Here are a few interesting, and some not so interesting, things I learned about Paris while prepping for WDC 2013:
Most residences in Paris now have a toilet, many have a bath tub, but relatively few have a standalone shower, although most have a bidet. Bidets were originally invented for washing feet, but unknowing foreign tourists thought they were for something else and that use became popular.
10% of all residences in Paris are owned by the governments (local, regional, or national) and generally are rented to government workers at a subsidized rate as part of their compensation package. Scandals abound and are regularly reported in the media.
Relatively few apartment buildings, except the most modern ones and upscale older buildings, have elevators.
A majority of the population of Paris now lives alone.
Contrary to what you might think, poodles are not the most popular dogs for pets in Paris. Mongrels are. Poodles are number 2, Labradors are 3, and Yorkies 4.
The most popular brand of bottled water in Paris is not Perrier or Evian, but whatever brand is cheapest. Savvy Frenchmen often carry and reuse a prestige water bottle filled with tap water, a trick they learned from the Croats.
Sixty percent or more of Frenchmen now living in Paris claim to have a mistress. Less than 40% of French women living in Paris admit to having a mister!
Why do Paris apartments have those funny sloped roofs?
A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper.[1][2][3] The steep roof with windows creates an additional floor of habitable space,[4] (a garret), and reduces the overall height of the roof for a given number of habitable stories. The upper slope of the roof may not be visible from street level when viewed from close proximity to the building.
The earliest known example of a Mansard roof is credited to Pierre Lescot on part of the Louvre built around 1550. This roof design was popularized in the early 17th century by François Mansart (1598–1666), an accomplished architect of the French Baroque period.[5] It became especially fashionable during the Second French Empire (1852–1870) of Napoléon III.[6] Mansard in Europe also means the attic (garret) space itself, not just the roof shape[7] and is often used in Europe to mean a gambrel roof.
Jerry Lewis is consistently voted the most popular American entertainer in France. Eat your heart out Celine Dion.
The three most popular subjects for graffiti in Paris are: 1) Sex, 2) Ethnicity, 3) Politics.
On the average, the Seine is just over 31 feet deep as it flows through Paris. Thirty-seven bridges cross the Seine in Paris. The oldest (1607) is called the Pont Neuf (New Bridge).
In Paris, the Seine is divided into two parts by the islands which form the heart of Paris. They are called the Rive Droite (right) and Rive Gauche (left).
More French men shave their chests than French women shave under their arms. Except in the Marais district where the positions are reversed.
The most popular foreign cuisine in Paris is McDonalds. Paris Baguettes, which is number two, is a South Korean-owned chain.
More and more Parisians are using the free bikes available all over town to get around. Warning: the riders are worse than car drivers.
The number one use of time for a Paris cop is watching another cop fill out a traffic accident report.
