Friday: June 25
Cimetière du Montparnasse /
Île Saint-Louis
Five great things. I've talked about the cemeteries many times now; they are great places to visit and very interesting. What's surprising to me is how many tourists actually do visit them. And they are very well maintained. Stop by...
The Ile Saint-Louis is one of the two natural islands in the Seine in the center of Paris. They are right next to each other (more before and after actually). the Ile de Cite is where Paris was formed way way back when. The Ile Saint-Louis was used to graze cattle. Now, though mostly residential, there are many shops and it is a major tourist attraction. A great place to visit...and the home of Berthillon ice cream!
Hediard is a very up market store that sells groceries primarilly. They are now advertising in the us; I think for perfume or chocolate. For some things the prices are not so bad, but for others watch out. It's very quaint and you'll want a picutre. The staff are very nice and accommodating.
NotreDame de Senlis is a wonderful little village just outside Paris. It has a wonderful cathedral .... and nothing else. Well, there is a very good (but very expensive) restaurant there as well. The cathedral is marvelous.
The Centaur statue by Ceasar is really neat. Many people don't like it, but I think it is wonderful. The sculpture gave his name to the equivalent of the French oscars, and then disappeared. Strange.
Hope you enjoy!
Cimetière du Montparnasse
Montparnasse Cemetery (French: Cimetière du Montparnasse) is a famous cemetery
in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, part of the city's 14th arrondissement.
Created from three farms in 1824, the cemetery at Montparnasse was originally
known as Le Cimetière du Sud. Cemeteries had been banned from Paris since the
closure, owing to health concerns, of the Cimetière des Innocents in 1786.
Several new cemeteries outside the precincts of the capital replaced all the
internal Parisian ones in the early 19th century: Montmartre Cemetery in the
north, Père Lachaise Cemetery in the east, and Montparnasse Cemetery in the
south. At the heart of the city, and today sitting in the shadow of the Eiffel
Tower, is Passy Cemetery.
Montparnasse Cemetery is the eternal home of many of France's intellectual and
artistic elite as well as publishers and others who promoted the works of
authors and artists. There are also monuments to police and firefighters killed
in the line of duty in the city of Paris.
Because of the many notable people buried there, it is a highly popular tourist attraction.
Click here to see other pictures.....
Click here to see other pictures.....
Île Saint-Louis
The Île Saint-Louis (French pronunciation: [il sɛ̃ lwi]) is one of two natural
islands in the Seine river, in Paris, France (the other natural island is Île de
la Cité, the Île des Cygnes is artificial). The island is named after King Louis
IX of France (Saint Louis).
The island is connected to the rest of Paris by bridges to both banks of the
river and by the Pont Saint Louis to the Île de la Cité. This island was
formerly used for the grazing of market cattle and stocking wood. One of
France's first examples of urban planning, it was mapped and built from end to
end during the 17th-century reigns of Henri IV and Louis XIII. A peaceful oasis
of calm in the busy Paris centre, this island has but narrow one-way streets, no
métro stations and two bus stops. Most of the island is residential, but there
are several restaurants, shops, cafés and ice cream parlours at street level, as
well as one large church, Saint-Louis-en-l'Île Church.
Click here to see other pictures.....
Click here to see other pictures.....
Hediard
This is a wonderful place not only to buy but also just
to visit. You have the staircase with all these liquor bottles in a window and
the fabulous collection of red teapots.
I'd like to add that the vendors are very kind and
real experts. As I'm on the "sweet side" they advised me their "pâtes de fruits"
made in house.
I also found that this luxury food shop is also selling
some champagne and wine at reasonable prices so that the average tourist can pay
himself some pleasure with the name Hediard on it. And their chocolates are on
sale as well. Enjoy! A great place to stop by.
Click on the picture for a larger view....
Notre Dame de Senlis
This very old and pretty cathedral is in a little village just outside Paris. An easy short trainride. It's an old little village and there is no reason to go here except to see the church....which is worth seeing. Right on the church square is a very nice restaurant where we had lunch; but it was very expensive.
On the site of two existing churches, bishop Thibault
undertook the construction of the cathedral, which was consecrated on the 16th
of June 1191
The height of the south tower was increased by a storey and
the transept was built in 1230..
In 1504 fire destroyed the framework. This gave the
opportunity to raise the vaults and enlarge the windows, bringing the luminosity
to the building we experience today.
From 1520 to 1534,
Pierre
de Chambiges transformed the south façade of the transept into the flamboyant
style of the period. The north façade was completed in 1560.
Click here to see other pictures.....
Click here to see other pictures.....
Le Centaure. by Cesar
Located at the crossroads in 1985 Red Cross (now place Michel Debre) is this wonderful and whimsical statue. The sculptor gave his name to the famous film awards (the French Oscars are called the Ceasars) and disappeared in 1998. At a height of 5 meters, the sculpture dominates the area. It's a bit weird, but I really like it.
Click on the image to see a larger picture...
