Hôtel California Saint Germain
32 rue des Ecoles
75005 PARIS
Tel : 00 33 (1) 46 34 12 90
Fax : 00 33 (1) 46 34 75 52
E-mail : california@sequanahotels.com
Bus : 21 - 38 - 63 - 84 - 85 - 89
Métro : Saint Michel - Maubert-Mutualité
RER : Saint Michel - Luxembourg
The hotel lies in the heart of the Sorbonne district.
1 min walk from the Pantheon.
5 mins walk from Saint Germain Des Prés.
10 mins walk from Luxembourg Gardens.
10 mins walk from Notre Dame.
5 mins walk from Odéon.
10 mins walk from Orsay Museum
10 mins walk from the Louvre.
10 mins by metro from Gare de Lyon and Austerlitz railway stations.
20 mins by RER from Orly.
This is an image of the Grand Gallery of Evolution (Grande Galerie de l'Evolution) from the National Museum of Natural History which inherited a huge collection from the zoology gallery that was built into a corner of the botanical gardens in 1889, the same year the Eiffel Tower was constructed. The museum reopened in 1994 and now boasts a total area of 6000 m2 and exhibits of 7000 different types of flora and fauna. As soon as you enter, you will be overwhelmed by the enormous skeleton of a whale.
The ground and first floors deal with Biological Diversity , the second floor is Mankind's Effect on Biology , and the third is themed Biological Evolution . The biggest highlight is the legion of taxidermied animals lined up like a parade, with a huge mammoth at the head. You'll also notice that the exhibit methods are done in very interesting ways, like you would expect from the French. There are rare and extinct animals that have been put on display, and this is a big part of the museum's history.
You should definitely check out the Room of Extinct and Endangered Species.
It's a wonderfully complete museum of natural history, but don't forget to enjoy the beautiful late-19th century architecture, like the high, glass ceiling. And, of course it's a place the whole family can enjoy. On nice days, head out to the botanical garden, and try some of the excellent mint tea on the terrace of the Mosquee de Paris next door.
National Museum of Natural History - Grand Gallery of Evolution
Adresse : Jardin des Plantes - 36, rue Geoffroy Saint Hilaire 75005
Metro : Censier Daubenton line 7, or Place Monge line 7, then a 3 minute walk
Tel : 01 40 79 54 79
Open : 10:00-18:00
Close : Tuesdays, May 1st
Fees : Gen. Adm. 8, Ages 4-13 6, Ages 3 and under Free
Paris Museum Pass : No
Web : www.mnhn.fr
Source: cahierdeparis.us
Pic Nidouille
Published on: 2008-10-01
Shopping
Pic Nidouille is a select shop, aimed at children, that just opened in November of 2007 in the center of the Quartier latin on Rue des Écoles (Street of Schools). You'll be lured inside by the colorfully decorated show window, and open the door without even thinking...
Here you'll find clothing, stuffed animals, and room decorations designed for babies and children one after another, which goes well with the current baby boom. At Pic Nidouille they're jam-packed with all kinds of ideas, and they've got lots of original children's items you won't be able to find anywhere else! The cute stuffed animal with the retro design is called Doudou, and in France he's a doll that small children carry with them wherever they go. It's different from mechanically produced goods; the unique feel of hand-made items is especially fun. The sticker style chalkboards (the pig and rabbit styles are pictured), which you can easily stick on the wall, are also very popular. Unlike normal stickers, you can use chalk to write whatever you'd like on these.
You can also get some old-fashioned posters for about 20 euros.
In addition they've gathered some things to help make the daily chores of childcare more fun, like bags for gathering bed covers, blankets, and pajamas (or, really, whatever!) all made out of some lovely fabric that will have you exclaiming, Now this is French!
Currently, they mainly carry accessories and decorative items, but they plan to carry more and more clothing as time goes on. They've already got the No Kidding brand, made by younger designers, in stock, which has a design with a taste of rock and roll that doesn't look like it's for kids at first.
Then there's the store manager's one area of trouble: antique furniture. He has personally gone to flea markets and the like to find a lot of furniture for children, and then brought it back and placed it in the store. Beds, cradles, writing desks and chairs for kids It's really a shame that there's no way to bring these back to Japan with you.
Just looking through the shop is fun, not just for children's rooms, but even as a reference for decorating your own room.
 
Pic Nidouille
22, rue des Ecoles 75005
Area: Latin Quarter
Tel : 01 44 07 11 51
Metro : Maubert-Mutualite Line 10,
then a 3 minute walk
Open : 10:00-13:00 / 14:30-19:00
Close : Sundays, Mondays
Source: cahierdeparis.us
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From the Gare du Nord: taxi or line 4 towards Porte d’Orléans until you reach Saint Michel or RER B Saint Michel.
From the Gare de l’Est: taxi or line 4 towards Porte d’Orléans until you reach Saint Michel.
From the Gare d'Austerlitz: taxi or line 10 towards Boulogne pont de Saint Cloud until you reach Maubert Mutualité.
From the Gare Montparnasse: line 4 towards Porte d’Orléans until you reach Montparnasse.
From the Gare Saint-Lazare: taxi or line 14 towards Bibliothèque until you reach Châtelet, then line 4 towards Porte d’Orléans until you reach Saint Michel.
From the Gare de Lyon: taxi, bus 63 or take metro line 14, towards Saint Lazare, change at Madeleine and take line 12 towards Mairie d’Issy and descend at Montparnasse Bienvenue, 20 minutes journey.
From Roissy airport: take a taxi or the RER B direct.
From Orly: take a taxi or the RER B direct.
The hotel can organise for you to be met at the airport by a shuttle bus.