PARIS ITINERARIES - II

AROUND CANAL ST. MARTIN AND THE MARAIS - FEBRUARY 2006

Hi everybody! Sorry for having been a bit out of the blogosphere these days. Too much work and a conference to prepare; this weekend in Greece. I'll be back next Sunday evening, and will get back to your blogs next week, hopefully. Meanwhile, I'll leave you in Paris, and hope that you enjoy. Thanks for your visits and comments!


"THE PLACE DE LA BASTILLE, where the Bastille prison stood until July 14, 1789. The July Column, which commemorates the 1830 July Revolution stands at its centre. Carlos Ott's Bastille Opera (open 1989) is seen behind the column"


"SISLEY - In 1870, Alfred Sisley (1839–1899), an English Impressionist born in France, painted this «Vue du Canal St. Martin à Paris»"


"CANAL ST. MARTIN - Napoleon ordered in 1802 the digging of an artificial waterway to supply Paris with water. The Canal St. Martin was opened in 1825. It is 4.5km long and has nine locks for a level difference of 25m. Here we see one of the locks near to the Bastille"


"CAREFUL - Amelie Poulain is around, skipping stones from the bridge..."


"ANTOINE & LILY - This yellow, green and pink facade is now an icon. Kitschy urban fashion, a restaurant, bakery, and tearoom. As they advertise on their site «We started out in 1994, creating and producing our own women fashion line, here in Paris... coloured, juicy, ethnical urban mix...»"


"GARDEN on the side of the Canal"


"CANAL TURN near square Villemin, site of an old military hospital"


"IMAGINE - In the 1960s, the Canal narrowly escaped being filled in and paved over for a highway. What an end for the view from Marcel Carne's Hotel du Nord... Fortunately, A. Malraux (Culture Minister) and the residents (Riverains) were strong enough to counter the idea"


"VICTOR HUGO HOUSE - Located in the south east corner of Place des Vosges, the Hôtel de Rohan-Guéménée was built by Isaac Arnauld in June 1605. It was in this building that Victor Hugo rented an apartment in 1832"




"PLACE DES VOSGES - The quiet place in the south-east corner of the Marais is my most beautiful place in Paris. It was built in the 17th century on the site of the Hôtel des Tournelles, which Catherine de Medici had torn down after Henry II had died in it in 1559. The square, originally named Place Royale, was renamed by Napoleon Bonaparte in honour to the first French department that paid tax in 1799. The nine Renaissance buildings along each side of the square are absolutely stunning, and are home to some of the most interesting art galleries, cafés, restaurants and shops"



"BOFINGER - One of my favourite Brasseries in Paris, and there are many I like"