Place des Vosges with Anne and Niels
Anne et Niels – Place des Vosges 8:08 AM – It was a great pleasure to meet Anne and Niels from Denmark again. We had run together during a rather cold March, two tours in Paris, for the greater part on the left bank. This time, in this warm day of August, we chose the right bank and followed the plan of the ancient Paris surrounding wall of King Louis XIII, path which constitutes largely what we name “Les Grand boulevards”. To join the Grand boulevards, we went through some of the numerous covered passages of Paris, in particular the “passage des Panoramas”: Anne and Niels – Passage des Panoramas Deserted passage on a Sunday morning and thus usable by the runners! The passage of the Panoramas is one of oldest covered passages of Paris, created in 1799 and doubtless inspired by the oriental souks… The name “panoramas” comes because the main entry was framed by two towers where were exposed panoramic landscapes representing big cities, panoramas. On the Grand boulevards, we admired two big triumphal arches commissioned by king Louis XIV: the “Porte Saint-Martin” (1674) and the “Porte Saint-Denis” (1672). Both arcs were built to the glory of Louis XIV and of his victories and replaced the fortified doors become useless, Charles V’s wall being replaced by the Boulevard. Anne et Niels – Porte Saint Denis We then left the Boulevard to find the “Place des Vosges”: Anne et Niels – Place des Vosges Look closer at the Louis XIII’s statue. To replace the former bronze statue, melted during the Revolution, the sculptors chose the marble, indeed much heavier… The statue threatening to collapse in its center, it was decided to place a trunk under the horse’s belly. It gives a very strange look to this equipage, slowed down in its center by a tree trunk! Merci Anne et Niels ! The route of the tour :
By way of the gallery Véro-Dodat with Erin and Jaymi
Erin and Jaymi – The Fountain of the Four Parts of the World 8:55 AM – With Erin from Miami (USA) and Jaymi from San Francisco (USA), we left the “Porte d’Orléans” at the south end of Paris to run toward the center of the city, cross the Louvre, then return by a parallel route. Do you know the garden of the Great Explorers, the small long and narrow park, situated very close by the garden of the Luxembourg? In its entrance, south side, we met the Fountain of the Four Parts of the World, as we can see it on the photo above, behind the pond. This bronze fountain, realized by several artists from 1867 till 1874, symbolizes the four Continents, Africa, America, Asia and Europe (Oceania not being represented). We also name this fountain the Fountain Carpeaux, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux having sculptured the women who represent the continents. We are in the axis of the meridian of Paris. In the background of the photo, we recognize the Paris Observatory, created in 1667. By running northward, in the Latin Quarter, we crossed the Hotel of Abbots de Cluny, where resides, nowadays, the Museum of the Middle Ages: Erin and Jaymi – Hotel of Cluny It is at the Museum of the Middle Ages that we can admire the magnificent Tapestries of the Lady and the Unicorn . Of return southward, we entered the beautiful gallery Véro-Dodat, a passage created in 1826. For the amateurs of fashion, it is at the end of the gallery that one of the most famous mode shoemakers created his first shop. Shoes with very high heel, incompatible with the running… Jaymi and Erin – Galerie Véro-Dodat We went to finish our running by way of the beautiful Montsouris Park, of which the construction was decided by the baron Haussmann in 1860 to match in the South the Park of the Buttes Chaumont, the other big garden in the North of Paris. Erin and Jaymi – Montsouris Park Merci Erin ! Merci Jaymi ! The route of the tour:
At the top of Paris with Bart after a sports ascent
Bart – At the top of “La butte Montmartre” 7:27 AM – With Bart of Delft (Netherlands), we left the heights of the North of Paris to join the edges of the Seine. The departure was thus easy thanks to the long descent of the street of Amsterdam. Having joined the Opera, then the place Vendôme and after, the Champs Elysées, we took the left bank to follow the Seine. Returned by the “Pont des Arts” on the right bank, we ran northward to undertake our ascent towards Montmartre and reach our goal at the feet of the “Sacré-Coeur” church. On our way back, we crossed galleries of the center of Paris, galleries which we also call the passages (Web page in French). Below, on our route, the passage Verdeau: Bart – Passage Verdeau Merci Bart ! The route of the tour :
A nice long tour with Brenda and Kevin
On the “Pont des Arts” 8:15 AM – A very long and nice tour with Brenda and Kevin. Let them speak: Here’s our testimonial for your blog: We visited Paris in August 2010, and it was our first time there. We were training for the New York City marathon and wanted to combine a training run with a running tour around the sights of Paris. We contacted Paris Running Tours and they arranged for Jean-Charles Sarfati to take us on a 23 km running tour of Paris. Jean-Charles came to our hotel, where we started our run. He had organized a customized tour/run, whereby he included all the major sights around the centre of Paris. It was fantastic! He told us historical facts about the places we saw and was more than patient to stop, explain and take pictures anywhere we wanted. We saw Place des Vosges, Bastille, Pont d’Austerlitz, Jardin des Plantes, Arenas de Lutece, Pantheon, Jardin de Luxembourg, Senate, Saint-Sulpice, Saint-Germain, Louvre, Tuileries, National Assembly, Invalide, Champs de Mars, Eiffel Tower, Trocadero, Canadian Embassy, Grand Palais, Concorde, Madeleine, Place Vendome, Opera, Palais Royale, Colbert and Vivienne Galleries, Les Halles, Notre Dame, Hotel De Ville, Pompidou Centre, and Archives. Inside “La Galerie Colbert” (The guard at the entrance said: “Walking only” !) It was the best experience during our time in Paris, and Jean-Charles made it extra-special! We have definitely recommended it to all our friends. Thank you, Paris Running Tours. Brenda and Kevin W. Calgary, Alberta CANADA Thank you Brenda and Kevin! The route of the tour: You can display Kevin and Brenda’s tour on a bigger map