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For information contact:
Werner GRAF
Lab. Physiolgie de la Perception et de l'Action
Collège de France
11, place Marcelin Berthelot
F-75231 Paris Cedex 05
Tel: +33-1-44 27 16 30
Fax: +33-1-44 27 13 82
wg@cdf-lppa.in2p3.fr
wg@ccr.jussieu.fr
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| The Symposium "Space Perception and Movement Execution, " will be held at the main campus of the Collège de France, located on the corner of Rue des Ecoles/Rue St. Jacques in the 5th Arrondissement of Paris. The Place Marcelin Berthelot is a little park in front of the Collège. Lectures will take place in the Amphithéâtre MARGUERITE DE NAVARRE in the new conference facilities of the Collège. Access to the amphitheater and the conference facilities is from thecour d'honneur (the central court yard of the Collège). Access to the Collège and the cour d'honneur is via the main entrance gate on Place Marcelin Berthelot in parallel to the Rue des Ecoles. There will also be indicators pointing out the way. |
 
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| A block of rooms for outside participants has been reserved at the Hotel CHAPLAIN in the Rue Jules-Chaplain. The hotel is a small, but comfortable neighborhood place in a quiet street. It is located in the Montparnasse area which is one of the major Parisian areas to go out (see also Entertainment). There are several subway (Metro, RER) and bus stops around, and the Collège is in walking distance (about 20 minutes). For more details see Transportation. |
 
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The following modes of transportation are available (also consult map 1 and map 2):
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From Charles-de-Gaulle airport: If you arrive in Terminal 2 (usually if you come by Air France), follow the signes "Gare TGV-RER - Railroad station", and "RER Paris par train - Paris by train". If you arrive at Terminal 1 (international airlines), take a shuttle bus , "navette", to the "Station RER-Train station". Buy a ticket at the ticket office for Paris, and take the next train of the RER (line B) suburban transportation. Departure times and track numbers are indicated on monitors and signal boards. Keep your ticket, because you may be controlled on the train, and you will need it to get back out.
If you go to the hotel, get off at the station "Porte Royal". When you exit the station, turn right and cross the Boulevard St. Michel. Then walk down the Boulevard du Montparnasse (about 5-10 minutes). You will pass the "Closerie des Lilas" on your right, where Hemingway used to write when he was in Paris. When you reach the intersection with the Boulevard Raspail (you see the Restaurant "La Rotonde" in front of you, and a statue of Balzac by Rodin under the trees to the right in the middle of the Boulevard Raspail), turn right into Rue Bréa, and right again at the "Shannon Pub" into Rue Julien-Chaplain. The hotel is just around the corner next to a Thai and an Indian restaurant. If you go to the Collège de France, get off at the station "St. Michel". There are two main routes out of this station. The first is via "SORTIE Boulevard St. Michel/Boulevard St. Germain". After going up two escalators and following a long hallway, you will find two exits from the underground to either side of the Boulevard Staint Germain (Metro station "Cluny - La Sorbonne"). In any case, you will be at the intersection of the Boulevard Saint Germain/ Boulevard St. Michel (in my opinion, the true center point of Paris). There is a McDonald's there (but that's not the reason for my opinion). If you came out of the station on the side of the McDonald's, cross the Boulevard St. Germain. You have to go up the Boulevard St. Michel for two blocks. You will pass the Thermes de Cluny (the ancient Roman baths) on your left. When you reach the Rue des Ecoles (there is a Pimkie shop at the corner), turn left, and walk another three blocks. You will see the Sorbonne University on the right (a big yellowish-black building with a big French flag), and a small park on the left with a statue of Michel de Montaigne. The Collège is diagonally across the Rue St. Jacques behind the trees (see also map 2 and Collège 1). The second exit from the St. Michel station is via "SORTIE Notre Dame/Petit Pont". You will come out of the underworld on the "Quai" of the Seine river near the "Petit Pont", and you will have the cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-Paris in front of you. The road which comes across the "Petit Pont" becomes the Rue St. Jacques. Follow the Rue St. Jacques up the hill (in the distance, you can see the observatory tower of the Sorbonne) until the Rue des Ecoles. The big yellowish-black Sorbonne building is across on the right. The Collège de France is across on the left behind the trees (see also map 2 and Collège 1). |
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If anyone arrives at Orly airport, please, inform the organizers to receive further details.
