Posted by For our 4th visit to the city of love we had some very specific things we wanted to see and do as well as some classics to revisit. First we had a booked an apartment in the 7th that our daughter Beth and her family had stayed in 2 years ago and they loved it so that was an easy choice and the location was a new one for us so that worked out well. Our first night saw us arrive late afternoon afer a relaxing train trip from Menton via Nice with no dramas other than a wrong platform that we sorted almost at the last minute .
Following Beth recommendations we ate at the lovely Bistro MARCHE and enjoyed a plate of escargot whilst sitting outside in the evening warmth before wandering the streets to get a feel of the locality. The apartment was located very near the Eifel Tower and at every turn, there it was making sure you did not forget where you were.
High on our list for this visit was the Rodin Museum which we had missed afew times before due to renovations and opening time clashes but this time we were spot on and enjoyed a few hours taking our time to discover the extensive work on display but also his history and major achievements.
There are the obvious pieces, The Thinker and the Kiss of course but The Gates of Hell and so many smaller and more instense individual sculptures took our interest as well.
The mansion house that was his home and studio in later years was such a perfect location to show off the works both internally and externally with such beautiful and extensive garden to showcase his massive talent.
From there it was off to the Hotel des Invalides and the extensive Place and Esplanade that leads to the Pont Alexandre III. It is without doubt the most extravagant and ornate bridge in the city. built in 1900 it is part of the Beaux-Arts style with its exhuberant Art Nouveau lamps, cherubs, nymphs and winged horses at both ends. It is a single steel frammed arch that spans 160 m and is 40 m wide.
On the other side of the River Seine are the two magnificent turn of the century public exhibition and gallery buildings, The Grand Palais, built around 1896 and the Petit Palais, built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle. Paris really came of age during this period following on from the grand plans of Hausmann from 1860 to 1900 that transformed the city centre. The Grand Palais as it sounds is veryt Grand and with its steel framed glass domes it is flooded with natural light and is trul;y a marvel of modern engineering and design meeting in perfect harmony.
The exhibition Halls and chambers are extraordinary with so many varied spaces in such a massive space. The engineering close up is well worth checking out to understnd how they were able to take the weight out of the steel structure with clever use of cross support systems just as Gustaf Eifel did on the tower.
The Petit Palais is not so small really and is now the City of Paris Museum of fine arts and wow what artworks it houses. From antiquities through to the Belle Epoch and onto modern days with a facinating array of tiny fine arts to massive dynamic battle scenes from the 18th century.
The galleries are of a grand scale and natural light is a massive feature so it enables grand pieces to be displayed at their best
Our wanderings took us all over the city past the Notre Dame Cathedral and over to the Hotel de Ville (town Hall) and onto the amazing Sainte Chapelle on the Ile de la Cite to experience a String Quartet classical concert.
This was one of our big ticks as we had been here before so the thought of experiencing music in that setting was something that we just had to do. The Music we heard was of such a high standard with world renowned musicians filling the small stained glass space with such beautiful sounds. They played Vivaldi’s Four seasons along with Pachebel’s Canon and Dvorak’s Going Home. it is such a unique and beautiful building and originates from 1248 and its lightness of construction and the massive extent of stained glass makes it an astounding achievement.
The Architecture of Paris primarily spans the years from 1550 to 1930 so almost 400 years of constant construction and reconstruction over that period so there is certainly a rich variety of styles.
One of the most facinating finds this time was the Le Bon Marche department store in the 7th which was rebuilt in 1852 and then again in with the advent of light weight steel and glass domes shedding natural light into its departments. The six individual domes are a great example of the style, flair and ingenuity of the times.
We took a Seine River cruise one evening and so glad we did as it was 30 years since our last trip along the river and the sights are well work a revisit.
Another interesting experience was a lunch at one of the famous Boullion Chartier Restaurants. We chose the one in Montparnasse which dates back to 1896 and it was a real surprise in both amazing art Nouveau design and how jam packed it was with super fast service and good cheap hearty food.
Of course you cannot visit Paris without an obligitory visit to the Eifel Tower, no matter how many times you have been there. It is still a great wonder and as the symbol of Paris it needs to be acknowledged. Plus it was jyst a 10 minute walk from our apartment!
The 7th Arrondissement is a very nice location in Paris, mostly residental with plenty of cafes and resturants to choose from and on every turn a view of the Tower.
We were back over the river and this time to visit the Palais Garnier, Opera House and on the way we dropped into the Church de la Madeleine with its Greek temple design and prominent doric columns built in 1824. it fills a corner position at the intersection of three major boulevardes and is one of the iconic building that can bee seen as destination points. The altar is of major consequence as the centre piece is of the ascension of Mary Magdalene which is such a rare feature to be seen.
Since our first visit to Paris in 1996 we have always wanted to revisit the Opera Garnier which took our breath away on our first visit. Built between 1861 and 1875 it is the most magnificent in the world and it’s opulent style requested by Emperor Napoleon III is a masterpiece of the first rank according to experts at the time. Every feature is over the top but beautiful as wellk and its exhubrance and fantasy are everywhere to be seen.
The staircase is a masterstroke of design, style and function and is the most striking entry immaginable.
And then there is the Opera chamber oitself with the Marc Chagall ceiling which was very controversial at the time bot oh such a magnificent and bold decision.
The Grand Foyer rivals any Palace in the world and is so evocative of the time where anything seemed possible so long as the money kept flowing, and flow it did into this building.
We finished our Paris visit with a wander down to the Jardin-ju Palais Royal and its modern sculpture plaza and then through to the Gallerie Vivienne and finally to a nice Vietnamse lunch at the Com Resturant nearby.
