I visited Paris for the first time in 2005 and after only a few hours I had fallen in love - what an amazing city. I headed straight for the Sacré Coeur Basilica in Montmartre which is just magnificent and has the best views across Paris - great to get your bearings too!!

From the wide tree-lined avenues to the quaint little back streets that ooze history and charm, the city is so easy to navigate using the Metro and simply walking. The iconic landmarks that we all want to tick off our ‘seen that' lists are so easy to find and they are even more stunning when viewed in person. I highly recommend a Paris Museum Pass and a Paris Visite Transport card as all that you would want to visit is near a Metro station and the Museum Pass gets you in to the best Parisian museums free without having to stand in line with the masses for a ticket.

Some people may say that Paris is expensive and that the people are unfriendly, I have not found this to be the case. Of course if you want to spend up big then there is every opportunity to do so; shops along the Champs Elysees and Rue du Faubourg St. Honore are designer heaven, but the back streets of the Latin Quarter and the Montmartre are much more fun, cheaper and there are great cafes and brasseries in which to stop and recharge....the patisseries are to die for. Whilst visiting the Latin Quarter you can visit the Notre Dame Cathedral and don't miss the riverside art stalls either - they are really fascinating.

Another typically Parisian thing to do is to go to the local market and buy a baguette, some fresh tomatoes and a hunk of camembert and head to the closest ‘Gardin' (garden or park) for a picnic. Wine is optional and the parks are just beautiful - they usually have water features and plenty of benches and grassy areas to sit and watch the locals go by.

I went back to Paris again this year and I have to say that the highlight of both trips was visiting the Louve - you don't have to be a connoisseur of art to appreciate the exhibitions and everyone should visit the Louve at least once in their lifetime.

  DriveAway Holidays offer car hire in Paris and throughout France.

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The Peugeot Company, started by the Peugeot family originally began its life as an ironmonger. Instead of cars the main items manufactured were coffee grinders and bicycles. It was not until 1876 that the company first started to make cars for the French public. The first cars were steam driven although in later years, with the help of Daimler; the internal combustion engine was adopted as the preferred means of propulsion.

In 1891 the first of these petrol driven cars was driven from Beaulieu-Valentigney to Paris and then onto Brest. The acclaim gained for this amazing feat cemented the car in the hearts of the French public and as a result the company sold three hundred cars in 1899, a marked improvement on the five sold in 1891. The range was further improved when the steering tiller was replaced with the wheel and electric ignition systems were added in 1902.

Development naturally continued in the 1910's when Peugeot once again entered the world of motor sport. With the help of Ettore Bugatti the cars were further improved with stylistic design and an engine that produced an impressive ten horsepower. Examples of these models can still be seen today in the French National Automobile Museum located in the town of Mulhouse.

After the First World War Peugeot steamed ahead with production, producing their one hundred thousandth car in 1925, the cars of this era predominantly had three cylinder engines although at this time the company were experimenting with two stroke diesel models. Strangely in 1926 cars were produced for the first time with front brakes, previously cars had only had braking systems in the rear. During the late twenties Peugeot even released a sports car using a six cylinder Bugatti engine that had been supercharged.

The thirties saw Peugeot produce the first ever electrically retractable roof, a development that the company is still proud of. During the war the company also produced an electric car named the VLV Electrique. After the war the company was also one of the first to re-establish production lines selling almost fourteen thousand model 202's in 1946. During the fifties Peugeot still managed to dominate the European markets. In 1955 the model 403 was the first car ever to break the one million units produced mark. Also during this decade the company entered the American car market.

The sixties and seventies were a seminal period for the company. The release of the Pininfarina designed 404 dawned a period of success all over the world in terms of sales as well as success in the Safari Rally. This period also saw Peugeot produce its five millionth car. The company managers also decided to expand in this period, taking over rival manufacturer Citroen in 1975 thanks to the financial assistance offered by the French government. The new company was labelled PSA although this was purely a parent company as both members of the group wanted to keep the identities of the two brands distinctly separate. The expansion however did not stop there; the company launched a successful bid to take over the European division of Chrysler in 1978.

This expansion meant that the company has overstretched itself and the early eighties were a time of financial uncertainty for PSA. Thankfully, the release of the immensely popular 205 in 1983 meant that the company was able to revive its fortunes and carry on producing distinctly French cars. Today, despite having to close the Coventry factory the company is still striving to produce cars that have a French nature and are popular with drivers of all ages. The motoring giant may be far removed from its humble coffee grinding heritage, but the traditions of this family company have not been forgotten.

