The Paris Traveler

Quiz Time

by Kim on January 4th, 2008

 When I took over this blog, I brainstormed ways in which I could keep up with daily entries and give you new and interesting things to read about.   As a result, I decided to launch a weekly feature to see how much you know about some of the sights, customs and history regarding Paris and then provide you with the answer and some useful information that might inspire you to visit a particular place, try a certain delicacy or maybe just fill you with new knowledge.  Get out your number 2 pencils and let’s see what you’ve got. (no Google or Wikipedia!!) Question:  The word Paris comes from which previous inhabitants of  the area?

•  A.   Britons
•  B.   Germans
•  C.   Romans
•  D.   Gauls

OK–put your pencils down.  The answer is D, the Gauls.  They originally inhabited the banks of the Seine and were called the “Parisi” which leads to the obvious, “Paris”.  Later, those crazy Romans came along, took things over and renamed the city “Lutetia”.   Their rule fell into decline and those who followed in their footsteps thought Paris sounded better and changed it back.  Yeah! for all of us who think Lutetia just wouldn’t sound right! So now that you have been enlightened let’s go see for ourselves where all this action took place.  

  The 5th arrondissement is home to only 2 remaining sites of Gallo-Roman Paris.   The Arènes de Lutèce, built towards the end of the first century A.D. is an actual amphitheater that was used for theatrical performances, circuses and sporting events–or at least what they considered sporting events!   What remains is seating that long ago accommodated up to 17,000 spectators, cubbyholes under the bleachers that held animals for gladitorial contests and of course the arena where all this fun, family entertainment took place.   

  In 280A.D.,  when barbarians sacked the city, some of the structure’s stone was taken to fortify the defenses around the Ile de la Cité which is another fabulous place to visit–we’ll talk about that another day.   

If I were you, I would pack a great picnic lunch,  if you are traveling with kids, grab a soccer ball so they can run around and let off some steam and enjoy a beautiful sunny day in this crazy, wonderful setting.  The last time I was there, a group was doing tai chi in the upper garden area.   Tai chi being practiced in Roman ruins in the middle of Paris–you don’t see that every day!  That is what makes this city so wonderful.  

Arènes de Lutèce

47, rue Monge, 75005                                                                                           Métro:  Cardinal Lemoine (line 10), Jussieu (lines 7, 10) or Place Monge (line 7)Hours:  8:00a.m.-5:30p.m. in winter, until 10:00p.m. in summer.  Free admission.             

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POSTED IN: Fun & Quirky Places, Outdoor Activities