From the Bastille up to “La Concorde” with Jessica
Jessica – Pont de la Concorde 7:03 AM – Taking advantage of a sunny morning, with Jessica of Los Angeles (USA), we crossed Paris from the “place de la Bastille” up to the “place de la Concorde”. Did you know the anecdote which connects both places? Stones of the Bastille fortress destroyed by the revolutionaries served to build the Bridge of “La Concorde”. The Parisian could so walk on one of the strong Monarchy symbols! Having passed the “place de la Bastille” where we discovered on the ground the tracks of the destroyed fort (at the end of the street Saint Antoine), we joined the City hall of Paris: Jessica – L’Hôtel de Ville It is the 1882 “version” of the “Hôtel de Ville” that we can contemplate, the previous one having been burned during the events of the “Commune” in 1871. On the photo, we can notice American and French flags, having been gathered here doubtless to honor the US National Day, the 4th of July. A little farther, near “Les Halles”, we interrupted our running one moment to be able to appreciate the glass roof and the frescoes of the “Bourse du Commerce” ceiling. Former Corn Exchange where cereal were stored and sold, it is now occupied by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Paris, dedicated mainly to the creation of business companies: La Bourse du Commerce – Paris Our route then led us “place de la Concorde”. The preparations of the French National Day, on July 14th, are nearly finished. We can see on the photo the stand where will sit the President of the Republic and the government members, situated in front of the Champs Elysées where from the military parade will come down. Notice the roof in the colors of the French flag… Jessica – Place de la Concorde We ended our running in “Le Marais” district where we were able to admire the magnificent “Hôtel de Sens”: Hôtel de Sens Jessica is a regular runner, fond of healthy food but also a music composer and a singer : Raelux! Merci Jessica ! The route of the tour :
A long sunny tour with Colin
Colin – Place de l’Alma 8:00 AM – With Colin, we had decided to run a long tour along the Seine. A beautiful morning, the sun was with us. Colin comes from Australia but works in India. Long distances enthusiast, Colin intends to run his first marathon in Bombay, a rather difficult marathon because of the heat and of the humidity We thus left by following the Seine on the left bank, by greeting for the first time the Eiffel Tower. We then crossed the river by the “Ile de La Cité”, admired Notre-Dame and joined the right bank to make a small break in the Louvre. Colin – Rue de l’Université, Notre Dame, Le Louvre Having crossed the garden of the Tuileries, arrived in front of the Obelisk of the place de la Concorde, we evoked the time of the Pharaoh Ramses II. With such a light, we owed have small breaks to photograph the Eiffel Tower, and it is by the bridge of Bir-Hakeim that we returned on the left bank. Colin – Obelisk of “la Concorde”, Trocadéro, Bridge of Bir-Hakeim But, what is this flame place of the Alma, which we can see on the photo at the top of the article? The plate indicates: “ The Flame of Liberty. An exact replica of the Statue of Liberty’s flame offered to the people of France by donors throughout the world as a symbol of the Franco-American friendship. On the occasion of the centennial of the International Herald Tribune. Paris 1887-1987. “ In 1989, the United States offered this flame to France, to thank the French companies which realized the restoration of the Statue of Liberty on the occasion of its centenary. As its replica, the Flame in New York, lit at the origin from the inside, is now gilded and lit from the outside. Numerous visitors think that this flame was built in homage to Lady Diana, died during her accident in the tunnel of the Alma, situated under the monument. The flame can effectively remind the song of Elton John written in homage to the princess: “Candle in the wind”. Even if Lady Diana is officially commemorated in a small garden in “Le Marais”, we can often see around the Flame of the Freedom, numerous bouquets, photos or messages. The tunnel of the Alma is also the passage of the Paris Marathon (soon, April 15th!). In this place, the race gets closer to the 29th km (18 miles)! Good race to all the runners who will run the Marathon of Paris! Merci Colin ! The route of the tour:
Two mornings in the discovery of Paris with Jason
