France

Paris, October 2006

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I've been to Paris twice, and my recent trip in October 2006 is the one that is in my mind now and the one that I want to remember. I would like to give you a bit of 'my' impressions about Paris and I hope you will enjoy reading it. I know I had have fun writing it, as it brought back so many wonderful memories :-))

On this page I will start at the Place de la Bastille and slowly walk westwards and discover the city on the right side of the Seine. After that working my way back slowly on the left bank ending up at the heart of the city at the Ile de la Cité.

Colonne de Juillet

My journey around Paris started off at the Colonne de Juillet, located on the Place de la Bastille. My hotel was located in this area, and this was one of the first views of Paris I got. The long column, almost 52 metres high, with the gold statue on top was towering high above anything else in the area. And like everything in Paris this column has a long history to it.

Génie de la Liberté

The Colonne de Juillet is located in the middle of the square and is surrounded by a rather busy roundabout. The square and its surroundings are often referred to as the 'Bastille', which is a lively and popular area in Paris, with lots of cafes and bars. But, hahaha, I guess I am getting on a side-track here; back to the column and why it is placed here....

The column dates back to July 28, 1840, and was build in order of King Louis-Philippe (1773 – 1850) who wanted a monument to commemorate both the French revolution of 1789 (also known as the storming of the Bastille) and the "three glorious days" of the July revolt in 1830. The column is located roughly where the medieval Porte Sainte-Antoine once stood.

On a sunny day the glistering gold-leafed bronze statue on top will certainly draw your attention. This is the Génie de la Liberté (the Spirit of Freedom) and was designed by sculptor Augustin-Alexandre Dumont.

Opéra National de Paris Bastille

Also located on the Place de la Bastille is the interesting building of the Opéra National de Paris Bastille. It is hard not to notice this building as it is in such a sharp contrast with the more historical surroundings. But I can't say it is ugly, or out of tone with the rest, I actually found the architecture rather interesting and fascinating to look at. Unfortunately with the busy square in front of it, it wasn't so easy to get a good view (especially with the camera) of the whole building.

I haven't been inside, although I wouldn't mind taking a peek there! The design on the outside is quite impressive and it made me wonder how the inside would be like. The Opera building was inaugurated on July 13, 1989, on the 200th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille.

Place des Vosges

Place des Vosges

After having had a nice cup of coffee and some croissants as a quick breakfast, we wandered into the quarter called the 'Marais'. Our first stop was the 'Place des Voges', and what a wonderful surprise this was. I hadn't been here before, but it stole my heart right away. The tranquillity of the square combined with the symmetry of the park and the surrounding buildings is a feast for the eyes. The sun had come out, making the red bricks of the houses look more vividly of colour. I am not really surprised that some people call this one of the most beautiful squares in the world, although I don't think this is a 100% true. But it certainly IS a beautiful square and not to be missed during a visit to Paris.

Place des Vosges

In total there are 36 houses, nine on each side, build in red brick, with large symmetric windows and steep roofs with those large chimneys that I like so much. Some says there are 39 houses in total though, hahaha, I guess it all depends what you call a 'house' I haven't even tried counting them, for me the total effect of it all was what took my breathe away.

Statue of Louis XIII

In 1605 - 1612 Henri IV had this beautiful square build and called it Place Royale. The square got its new name in 1799 and was renamed after the 'Department of the Vosges', which is a part of France near the German border. Of course the renaming had a good reason; money! The Vosges was the first to pay its taxes to a particular military campaign; and I guess that that is good enough reason as any to get the honour of having a square named after it ;-)

But let’s forget all these facts about the square and get back to the here and now, and start to look around. The square, which is now a little park, is beautiful, with several fountains, symmetric paths crossing through the park from one side to the other, old trees that filter the light of the sun in a magical way, and a large statue of Louis XIII in the middle. Just sit down on one of the benches and take it all in. While looking around you probably be surprised by all the details you'll see, like the old lanterns placed around and on the square that caught my eye. They look so romantic and fit so perfectly in the atmosphere of it all.

Walking around in Le Marais

Wooden carvins above a door, Le Marais

The Marais is a beautiful part of Paris and perfect to get 'lost' in. I loved wandering around in the small streets, look at all the houses, which have so many architectural details. Old doors, decorated with wonderful wooden carvings, a funny cornerstone build in the wall, balconies, balconies and more balconies, often filled with flowerpots. I just didn’t know where to look anymore! In the old days the Marais used to be a marshland, which is really hard to believe when you walk around this area these days…

Fun cornerstone

There are some famous houses in this area, like Hôtel des Francs-Boureois, Hôtel de Sully and Hôtel de Lamoignon, all which I planned to look at. But strangely enough I forgot about those plans within no time. The Marais had put its spell on me and made me love it as a whole. I forgot my urge to see specific houses; I just wanted to absorb it all. I was too amazed by all the details of the houses, the grandeur; all I wanted tot do was look around one more corner to see what surprises I would find there……