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Ile St-Louis
Ile St-Louis with its aristocratic town houses, courtyards, and
antique shops is home to dozens of 17th century mansions and 6,000
lucky ‘louisiens’, its permanent residents. Voltaire found
it "the second best" address in all the world, citing
the straits of the Bosphorus separating Europe from Asia as number
one. Berthillon the famous and popular ice-cream store is located
at 31 Rue St-Louis-en-l’Ile.
Rue de Rivoli
This lovely arcade was begun by Napoleon in 1811. Under its arches
are two English language book stores; Angelina's, a tea salon famous
for its thick hot chocolate; and the luxurious Hotel Meurice. Tolstoy
at one time lived in one of the apartments above the Arcade.
Village Saint Paul
This is an antique enclave with 80 antique dealers. It is open from
Thursday to Monday from 10:00 to 7:00.
Place des Vosges
Place des Vosges, built by Henri IV and completed in 1612, it
is known as the most beautiful square in Europe. It is noted for
its picturesque streets, boutiques, galleries, and beautifully restored
16th & 18th century "hôtels particuliers". Madam
de Seveigne was born at #1 bis, #21 is where Richelieu lived and
#6 was Victor Hugo’s residence, now a museum to him
The Bastille
Built around 1370, was once part of the defenses of Paris. Louis
XIV had the wall demolished but left the Bastille, which later became
a luxury prison for aristocratic and notable people who could have
goods and services sent in. The Marquis de Sade was a prisoner here
as were Mirabeau and Voltaire. It was stormed on 14 July 1789, but
at that time there were only seven prisoners. It was later razed
and replaced in 1831 by the column, called the July Column, now
standing surmounted by the "Spirit of Liberty". In Place
Henri Galli can be found a commemorative pile of stones from the
original Bastille.
Notre-Dame de Paris
The Cathedral
of Notre Dame de Paris dates back to 1163 but was not
completed until 1345. It is one of the masterpieces of Gothic art
in Western Europe. Its facade, the soaring Gothic ribbed vaulting,
its huge light-filled interior and awe-inspiring stained glass windows
are magnificent artistic achievements. The square in front of the
Cathedral is called the Place du Parvis. In the center is a plaque
from which all road distances in France are measured. Of course,
this is the setting for Victor Hugo’s ‘The Hunchback of
Notre Dame’.
The Arab Institute
Designed by Jean Nouvelle to resemble the boats that carried Algerians,
Moroccan and Tunisian immigrants to France. The
institute has a unique shutter-like window system which opens
and closes automatically triggered by the sun. There is a Moroccan
restaurant on the roof and a superb view over Paris from the rooftop
terrace.
Continued...
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