Notre Dame – in memory and in heart!
Heartbreaking news came from Paris today! There is no anymore Notre Dame like we saw it lately. Hard to imagine if it is possible to revive it again. Probably yes. However it will not be the same anymore. Lucky us to had an opportunity to see it in its magnificence and keep in our memory and heart forever!
Sainte-Chapelle
It was quiet Sunday morning in Sainte-Chapelle. The beautiful Gothic style chapel right in the middle of the island on Seine river (Île de la Cité) opened its door for the numerous visitors to enjoy the beauty and spiritual atmosphere of this holy place. The light inside was not so bright and colorful because of the cloudy day. However huge stained windows and rosettes created miracle feeling.
Sweet November in Paris
The beginning of November in Paris this year is awesome. Warm and sunny days were much appreciated by local people and tourists. It does not look like there is a slow season in Paris. Although November is the last autumn month there are plenty of tourists in the city. Anyway, Paris is beautiful in any season and you can enjoy walking around lovely attractions, beautiful streets full of shops, cafe, restaurants, souvenir boutiques and many other interesting places. It is for sure Moveable Feast as it was said long time ago by Ernest Hemingway.
Sacré-Cœur, Paris
Church “Holy Heart” (Sacré-Coeur) – one of the many iconic places in Paris. Everyone who has visited once this city, of course, have their own preferences, favorite places and their priorities among the most famous monuments of architecture and art. Therefore, to evaluate and build all of Paris attractions in some sequence is not necessary. Let everyone decide for themselves what is the most attractive and valuable in this city.
However, the Sacré Coeur is one of the most outstanding monuments of Paris. First, its location on the heights of Montmartre attracts and intrigues tourists, makes you want to see it up close and examine in detail. Secondly, this church still has its own unique character and history. It really deserves the attention and visits.
Rainy day in Paris
Rainy Day in Paris
Ten days of the last Paris visit have been passing with no any evidence of rain. There was a risk to miss it. However at the last day we were gifted with the lovely warm and quiet one.
It was a good chance to walk around the Rue Mouffetard street Market with its numerous patisseries, cheese, seafood, butcheries, fruit, flowers, wine shops and brasseries.
Market spreads along Rue Mouffetard from Place de la Contrescarpe to the Square Saint-Medard. It is the lovely place where you can loose feeling of time.
Fountains of Versailles
The gardens of Versailles were planned by André Le Nôtre, perhaps the most famous and influential landscape architect in French history. Behind the palace, the ground falls away on every side from a terrace adorned with ornamental basins, statues, and bronze groups. Directly west of the terrace is the Latona Fountain, designed by Le Nôtre and sculpted by Gaspard and Balthazard Marsy. The fountain depicts the events of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The Royal Walk extends westward from the palace. A broad avenue centred on the grass of the Green Carpet, it is flanked by rows of large trees and ends at the spectacular Fountain of Apollo.
Eiffel (1832-1923)
The Man who built the Eiffel Tower
Château de Versailles
Nowadays it is not necessary to go far away from the comfortable chair and big computer screen to learn everything about any object of culture. Internet and Google can provide you with all of the information. Moreover, all the works of painting, sculpture, and architecture, taken by professional photographers with the correct lighting and unexpected angles, look much more advantageous in comparison with the original museum pieces that impossible to see from all points because of the weak light and huge number of art fans crowding around. However visit and walk around such places provide an unforgettable experience. After all, the museum is not only a set of exhibits, it is also the building with all the details of the interior, layout, numerous galleries and halls and other elements of architecture and decorative arts that create a special spirit and build the visitor’s impressions.
Palace of Versailles in this sense one of those great places to visit. You can leisurely walk for hours through its galleries and halls stopping at a familiar exhibits to see them live, and compare with the image on the internet, catalog or album.
It is impossible to show everything that one has seen and liked in Palace of Versailles in the short blog articles, but it is possible to provoke readers to visit this interesting place.
Palace of Versailles
Versailles. It is a place where you not only enjoy the works of art adorning the Palace of Versailles, but also wander through the alleys of the park, sit by the fountains, enjoy the boat ride on the pond, admire the sculptures and flowerbeds. Tourists can discover the numerous architectural details of the Palace for hours.
King Louis XIV enlarged a hunting lodge in brick and stone into a royal palace. After the work was successfully advanced he proclaimed Versailles as his principal residence and the governmental center of France.
Rue Laffitte, Paris
Lovely view on Sacre-Coeur Basilique.
Shakespeare and Company
Shakespeare and Company is the name of two independent bookstores on Paris’s Left Bank. The first was opened by Sylvia Beach on 19 November 1919 at 8 rue Dupuytren, before moving to larger premises at 12 rue de l’Odéon in the 6th arrondissement in 1922. During the 1920s, it was a gathering place for writers such as Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce and Ford Madox Ford. It closed in 1940 during the German occupation of Paris and never re-opened.
The second is situated at 37 rue de la Bûcherie, in the 5th arrondissement. Opened in 1951 by George Whitman, it was originally named “Le Mistral” but renamed to “Shakespeare and Company” in 1964 in tribute to Sylvia Beach’s bookstore. Today, it serves both as a regular bookstore, a second-hand books store and as a reading library, specializing in English-language literature. The shop has become a popular tourist attraction,[4][5] and was featured in the Richard Linklater film Before Sunset and in the Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris.
Parisians (Music on the Streets)
Paris street singer
Trumpet players
Trombone player on Seine bank
Dancer
Dance preparation
Accordionist
Dance on cobblestone
Introducing to the Dance
World in your eyes 