Monsieur Noir's Stuff and other Paris, France Off The Beaten Path Tips

Although Paris' Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise is home to over 800,000 individuals, some of them have better stories (or at least more published,) than others. My recommendation is if you're headed to Pere Lachaise to see Jim Morrison or maybe Oscar Wilde, then make sure to stop by Victor Noir's grave - I promise it's worth a good giggle.

Victor Noir, pseudonym of Yvan Salman was shot and killed by Pierre Bonaparte, great-nephew of Napoleon at the tender age of 22. You can find his bronze effigy in Division 92.

Story has it that a woman who strokes the amply filled crotch of Monsieur Noir's will quickly become pregnant.

Scandal came when to many future mothers were rubbing a bit to enthusiastically, and the larger than life sized package was being worn down. Although a fence was put up a few years ago, it's removed now, so feel free to have a stroke...and a good giggle.

Hours for the cemetery are: 8am-6pm Monday-Friday, 8:30am-6pm Saturday, 9am-6pm Sunday (Mid-March-Early November;) and 8am-5:30pm Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:30pm Saturday, 9am-5:30pm Sunday (Early November-Mid-March.) Entrance is free.

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Phone: 01 55 25 82 10
Website: www.Pere-Lachaise.com
Other Contact: Metro stop Philippe Auguste, Gam

While spending a week in Paris, I lived in a rented flat near the Park Monceau (Metro Stop: Monceau.) I was surprised that not many people knew about this location - it's beautiful!! Home to runners and walkers in the morning and school children in the afternoon, it's simply a fantastic place to rest and relax.

I spent several mornings eating my breakfast on a bench in the park simply staring at the great statuary and landscaping.

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The Defenseur du Temps (Defender of Time) is this crazy wall clock mounted a bit away from the Centre Pompidou. This clock, built in 1979, is a mechanical artwork whose central "golden man" does battle with the elements of air, water, and earth in the forms of a phoenix, crab, and dragon.

This is one of those little things about a city that make it great - there's no admission fees and it's something seriously unique you can say you witnessed. It's a block north of the Centre Pompidou just off rue Brantome in a development called Quartier de l'Horloge.

Of particular interest is the combat that takes place at noon, 6pm, and 10pm when the man is attacked by all three elements at once.

The area is open between 9am-10pm. Metro Stop: Rambuteau.

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Located in the southeastern tip of the Ile de la Cite, the Memorial des Martyrs de la Deportation is in honor of the 160,000 residents of France who were killed in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. In the center of the monument is the Tomb of the Unknown Deportee and is flanked by hundreds of thousands of bits of back-lit glass and the walls are etched with inscriptions from celebrated writers and poets.

It seemed to me that almost no one was aware of what this was...or that it even existed. Most tourists were simply walking around the island then right over to Notre Dame. Although I feel the church is important, making a visit to this moving memorial is an important stop as well.

Hours are 10am-noon and 2-7pm April-September, 10am-noon and 2-5pm October-March. Metro Stop is St-Michel Notre Dame.

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The Marche Raspail is a traditional open air market north of the Rennes Metro station. From 8am-1:30pm Tuesday and Sunday it's the place to visit! On Sunday it features large selections of organic produce.

This market had some of the best food vendors I've ever eaten from in my life. I can still taste the fresh spices, fruits, and nuts. This market is frequented by both tourists and locals, but I think I saw more local shoppers than anything else. Make your best effort to speak French and you'll do great. Every vendor was really friendly and it's not just food but also some really well priced gifts for sale. I procured two cashmere scarves for a fraction of what I saw them sell elsewhere for - so you can't beat that! They made great gifts - although I did get one for myself of course.

Of special note would be the stuffed grape leaves, glass bottles of Provence spices, and the dried fruit stalls.

Hop off the Metro at the north end at Sèvres Babylone and walk a little bit south to get to the market. It's generally located between Rennes and rue du Cherche Midi on blvd Raspail - with Rennes at the south end.

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