12th Arrondissement - Nation: Paris

Ironic that probably the oldest neighborhood of Paris has become the city's most modern, isn't it? Discovered in the 12th's neighborhood Bercy, were the remenants of an ancient village dating to 4,000 B.C. This area is now the modern yet quaint Bercy village -- a fake medieaval shopping village with a very modern Starbucks and Gaumont Cineplex. Situated not so far from the village is Palais Omnisports, a modern concert and sports arena for mega stars and gargantuan games, which itself is just a stone's throw away from the centerpiece of French cinematic life – La Cinématèque Française. These two new, but now-deeply-ingrained-into-the-French-psyche institutions, are situated adjacent the Parc de Bercy, a series of three separate gardens designed by four separate architechts in the 1990s. The parks lead the way back into the center of the 12th arrondissement and towards the almost unbearabley beautiful Gare de Lyon and its decadent restaurant Le Train Bleu, via les Arcades. The 12th is probably the most residential and liveable arrondissement in Paris, one which most tourists don't make it to, but it is a faux pas to stop the exploration of Paris at La Bastille. The Bois de Vincennes and its Château -- are national treasures.
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