The Glamour of the Right Bank & Charm of the Left Bank - Which team are you on? - Paris with Angela

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Each bank has its own vibe, its own culture and its
own history, and we're going toexplore both of them today.
Are you a rive droite or a rivegauche kind of a person?
There are 20 arrondissements inParis, starting with the first

(00:37):
and spiraling out from there.
The thing that divides thesearrondissements is the Seine
River, so the Seine divides thecity in half.
Everything above the Seine isthe right bank, like Le Marais.
Everything below the Seine isthe left bank, and that's what
we're going to talk about today.
That's right.

(00:58):
The City of Light is dividedinto two halves, rive-droite and
Rive-Gauche, and there isalways a battle going on on
which is the better half of thecity.
I will share my thoughts, mypersonal preference, if I'm a
left bank or right bank kind ofa girl later on in this episode.

(01:19):
Each bank has its own vibe, itsown culture and its own history
, and we're going to exploreboth of them today so that you
can decide.
Actually, I prefer that youdon't decide until you get there
.
So wait till you get there.
See what you think, see whereyou feel most comfortable, see
which side of the city speaks toyou.

(01:40):
Are you a rive droite or a rivegauche kind of a person.
Back in 1765, there were only12 arrondissements.
You don't have to keep sayingarrondissement when you're there
, I don't have to keep saying it.
The Parisians simply refer tothese neighborhoods as the 4th,
the 5th, the 1st, the 16th, the18th.

(02:02):
But back then there were only12 of them and Napoleon III
decided to revamp the city.
We'll talk more about that infuture episodes.
This is the same Napoleon IIIthat I referenced in the last
episode on the Eiffel Tower, butwhen he changed the city it was
up to 20 arrondissements andit's stayed that way ever since.

(02:24):
So let's start with the rightbank, the Rive-Droit.
This is a side of the cityassociated with commerce,
industry and high society.
It was originally a place wherethe industrious or Paris's
wealthy class lived.
It's the bustling heart ofParis today.
It's lots of business, lots ofluxury, and here, on the Right

(02:47):
Bank, you will find some ofParis' most iconic landmarks.
The Right Bank is home to theChamps-Élysées, arguably one of
the most splendid, magnificentavenues in the world, stretching
from the Arc de Triomphe to thePlace de la Concorde.
It's lined with shops andtheaters and, as you're getting

(03:08):
ready for your trip, it'sprobably really easy for you to
imagine yourself there,strolling down this grand
boulevard, taking in the sights,taking in the sounds of Paris
at its most glamorous.
It's so easy to imagineyourself there because you've
seen countless pictures.
It's been filmed in numerousmovies.
The Champs-Élysées isdefinitely something to

(03:30):
experience.
And, of course, do not forgetthe Rue de Faubourg,
saint-honoré.
This is where all the majorfashion houses live.
For those of you fashionistas,this is a part of the right bank
that you definitely do not wantto miss.
This is where those houses likeDior, chanel and Hermes

(03:51):
showcase their latestcollections.
The right bank is the epitome ofelegance and sophistication,
but it's not just aboutsophistication.
The right bank is also acultural hub.
On the right bank, you willfind the Louvre, the world's
largest art museum, which findsits home on this side of the
Seine.
Originally a royal palace, itnow houses thousands of pieces

(04:16):
of art.
In fact, if you wanted to seeevery piece in the Louvre, rumor
has it that if you spent 30seconds in front of every piece
in the Louvre, it would take youwell over a month to see them
all.
But it is home to the beautifuland enigmatic Mona Lisa, of
course, venus de Milo, venus duMilo and, my personal favorite,

(04:38):
the Winged Victory.
Further north, you will findthe stunning Palais Garnier,
which is the opera house andinspiration for Gaston Leroux's
famous, infamous Phantom of theOpera, with its grand marble
staircase and chandelieredfoyers.
It is a testament to thegrandeur of the right bank.

(04:58):
So you get the feeling for theright bank.
It's big, it's amazing, it'sluxurious.
You're going to love it.
It's also the home of theMarais, which is a very
sentimental neighborhood formany people.
Many people that visit Parisfind the Marais is one of their
favorites.

