Saturday, July 06, 2013

La Seine et Moi

One Day In Paris - part 2


So now that you've read about the worst of my day in Paris, are you ready for the best?

Alors, maintenant que vous avez tout lu du pire de ma journée parisienne, êtes-vous prêt pour le meilleur? D'après ce que j'ai compris certaines seront ravies de découvrir la ville confortablement installées dans leur fauteuil, à l'abri de la chaleur et de la foule!


As some of you found out in the last post, we're going today to the "Île de la Cité", which is the biggest island on the River Seine in Paris.

Nous partons donc sur l'Île de la Cité.


It was probably the oldest inhabited part of the City and it's packed with interesting things, so I've taken like a million pictures that just couldn't fit in a post. In order not to bore you too much, I've chosen three places to show you. I numbered them on the map below, so you'll know where we are.


Il semble que ce soit le coeur de Paris, à la fois parce que c'est en plein centre et parce que c'est là que les premiers "Parisiens" se sont installés. Aujourd'hui, c'est une sorte de scène où s'agitent tout plein de personnages bariolés que l'on peut admirer de loin, de l'une ou l'autre rive et la chanson de Vanessa Paradis et M. m'a donc semblé appropriée avec son jeu de mot.



If you were curious and clicked on the "play" button above, you heard a song by French singers Vanessa Paradis and M. which is a pun on the name of the river Seine and the stage, which are both pronounced the same way in French. The song is beautiful I think even if you don't understand the lyrics.


1. Above you can see La Conciergerie where Queen Marie-Antoinette spent her last days.

La Conciergerie où Marie-Antoinette a passé ses derniers jours.


Behind La Conciergerie, you can see the Sainte Chapelle's spire. The chapel is under renovation, so the only pretty picture I had of it was this one!!! I bumped into a men while I was trying to get a picture whitout any scaffolding showing and I was as red as a beetroot when I said how sorry I was. He was laughing.

Derrière la Conciergerie, vous pouvez apercevoir la flèche de la Sainte Chapelle. Elle est en rénovation et j'ai donc eu du mal à prendre une photo sans que l'on voit d'échaffaudage... Je reculais pas à pas quand je suis rentrée dans un monsieur! Lui, mort de rire, moi, morte de honte!


2. Now let's go to the far west of the Île de la Cité. There's a nice tiny park called Square du Vert Galant. "Vert Galant" was King Henry IV's nickname. It was a way to call a man who wasn't very young anymore but still had many mistresses.


A l'extrémité ouest de l'Île de la Cité est le tout petit square du Vert Galant, ainsi appelé en hommage (?) au roi Henri IV dont c'était le surnom. Moi, je ne serais pas bien à l'aise qu'un tel sobriquet soit passé à la postérité!


It's a nice place to chat and relax with friends under a willow or to play music all by one's self.


C'est un endroit agréable pour discuter avec des amis ou jouer de la musique... tant que vous ne transportez pas votre piano.


3. Now let's walk by the Seine all the way back to the Eastern part of the island and have a look at the bouquinistes who sell second-hand books (hence their name: "bouquins" is a colloquial word for "livres") and souvenirs.

Remontons la Seine tout en jetant un oeil aux bouquinistes pour nous retrouver dans un vieux quartier de l'Île. La plupart de ses vieilles rues ont été détruites, notamment pour créer le parvis de Notre-Dame.


Many of the old narrow streets that used to be there during the Middle Age were destroyed during the 19th century. But a few of them are still standing.


Dans l'adorable rue Chanoinesse, on trouve bizarrement une "Cupcakery" pas du tout typique dans une vieille maison bien typique... et toute une liste de personnages célèbres ayant passé un moment de leur vie ici.


The rue Chanoinesse is an adorable winding street with a very unFrench cupcakery and very French houses where some famous people lived, like the French poet Joachim Du Bellay. Now fancy to see what Joachim could see from his windows? Have a look at the next picture!

Et maintenant, ce que voyait Joachim de ses fenêtres!


Bon, il se fait tard, si vous voulez en savoir plus sur ce qui inspirait notre poète, il faudra revenir dans quelques jours!

Now, if you want to see more of the inspiring building our poet could see, you'll have to come back later, because this post is already way too long.

How did you like that little tour of the Île de la Cité?

J'espère que la ballade vous a plu et que vous n'avez pas d'ampoules (c'est toujours le risque quand on fait des kilomètres dans Paris).

A bientôt,

See you soon,

I'm linking with:

Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home             New Link Party

                             

35 comments:

  1. Hi,
    I'm sorry you had a bad day yesterday,but today is a treat for me. I'm planning a trip to France and I love your blog. The photos are wonderful.
    Thanks so much.
    Betty @ My Cozy Corner

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  2. Lovely! That brought back many memories. I love the Ile de la Cite and could spend hours pottering there.
    Has Paris got its seaside beaches this year?

