Paris1972-Versailles2003

Hello world, welcome to my eternal Paris. I have done brief tones in previous posts that I am heavily involved in many monuments and institutions in France as a donor, volunteer, and just plain romantic of history and architecture in my belle France. These for most , remains private. However, there is one dear to me an almost impossible dream that I like to share in my blog fully. I will be talking about the Palais des Tuileries.

To be as short as possible, many years ago upon coming to France and already French interested in its history and architecture, found out about a group led by the late Alain Boumie, an renown architect was leading a group to rebuilt the Palais de Tuileries. I became an enthusiantic member and participated in several meetings especially one in the Institut de France, salon Victor Hugo where I met Princess Napoleon, the wife of Louis, the ascendant as Napoleon V if the third empire was to come back…..And Count Walewski ( Alexandre Florian Józef Walewski born in Warsaw, died in Strasbourg) ) natural son of Napoleon I , descendant of the original minister and senator under Napoleon III.

The short of it again, cutting, M Baumie passed away and the project was stop due to succession/Inherance issues with his family. After about  a year the project took off again under the leadership of  Michel Carmona, directeur de l’Institut d’urbanisme et d’aménagement de la Sorbonne,(university professeur in architecture and history), and Stéphane Millet, (very well reknown architect and Président du Comité pour la reconstruction des Tuileries. The organism created to build the palace. Their webpage still on here: Official Tuileries org reconstruction of the Palais des Tuileries

And this is where I came in, name Treasurer of the Tuileries org and encourage the improvement and updating of the webpage as well as contact with business leaders in France and abroad.  Many including I ,are trying to build it again to the identical in a private effort of gigantic proportion, still a long way from doing. Unfortunately, I moved to Bretagne and efforts were too much to continue as Treasurer. I am still involved in this gigantic project of about 350M € cost estimation. We have a lease with Jacques Chirac when mayor of Paris for 99 years to build it as long as it does not incur cost to the city of Paris or the ïle de France region nor the State. The battle continues with hopes…

This is a youtube video that will tell you in images the splendor of this palace and its place in history as is was. Enjoy it

I have an artist rendition of what it was the Palais des Tuileries when join with the Louvre, that is why it is call a Fortress, needs to be completely surrounded, yet today it is not right…see the Carrousel du Louvre into the Jardin des Tuileries…see the front of it beautiful it was!!!

The story goes that it was Catherine de Médicis in 1564 that had built a palace on the site of the tuilerie ( an old roofstile factory that made them for the fortress of the Louvre). During 3 centuries the Palais des Tuileries  knew of its inmense parties, the revolutionary conflicts, wars, the arrival of the Empire (Napoleon), etc. On May 23 1871 the revolts of the commune or city folks of Paris ,after the disastrous Franco-Prussian war of 1870;  set fire to this wonderful palace that eventually was demolish by the city of Paris in 1883.

A bit of history I like

King Henry IV, son-in-law of Catherine de Medici, was a great builder. He extended the Louvre by the Grande Galerie or the gallery along the Seine river. This project, called the “Grand Design”, aims to bring together the two palaces: the Louvre and the Tuileries.

The Great Gallery ends in the West with a large pavilion, which will later be known as the Pavillon de Flore. To join the Louvre palace to that of the Tuileries, it only remains to connect this large pavilion to the central pavilion of Bullant, which is done from 1608 to 1610. To finalize the symmetry of the Tuileries Palace, it still remains to extend it to the north. Under Louis XIV, Louis Le Vau was responsible between 1659 and 1666 for completing the composition, and the palace was enlarged and finished by the Pavillon de Marsan, at the north end, matching the Pavillon de Flore to the south.

In 1664 king Louis XIV made some changes and renovate the palace to his taste like corinthians columns of marble. He decorates the hallways that joined the Tuileries Palace to the Louvre (today pavillon marsans and pavillon de Flore).  He stops the parties and meetings here as he prefered first his birthplace at St Germain en Laye and later Versailles. king Louis XVI lived at Versailles, when the revolts started and they went to get him, the king comes back to occupied the palace on October 1789, by the February 1790, the  jardin des Tuileries is the center of revolts again due to the departure of the aunts of the king.  During the month of April that follows another group of revolts stops the king Louis XVI to go to Saint Cloud (Domaine). On June 20 1792, the people invades the Palais des Tuileries and put their red caps (bonnet rouges) on the king’s head.  The defenders of the king were beheaded.  The palace is now comes to be call  Palais-National or National Palace. At the place of the theater known as the Salle des Machines or machines room, they change it renovates it and rename it the Salle de la Convention. On this salle or room that we enter by the terrace des Feuillants, on January 29 ,1793,  is where Louis XVI is judge guilty and sentece to death in his presence. The great party of the supreme council is held at the gardens in 1794.

