Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements that spiral out like a snail shell from the first, centered around the Louvre, of which certain quarters (Montmartre, Montparnasse, the Marais) are real villages within the city. The arrondissement of any Paris address is indicated at the end of its postal code: 75001 is the first arrondissement, 75006 the sixth.
The traditional separation of Paris into Left and Right Bank, between the world of business and the world of culture, is no longer valid. Granted, the Left Bank still groups most of the Universities and the famous Paris arts cafés at Saint-Germain-des-Prés (Café de Flore, Les Deux Magots) but today the Right Bank also has many addresses closely linked to the arts - as proved by the many events and productions at Bastille, Belleville and Ménilmontant especially.
