Before your France vacation, get Euros at Nour Exchange and the difference* will pay for a nice dinner.

Some interesting and unique sights and activities in France

Eiffel Tower

Gustave Eiffel did not actually design the Tower, but one of his employee-engineers, Maurice Koechlin, did. In fact, Eiffel rejected Koechlin’s original sketches, calling them minimalist and requesting a little more oomph. After approving one of Koechlin’s final designs, in 1884, Eiffel started shopping his company’s new masterpiece around. Eiffel originally pitched his tower to the city of Barcelona, Spain.

They rejected it, worried it would be an unwieldy eyesore.

A curiosity is if Koechlin Tower would have had the same impact.

Like most countries, especially in Europe, there are some crazy rules and laws on the books. Paris has a fairly strange situation involving the Eiffel Tower, enough of one for use to design a poster about it, see our Warning – France poster page.

Gustave Eiffel
Maurice Koechlin

The Louvre

The world’s largest art museum, and the world’s most visited museum, with over 10 million visitors in 2018 (that’s 27,397 per day!), and located on the right bank of the Seine, in District 1. Originally Louvre Castle, built by Philip II, King of France from 1080 to 1223, and converted by Francis i in 1546 to be the primary residents of the French Kings.

Opening on August 10, 1793, showing 537 paintings, made up mostly of works from royal and confiscated church property. Due to problems with the building, it was closed from 1796 to 1801 for repairs. The size of the exhibition increased under Napoleon and was renamed Musée Napoléon. After Napoleon’s abdication, many pieces seized by his armies were returned to their original owners. It was increased again during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second French Empire the museum gained another 20,000 items.

La Tour d’Argent

Opened in 1582, it quickly became the place to go, influenced by the fact that Henry IV chose it as his preferred restaurant after a night of drinking. It all started when the party-brother of the King, after a boozy night with friends, his group rapidly swollen to twenty including fifteen attractive party girls they met earlier, ended up at La Tour D’Argent to gorge on Heron Pâte after hearing about this featured dish. As the tables are prepared, and at the Prince’s request, owner Mr. Rourteau decorates the seating with a fork, a new utensil that is apparently all the rage in Italy. This is the first sighting of its use in France. Designed to be “a remarkable invention to prevent gentlemen from staining the immaculate fashionable ruff worn around the neck”.

Based on a typical Canadian trip to France, if you exchange your currency at Nour Exchange, the difference will pay for a dinner at this exclusive restaurant, and the oldest restaurant in Paris, beloved by both Prince Henry IV and King Henry III alike!

Review their amazing menu.

* Based on a typical trip for two (2) for seven (7) nights including hotel, food, entertainment, local travel, Approx. $3,400 CDN.