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Instead of walking towards the Arc de Triomphe from the Place de la Concorde, we made a left turn, towards the river Seine and the famous Pont Alexandre III. A bridge I just HAD to see! The bridge is famous for its exuberant Art Nouveau lamps, cherubs and nymphs. It is just unbelievable to see all the decorations put on just one bridge! You can argue if you can call this 'beautiful', but it is surely special. And I loved it!
The bridge was build between 1896 and 1900 by the architects Résal and Alby. The inauguration of the bridge was just in time for the Universal Exposition of 1900. The first stone was placed in October 1896 by Tsar Nicholas II and the bridge was named after his father Tsar Alexander III.
In the photos you can se some of the sculptures ornamenting the bridge. In the first photo for example, you can see one of the sculptures at the base of the lamps on the bridge. These statues are by Henri Désiré Gauquié. In photo no. 2 ond of the lamps decorating the bridge. Third photo: you can see a sculpture by Léopold Morice: Young girl with seashell. In the fourth photo you can see a decoration on the outside of the bridge, by Abel Poulin and Grandzlin. And to top it off a fun little detail: a little lizzard watching the bridge.
The Pont Alexandre III is located in between the Grand and Petit Palais on the right bank of the river Seine and the Hôtel des Invalides on the left bank of the river. Leave a Comment Directions: Métro stop: Champs-Elysées-Clémenceau In between the Grand and Petit Palais and the Hôtel des Invalides.
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One of my favourite things to do in Paris, is to walk along the banks of the river Seine. This river winds its way through the heart of Paris, decorated on both sides by some of the most famous and beautiful buildings of the capital. On a sunny day it is so relaxing and wonderful to stroll along the banks of the river. On several places you'll come across little stalls selling books, posters, and of course the usual tourist things. The salesmen weren't pushy at all, so it was quite fun to browse through some of stalls and see what they had for sale. Leave a Comment
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My next destination is a bit further to the west along to the river Seine, so why not jump on the Batobus for a comfortable and lovely tour on the river Seine to get there?
The Batobus is a hop-on hop-off boat, with eight stops along the river Seine. I thought it was ideal to hop on board at one point, and hop off at the next place that I wanted to see. You can buy a ticket for the day (or longer) and hop on and off as much as you like.
We jokingly called it the "Burpobus" instead of the "Batobus". After having had a wonderful lunch in one of Paris' cafes and restaurants, we were too lazy to walk or do anything. But we didn't want to waste any of our precious time in Paris either..... oops, that's going to be a problem!! But, we discovered the perfect solution to this problem! Take the Burpobus and burp out for a while ;-) You won't feel lazy, you won't miss anything of Paris; all the views will flow by in front of you, and your feet and stomach can have the rest they so desperately want without making you feel guilty :-))
In my transportation tip I'll write a bit more practical tips about the Batobus. In the first photo you can see a little map with all the stops of the Batobus. But no more time to waste: it's almost time to hop off the boat again as I can already see the Eiffel Tower in the distance: our next stop for the day! Leave a Comment
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The Pont Neuf was commissioned by Henry III in 1576.
Despite its name, which translates as New Bridge, it is now the oldest bridge in Paris.
Henry III was in tears when he laid the foundation stone for the bridge in May 1578.
This was because he had just returned from funeral services for two close friends who had been killed in duels. So, at first, the bridge was refered to as the "Bridge of Tears".
This was soon replaced with the name Pont Neuf because in its construction, Henry broke with tradition whereby all Parisian bridges had houses on them from one end to the other. No houses were to be built on this bridge.
Before the construction was finished Henry III was assassinated and the bridge was completed in 1604 by his successor Henry IV.
When Henry IV was assassinated in 1610 the Grand Duke of Tuscany presented his widow, Marie de Medicis, with a bronze horse as a memorial. The boat that transported the horse to France sank off the coast of Sardinia in 1613 and the horse went down with the ship. A year later it would be found and set on to Paris. It would be placed on the Pont Neuf rider-less for twenty-one years.
In 1635 Louis XIII had a statue make of his father Henry IV and placed him on the horse. This it would sit for the next 157 years.
In 1792, in the third year of the French Revolution, the Paris mobs took down the horse and the riding king. They smashed them both to bits. Most would go off to be melted down while the rest went into the Seine.
The Pont Neuf would remain without a statue until the return of the monarchy in 1814.
Louis XVIII then ordered a replica of the horse and Henry IV cast in bronze, using part of the melted down statue of Napoléon that had been on top of the Vendome column.
The caster was happy for the work, but also was a Bonapartist.
He is said to have placed a small statue of Napoléon in the right arm of Henry IV's right arm. In the belly of the horse he placed papers containing songs and celebrations from the Napoléonic era. Leave a Comment Directions: Connects the streets of Rue Dauphine and Rue du Pont-Neuf, cutting across Ile de la Cite where Ste. Chapelle and Notre Dame are located.
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I hadn't tried it before, but my fifth time in Paris I went for a night-time cruise on the Seine and I didn't regret that. I had tried a cruise on the Seine before, but during the day, and it can't be compaired to the beauty of Paris lit up in the dark at night-time!
I took the latest trip with the company 'Bateaux Parisiens' which started at 23:00 (11pm). The cruise takes you by some of the famous sights including the Eiffel Tower and around the two Islands Ile de la Cité and Ile St.Louis. It costs 10 euros and you'll be able to sit outside on the roof of the boat. The tour will be commented by in both french and english.