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From Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est: Follow the signs "Metro". Buy a ticket, and keep it since you may be controlled. It may be advantageous to ask for a "carnet", i.e., 10 tickets (if you are travelling in a group, and if you want to explore Paris on your own). Take the Metro line 4, direction "Porte d'Orléans".
If you go to the hotel, get off at the station "Vavin". There are several exits, which drop you off on either side of the Boulevard du Montparnasse. If you happen to get out on the side of restaurants called "Le Dôme" and "Chez Clément", cross the Boulevard du Montparnasse to the side of the cinema "UGC Rotonde" and the restaurant "La Rotonde". From there, cross the Boulevard Raspail (Balzac by Rodin is under the trees in the middle of the Boulevard Raspail to your left) in the direction of the "Pizzeria Villa Borghese". Turn left, and follow Rue Bréa to the corner where the "Shannon Pub" is located. Turn right and follow the road to the hotel next to the Thai and Indian restaurants (for details see map 1 and map 2). If you go to the Collège de France, get off at the "Odéon" station (see also "blue" itinerary on map 2. The two exits ("sortie") will drop you in the middle of the Carrefour de l'Odéon. When you come out of the underground, you will see a monument of Danton. On the right is the Boulevard Saint Germain (there is a restaurant "Relais Odéon" on the other side of the boulevard), and on the left is a smaller street (with a movie hall "UGC Danton"). You have to make a 180° turn, and follow that small street, which becomes Rue de l'Ecole de Médecine. It narrows down considerably, and you will pass an anatomy shop to your right (Dr. Auzoux). Follow the general direction of the street when crossing the Boulevard St. Michel (Pimkie shop on the left corner) into the Rue des Ecoles. Walk three blocks with the Sorbonnne on your right until the Rue St. Jacques. The Collège is diagonally across (see Collège 1). |
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From the hotel to the Collège: It is a pleasant walk of 20 minutes through the Jardin de Luxembourg (Luxembourg Gardens). The itinerary is marked in red on map 1 and map 2. When exiting the hotel, turn right and walk to the next street, Rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs. There turn left until Rue Vavin. Turn right and walk until you reach the Jardin de Luxembourg on the other side of the Rue d'Assas. Enter by the gate in front of you and keep a straight ahead-leftish direction. You will pass a big children's playground on your left. Follow a left-leading walkway diagonally across a large area with trees towards a round pavilion (actually a police post). From there, you can already see the Palais de Luxembourg. Follow the walkway until you reach the gardens in front of the Palais. Walk around the large central water basin, up the stairs again, and towards the large domed building in the distance, the Panthéon. When you have reached the other side of the gardens, cross the Boulevard St. Michel, towards the McDonald's on the other side. Walk up the Rue Soufflot towards the Panthéon until you reach the Rue St. Jacques (there is a Banque National de Paris, BNP, on the corner) (see Panthéon). Turn left on Rue St. Jacques, and walk down to Rue des Ecoles (see Rue St. Jacques). The Collège then is on your right (see Collège 2).
Alternatively, you may take the Metro at the "Vavin" station. To do that ("blue" itinerary), turn left when exiting the hotel, follow the road and turn left on Rue Bréa. Cross the Boulevard Raspail towards the "La Rotonde" restaurant. The entrances to the Metro are right there. Take the train in the direction of "Porte de Clignancourt". Get off at the "Odéon" station, and follow again the "blue" itinerary, as described above. |
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| For making telephone calls from a public phone booth, you will need a phone card ("Télécarte"). These are available in newspaper shops, "Tabac" shops, Metro ticket offices, post offices, etc. There are two denominations, "petite" (50 units), and "grande" (120 units). In some isolated areas, coin operated phones may still be found. To call abroad, dial "00" + country code + area code + number. The AT&T access code for the USA is 0800 99 00 11. When calling inside France, one always has to add the area code. Even when dialing inside Paris, the area code "01" has to come before the 8 other numbers. Please, contact the organizers for area code information, when you need to phone outside the Paris area. When at the hotel, you have to dial "0" first, to get an outside line. When you have a dial tone, continue as indicated above. |
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If you need to send a fax, please, contact the organizers, and your communication will be sent for you.
