|
Jardin du Luxembourg
Jardin du Luxembourg is the most loved park in Paris. It is large
and has fountains, flowers, statues, tennis courts, concerts in
the summer and on Sunday, Tai Chi. Within the park is located the
Palais du Luxembourg, home to the French Senate. Next to the senate
is the Musee du Luxembourg, which often has art exhibitions. Nearby
on rue de Fleurus lived Gertrude Stein and her companion Alice B.
Tokas who opened their home to many famous expatriates, writers
and artists, including Hemingway and Picasso.
Blvd du Montparnasse
Blvd du Montparnasse is lined with cafes and restaurants which
are evocative of the exciting period when the area was "hip".
The large Art Deco brasserie, 'La Coupole', at #102, which opened
in 1927 with columns decorated by different artists; the famed ëDomeí
at #108, now a luxurious fish restaurant and bar, the 'Rotonde'and
the late-night cafe, ëLe Selectí at #99. Further east along the
boulevard is the legendary ëLa Closerie des Lilasí a favorite with
Picasso and Hemingway, Lenin and Trotsky, and still has a clientele
of politicians and publishers.
There are many good Breton creperies off blvd. Du Montparnasse
as Gare Montparnasse serves the northwest coast of France and in
the 19th century many immigrants from Britanny settled here.
Cimetiere du Montparnasse
Buried in the park-like Montparnasse Cemetary, not far from
Gare Montparnasse, are writers Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de
Beauvoir, Baudelaire, and Maupassant; composers Cesar Frank and
Saint-Saens. Captain Alfred Dreyfus is buried here and, more recently,
Serge Gainsbourg and Jean Seberg.
Tour Montparnasse
Around blvd. du Montparnasse are many cinemas and there is a
shopping complex at the foot of Tour Montparnasse. The Tour itself
is rather an ugly but at night the view from the top is absolutely
stunning as it includes the lit Eiffel Tour, which sparkels on
the hour for ten minutes.
Rue du Cherche-Midi
Was an ancient Roman road and now this narrow street has chic designer
boutiques, galleries and cafes. The world-famous baker, Poilane, is
at No. 8. Nearby is the first Parisian Department Store which belies
it name, Bon Marche. It has a fabulous food market ‘Le Grand
Epicerie’
St. Sulpice
Work on the church of St-Suplice, at one time Paris's largest, began
in 1646, but is stilll ongoing. It has one of the world's largest
organs, comprising 6,700 pipes. The Chapelle des Anges (Chapel of
the Angel) has two frescoes by Delacroix which were painted in Delacroix’s
final years and were a high point in his career. Outside the Church
is a large square with the 1844 fountain by Visconti at its center.
It is the location of the annual Foire de Saint-German held at the
beginning of June and which lasts for a month. This fair has been
an annual tradition for centuries.
Continued...
|
