Paris1972-Versailles2003

Well here I am again with stories on the favorites streets of Paris. Yes , I can imagine is a touchy subject, because we can write about all of them!!! However, I won’t be making a book on them, just telling about some nice ones of a personal touch. Anyway ,this is Paris ,the most beautiful city in the world.

Today, I like to tell you about the Avenue Bosquet, very nice avenue that has become part of my job the last few years as my office is near there and my bus 82 (Champ de Mars-Suffren) leaves me not far. More on this bus lines on separate post in my blog.

The Avenue Bosquet is an avenue in the 7éme arrrondissement .Its length is 820 meters and its width is 36 meters . It is a one-way street, the avenue begins at the Place de l’École-Militaire and ends at the Place de la Resistance. The avenue is served to the north by line RER C at Pont de l’Alma station,and and the metro line 8 École Militaire station.

This Avenue Bosquest pays homage to Marshal Pierre Joseph François Bosquet leading the French corps in the Battle of Crimea. The street opened in 1858, under the name of boulevard de l’Alma, it absorbed rue de la Vierge, which was between quai d’Orsay and rue Saint-Dominique; rue Neuve-de-la-Vierge and rue du Champ-de-la-Vierge, which were between rue de Grenelle and avenue de la Motte-Picquet. It was renamed avenue Bosquet in 1864. The part of avenue Bosquet which was between rue Cognacq-Jay and the quai d’Orsay was included in the place de la Résistance in 1951.

Some nice buildings to see here me think are at No 7 doctor Hyacinthe Vincent lived in this building between 1932 and 1950. A plaque pays tribute to him. known mainly for his work on typhoid fever and gas gangrene. No. 9: hotel of the Marquis Hervey de Saint-Denys, then of Count Boniface de Castellane. No 12: Institut de l’Alma (private school, college and high school). And No 19-21: headquarters of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF).

Very nice walkable street to soak in on the wonderful architecture of Paris, especially for those friends interested in doors .. From my Asian experience especially Vietnam (see posts) I dwell very well into the La Table du Vietnam restaurant here;the French cuisine Le Bosquet , the China experience (see post) and the Chinese La Fontaine de Jade, La Terrace du 7, and a very memorable for my ex VT friends Le Septiéme Vin, spot of a memorable meeting, (see post); almost reaching Place de l’école Militaire where you can ,also,catch up with bus 82! just at the beginning of avenue Duquesne! I told you Paris above ground is sublime!!

Hope you enjoy the tour and walk at Avenue Bosquet, always exhuberantly awesome in my eternal Paris. And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

So here I am telling you about some of my other favorites streets of my eternal Paris. Of course, there are plenty others in my blog, just let your fingers do the search. Here I will tell you about a very special street in my Paris. This is my story on the rue de Castiglione!

The rue de Castiglione is a street in the quartier Place-Vendôme of the 1éme arrondissement. This street honors the victory won by General Napoleon Bonaparte over the Austrians on August 5, 1796 at Castiglione delle Stiviere. On October 9, 1801, the Consuls of the French Republic decide: Article 1. A street will be drilled in line with that of Place Vendôme, on the Feuillants and Manège grounds to the Tuileries terrace. Article 2. The surrounding houses and land, made available to the government by law December 14, 1795, will be sold by auction through the estate management, with the responsibility of the purchasers to build on the plans and facades given by the government architect , etc. The first Consul, signed Napoleon Bonaparte. The street took its current name as soon as it opened. Metro Tuileries line 1 or Concorde lines 1 8 12.

Some of the main things for me to see here are at No. 3: The Marriott Westin Paris – Vendôme hotel (this was the old Intercontinental Paris Hotel or L’Inter as we called it, where my hotel management job was base)  No 7: the Le Lotti hotel which is located on the site of the former Jacobin convent. No 10: the Countess of Castiglione. No 14: the famous restaurant Le Carré des Feuillants, directed by chef Alain Dutournier from the Relais & Châteaux chain, restaurant awarded the Michelin Guide. Also located at this address is Maison Agry, a heraldic engraving company.

