Paris1972-Versailles2003

As I sit in my window looking out a cool rainy winter day in my Morbihan breton , I can’t help thinking of my walks in Paris. As said, Paris is an outdoor living museum, like no other, and by far the most beautiful city in the World. I did and do a lot of walking in Paris, if feeling tired then took the bus above ground Paris is glorious. Some of these walks made me realize further the beauty of the city, in its history, architectures and facts. One of these pleasant walks took me to see the passage du Grand Cerf or covered walkway of Paris seldom seen and full of charm. I like to tell you about it, and hope you enjoy the post as I.

In 1825, the House of the Taxi of the Grand Cerf, which was the terminus of the Royal Couriers, was demolished. The opening date of the passage remains unclear. It was probably opened in 1835. The style of the canopy is however of a later period. The history of the Passage du Grand Cerf is closely linked to the history of the neighborhood ( quartier)  Saint-Denis which was in 1830 the most popular and industrious of Paris where there were small factories and workshops.  Its height, 11.80 meters, the highest in Paris, and a lenght of 113 meters was the most important of all the Parisian passages. It’s partially metallic structure allowed building two levels of fully glass facade. The house only starts from the third floor. Thus, it was said that this Passage was more intended for production and handicrafts than for the luxury and sale of its products.

The passage of the Grand Cerf, connects the 145, rue de Saint Denis to 8, rue Dussoubs, in the 2éme arrondissement of Paris, in the neighborhood or quartier of Bonne-Nouvelle. The name of the passage refers to the old sign of a hotel, the Grand Cerf Hotel. This hotel, which belonged to the Hospices administration, is also across the passage of the Bourg-l’Abbé which faces it, in rue Saint-Denis, was inaugurated in April 1828 and ,however, a guide dated 1831 indicates that the passage of the Grand-Cerf is still under construction…The passage was built on the location of the Terminus house of the Grand Cerf where the Royal stagecoaches brought the courier destined for the east of France.  The current architecture of the passage makes it rather go back to the year 1845 than 1825. This is actually the year where this passage was covered by a large canopy. The use of metal structures made it possible to situate it at a high height and thus to raised large glass surfaces in height, at the level of the interior facades of the shops.The decoration is in neoclassical style, the metal walkways and the woodwork showcases bring a chic and sober side, two floors of skylights illuminate the passage. The shops of the passage of the Grand Cerf are mainly those of designers and creators (jewelers, furniture.etc..). It was necessary to invest to maintain it and finally the Public Assistance plans to sell it. After failure to sell it , it was finally sold in 1985. This allowed to restore it and rebuild it identically by 1990.

A sequence of the film by Louis Malle ,Zazie  dans le Métro (in the metro/subway/tube ) was shot in 1960 in the passage.  Anne Français (1909-1995), painter, lived at 4, passage du Grand-Cerf. The birthplace of the French politician, Léon Blum is located next to the passage, at number 151, formerly number 243. An episode of the series Les Cinq Derniére Minutes (the last five minutes), with Jacques Debary, was shot in the passage du Grand Cerf.  The TV show Un Coeur sur Mesure ( a custom-made heart), is first broadcast  on 25 July 1981. The crime takes place in a tailor shop located in the gallery.

It is located at  145, rue Saint-Denis – 8, rue Dussoubs with access on Metro Etienne Marcel line 4 or Bus  29, arrêt/stop Etienne Marcel.

The Paris tourist office on the passage du Grand Cerf :https://en.parisinfo.com/paris-museum-monument/100255/Passage-du-Grand-Cerf

The passages and galleries site on the Passage du Grand Cerf :http://passagesetgaleries.fr/passage-grand-cerf/

There you go folks, a wonderful walk, shop;eat in quant beautiful eternal Paris , Take your curiosity to the limit and see this wonderful passage du Grand Cerf Again, hope you enjoy the post as I.