Look at the website for more info... Leave a Comment
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I've showed you quite a bit of the details of the Pont Alexandre III in the previous tip, so now it is time to show a bit of the bigger picture. The two main landmarks around the Pont Alexandre are the Grand and Petit Palais on the right bank of the river Seine and the Hôtel des Invalides on the left side.
One of the golden rules the architects of the bridge had to abide to was not to make the bridge too high and obstruct the view on the Invalides and Champs-Elysées. And the result is this wonderful low bridge of only 6 metres high, 40 meters wide and 107.5 meters long (photo 1). The only part of the bridge that really goes high up in the air is the four corner pillars of granite, which are 17 metres high (photo 2) and decorated with gilded statues (photo 3). Leave a Comment Directions: Métro stop: Champs-Elysées-Clémenceau In between the Grand and Petit Palais and the Hôtel des Invalides.
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This striking new footbridge was built from 2004-2006 to connect the new National Library François Mitterrand (previous tip) with the new Parc du Bercy (next tip).
It is a steel structure with oak planks as a deck, and it crosses the Seine in one leap, with no supports in the middle. The bridge is 304 meters long and 12 meters wide. It consists of two arches suspended in mid-air, and you can walk, cycle or roller-skate on both of them.
The main (central) section of the bridge is 106 meters long and was built at the other end of France, at the Eiffel factory in Lauterbourg, Alsace. It was transported to Paris (with considerable difficulty because of its size) by way of canals, the North Sea, the English Channel and then up the rivers. On November 30, 2005 it was maneuvered through Paris by barge to its final destination, and on January 29, 2006 it was heaved into place and installed at about three in the morning.
On June 13, 2006 the bridge was inaugurated by the mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, in the presence of Sylvie Le Bon-de Beauvoir, the adopted daughter of Simone de Beauvoir.
This is the 37th bridge in Paris, but only the fourth that is reserved for "circulations douces", a nice French expression meaning soft or mild traffic, i.e. non-motorized.
If you look for this bridge in Google Earth you won't find it, because when their photos were taken it hadn't even been built yet.
Second photo: View from the footbridge, looking southwest. The four L-shaped buildings mark the four corners of the National Library François Mitterand.
Third photo: The mayor's office has used a photo from nearly the same angle, but with a huge condom added to the evening sky, for one of its posters in the series Paris protège l'amour (Paris protects love), urging people to use condoms to prevent AIDS. Leave a Comment
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With the river, of course. It's always the first place I head for when I visit Paris. The Seine flows right through the middle of the city and has always played a central role in the city's life, from the moment the Parisii tribe settled here on what is now the Ile de la Cite. For the centuries it was been the city's main transport route and even today it carries an incredible amount of commercial traffic, as well as the famous "Bateaux -Mouches" which provide thousands of tourists each year with what still has to be just about the best way to get a first overall look at the city.
You'd have your time cut out if you tried to walk the whole length of the river as it winds its serpentine way through the city, but do get down to the water's edge at some point and join the locals as they sit, walk, cycle, sunbathe along the quays that lie between the water and the massive stone embankments.
There are 32 bridges crossing the river - the oldest is the Pont Neuf (New Bridge) - one of the newest is the new Pont des Arts , built in 1984 to replace what was the city's first iron bridge (built by Napoleon in 1804). The Pont des Arts is for pedestrians only and always seems to be in party mood.
leyle Leave a Comment
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Before going to Paris, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go on a scenic cruise or not. It seemed like such a cheesy touristy thing to do! So I asked VTers what they thought and everyone, including Parisians, told me this was something I had to do so I listened to their advice and once again, I've got my fellow VTers to thank for helping me make such a good decision!
There are several companies that organize Seine cruises and we chose to go with Les Vedettes du Pont Neuf simply because it was easy to find where to embark: the boats leave from the Square du Vert-Galant, at the western tip of Ile de la Cite (you'll see a big sign as you're walking on Pont-Neuf, near the Henri IV statue). A lot of people had told us the best time to go was at sundown so we embarked at 9:00 pm. It was indeed a great new way to look at the city we had come to know fairly well at this point of our trip. The upperdeck was full and there was a great atmosphere on board - kids laughing, a 2-month-old baby getting its picture taken in front of the Eiffel Tower, an elderly couple holding hands... it's Paris at its most romantic!
The cruise lasted a little over an hour and our guide Alexandra gave us a lot of information about the buildings on both sides of the Seine, and what I thought was the most interesting is that she also gave us a lot of information on all the different bridges we crossed, which is not something you find in most tour guides. So all in all, it was a great experience!
The cruise costs 11 Euros, but if you visit the Website you'll find printable discount coupons. From March to October there are departures every 30-45 minutes, from 10:30 am to 10:30 pm, every day of the week (see the Website for more information). The boats are fairly big (capacity of 300 people) so it's not necessary to make a reservation and you probably won't have to wait long before you get on board. Leave a Comment Address: Square du Vert-GalantPhone: 01 46 33 98 38Directions: On Ile de la Cité (metro Cité or Pont-Neuf)Website: http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com Other Contact: info@vedettesdupontneuf.com
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Cruising on the Seine gives you a whole different perspective on Paris and is a nice break from all the walking you are bound to do there. There are several options and the one I liked leaves from Pont Neuf and cruises for about an hour. There are also some that leave from in front of the Eiffel Tower and some more expensive ones that serve dinner aboard. The cruises are enjoyable both in the daytime and at night. Many buildings (including the Louvre) are beautifully lighted at night. Evening cruises are more romantic and the boat's staff loves shining their lights on the lovers smooching along the banks. Leave a Comment Address: Pont Neuf or Pont de l'Alma.
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