This is the new Hotel page and the first picture has not change much from when I was there…souvenirs of my Paris: Paris tourist office on the Westin Vendome Hotel

As already have a post on my Intercontinental hotels association I wont repeat them here just do the search in my blog. The rue de Castiglione is a short street full of wonders architecturally,historically, and as said personal with still many friends there who are in touch and probably will read this post; it is basically for them.

The street starts at the rue de Rivoli side with the wonderful Jardin des Tuileries and goes to the rue Saint Honoré just before the Place Vendôme. Do not forget to get into the macarons of Ladurée here!!! My outings were basically on the other side on Café L’Impérial, Le Mont Thabor, Le Soufflé restos. One curiosity for me from my Brazilian experience is the H Stern jewellers store here too! This is of course a very chic area of my Paris. You are welcome!

Hope you like this brief walk in my rue de Castiglione ,old hangout with many memories or the walk is short, the memories are long. This is my Paris and lucky to see often still today.

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

And back on my favorite streets of my eternal Paris. Well this one is very popular even if not notice the name the world passes by here. Just out of Gare Saint Lazare was my routine for several years and took this street to get to work as preferred to walk than go underground; the time was the same!

Therefore, let me tell you a bit on the Rue du Havre of my eternal Paris. Memories flashing back as I write.

The Rue du Havre is a street of the 8éme arrondissement (side of odd numbers) and 9éme arrondissement (side of even numbers). It begins on Boulevard Haussmann and ends on Rue Saint-Lazare. In front of Gare St Lazare train station. It took the name of rue du Havre because the trains leaving from this terminal made it possible to go to Le Havre.

The creation of Rue du Havre responded to the desire to facilitate traffic around the terminal of the Saint-Germain, Versailles and Rouen railways, built in 1837 (now Gare Saint-Lazare) The section between rue de Provence and rue Saint-Lazare was opened under royal decree of September 3, 1843 which fixed its width at 20 meters and gave it two 30-meter cut sections at the outlet on rue Saint-Lazare and two others 5 meters at the corners of rue Saint-Nicolas-d’Antin. The section of Rue du Havre between boulevard Haussmann and rue de Provence was originally part of rue de la Ferme-des-Mathurins (now rue Vignon) and was aligned in 1839.

The nice thing to see here and I passed by it every day to work for several years is at No 8: Lycée Condorcet (high school) founded in 1803 and installed in the buildings of the Capuchin convent of Saint-Louis-d’Antin, built in the 1780s by the neoclassical architect Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart. (yes same as Palais Brongniart or Bourse). Very high rank on school notes in France and many illustrious alumni from former Presidents of France to Georges Eugène Haussmann ,founders of automobile empires, and aviation like Renault and Dassault, the arts in Marcel Proust and Paul Verlaine, Boris Vian, Serge Gainsbourg and ,also, Bảo ĐạI last emperor of Vietnam.

Another short nice memorable street of my Paris with lots of souvenirs meeting my dear late wife Martine at the Garnier or Starbucks for a coffee before heading home together. Not all the time but did indeed went into the Passage du Havre (see post) for some shopping and getting the latest from FNAC . The San Marina shoe store was another spot for shopping on way home. Not to mention the kids from the Lycée Condorcet always loud ; there is one small church here that never had gone in…Church Saint Louis d’Antin-Espace Bernanos with many musical events as well as a chapel. This was an initiative of king Louis XVI in 1783 and with services since 1795 and parish as of 1802.  During his stay in Paris for the coronation of the Emperor Napoleon, Pope Pius VII celebrated Mass there on January 13, 1805. At the same time, the State took possession of the former premises of the convent to establish a high school there, which after several appellations will become in 1883, the Lycée Condorcet as above.

After arriving Rue de Provence turning left you go behind entrances to the grand department stores Au Printemps and Galeries Lafayette which we like to avoid the crowds of the front. In all Rue du Havre is very lively, good ambiance, wonderful buildings and a lot of great souvenirs.

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