Pont d'Austerlitz

The first Austerlitz bridge across the Seine was built of iron and commemorated in 1805 for Napolean's victory at Austerlitz (one of his greatest victories, also known as the Battle of the Three Emporers).

But this arch bridge was deterioriating 50 years later and was re-engineered out of masonry by Jean-Marie-Georges Choquet, Guiard, Zoroastre-Alexandre Michal and Jules Savarin in 1854.

It is 174 meters long and 30 meters wide.

Le pont du Carroussel

I couldn't stay away.

Here are a variety of views of Le pont du Carroussel, the bridge that crosses the Seine from the Left Bank to the Right where the Tuileries Gardens and the Louvre meet.

Click on images for larger views.


Looking north toward the Louvre and Tuileries

Looking northwest
Looking northeast

Looking southwest toward the Left Bank and the top of the Eiffel Tower

Looking west on the walkway down by the Seine

Looking at the Louvre

Rouge de Paris

Studies in red. Les études dans rouge.

Warning: I used a free online translator, so if some phraseology is BAD, pardonnez moi!

Click on photos for larger views.

Red curtain - rideau rouge

Strawberries and yogurt - fraises et yogourt

Window dressing on rue Montaigne - la fenêtre s'habille sur rue de montaigne

Petit-pont - Petit-pont

Dinner cruise on the Seine - la croisière de dîner sur la Seine

Red stool in antique market - le tabouret rouge dans le marché antique


Red awning - auvent rouge

Red dress in the Tuileries - la robe rouge dans le Tuileries

Top of stone wall facing Notre Dame cathedral where painters set up small easels - Le sommet de mur de pierre faisant face à la cathédrale de Dame de Notre où les peintres établissent de petits chevalets

Good parking spot - le bon endroit de parking

Trash is trash in any language - les déchets sont des déchets dans n'importe quelle langue


Louvre pyramid - Louvre pyramide

Fancy bike - vélo luxueux

An island: Île de la Cité, part one

Click on photos to enlarge.

Map of Paris


Map of Île de la Cité

As you can see in the map of Paris, top, there are two islands in the Seine. The larger of the two, the one on the left, is the Île de la Cité. The smaller one, to the east of it, is the Île Saint-Louis. On maps, they resemble ships in the water.

There is so much to be found on the Île de la Cité alone, it's too much for one post. So this time I'm just going to hit on some views of the southern side of the island, mainly of the bridges connecting the Left Bank with the island.

This view is looking east, toward the tip of the island, and at the Pont Neuf. Keep in mind that pont means "bridge," which you probably would figure out after a while. As you can see, Pont Neuf spans the Seine all the way across the tip of the island.

Pont Neuf across the tip of Île de la Cité

The next bridge walking east and on the south side of the island is Pont St-Michel. This view is looking west and shows the Palace of Justice, within the walls of which is housed the Ste-Chapelle chapel, one of the must-sees with its 800-year old stained glass windows. An intimate concert there with a chamber orchestra at night is pure heaven.

Pont St-Michel

Walking east you'll come to the Petit Pont, or "little bridge." In this view, again looking west, you are looking at the Prefecture of Police, where famously the French Resistance held out against the German Nazis in August 1944, the beginning of the Liberation of Paris.

Petit Pont

Then comes Pont au-Double. "The first bridge at this location was built as a two-story building, an annex to the Hötel Dieu ( a hospital). First requested in 1515, it was finally constructed in 1634. The floor that served as a passageway for the hospital staff was envied by pedestrians annoyed by the congestion at the Petit Pont. So the passage-way was opened to the public in exchange for the payment of a 'double-denier' from which the current name was derived.Payment for passage continued until the Revolution. The bridge collapsed in 1709, was reconstructed in its original form, then in 1803, when the smaller branch of the Seine was opened to navigation, was replaced by the existing structure, with a single arch." (from http://www.pariswater.com/ponts/)

Pont au Double, looking east

Pont au Double closeup

When you get to the Petit Pont, the bridge before last, you see this view of the Notre Dame cathedral looking east. The Notre Dame is at the stern of the "ship" of the Île de la Cité.


Notre Dame cathedral with Petit Pont in foreground, looking east

There, you've walked the whole southern (larboard) side of the Île de la Cité!

The Notre Dame looking west:

Bookstalls on the Seine

A favorite pasttime in Paris is walking along the bookseller stalls on both sides of the Seine. You can count on the vendors for books in French and English, German and Japanese, posters old and new, postcards old and new, vintage magazines with photos of Marilyn Monroe or Miles Davis on the covers.

The bateaux glide by on the Seine. Streams of little cars drive by on the quays. Smells of coffee or roasting chestnuts fill the air. Occasional sirens hee-haw in and out. You can hear the sound of the wind through the sycamores and the white chestnuts if you listen.

Rain or shine, the booksellers come out, lift up the lids on their stalls, and set out their papers.

Pont des Arts

Pont des Arts is the best known pedestrian bridge in Paris. It may be the only pedestrian bridge, but since I haven't walked the Seine all the way to the perimeters of the city, I can't be sure.

Renoir's painting of pont des Arts, 1867

This was Sabrina's favorite bridge in the 1990s version of the movie of the same name.

It was Paris' first iron bridge, erected in 1803.

This fellow dressed up to show off his antler handlebars, and now that I think of it, I'm guessing he wanted a tip. But I was too busy photographing the Pont Neuf to be conscious of it. Oops. He has to make a living, and I didn't do my part.

Here's the view of the Pont Neuf and the Île de la Cité from Pont des Arts, looking east.

Figureheads on the Seine

There are many "Statues of Liberty" around Paris

There are many houseboats and pleasure craft parked along the river Seine. The "Seine" means “sacred source” or “sacred river” – how often rivers are considered a sacred source.

If the river is sacred, then it may also be rife with enemies, for there are many figureheads, traditionally mounted on ships to ward off foes and guard the vessel and its mates.


Warrior with the Louvre behind

Pirate I
Pirate II

Mermaid

a live figurehead

Etudes: French blue

Nautical blue I

Nautical blue II

Wish I had some of those

Irises in the Tuileries seem to watch tourists

Where to put it?

Blue, with hot sauce

Paired up

You can click on all images for enlarged view.





Men cleaning under a bridge




Women in Square George Cain




Children in the Tuileries Gardens




Men on a bench near the Eiffel Tower




Man, Woman (and Dog) near Eiffel Tower