1 Paris, the capital of France, is a city where the modern and the historical
2 can be appreciated at the same time. Just one of the best examples is the
3 Louvre. The world-famous art gallery was originally made a royal palace and
4 now houses five thousand works of art, not including the Mona Lisa. Visitors
5 come from all over the whole world to see these and admire the grand
6 architecture of the building itself.

7 However, in the 80s , a more contemporary attraction was being built in the
8 gallery’s courtyard; giant glass pyramids which , because of their sharp
9 contrast, look out surprisingly spectacular. The Musée d’Orsay is another
10 art gallery whose present function differs more greatly from its original use.
11 Now filled with paintings by Van Gogh and Monet, the building was at once
12 a railway station. On the other hand, the Beauborg, also known as the
13 Pompidou Centre, is a thoroughly modern building. For the home of
14 contemporary culture, it is unique in that all of its own pipes and ducts are on
15 the outside.

16 For those ones who prefer to watch the world go by rather than look at the
17 world in pictures, Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore are definitely worth such
18 a visit. These two street cafés are destinations from where many famous
19 writers and intellectuals from the past met for coffee and the stimulating
20 discussions.