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

As I sit in my window looking out a cool rainy winter day in my Morbihan breton , I can’t help thinking of my walks in Paris. As said, Paris is an outdoor living museum, like no other, and by far the most beautiful city in the World. I did and do a lot of walking in Paris, if feeling tired then took the bus above ground Paris is glorious. Some of these walks made me realize further the beauty of the city, in its history, architectures and facts. One of these pleasant walks took me to see the passage du Bourg L’Abbé or covered walkway of Paris seldom seen and full of charm. I like to tell you about it, and hope you enjoy the post as I.

The Passage du Bourg-l’Abbé  with a length of 43 meters allows to pass from 120, rue Saint-Denis to 3, Rue de  Palestro, originally  extended until the passage de l’Ancre, but it was notched by the piercing of the boulevard de Sébastopol.  It was built in 1828 ,and the mezzanine retains original ornaments, the entrance to the side of the Rue de Palestro, designed by the architect Henri Blondel in 1863,, also architect of the Bourse de Commerce (trade exchange house) . Henri Blondel will come back in 1889 on the Rue de Palestro for a house built  at 15 rue du Louvre , but will give more scope to its composition by doubling the entrance arcade and accompanying the opening of powerful figures of Atlantis’s.   The Cariatides, sculpted by Aimé Millet, in 1863 author of the Grand Apollon of the Opéra Garnier are allegories of trade and industry, symbolized respectively by the anchor, attribute of the Merchant Navy, and by Machines parts.  The nooks of it is filled with a beehive, emblem of economic activity.

It is located at 120, rue Saint-Denis – 3, Rue Palestro, with access on Metro: Etienne Marcel ,line 4 and Bus 29 arrêt/stop Etienne Marcel.  Open from Monday to Saturday from 7h30 to 19h30. It bears the name of a village called “Le Bourg l’abbé”, which bore this name because it depended on the abbot of St. Martin. It has little activity today and hardly ever notice not even in the Paris tourist office lineup, however, it is very nice historical piece of covered passageways of Paris and will do good to stop by passing by here.

The passages and galleries site on the passage du Bourg L’Abbé: http://passagesetgaleries.fr/passage-bourg-labbe/

There you go folks, a wonderful walk, shop;eat in quant beautiful eternal Paris , Take your curiosity to the limit and see this wonderful passage du Bourg l’Abbé of Paris.  Again, hope you enjoy the post as I.

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

I come back with another memorable street of my eternal Paris. I am amazed of the material in my vault of so many years hanging around my belle France. And ,again, found me some new older pictures to help me update this older post on a street spent many times on it. Let me tell you a bit on the Avenue de New York of Paris !! Hope you enjoy it as I

The Avenue de New-York located in part on the quartier de la Muette no 62, and the quartier de Chaillot no 64 ,neighborhoods of the 16éme arrondissement or district of Paris. Its one of my fav avenue and is served by metro line 9 at Alma and Iéna stations some distance away and by the RATP bus line 72 stop at the Musée d’Art moderne – Palais de Tokyo. It is named after the city of New York in the United States.  A street I take several times by car coming from Versailles and entering Paris by the Porte Saint Cloud, the D910 or (D10 opposite is the Avenue de Paris in Versailles!) Continuing onto Ave de Versailles, and the crossing the Seine at places like the Pont Mirabeau ; Pont de Grenelle, Pont de Bir-Hakeim , Pont d’Iéna, and passing passarelle Delbilly, and the Pont de l´Alma. (see posts), This is part of the old Royal road from the Palace of Versailles to the Fortress of the Louvre.

A bit of history I like

The Avenue de New York has been named successively quai des Bonshommes because it bordered the convent of Bonshommes, then quai de la Conférence, quai de Chaillot and quai de la Savonnerie ,  because it ran alongside the Savonnerie soap factory established at the location of the current Palais de Tokyo in 1631 and transferred in 1825 to the Gobelins district, it took the name of quai de Billy and quai Debilly in 1807. In 1918, the quai Debilly was renamed avenue de Tokio, named after the capital of Japan whose spelling Tokio was the norm at the beginning of the century. Then on February 26, 1945, by decree, the avenue de Tokio took the name of Avenue de New-York. Recall that Japan was an ally of France during the Great War (WWI) , however, during WWII, this same Japan was the ally of Nazi Germany so replaced the capital of the enemy country with the city of New York from the United States who had just liberated France!. In addition, in 1964, the Quai de Passy, which extends the avenue de New-York downstream of the Seine, took the name avenue du Président-Kennedy which also refers to the United States. The palace of Tokyo, built for the 1937 Exposition, kept its name with its new spelling after 1945.