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If you need to receive a fax, the number at the Collège is +33-1-44 27 13 82. Have your name indicated and "c/o Werner Graf, Symposium".
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If you need to be reached on the telephone at the Collège, please, have the following numbers contacted:
+33-1-44 27 14 04, or +33-1-44 27 16 29.
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If you need to be reached in the hotel: via telephone: +33-1-43 26 47 64;
via fax: +33-1-40 51 79 75
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| The hotel is located in the Montparnasse area, a major spot for going out, eating out and entertainment. There are four famous restaurants in the neighborhood, "La Rotonde", "Le Dôme", "Le Select", and "La Coupole". The first three were talked about and described, especially "Le Select", by Hemingway in his novel "The Sun also Rises". "La Coupole" did not exist in 1923, when Hemingway wrote the book, so it does not figure. The Montparnasse area is not yet totally run over by tourists, so one finds more Parisians and French there than in many other Parisian entertainment spots. This provides for a more "classical" atmosphere than elsewhere in Paris. The Montparnasse area also has a multitude of "crêperies" (pancake bars), where the thin pancakes are served. "Crêpes" come in a salty and a sweet version, and arrive stuffed with all sorts of things. "Cidre" (fermented apple juice) is the best drink to accompany such a meal. Many "crêperies" are found in the southern portion of the "Rue du Montparnasse" which intersects the "Boulevard du Montparnasse" (starting between the "Mustang Café" and the "Léon de Bruxelles" restaurants). Try the "Crêperie de Josselin" at the top of the street on your left. |
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The Collège de France is situated in the center of what used to be the Roman town of Lutetia. The very lively area surrounding the Collège is now called the Latin Quarter ("quartier latin"), and possesses numerous small shops, cute little corners, narrow streets, wide boulevards, majestic buildings, cinemas, restaurants, countless historical places, bars, book stores, archeological sites, monuments, universities, some of the most famous and best high schools of France, and all sorts of tourist attractions from the serious to the seedy. Of course, everybody who visits Paris, wants to see the Latin Quarter. Thus, tourists abound, especially around the Place St. Michel and along the banks of the Seine. A great deal of the heart of the Latin Quarter has been taken over by a non-Parisian ambiance. For instance, you will find whole streets that are composed exclusively of Greek restaurants displaying all the same type of food, so one has the impression of wandering through the Plaka in Athens. There are, however, charming and very French places left for those who care to look for them and to find them.
Of course, the work shop participants will have expert guides in the organizers, who will also fill in some of the historical back ground of the places. |
 
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Money:
The easiest way to get French Francs is via one of the numerous cash machines ("guichet automatique"). They are also marked by a hand holding a credit card and by the bank name. There are some also at the airport. The cash machines will offer advice in serveral languages. Their preferred card is VISA. Others are accepted, too, but you may need to do a bit of searching. If you carry cash or travellers checks, you may use any of the banks, the post office, or private money changers. There is a CCF ("Crédit Commercial de France") branch at the airport. This bank usually has good rates, and does not charge a commission. The post offices ("La Poste") offer good rates, too, but there is paper work to be done, and the lines may be long. In any case, avoid under all circumstances the change places of "CHEQUE POINT". They have bad rates, and charge exorbitant commissions. If you need more information about favorable rates, please, contact the organizers. In case, there is a need to change foreign cash after hours, two automatic money changing tellers are available in the neighborhood of the Collège de France. One is located at the intersection of Boulevard St. Michel/Rue des Ecoles at the "Société Général" branch, the other at the CCF ("Crédit Commercial de France") branch on the Carrefour de l'Odéon, near the Odéon Metro station (see map 2). |
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Tipping in restaurants and bars:
All taxes and service charges are always included in the price. Whatever price is marked on the menue, you will be charged, nothing more. One may leave a small tip as a recognition of friendly service, amounting to maybe 2 to 3 Francs for drinks in a bar, 1/2 Franc for coffee, and 5 to 15 Francs in a restaurant. |
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Weather:
The weather can still be cool at the end of June in Paris. However, hot spells ar not uncommon. You should not expect air conditioned rooms anywhere in France. Air conditioning is the exception, not the rule. People here just put up with the heat by dressing appropriately, and by going on vacation.
Since the weather can change from one day to another, please, check this page before your departure. Information will be updated periodically.
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