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I visited Paris for the first time in 2005 and after only a few hours I had fallen in love - what an amazing city. I headed straight for the Sacré Coeur Basilica in Montmartre which is just magnificent and has the best views across Paris - great to get your bearings too!!

From the wide tree-lined avenues to the quaint little back streets that ooze history and charm, the city is so easy to navigate using the Metro and simply walking. The iconic landmarks that we all want to tick off our ‘seen that' lists are so easy to find and they are even more stunning when viewed in person. I highly recommend a Paris Museum Pass and a Paris Visite Transport card as all that you would want to visit is near a Metro station and the Museum Pass gets you in to the best Parisian museums free without having to stand in line with the masses for a ticket.

Some people may say that Paris is expensive and that the people are unfriendly, I have not found this to be the case. Of course if you want to spend up big then there is every opportunity to do so; shops along the Champs Elysees and Rue du Faubourg St. Honore are designer heaven, but the back streets of the Latin Quarter and the Montmartre are much more fun, cheaper and there are great cafes and brasseries in which to stop and recharge....the patisseries are to die for. Whilst visiting the Latin Quarter you can visit the Notre Dame Cathedral and don't miss the riverside art stalls either - they are really fascinating.

Another typically Parisian thing to do is to go to the local market and buy a baguette, some fresh tomatoes and a hunk of camembert and head to the closest ‘Gardin' (garden or park) for a picnic. Wine is optional and the parks are just beautiful - they usually have water features and plenty of benches and grassy areas to sit and watch the locals go by.

I went back to Paris again this year and I have to say that the highlight of both trips was visiting the Louve - you don't have to be a connoisseur of art to appreciate the exhibitions and everyone should visit the Louve at least once in their lifetime.

  DriveAway Holidays offer car hire in Paris and throughout France.

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2. Destination Review: Washington Dc

The cars we see on the forecourts of Peugeot dealerships today can trace a rich heritage back more than a hundred years. The company however originally manufactured many other items before it decided to enter the car manufacturing industry. Far removed from cars in dealerships was the manufacture of steel rods that were used to construct crinoline dresses. It was through the manufacture of these circular rods however that eventually led Peugeot into making their first form of transport, the humble bicycle. In fact the nineteenth century saw Peugeot using their knowledge of steel to produce 'Le Grand Bi' more commonly known around the world as the penny farthing.

Once Peugeot had decided to manufacture cars it was under the name of Armand Peugeot. Their first car, rather than utilising internal combustion used steam power as a means of propulsion. This three wheeled car did not however make it to dealerships; only four were ever made making them somewhat of a collector's item today. The preference of steam however did not continue for long, with the help of Gotlieb Daimler the internal combustion engine soon became the power plant of choice.

Always a company to embrace technological advances, the cars in the early Peugeot dealerships were the first to have rubber tyres, created to improve the ride quality of early cars they were severely limited by the fact that instead of being pneumatic, were instead made from solid rubber. Even in this early stage however Peugeot had a clear dispensation for motor sport, entering these early cars into various racing events of the time.

At the turn of century Peugeot had cemented its place in the hearts of the French motoring fraternity. Dealerships began were founded amazingly selling three hundred cars out of a total of twelve hundred sold in France during 1899. Also during this period Peugeot manufactured motorcycles, using the bicycle heritage from previous years. In the four years after 1899 Peugeot became France's favourite car manufacturer, selling more than half of the total cars sold in dealerships across the country.

It was not until the twenties that Peugeot made the decision to divide its bicycle and car manufacturing efforts. The bike company continues until this day producing some of the best bikes on the market while the motoring division continued to court the French public with affordable and reliable cars. During this period, dealerships saw the arrival of the Type 201, the cheapest new car in all of France throughout the twenties. It was with this car that Peugeot tested their retractable roof designs. This theme is still present today with the Peugeot producing the 206 cabriolet, a design harking back to the immensely popular 201.

After the war years Peugeot turned its back somewhat on a French public who struggled to produce disposable income, instead making a concerted effort to open many dealerships in the United States. Not being totally successful in capturing the rather insular American car market it was during this period that collaboration with Renault was established as well as working closely with Volvo on a variety of design aspects.

As a result of great selling figures in Peugeot dealerships during the seventies and with the help of the French government a takeover of rival manufacturer Citroen was launched. The buyout saw many dealerships come under the control of the company making it the largest car manufacturer in France. A situation that continues to this day thanks to the efforts of company chiefs to give each company its own distinct identity.

So what can be drawn from this history? Undoubtedly Peugeot has a rich heritage in manufacturing; also it has proved a dedication to producing affordable and reliable cars not only for the French public but for the entire globe. Who would have guessed that one of the most illustrious car manufacturers of the modern day started their existence manufacturing dresses?

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