From there, we walked to the Place des Vosges, but I can't remember all the street names where the photos were taken.
I'm fairly sure that the gargoyle was at St. Eustache, and the statue is Blaise Pascale, underneath the Tour St. Jacques.
Friday, 9 May 2014
Paris Day 3 ~ part 1
On Saturday morning we started off with a visit to a cookware shop I'd never been to before - an amazing treasure-trove of almost everything you could think of for the kitchen, and in all sizes from tiny to enormous.
From there, we walked to the Place des Vosges, but I can't remember all the street names where the photos were taken.
I'm fairly sure that the gargoyle was at St. Eustache, and the statue is Blaise Pascale, underneath the Tour St. Jacques.
From there, we walked to the Place des Vosges, but I can't remember all the street names where the photos were taken.
I'm fairly sure that the gargoyle was at St. Eustache, and the statue is Blaise Pascale, underneath the Tour St. Jacques.
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
Paris Day 2 ~ Part 2
After we left the environs of the Eiffel Tower, we walked along the Seine as far as the southern end of Boulevard St Germain, then up the Boulevard St. Germain, Boulevard Raspail and back to the apartment.
There was a Spring market just after the Eiffel Tower - the roast peanuts were there. I'm sure the stand with Russian dolls and beautiful little glass animals was the same as the one we once saw at a Christmas market down at St Germain des Près.
Since our last visit, a considerable stretch of the river bank along the Rive Gauche has been pedestrianised and made into a public space. It was still too early in the season for all the eating places to be open - but we enjoyed going onto the pontoons which have been planted like little islands. In the greenhouse on one of them are some information booklets describing the different birds and fish that can be seen.
There was a Spring market just after the Eiffel Tower - the roast peanuts were there. I'm sure the stand with Russian dolls and beautiful little glass animals was the same as the one we once saw at a Christmas market down at St Germain des Près.
Since our last visit, a considerable stretch of the river bank along the Rive Gauche has been pedestrianised and made into a public space. It was still too early in the season for all the eating places to be open - but we enjoyed going onto the pontoons which have been planted like little islands. In the greenhouse on one of them are some information booklets describing the different birds and fish that can be seen.
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| musée de quai Branly |
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| Right bank |
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| Pontoons |
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| Seine barge |
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| pont de la Concorde |
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| Louvre |
Sunday, 4 May 2014
April cards...
...are thin on the ground. Partly due to being away, partly due to lack of time in general.
I made the first one as a thank-you for the woman we rented our apartment in Paris from, hence "Merci" rather than "thank you" or any other sentiment.
I made the first one as a thank-you for the woman we rented our apartment in Paris from, hence "Merci" rather than "thank you" or any other sentiment.
Saturday, 3 May 2014
Paris, Day 2 Part 1
I should really have ended off my previous post with this photo of Notre Dame by night, just to keep things chronological for my own memory!
The next morning we went to BHV, where we always go round the hobby and leisure department, and most of the kitchen and cookware department too. An exhibition I'd hoped to go to wasn't on any more, and since we were still tired from travelling we just went back to the apartment after a morning shopping, buying something for lunch along the way.
In the afternoon we went to the Eiffel Tower. Line 14 (from our nearest station) took us straight to Bir Hakeim station, and then we went into the Maison de la culture du Japon; we both love the gift shop there with its beautiful Japanese ceramics and origami papers, and there's almost always some exhibition worth seeing. This time it was a small exhibition of paintings based on the theme of remembered childhood.
Just like the Champs Elysées and the Tuileries, it was thronging at the Eiffel Tower. I don't recall that it used to be open so late (11, midnight in the summer) - maybe it's to cater to the increased number of tourists. I'm pretty sure we've been there late in the evening before and it's been closed. Anyway, we didn't want to go up, just to enjoy the area. At the moment they are working on adapting the public space on the first level, added a clear floor. Not for me!!! I hope they still keep the winter skating rink - C loved it the time he was able to skate up there.
The starlings were in starling heaven having discovered a wonderful self-service canteen. Even standing on tippy-toes it was still worth it.
The next morning we went to BHV, where we always go round the hobby and leisure department, and most of the kitchen and cookware department too. An exhibition I'd hoped to go to wasn't on any more, and since we were still tired from travelling we just went back to the apartment after a morning shopping, buying something for lunch along the way.
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| Tour St. Jacques, again |
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| BHV, now rebranded with Marais in its title |
In the afternoon we went to the Eiffel Tower. Line 14 (from our nearest station) took us straight to Bir Hakeim station, and then we went into the Maison de la culture du Japon; we both love the gift shop there with its beautiful Japanese ceramics and origami papers, and there's almost always some exhibition worth seeing. This time it was a small exhibition of paintings based on the theme of remembered childhood.
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| Bir-Hakeim metro station |
Just like the Champs Elysées and the Tuileries, it was thronging at the Eiffel Tower. I don't recall that it used to be open so late (11, midnight in the summer) - maybe it's to cater to the increased number of tourists. I'm pretty sure we've been there late in the evening before and it's been closed. Anyway, we didn't want to go up, just to enjoy the area. At the moment they are working on adapting the public space on the first level, added a clear floor. Not for me!!! I hope they still keep the winter skating rink - C loved it the time he was able to skate up there.
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| poster showing artist's impression of the work |
The starlings were in starling heaven having discovered a wonderful self-service canteen. Even standing on tippy-toes it was still worth it.
Friday, 2 May 2014
Paris - day 1
One of C's "must-do" things on any visit to Paris is walk down the Champs Elysées from the Arc de Triomphe right down to the Louvre. Apparently walking up (and it is uphill) doesn't count!
So, after arriving at our apartment and leaving our bags, it was great to discover that one of the two Metro lines served by our local station was Line 14 which has the Etoile as one terminus.
So we walked - through the throngs - down the Champs Elysées. Too hot a day to go into the Citroen building, we saved that for another day! We stopped for icecream in the Tuileries, and then crossed the river and walked up the rue de Seine to the Jardins de Luxembourg. There we stopped again and enjoyed the sun (me) and tennis (C) - it was even time to get some lotion out. In the evening we went into the centre for dinner, so the last photo is an evening photo of the Tour St. Jacques, which was still swathed in scaffolding for cleaning the last time we were there.
So, after arriving at our apartment and leaving our bags, it was great to discover that one of the two Metro lines served by our local station was Line 14 which has the Etoile as one terminus.
So we walked - through the throngs - down the Champs Elysées. Too hot a day to go into the Citroen building, we saved that for another day! We stopped for icecream in the Tuileries, and then crossed the river and walked up the rue de Seine to the Jardins de Luxembourg. There we stopped again and enjoyed the sun (me) and tennis (C) - it was even time to get some lotion out. In the evening we went into the centre for dinner, so the last photo is an evening photo of the Tour St. Jacques, which was still swathed in scaffolding for cleaning the last time we were there.
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| Arc de Triomphe |
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| Looking down the Champs Elysées |
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| Citroen building |
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| Fountain on the Place de la Concorde, detail |
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| Looking up the Champs Elysées from the Tuileries |
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| Tuileries |
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| Tuileries |
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| La Pyramide du Louvre |
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| Rue de Seine |
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| L'Institut de France, cupola |
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| Rue de Seine |
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| Gérard Mulot, rue de Seine |
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| Jardins de Luxembourg |
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| Tour St. Jacques |
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