Napoleon I ,also lived in the Palais des Tuileries. The family of Bourbons lived here too (including king Louis XVIII) after the restauration of the monarchy. Then again, on July 29 1830 the people attack the palace and after the royal troops were defeated the king Charles X (younger brother of Louis XVI) goes into exile.  The branch cadet who stays in the palace ends up as the senior branch of the house of Bourbons.  Again, on the war of 1848 the king of the French Louis Philippe and queen Marie-Amélile runs from the Palace des Tuileries towards Honfleur where a boat will take them to England in exile by a boat that was anchored at Le Havre.

After this , it was try to use the palace as a hospital ,then as a fine arts museum without success.  In 1852, the Tuileries Palace comes back ,the President of the Republic  Louis-Napoleon (Napoleon III) give a dance in the Salles des Maréchaux still holding the traces of the last revolution.  In March of the same year, the palace open the session of the Senate and Representatives at the same room or salle.  The President and the member of parliament swear allegiance to the new constitution here at the Palais des Tuileries.  Louis-Napoleon does renovation again ,and he puts the four busts of Racine, Voltaire, Corneille, and Moliére.

Burnt down under the Commune uprisings of 1871, the Tuileries Palace, although repairable, was finally razed in 1883 by order of the Third Republic of France not interested in old royal places. Only the Pavillon de Flore and the Pavillon de Marsan have been preserved. They are located at the western ends of the Louvre palace/Museum. The Pavillon de Marsans houses today the musée des arts décoratifs. The Pavillon de Flore is link to the Louvre by the Aile (wing) de Flore. It is what you see looking from the Seine river. Today is a copy of the original demolished by Napoleon III, with the new one done in 1864 . It is decorated with sculptures such as the Triomphe de Flore and is occupy today by the Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France (French Museums Research and Restoration Center) as well as living quarters for employees of the musée du Louvre and partially the école du Louvre.

You see and the story goes, as I had told you here , it is impossible to find in a small space something to majestic of souvenirs and history. We ,all who love this place will prove to the observing readers on the same terrain, to collect the most rich emotions and historical anecdotes and to start with their most smallest of misteries of the Parisien life, their dreams and hopes.  In the Senate in 1882, Jules Ferry, the Minister of Education, and Fine Arts swear to have it rebuilt to its identical form or similar  in the  name of the government ; lets hope other governement listen and read, and it can become a reality. It is a magical place, full of history of France and Europe.

The stones were purchase by the ambassador of Russia ,and sent them to Corsica  where a new family castle was built in Alata, the Chateau de la Pointe done by the Pozzo di Borgo family today. Many vestiges of the Tuileries Palace have been re-used.built from stones from the Tuileries; the pediment of the central pavilion raised in the square Georges Cain; other more modest vestiges scattered in the Tuileries Garden,(foundations of it closer to the Carrousel du Louvre),  the Luxembourg Garden, the Trocadero Gardens, and the National School of Fine Arts.

Hope you enjoy the story and do think about the hidden marvels of my belle France. An ever lasting love story me and France. See you soon around here…!

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

I have done early when I started my blog way back in Nov’10 a series of runs on each line of the Metro de Paris. I figure it is time to update and renew this information; vital for any visitor and resident as well. Paris not only have Parisians but French from every department of France and even some foreign residents and/or citizens who use it every day.  I hope it helps you understand a bit more what Paris is in its metro or subway or tube underground. Of course, remember, this is for historical purposes only, I always prefer to be above ground in Paris !

After having worked in Paris, and living in Versailles nearby for about 9 years, I am amaze at the number of people coming from places where there is no subway.metro:tube and gladly jump in into the Paris metro and rave about it back home. Like it was a tourist attractions; well I like to tell some historical stories of the Paris metro. I will try to write a bit on each line ,sort of like an historical anecdote rather than photos, maybe one if can find it. The story is the important thing here.