A bit on the configuration of this avenue and surroundings is useful to know from a historical and architectural basis me think

The Quai de Chaillot then Debilly stretched between the old Conference barrier, at the end of Cours la Reine, the fiscal limit for the rights for taxes of Paris from the mid-18C to the Passy barrier opened in 1788 in the wall of the Farmers General. From this date, the quay is included in the city of Paris with the whole of the old village of Chaillot up to the quay of Passy, current Avenue du Président-Kennedy, which was on the territory of the town of Passy until its annexation by the city of Paris in 1860 downstream of the Passy barrier, which was removed at that time. The part between rue de la Manutention and avenue Albert-de-Mun remains a little-built space until the middle of the 19C where a large Cail locomotive construction factory was set up, destroyed by a fire in 1865 which was not rebuilt. The land between avenue d’Iéna and the quay which belonged to the City of Paris in 1877 was then sold and subdivided with an easement limiting the height of the buildings on the quay of No 32 to 42 to 14.30 meters to preserve the view at the rear of the buildings on avenue d’Iéna. From Avenue Albert de Mun to rue Le Nôtre, the quay runs alongside a space that was part of the Visitation de Chaillot convent until 1790. Land sold as national property after 1790, purchased by the State from 1811 to 1813 for the abandoned project of the Palace of the King of Rome and sat   vacant until the Trocadero gardens were laid out in 1878. From rue Le Nôtre to rue Beethoven, the quay ran alongside the Couvent des Minimes or Bonshommes domain, at the bottom of which was built in 1788 the wall granting tax rights the corner of rue de la Montagne, now rue Beethoven, where was established the barrier of Passy, beyond the location of the current rue Le Nôtre to then follow, in the space of the current Trocadéro gardens,perpendicular to the Seine river to the top of the hill of Chaillot. The wall was destroyed in 1860 and the land sold to the City of Paris which levelled it and then subdivided it in 1877 to create the rue Chardin and rue Le Nôtre, the southern part of the Trocadéro gardens and allow the construction of buildings on the quay at nos. 60 to 66, the existing ones dating from 1925 and the 1950s.

The Avenue de New York   was crossed from 1855 by the American railroad, the first urban tramway line in France whose vehicles were towed by horses, which linked the Place de la Concorde to the Pont de Sèvres, then extended until Versailles. The Avenue de New York is not continuously bordered by a low quay because the passage between the relatively narrow Port Debilly and the upstream Port de la Conferénce is interrupted under the Pont de l’Alma bridge. The Avenue de New York has two central level tracks with underground passages at the mouth of the bridges but also pedestrian crossings. This busy road, which does not however have a highway/motorway character on this section, is part of the Georges-Pompidou river banks connection road. The avenue has side streets with heavy traffic including fairly narrow bus-bicycle lanes and also narrow sidewalks, the one on the river side comprising a narrow one-way cycle path which cyclists can access, after a section of rue Le Nôtre at rue Beethoven and a crossing at the pedestrian crossing at this level, to the two-way cycle path that runs along the Voie Georges-Pompidou on the low quay or port de Passy to the limit of Boulogne-Billancourt.

Nice buildings I like here are the No 4: home of Ambassador Pamela Harriman (USA but born in London), while she is in a relationship with the businessman Giovanni Agnelli (FIAT). It shows the presence of a History of Paris sign reminiscent of Chaillot’s fire pump. At No 10: home of landscape architects father and son Henri Duchêne and Achille Duchêne and of the latter’s wife, feminist and peace activist Gabrielle Duchêne. No 32: French Federation of Motor Sports. And No 34: Mona Bismarck now American Arts Center, where the American socialite Mona Bismarck lived. French-American Foundation, Many events visits here by yours truly.( see post).