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  3. Hi Magali! You are a lucky woman! I was there 18 years ago and of course I hope some day....

    Marina

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  4. Perfect! Great post, and I will be sending it on to my sister :)

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  5. Il n'y a pas à dire, mais Paris a vraiment beaucoup de charme ! Il faudrait que j'ai le courage d'y aller plus souvent... Dommage que tu sois maintenant en Bretagne, nous pourrions arpenter les rues ensembles.

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  6. voir Paris sous cet angle est bien agréable, c'est son coté poétique...
    j'y retourne bientôt avec grand plaisir

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    1. Pense à prendre un éventail, c'est un peu étouffant l'été! Merci de cette visite.

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  7. Magali, what a wonderful post. I love these photos and feel like I was there with you, Maybe someday...... xo Laura

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  8. Ravie d'avoir fait cette balade dans Paris , mais sur mon fauteuil , c'est bien suffisant pour moi .
    Bises . Babette

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    Replies
    1. Au moins, pas de chevilles qui se tordent cette fois et personne ne s'est perdu dans le métro!

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  9. What a treat to be taken on this little tour! Thank you! I have lived in Germany and taught in Poland, but I have never been to France. I wish I could!

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  10. Fabulous! I can't wait to visit France!

    Thank you for the tour xox

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  11. Yes this is lovely! I so enjoyed your photos...

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  12. You are a wonderful tour guide! Beautiful photos, too.

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  13. Gorgeous pictures and a super tour. I can't wait to see more. Hugs, Marty

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  14. Thank you so much for the beautiful pictures - made me feel like I was walking with you. I do hope that someday I will get to France and see everything.
    Thanks so much.
    Mary

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  15. I am so sorry your day is Paris did not begin so great, but it certainly ended well. I have only been to Paris once and I did not visit the little island. Oh, thank you for taking me there today.

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  16. Such a lovely day travelling around Paris with you! Thanks, hope you enjoyed your day as much as I have. Patty/BC

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  17. Thank you so much for the tour... I have never been to France, so seeing it through your eyes was such a treat.. The photos are just beautiful.
    fondly,
    Penny

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for joining me. I plan an other post about the rest of that day, which was a busy one.

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  18. I really enjoyed touring Paris with you. Thank you so much for such interesting informative posts. Your photos are beautiful Magali. Ann

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  19. I loved your tour: the little stories are local compared to a book guide. Someday, I hope to take my daughter. In the past, my now spouse and I liked to travel; he asked me to marry him in the Bois de Bologne. It was the most beautiful, tamed nature that I've ever seen.

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  20. Beautiful tour! Loved the music too. Like you said, it didn't matter if I couldn't understand it. the cupcakery is simply darling! Oh how I hope to go to Paris someday!
    hugs,
    Jann

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  21. I will probably never have the opportunity to see Paris in real life...so thank you for the beautiful tour!

    -andi

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  22. thanks for the tour! i've never been to paris, it was great to see it from your eyes.
    the 3rd last photo is my favourite.. just gorgeous!
    x

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  23. enjoyed the pictures. Then after the song on the grid found the hot Mickael Miro ;)

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  24. Who could not have loved this post? It was lovely. I'm not going to try and spell all these French names, But I love where Queen Marie spent her last days. Its so beautiful. The park Gorgeous and that alley, I would not want to go down it at nite...LOL... All was fascinating for sure and it was a fantastic trip. Its so sweet of you to share it all with us. I know I enjoyed it so much. I can see it though your eyes.
    XXOO Marie Antoinette

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed the tour. More to come this afternoon!

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  25. Thank you so much Magali for your visit and most kind words you left for Harold!
    fondly,
    Penny

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  26. Ok this may be one of my favorite all time posts Magali - I was completely transported - I need to get back to that city SOON !!!!
    La sienne, la sienne, la sienne!
    Ok off to pin a bunch of these photos!
    XOXO

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  27. I love seeing these photos and they just get me more excited about my trip to France coming up in September. Thanks for sharing.

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  28. Thanks for the tour. I hate that the first part of your trip was so crazy but glad that this 2nd part was much better.

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  29. Soooo beautiful! I have never been to Paris and it's so inspiring to see real life photos from a real life person. Lovely! ~Angela~

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  30. I'm so smitten by your photo of cupcakery! So charming - pinned it on Pinterest! Your posts are delightful as I'm trying to find some unique off the beaten path spots in Paris for an upcoming fall trip overseas. Thanks for the inspiration!
    Cheers
    Christina

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  31. I do not think that you could bore us at all by sharing your amazing photos - would so love to visit this gorgeous city! I am so delighted that you shared with Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

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