Ok did I said Paris has 16 metro lines ? yes I did, so here are two more short ones and seldom or never use by yours truly  short and feeder lines really. In technical terms, they should be counted thus. So let me finish by telling you a bit on them as well shall we! I admit might have used them but do not recall taking these lines ever ,goes to show you I have not seen it all!!!

We have the Line 3 bis of the  metro de Paris.  This line from the 20éme arrrondissement or district of Paris links the Gambetta and Porte des Lilas stations to the east of the city. It is the shortest on the network, and by far the least frequented, Built during the 1910s as an extension of line 3, it was disconnected from it in 1971, during the extension of line 3 at Gallieni, and operated since independently.

The terminus at Porte des Lilas was then abandoned in favor of the new one, built in Bagnolet, while creating a short autonomous Gambetta – Porte des Lilas line: the line 3 bis. Line 3 bis is entirely underground , and its total length is 1.289 km (bit over 1 km). With only four stations, which are Porte des Lilas, Pelleport, Saint-Fargeau , and Gambetta.

The line 3bis get you to the Père Lachaise Cemetery, Théatre National de la Colline, and the Church Notre-Dame-de-Fatima-Marie-Médiatrice , main Catholic church of the Portuguese community.

The line has two connections with the rest of the metro network: with line 3, north of the Gambetta terminus on the track towards Porte des Lilas,  by the old train route from Pont de Levallois – Bécon to Porte des Lilas; with line 7 bis, at the exit of the Porte des Lilas terminus on the track towards Gambetta.

There is also, Line 7 bis of the metro de Paris. Located northeast of the city, almost entirely in the 19éme arrondissement or district, it links the Louis Blanc station in the west to Pré-Saint-Gervais station in the east. After line 3 bis, it is the shortest and least traveled line on the metro network of Paris.

It was authorised in 1911 as a branch of line 7, but it was not until 1967 that this section was isolated to form an independent line.  The section is isolated to constitute an independent line, named 7bis, on December 3, 1967. The line measures 3.066 km (bit over 3 km)long for eight stations and becomes the shortest line of the network until the establishment of line 3 bis (see above) . It is entirely underground.

The stations in the line 7 bis are Louis Blanc, Jàures, Bolivar, Buttes Chaumont, Botzaris, Danube, Place des Fêtes, and Pré Saint Gervais.  The line 7bis serves in particular the Stalingrad quariter, the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont and the Place des Fêtes, Canal Saint-Martin, Bassin de la Villette ; Rotonde de la Villette, Church Saint-François d´Assise, and the Parc de la Butte du Chapeau Rouge.

The line has four connections with the rest of the metro network as with line 7 at the end of the Louis Blanc half-stations, on the Château-Landon side, in each direction of traffic; with line 3 bis via the Pré-Saint-Gervais – Porte des Lilas shuttle route at the entrance to the Pré-Saint-Gervais station (this is also a technical stop and trains can stop here longer ); also with line 3 bis via the holiday route between the Place des Fêtes and Pré-Saint-Gervais stations, at the peak; these last two connections meet and end at the station known as Porte des Lilas – Cinema.

On this short post, give you the Paris metro network handle by RATP: Official RATP public transport Paris on the Metro

Hope it helps you understand the myriads of public transport options in Paris, yet still is jam on all modes! It takes an effort to see my eternal Paris. Hope you have enjoy the ride

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

I have done early when I started my blog way back in Nov’10 a series of runs on each line of the Metro de Paris. I figure it is time to update and renew this information; vital for any visitor and resident as well. Paris not only have Parisians but French from every department of France and even some foreign residents and/or citizens who use it every day.  I hope it helps you understand a bit more what Paris is in its metro or subway or tube underground. Of course, remember, this is for historical purposes only, I always prefer to be above ground in Paris !

After having worked in Paris, and living in Versailles nearby for about 9 years, I am amaze at the number of people coming from places where there is no subway.metro:tube and gladly jump in into the Paris metro and rave about it back home. Like it was a tourist attractions; well I like to tell some historical stories of the Paris metro. I will try to write a bit on each line ,sort of like an historical anecdote rather than photos, maybe one if can find it. The story is the important thing here.

Paris has 16 metro lines so far, and it was not the first one to have one. It all started with the idea of hosting the Universal Expo of 1900, so to be ready work on the metro began in 1897. Today I will talk about line 14 of the metro de Paris.

