Welcome to Paris

The layout of Paris is reminiscent of the rings found on the cross-section of a very old tree. From the Louvre Museum in the central, first zone ("arrondissement") of town, each of the surrounding 20 arrondissements contains either a separate village formed hundreds of years ago, with its own unique history and ambiance, such as Montmartre and Montparnasse, or a residential or commercial

neighborhood with its own particular ethnos, culture and cuisine traceable for centuries. Though you could study the gastronomic history, language and letters, arts and music of Paris carefully for years to insure that your first adventure here includes as much as you can fit in, the city not only is a cultural treasure, but also is alive with a current spirit that makes several shorter visits perhaps a better investment of your time. Newly created moments and happenings are as important to the Parisian as historic preservation. In fact, the richness and variety of this ancient town, preserved so reverently by its people in their language, cuisine and architecture, is what creates the very medium for serendipity and the magic of the unplanned encounter with an unforgettable sight, sound, or taste. Paris is a great home base for tours of world-famous French regional vineyards and chateaux which circumnavigate the entire country, and is no more than a couple of days beautiful drive through the countryside from any particular label of interest.