And going in these time for nostalgia lane, I take you back to my beloved Versailles. One of the must see cities of my belle France. I happened to have lived here and it was a glorious moment in my life when all the family was present; in addition to lived in one of the most prestigious districts if not the most of Versailles, Notre Dame. Let me tell you some streets life that I have left out but needs to be in my blog. Hope you enjoy it as I.
The Rue du Maréchal Foch was one of my most frequented streets while living in Versailles, not far from home ,meters, So we patronised several businesses here as well as taken the Rive-Droite train station to gare St Lazare in Paris,(see posts)
Let me tell you about the places we went sort of a nostalgia lane for me and hopefully for you when visiting at least for its wonderful architecture and history, We went of course to the post office or La Poste at 47B Rue Du Marechal Foch. Our insurance needs (still do) from MMA ,18 Rue du Maréchal Foch, The eyeglasses place (still do) Optic 2000, 47, Rue du Maréchal Foch, opposite the train station Rive Droite, Our notaries for housing needs were 60 Foch Notaries, 60 rue du Maréchal Foch (they handle international needs as well) and the hangout for quick cheap meals and memories of older homes the Subway at 35 Rue Du Marechal Foch,
The Rue du Maréchal Foch belongs to the Notre-Dame and Clagny neighborhood since 1918. It was formally called rue de l’Etang, then, Duplessis, then Sainte-Elizabeth (1775), then Voltaire (1793) until finally the current name. It provides access to the Place du Marché and the Rive-Droite train station (see post). The new name was given on August 2, 1839 by the Duke of Orleans., The street is name after after Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Generalissimo of the Allied armies of the Western Front during the Great War or WWI.
Some of the interesting building from an architecture/history point of view I like are :
N ° 1 to 7 was the Hôtel du Plessis
N ° 27-28: was the former Auberge de la Petite Sirène
N ° 29: Accommodation for Robespierre and the deputies of Artois
N ° 37: Former restaurant of the Boule d’or closed in 1989
N ° 38 to 42: access portal of the Rive Droite train station inaugurated in 1839.
N ° 46 ter: Corner, superb Hôtel de la Caisse d’épargne replacing the one on rue Saint-Simon in 1908
N ° 48: Former “Epicerie des villas de Clagny” or grocery store at the beginning of the 20C now gone
N ° 58: Art Deco building, 1923
And voilà my street!! shhhh. Short but beautiful and a great location, the Rue Saint Lazare.
The Rue Saint Lazare was my street and is a continuation of the Rue Sainte Geneviéve that is on the left side of the Collegiate Church Notre Dame (see post) ,and continues to the Bd de la Reine, This street was open in 1777 to reach the new cemetery at Rue La Bruyère during the French révolution. It got its name from the Mission of Saint Lazare where the priests served the Collegiate Church Notre Dame, Just wonderful Haussmanian buildings here now!
Off Rue de la Paroisse at the corner of the Collegiate Church Notre Dame was the Rue Sainte-Geneviéve as above, It has one of our favorite restos in Versailles, that is the L’Aparthé at 1bis Rue Sainte Geneviéve
It is such name since 1742. Former rue des Gracques. From the name of the lost Sainte-Geneviève chapel. It was located near the door of the Notre-Dame Collegiate Church in place of the new cemetery and the Saint-Julien church, which was disused in 1686 with the inauguration of the Notre-Dame Church. The cemetery was moved to Clagny after 1777.
Some of the interesting things to see here are:
N ° 3 and 3bis: Old college of Orleans
N ° 5: Mission and school of the brothers of the Christian Doctrine
N ° 9: Private school of mural art of Versailles. The artists are at the origin of the paintings of false fountain or after the fables of the Fountain at Versailles, created on the telephone relay boards in certain streets of the Saint-Louis and Notre-Dame districts.
Another quant picturesque old street is the small Rue Rameau has the interesting nice cosy UGC Cyrano cinema with 8 rooms at 7 rue Rameau, Also, for a quick grocery needs the Franprix at 5 Rue Rameau, and our saviors for all sewing needs the La Retoucherie Versaillaise at 2 Rue Rameau. The name of Rue Rameau was given in 1892. The name comes from that of Charles Chevrey-Rameau , lawyer, mayor of Versailles , and deputy who distinguished himself during the Prussian occupation of 1870.
I take you all the way to the other side of my Versailles and the rue Satory, off Avenue de Sceaux, in the Vieux Versailles neighborhood. The name comes from the name of the hill to the south of the city to which it gave access. Former rue de la Montagne which united the rue du Maréchal-Joffre and the current rue Satory.
Some of the interesting buildings here with plenty of restos as well are:
N ° 1: Beautiful facade in Art Deco style at the corner of Avenue de Sceaux, restored in 2012 Now Restaurant Limousin. Ernest Renan lived there in 1848 (he was a teacher at the Lycée Hoche)
N ° 7: Former Blaizot bookstore which was a literary cabinet for reading the press at the time of the French revolution
N ° 13: One grocer and then butchers have succeeded since 1778 until today
n ° 17: Balconies from 1790, geometric: one of the entrances to the caserne des cavaliers Chevau-légers or old barracks of the Lightweight riders. Their motto was “Slay the giants”
N ° 18: Birthplace of General Lazare Hoche, who died at the age of 29 after having “pacified” the Vendée and Bretagne. Balconies with curved railings. Purchased by the city in 1986.
N ° 22: False windows, of an 18C house at the corner of the rue du Vieux Versailles: a Louis XV corner balcony
N ° 23: Former courier office
N ° 26: Military café of the Maison du Roi in 1814, then pastry chef, ice cream parlor, tea room as today.
N ° 27: Former hotel of Lannion and former cabaret of the Royal Garden before the French revolution
N ° 28: A refreshment bar with a tobacco shop in 1882
N 30: A grocer in 1756 in a house similar to today’s, then in 1807 and today again
N ° 33: Pharmacy since 1768
The street now ends at the old Quatre Bornes crossroads with the rue de l’Orangerie.
Our hangouts here were to come to the Satory Market at 12 rue Satory, and the unique créperie Le Blé Noir, 9 rue Satory.
The city of Versailles on its heritage/history : https://www.versailles.fr/ma-ville/
There you go folks, a dandy of streets of my beloved Versailles, and my hangouts!!! The city is awesome for a walk away from the Palace/museum awesome architecture and plenty of the history of France and Europe at least. Hope you enjoy the post as I, and give a shot on your next visit to historically awesome Versailles!!!
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
Leave a Reply