Jason – Place de la Concorde 8:50 AM – Friday and Saturday – Jason, who lives in Brooklyn (NY – USA), chose to discover Paris by running two following mornings. The first day, we explored the island of La Cité, the Louvre, the Palais-Royal, the place Vendôme, the place de la Concorde to return along the Seine. We finished our running in the Arenas of Lutetia; gladiators fought there when Paris was a part of the Roman Empire. The next day, we ran Left bank, crossed by the Pantheon, the garden of the Luxembourg, crossed the residence of the Prime Minister: Matignon, admired the Rodin museum since the street, and joined then the Invalides and the Eiffel Tower then returned by the boulevard Saint Germain. Jason and a well-known tower in Paris Our route brought us to cross the limits of Paris in the Middle Ages, the Louvre which was a fort intended to protect the western edge of the city and the surrounding wall of king Philippe Auguste some vestiges of which there are still in the current Paris, as the wall that we can see street Clovis (5th arrondissement): In the 12th century, Paris represented a small portion of the present Paris, surrounded by Philippe Auguste’s wall (in yellow on the image) and protected by the Louvre, a fort in the time (in blue): Click on the image to enlarge it By getting closer, we can see some places where we can find the old and still visible wall nowadays: Click on the image to enlarge it Merci Jason ! The routes of the tours:
In front of the obelisk of La Concorde with Ewa
Ewa – Place de la Concorde 8:00 AM – Ewa lives near Washington (USA) and is a regular runner. A steady speed allowed us to go through a beautiful road in Paris by alternating the right and the left banks of the Seine. Place de la Concorde, we admired the obelisk of Luxor and evoked its history. The obelisk in antique Egypt would represent a motionless sunbeam (where from, doubtless, in its summit, the “pyramidion”, pyramid cap, and its golden cover). The one of the place de la Concorde was offered by the viceroy of Egypt, Mehemet Ali, in 1830. It was settled on the place in 1836. In the city of Washington, near Ewa’s place, another obelisk is set up, in honour of George Washington. Built from 1848 and ended in 1884, it was the highest monument of the world (169 m) before being exceeded by the Eiffel Tower in 1889. Washington monument Do you know the small obelisk of the church Saint-Sulpice in Paris, also linked to the sun? Gnomon – Eglise Saint-Sulpice – Paris Merci Ewa ! The route of the tour:
By running place de la Concorde with Veena
Veena – Place de la Concorde 7:58 AM – Veena, of Brisbane (Australia), did her first visit of Paris, doing a running tour. We thus realized an attractive loop passing by the most beautiful places of the heart of the capital: the garden of the Luxembourg where we greeted Geneviève, the protector of Paris (her statue decorates the park), the Pantheon, the island of La Cité, the Louvre, the Palais Royal, the place de la Concorde and then the banks of the Seine… In La Concorde, we met eight great ladies who represent the main cities of France. City of Nantes These statues (1838) are arranged on the place according to their situation on the map of France. By taking place in front of the statues of Marseille and Lyon and by prolonging our look, we would indeed reach the corresponding cities (it is not really the case for the other statues). The view of La Concorde below shows the lines which join the statues and their corresponding cities. Click on the images to enlarge them Merci Veena ! The route of the tour :
On the “île aux cygnes” with Sarah
Sarah – Ile aux cygnes 7:41 AM – With Sarah who lives near Chicago (USA), we left the Beaugrenelle district, in the West of Paris, to join the center up to the Louvre, to discover the city, always full of surprises. Do you know that besides the islands “Ile de la Cité” and “Ile Saint Louis”, in Paris, the Seine also accommodates the “Ile aux cygnes” (cygne=swan), artificial island of about one kilometer, an ideal straight line for runners? While passing by the “Champs-Elysées”, we noticed that the preparations for the National Day were quite advanced. The terraces of the presidencial stand, which will welcome the government, at the “Place de la Concorde”, on July 14th, are already installed as we can see on the picture below. Sarah – Place de la Concorde If you come to run at present near the place, very early in the morning, you should see the soldiers repeating the military parade (the marks of alignment are already drawn on the ground on the “Champs-Elysées” and on the place). Seats, barriers, installed in the “Champs-Elysées”, will also serve again for the last stage of the “Tour de France”, on July 24th. The “Champs-Elysées” for the military parade, the “Champs-Elysées” for the “Tour de France”, yes, but what we, Paris Running Tour, like above all, is the start of the Paris marathon! Merci Sarah ! The route of the tour :