The Best Destinations for Serious Shoppers in .NET framework

Encoder UPC Code in .NET framework The Best Destinations for Serious Shoppers

France is second to none when it comes to pleasing sophisticated shoppers Start in the fashion capital of the world (Paris), and work your way around to some of the other shopping destinations in the country

Paris: Not to be ignored is the joy of bringing something back from Paris, a reminder of your stay There can be no substitute for memories of strolling along one of the chic boulevards of Paris, browsing in the smart boutiques, and finally purchasing say, a scarf or handbag Paris is one of the great shopping meccas of the world, the rival of New York and London Shopping surrounds you on every street Right Bank shops are centered in the 1st and 8th arrondissements, and Left Bank shopping uses the hubs of the 6th and 7th arrondissements See 12 Quimper: The capital of Brittany is celebrated for its hand-painted pottery, which has been made here since the early 1600s In your search for fa ence, you can take a factory tour, explore a museum devoted to pottery, and spend time in local shops that hawk this exquisite merchandise See 17 St-R my-de-Provence: Our favorite town in the province also is a center of home decorating, and antique shops and fabric stores abound in the old town Walk its narrow streets and shop, shop, shop, choosing from a wide array of merchandise from antiques to flea-market discoveries, along with fa ences and fabrics The town is filled with collectibles, including santons (hand-painted clay figurines) See 18 Aix-en-Provence: Some of the best markets in all of Provence focus on this town, famous for its fruit and vegetable market, which is open every morning Even if you don t buy anything (it s likely that you will), you can wander among stall after stall, looking at the products Provence is known for, everything from local cheeses to fresh produce and most definitely olives and lavender Seek out some of the specialty stores selling classic Provence sweets, such as almond-paste cookies, or else craft shops hawking their beautiful handmade baskets See 18 Nice: This city is known throughout Europe for its celebrated flower market, March aux Fleurs open Tuesday to Saturday beginning at 6 am Chances are, the actual visitor will patronize these markets mainly to sightsee But Nice also offers plenty of shops where you may want to make more serious purchases, including glassware from Biot, pottery from Vallauris of Picasso fame, and, most definitely, perfumes from Grasse See 20 Cannes: This posh Riviera resort is known for both its markets and its specialty shops The biggest market is March Forville, which you may want to treat as a sightseeing attraction, and dozens of specialty shops will entice you, too Cannes, attracting yachties, also is known for its high-fashion designer shops, including Chanel and Dior These pockets of posh lie on or in the vicinity of La Croisette See 21

Clovis I (reigned AD 481 511) is considered the first king of France, though his influence was strongest in the north of the country He converted to Catholicism, united territories, and selected Paris as the capital Charlemagne came along a couple hundred years later, reigning (AD 768 814) over an area that extended from the Baltic to the Mediterranean seas and included parts of France, Germany, and Italy Now here was a king the people could rally behind, a great general and bold ruler The pope in Rome crowned Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor in 800, giving a spiritual legitimacy to his rule These times were good for scholarship and the arts France and Germany didn t become separated until 843, when Charlemagne s grandsons Louis, Lothair, Pepin, and Charles split the kingdom Charles the Bald got France He and Louis united against Lothair by taking the Oath of Strasbourg, the first known document written in French and German instead of the usual Latin Charles, who ruled over a region whose borders resembled the France of today, developed a complex feudal system In 1066, William, duc de Normandie, known in history as William the Conqueror, began a campaign to conquer England, and the Bayeux Tapestry in Normandy tells the dramatic tale In 1152, Eleanor of Aquitaine stirred things up again between France and England when she divorced the king of France (Louis VII) and married the king of England (Henry II), placing western France under English rule War between the two countries continued on and off for hundreds of years During the Middle Ages, the Catholic church was a powerful force in France Holy men preached the Crusades in the 12th and 13th centuries, inciting armies of men to journey to foreign lands in the name of the church These so-called holy armies set off to conquer lands for the Holy Roman Emperor Throughout the next 700 years, five dynasties held the French crown and built the monarchy into one of Europe s most powerful Of these kings, several stand out for their achievements in bringing about the France of today An especially long and fruitful reign was that of Louis IX (1226 70), called St-Louis During his reign, Ste-Chapelle and Cath drale Notre-Dame were built on the Ile de la Cit in Paris The arts of tapestry weaving and stone cutting flourished Philippe IV (the Fair), who reigned from 1285 to 1314, was instrumental in France gaining its independence from the pope in Rome Philippe had a French pope elected, Clement V, who transferred the papacy to Avignon, where it remained from 1309 to 1378 For a brief period, two popes one in Rome and one in Avignon jockeyed for power Rome eventually won out In 1348, the bubonic plague, called the Black Death, wiped out a third of Europe s population Meanwhile, the Hundred Years War between France and England waged from 1337 to 1453