The Paris tourist office on the 16éme district: https://en.parisinfo.com/discovering-paris/arrondissements-paris/a-la-decouverte-du-16e-arrondissement-de-paris

There you go folks, a wonderful avenue de Newy York in my eternal Paris. Again, hope you enjoy the walk in the Avenue de New York as I.

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

I was home on a cold Sunday getting up at 3C and now 7C and became nostalgic of my working life in my eternal Paris, Looking back ,I had mentioned about the job but felled needed to tell a bit more on the streets that were part of my life for several years, Therefore, let me tell you about the Rue du Mont Thabor, and the Rue Rouget de l’Isle located in the Place-Vendôme quartier or neighborhood 4 of the 1éme arrondissement or district of Paris (today all under Paris Centre) Hope you enjoy the tales as I.

The Rue du Mont Thabor is a bit longer going from Rue d’Alger to the Rue de Mondovi that takes you to the rue de Rivoli and the Place de la Concorde , Interesting it crosses the Rue de Castiglione (where I worked) that takes you to the Jardin des Tuileries or the Place Vendôme, However, closer to the Rue Rouget de L’isle you come more to my neighborhood with the fine Hotel du Continent ,Le Cosy restaurant ,Le Mont Thabor restaurant, and the Le Soufflé restaurant, Also, parfums Frédéric Malle. I had at one time or another visit all of them on business and/or pleasure. Sublime Paris !!

This street was named in honor of General Bonaparte’s victory at Mont-Thabor during the Egyptian campaign on April 27, 1799 over the Turks. This street, is parallel to Rue Saint-Honoré, was partly opened in 1802 on the site of the Convent of the Assumption and the two gardens, the large and the small, of the Capuchin convent where it ends. forming a bend with rue de Mondovi.

Some of the interesting things to see here are at the corners of Rue du Mont-Thabor, Rue Cambon and Rue de Mondovi, the location of the hotel of the King’s bodyguards on foot. On the even side of rue du Mont-Thabor was a secondary entrance to the Cirque-Olympique, which was installed from 1807 to 1816 in the hippodrome (1801) on rue Saint-Honoré by the Franconi family of squires. At No 6: home and place of death of the poet Alfred de Musset. At No. 34: Arsène Lupine hides there under the alias name of Louis Valméras.And the newer Renaissance Paris Vendôme Hôtel at no 4.

The Rue Rouget-de-L’Isle is a short street between the Rue du Mont Thabor and the Rue de Rivoli, It bears the name of the soldier and composer Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, author of La Marseillaise, because of the proximity of the Salle du Manège where the sessions of the National Convention were held during the French revolution.

The street, opened under the name Rue des Feuillants in 1878, on the site of the former Ministry of Finance which burned down during the Paris Commune of 1871, and it took the present name in 1879.

The street runs along the back of the 4-star Westin Paris Vendôme hotel (ex InterContinental hotel where I worked see posts) and leads to the Jardin des Tuileries gardens. The street also hosts another 4-star hotel by the name of Hotel Mayfair Paris at No. 3. Other interesting spots here are the Maison Chamberlain (shoes) at No 5 , exchange office at No 1, and the Café l’Imperiale Rivoli which has entrance on rue de Rivoli as main, and was my lunch central when needed to get air from work.

There you go folks, another memorable post in my blog, This was/is my eternal Paris that we enjoyed so much in with the family and many trips and even stays overnight, Paris is indeed a mouvable feast, and I am glad was a small part of it, Of course, working in Paris is a game, fully enjoyable if only the transport behaves, Again, hope you have enjoy the post on my two memorable streets above as I

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

Let me bring you back to my eternal Paris; where it is always a mouvable feast indeed. Enough to write a book on my blog but I like to take you to some emblematic places , off the beaten path of my Paris.  This is a new found picture and new text/links on a not typical tourist spot, the Lycée Henri IV of Paris, Hope you enjoy it as I.

