The Tourist Trail: Left Bank & Sacré Coeur

From the Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame, we had already notched up a good few sights and it had only been one day of visiting! In the Latin Quarter we encountered some sartorially experimental statues, before taking a stroll round the Luxembourg Gardens. 

Theatre de la Huchette, where Ionesco's famous "Bald Prima Donna" or "La Cantatrice Chauve" was played for the first time, and hasn't stopped playing since 1957.

The Shakespeare & Company

A statue of Charlemagne by Notre Dame

Notre-Dame de Paris; (French for "Our Lady of Paris"), also known as Notre-Dame Cathedral or simply Notre-Dame, is a historic Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cite in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. The cathedral is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and among the largest and most well-known church buildings in the world. The naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass are in contrast with earlier Romanesque architecture. [Source]. 

After a tour of Notre-Dame, we hightailed it to Pigalle to take a peek at the Moulin Rouge and start the climb to Montmartre's summit. On our way past Amelie's cafe, "Les Deux Moulins" [see here], we encountered the second windmill for which the cafe is named, which used to be an old dance hall but is now privately owned. The romance of old swinging Paris in the 10s and 20s still hangs around Montmartre, as does the smell of waffles and chocolate syrup from the cafes perched on its hill. 

 

I didn't end up getting as many photos as I would have liked - but be sure to make the climb for yourself as the view is well worth the effort. Artists draw likenesses and accordionists busk in the artists' quarter, and inside Sacre-Coeur's sanctuary the peace and hushed reverence seem to reach out and embrace you, as do the mosaic arms of Christ, whose likeness watches down from the domed ceiling. I'll return soon with photos soon, after all, a picture is worth a thousand words!

À Bientôt !

x

The Tourist Trail (Le Louvre)

 

On Wednesday, Neil came to visit Paris for the first time and so began the tourist trail all over my adopted city. On the itinerary was all the classics: Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, The Eiffel Tower and first off: The Louvre. Hint: to avoid the queues outside by the glass pyramid, head underground through the shopping centre (Le Carrousel du Louvre) where the wait is much shorter.

Ce mercredi, mon ami Neil est venu visiter Paris pour la première fois, et donc nous avons commencé notre petit circuit touristique. Sur l'itinéraire on trouve toutes les classiques: Notre Dame, L'Arc de Triomphe, Le Tour Eiffel, et premièrement, Le Louvre. Une astuce: pour éviter les queues dehors du pyramide en verre, allez sous-terre par le centre-commerciel (Le Carrousel du Louvre) où l'attente dure beaucoup moins longue. 

 

Of course, The Mona Lisa is unmissable, but as I've said before [here] and I'll say again, everywhere you look there are treasures to be found. Just looking up at the ceiling for a start, or looking out for gold patches worn away on statues (see above) where people have rubbed it for luck as they walk by). 

Bien sur, La Jaconde est inratable, mais comme je l'ai dit avant, il y a d'autres trésors à découvrir. Regardez le plafond premièrement, où cherchez les taches d'or où la statue est devenue usée à cause des visiteurs qui l'ont frotté pour porter chance en passant).

 The names of famous artists circle this embossed ceiling.   
Les noms des artistes connues sont engravés sur ce plafond en or.

  Particularly bad photo of the 'Mona Lisa' - but the reflection on the glass reveals the crowds of people gathered in front of the painting.

Une mauvais photo de 'La Jaconde', mais la réflexion révèle les foules qui amassent devant le peinture.

The 'Medieval Louvre' section takes you down underneath the museum where you can see original stonework and foundations. Models of the old castle that used to be on the Louvre's site show you what once was there.

Le "Louvre Medieval" vous emmenez au-dessous du musée où on peut voir les fondations et le maçonnage originale. Des maquettes de l'ancien château qui était là sous le site du Louvre te montre ce qui était là avant.

 

My favourite section: The Egyptians. It's hard to believe that these artefacts are thousands of years old...!

Ma section préférée: Les Égyptiens. C'est difficile de croire que ces artéfacts sont vieux de 1,000 ans ! 

 

 

Come back soon for the tourist trail round the Arc de Triomphe, Sacre-Coeur, Notre Dame, The Eiffel Tower and more...

À Bientôt !

x

Les Feux d'Artifice et Un Fabuleux Destin

On Saturday evening, some friend and I took ourselves along to Blanche metro station, past the neon lights of the Moulin Rouge and to the 'Cafe des Deux Moulins', made famous by the French classic 'Le Fableux Destin d'Amelie Poulain', or more commonly 'Amelie' in England. 

 

The two famous windmills for which the café is named.

The bar is named for the 'two windmills' located to its left and right - Le Moulin Rouge and Le Moulin de la Galette. It was happy hour until 10 o'clock so cocktails were €6.00 instead of €10.00 (outrageous, but cheap for Paris!)

I sipped on a Cosmopolitan and admired the kitsch Amelie themed decor. The bar had a nice atmosphere and was quite buzzy, plus, the waiters were smiley and efficient and didn't mind me playing tourist with the camera too much. 

Screen shot of Amelie in her café: Photo Credits to http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/amelie/quiz/show/35680/employees-customers-cafe-where-amelie-works-what-name-occupation-not-match

Next, we climbed to the top of Montmartre for the 'Fete des Vendanges' (Celebration of the Vineyards), where stallholders offered wine tasting, saucisson and the smell of freshly baked crepes filled the air. We got there just in time to see the fireworks end -they were spectacular. It was super busy, so we had to link arms and force our way through the crowds, before breaking free into the courtyard beside Sacre-Coeur where a Scottish ceilidh troupe played bagpipe music. It felt like New Year's Eve!

I'll have to make a return visit to Montmartre when there's more room to breathe - I want to explore a little more this area where bohemian music halls, cabarets and artists' workshops flourished. 'Moulin Rouge', directed by Baz Lurhmann, 'Amelie' starring Audrey Tautou and 'La Vie en Rose', a biopic of the life of Edith Piaf were all set here so there's a lot of trivia and history to soak up - not to mention the painters (Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Pisarro, The Nabis) who drew inspiration from the hallowed hill. 

The area is probably a little dilapidated now, as the Charles Aznavour song suggests, and Pigalle at night isn't very lovely: Je ne reconnais plus/Ni les murs, ni les rues/Qui ont vu ma jeunesse/En haut d'un escalier/Je cherche l'atelier/Dont plus rien ne subsiste/Dans son nouveau décor/Montmartre semble triste/Et les lilas sont morts.

However, I'm willing to give it a chance if someone can suggest some nice hang-outs!
After a lovely weekend, it's back to Alfred de Vigny, Guillaume Apollinaire and Hugo for me!

À Bientôt !

x