(05:21):
For those of you watching onvideo, I bet you didn't know
there were going to be costumechanges on this podcast.
That's right.
You can watch this podcast onSpotify or on the Paris with
Angela YouTube channel.
I'm brand new to this and stilla little nervous, like I said.
Thank you so much If you tunedinto my very first episode on
the Eiffel Tower.
My name is Angela and I havebeen online for the last just

(05:44):
about 20 years as Parisian farmgirl, and two to four times a
year I lead tours in Paris withthose Parisian Farm Girl
followers that would like tojoin me there.
So I'm about to share with youthat I am a left bank, a rive
gauche kind of a girl.
I love the left bank and, justlike you were probably able to

(06:07):
picture yourself on theChamps-Élysées, if you are
planning your own trip to Paris,I bet that you can also picture
yourself in a cozy little cafein the Latin Quarter.
This is the historic studentdistrict.
The air is filled with chatter,the students have just gotten
out of school, you can smell thecoffee you can smell, and just

(06:27):
the intense conversations areright there for the taking.
This area is home to theSorbonne, one of Europe's oldest
universities, the Pontillon,which is a sort of secular
church, and it is the finalresting place to famous names
like Madame Curie, josephineBaker, voltaire, dumas and more.

(06:48):
That's right.
The Left Bank is a haven forthe arts.
In the early 20th century itwas the epicenter of the
literary and avant-gardemovement.
Writers like Ernest Hemingwayand F Scott Fitzgerald
frequented places like thelegendary Shakespeare and
Company Bookstore, which isstill there today.

(07:09):
You can still visit it.
When you visit the Shakespeareand Company Bookstore, make sure
that you've allowed a littleextra time for yourself, as the
line to get in can be very long,and remember that there is no
video or photography allowedinside.
Right nearby is the Cabo de laHuchette.
This jazz club is housed insidea building from the 1500s.

(07:33):
They say that the Templars andthe Masons used to meet there,
but it's been a jazz club since1946, and you may be familiar
with it as it was featured inthe film La La Land.
The Caveau de la Huchette issomething that's on my list
every time I visit Paris.
The artistic tradition doesn'tstop there.

(07:54):
It continues in many museumsand galleries throughout the
Left Bank.
The Left Bank is the home ofthe Musée d'Orsay, housed in a
famous railway station whichshowcases masterpieces from the
Impressionist era.
Station which showcasesmasterpieces from the
Impressionist era, includingworks by Monet, degas, van Gogh
and more.
I will be doing an episodesolely on the Musée d'Orsay in

(08:16):
the future, don't worry, it'sone of my favorites.
The Left Bank also boastscharming neighborhoods, like the
neighborhood ofSaint-Germain-des-Prés thus the
t-shirt.
Once a gathering place forexistential thinkers like Sartre
and Simone de Beauvoir, todayit's a vibrant area filled with

(08:37):
boutiques, art galleries andhistoric cafes like the Café du
Mego and Café du Fleur.
So hopefully that explanation,that brief explanation of each
side of the city, gives you afeeling for what you might enjoy
and for what you might somedayend up calling your favorite

(08:57):
side of the city.
Whether you decide to be a Rivedroite kind of a person or you
want to join me on team Rivegauche, that's up to you.
I'd love to see in the commentsIf you are watching this on
YouTube.
Let me know what side of thecity you prefer or what you look
forward to visiting if it'sgoing to be your first time.
Thank you for joining me.

(09:18):
My next episode is going to beon cafe etiquette and, of course
, if you would like helpplanning your tour, if you'd
like a private tour of Paris oryou'd like to come on one of my
group tours, don't hesitate toreach out with me.
If you'd like to come on one ofthe group tours for April of
2025, I have eight spaces left.
You can wait till the end ofthis video and click the link or

(09:39):
, of course, check the shownotes.
I would love to help you withyour trip any way that I can.
This show is sponsored in partby Dry Farm Wines, so I invite
you to drink these amazingbiodynamic and organic wines
from small French farms andchateaux and beyond.
This is the wine that I drink,and you can enjoy a bottle for a

(10:00):
penny with your first order.
Stay tuned for more Paris withAngela, the podcast for Paris
lovers and trip planners.
À bientôt.

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The Glamour of the Right Bank & Charm of the Left Bank - Which team are you on?

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}The Glamour of the Right Bank & Charm of the Left Bank - Which team are you on?