One beautiful area of my eternal Paris and a great historical monument often bypass is the Lycée or High school Henri-IV  , located at 23, rue Clovis in the 5éme arrondissement of Paris, in the Latin Quarter . The story goes that after the victory of Vouillé on the Visigoths which opens the rich Aquitaine, the king of the Franks Clovis founded around 506 the Royal Monastery of the Holy Apostles, dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul. Clovis was buried there in 511. The following year, the Basilica, continued by Queen Clotilde, acquired an additional prestige by receiving the relics of St. Genevieve. The rue Clovis and rue Clotilde  are now flanked by the Lycée Henri-IV, and rue Clotaire is adjacent to their son, King Clotaire I. The abbey protects the border door of the enclosure of Philippe Auguste wall  at 50 rue Descartes. Part of the wall is visible on the path leading from the school to  5-7 rue Clovis, and at end of 48-50, impasse Jacques-Henri-Lartigue. The square of the neighboring Place de la Contrescarpe takes its name from this military function.

On June 24, 1667, the copper coffin of Descartes is deposited there under a marble monument. rue Descartes now borders the Lycée Henri-IV. King Louis XV vowed in 1744 to build a new monumental church at the abbey. The abbot of Sainte-Geneviève blessed the land in 1758, the king laid the first stone in great ceremony on September 6, 1764. This new church designed by Jacques-Germain Soufflot will become at the French revolution, the Pantheon of Paris.(see post)  The canons are burned during the French revolution: their abbey is declared national property in 1790. The Central School of the Pantheon is replaced by the Lycée Napoléon, the first high school of the French Republic. The abbey church was razed between 1801 and 1807 to pierce rue Clovis. During the Restoration (monarchy Louis XVIII) , the school is renamed Royal College Henri IV. It is a high school of the elite, frequented by the sons of king Louis-Philippe and the high aristocracy. The high school regained its Napoleon name under the Second Empire,(Napoléon III) , and in 1870, with the proclamation of the Third Republic still changes its name, for the Lycée Corneille. But in 1873, the government of President Patrice de Mac Mahon, royalist legitimist, and the assembly of the Moral Order renamed the high school the name  the only Republican Bourbon appreciated, “the good King Henry” Lycée Henri-IV as it is today.

Today, do not confuse the middle school and high school Henri IV, they have different procedures that goes beyond this post. For me, the most significant and beautiful to see is the tower. The Tour Clovis tower is the remnant of the old bell tower of a church disappeared between the high school and Church Saint-Étienne-du-Mont (nearby see post ) In 1803, the breakthrough of rue Clovis and the construction of the facade of the school cleared the religious complex. Since then it sounds a distinct chime every quarter of an hour, and announces the hours. The base of the tower, with arched windows dates from Philippe Auguste. This same king makes the monastery of St. Genevieve the guardian of the south gate of Paris, in the current rue Descartes. Pieces of Philippe Auguste’s enclosure wall can be seen on rue Clovis (going down the metro Cardinal-Lemoine) (see post) ) and rue Jacques-Henri Lartigue (from the Bibliothèque des littératures policières or Library of Police Literatures). The name of the Place de la Contrescarpe, meeting place at noon of  high school students, shows the ditches of the wall. The warheads of the first and second floor date from the 14C. The coronation of the Flamboyant Gothic tower, rebuilt after 1483.

And further ,part of my eternal Paris in the Quartier Latin  is the rue Clovis  a street in the 5éme arrondissement  or district of Paris located mostly in the Sorbonne quartier or neighborhood. This road that connects the Place du Pantheon and the rue du Cardinal-Lemoine is located in the Saint-Victor and Sorbonne neighborhoods or quartiers  of the 5éme arrondissement or district of Paris. The breakthrough of the road in the 19C requires the demolition of the Church Abbey Sainte-Geneviève, of which only the bell tower known as the Tour Clovis or Clovis tower  remains in the premises of the Lycée Henri -IV, located at No. 23 rue Clovis  Near the 5-7 rue du Cardinal-Lemoine, remains a remnant of the wall of Philippe Auguste which was restored in 2010.

The official Lycée Henri IV on its history : https://lycee-henri4.com/presentation/histoire/

The Paris tourist office on the Latin Quarters :https://en.parisinfo.com/transport/73228/Quartier-Latin

There you go folks , hope you enjoy the walks and history bits of my eternal Paris! The world comes over and nobody does it better!!! Paris , what other title do you need! Again, hope you enjoy the post as I.

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