Petits Champs and the friendly staff can offer you a wide variety of wines from all over France, and you can look at the catalogue of fabulous original posters that the wine bar commissions a different local artist to release each year (if you want to see some samples in Melbourne, go to Bistro Thierry in Toorak).

Then wander down to the Galerie Vivienne, the historic (and very beautiful) glass-and iron roofed predecessor of modern day shopping centres, for some more fantastic shopping and maybe lunch at Bistro Vivienne or afternoon tea at Prori The.

Not far from Galerie Vivienne in rue Coquilliere is the shop E. Dehillerin, where you will find any item of cookware you could ever think of or dream up. And the Place Vendome is a short walk away. Place Vendome is another historic square (commissioned by Louis XIV) now famous for its expensive jewelry shops (Piaget, Cartier, etc) and also home to the Ritz Hotel, from where Princess Diana made her last ill-fated car journey. Famous residents over the years include Coco Chanel and Frederic Chopin.

And finally from here you can continue on to the Tuileries Gardens, the Louvre Museum and Orangerie Museum (Monet's Waterlilies).

If you were returning to the area at night you could try one of my favourite restaurants-with-a-difference, Le Souffle, at 36 rue Mont Thabor. They serve every kind of marvellous souffle, both savoury and sweet - try the Grand Marnier, because they leave a large bottle on the table for you to "top up" whenever you feel like it!!

Historic World War II aerial imagery of numerous European cities are now available for the first time via Google Earth at http://earth.google.co.uk/

You can see images of the effects of wartime bombing in 1943 on over 35 European towns and cities including Brest and Lyon, and compare them directly with present day images. Go to the website above and if you don't already have it installed on your computer, you will need to download the program, and then click on the clock icon in the toolbar.

Do you know what a mobinaute is? Test your francophile friends!  A new entry in 2010 in Le Petit Larousse lists a mobinaute as a person who uses the internet via a mobile phone. In May 2009 there were around 19 million mobinautes in France!

Have a look at this gorgeous little clip (and practise your french at the same time!)  for a more old fashioned idea - who needs a flash bottle opener?!! (the site is perfectly safe by the way!)

http://www.wimp.com/wineshoe/

By the way, all the images this month are from the Languedoc Roussillon region,  home of our "Scenic Southern France" trip and the splendid Athos barge cruise.

Until next month,

Sue Heine

Tour Director