This is the most recent line in the Metro de Paris as it opened in October 1998. It bring together Saint Lazare at the train station to Olympiades. It replaces an older line 14 that linked the stations Invalides to Porte de Vanves and eliminated in 1976 while fusion with line 13. The current Line 14 has nothing in common with the old line. It is an automatic line as well as the later line 1. Funny thing is when the metro is on strike the news tell us all lines are closed except line 1 and 14! of course, there is nobody to go on strike lol!

We will start our journey at Gare de Lyon, one of the oldest station opened in July 1900. On October 1998 it was attached to the new line 14. Here you have the opulent Gare de Lyon, the third Parisien station ,linking the south east of France as well as Italy and Switzerland. The tour de Horloge or clock tower is 64 meters high, see it at Place Louis-Armand. You can see the Viaduc des Arts, at avenue Daumesnil, in 1853 a line was given to the old train company Paris-Strasbourg to do a line linking Bastille to Vincennes along the avenue Daumesnil, and the viaduc de la Bastille saw its day, the line was stop when the opening of the train line RER A. An arts center was though out there,and finally the promenade plantée is born linking the line from place de la Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes in 1994 with about 50 shops. This Promenade Plantée, its 4,5 kms long, across the 12émé arrondissement de Paris. Its start just behind the Opéra Bastille at the level of the viaduc des arts, take rue de Lyon until avenue Daumesnil then climb a few steps that takes you to the suspended garden, and takes you all the way to the jardin de Reuilly that is linked with a woodend passarelle bridge, take the lawn and join the allée Vivaldi that takes you to the commercial part, and continues in tunnels by the square Charles Péguy and the bois de Vincennes. This jardin de Reuilly, has a grand lawn encircle by nice trees and host the circus, take it by Rue Albinoni, rue Charenton, or avenue Daumesnil.  Have a glass at the Brasserie La Tour, 193 rue Bercy or have a grand dinner or lunch at the magnificent Le Train Bleu ,1st floor (FR) inside the Gare de Lyon.

Move over to Cour Saint-Emilion, opened in 1998, and quickly see the cour Saint-Emilion, at the parc de Bercy or popular known as the Bercy Village. Great boutiques and restos there, good ambiance at night but a bit letdown in frequency. the L’Edeilweiss de Bercy is great for a glass, 2 rue de Dijon, See the unique museum, musée des Arts forains, 53 avenue des Terroirs-de-France, objects collected by a family for over 35 years, all restored, considered the largest such museum in the world. We arrive at the Bibliothéque François Mitterrand, opened in 1998. In the stairs on the lobby of the metro-RER, you see the stair or escalier des Signes and escalier des Nombres with carvings of letters of 19 alphabets evoking the diversity of languages and dialects of the world. See it at quai François-Mauriac. See the historical building of the Grands Moulins de Paris, 73 quai Panhard et Levassor, built at the WWI period and continues the tradition of the breads of Paris.  You can see the new Paris art district here by Rue Louise-Weiss, free expos are always on tab.  Take a dip at the pool piscine Josephine Baker, 8 quai François-Mauriac, open in 2008 with 25 meters lane right on the Seine river! The new Bateau Phare, 11 quai François Mauriac (the old mythical Batofar)  is just as good  for a glass on the Seine! , the soulful club Le Djoon, 22 blvd Vincent Auriol with best DJ’s of Paris.

And we reach the end of our journey of the Paris metro line 14  at Olympiades,  opened in 2007, on what we call the Chinatown of Paris, from place d’Italie take the avenue Choisy,and see the triangle of this street with avenue d’Ivry,and blvd Masséna. The Esplanade des Olympiades is the center to wait for the Chinese New Year in Paris. See culture and history  at the Le Temple de l’Amicale des Teochew,  44 avenue d’Ivry, and shop at the Tang Fréres, 48 avenue d’Ivry, the temple of asiatic goodies in Paris. you can have a nice dinner at the Chinatown Olympiades, 44 avenue d’Ivry, the mecca of Chinese restos on two floors,great. See more of the district and its inhabitants of the Orient.

And there you go, my dear readers, we have reach the end of the full line metro de Paris on line 14, the automated one. Hope you have enjoy the tour of these wonderful spots in my eternal Paris, even if as I said, above ground is better ::) Just for the curious and visitors who dare go underground in the most beautiful city in the world, Paris!!!

And remember, happy travel, good health, and many cheers to all!!!