Paris, summer times. This feeling of having Paris to yourself
Paris summer times! Go for an incredible walk in the only major metropolis in the world where everything stops from July 15 to August 15. A summer in Paris! The pleasure of being alone. To have the city to yourself. Choose the shadow side of the streets in the overwhelming sunlight. Find some freshness in churches, palaces and ventilated terraces. The Parisians are gone. Unconscious, they left the key to their city to anyone who wants to seize it. So enjoy it. Power is on vacation. The bakers are closed. Paris is empty. Everywhere it says: closed because of annual leaves. So, give up your tourist rags. Usurp those of absent Parisians and leave without a guide, adrift in this city that is said to be the most beautiful in the world.
The Republic’s Holidays
We will leave the Madeleine church, take a right in the rue Royale, the famous rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, place of power on holiday. Indescribable show where the biggest luxury houses, embassies, banks (the Rothschild bank in particular), 5-star hotels including the mythical Ritz, painting galleries … safely near the Presidential Palace of the Elysée Palace. Here, nothing is really closed but everything can be seen from afar, across the street. Only the superbly crafted grid of the Ministry of the Interior is approachable. Otherwise, circulate, there is almost nothing to see.
Palais de l’Elyssé 55, rue du faubourg Saint-Honoré : absence for holydays
Very frequentable neighbours: on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, on the same sidewalk, you will pass the residence of the U.S. Ambassador. Jamie McCourt, the new ambassador since 2017 has been a member of the Republican Party. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and the Faculty of Letters in Paris. She lived and studied in Aix-en-Provence. She is a businesswoman and a lawyer. Like its president, she owns vineyards but in California in the Napa Valley (200 ha). So if you see light, do not hesitate for a “wine tasting” (recall of the famous judgment of Paris for the initiates). Even closer to the Elysée, the British Embassy. There is accosted, the ambassador’s residence with its large park, rose garden, orangery and grand piano. Is it the discreet charm of an embassy that pleased Sir Winston Churchill a lot. Yet the future under the rule of the very Francophile and French-speaking Boris Johnson is uncertain! No doubt it will be necessary to remove the “Great” of Britain (Brexit oblige!) if things “get worse” empire(nt) in french in the kingdom of his gracious majesty. It will therefore be necessary to find an embassy for Scotland whose independence is more than likely. Finally, at a block from the Elysée Palace, at 49 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, the Colombian Embassy is located. No, it is not all smoke and mirrors. A dubious joke that only the French will understand with their expression: jeter de la poudre aux yeux (throw powder in the eyes).
The president is at the pool, his Minister of the Interior at the fires
Finally, here is the Elysée Palace. His big gate is closed. The court of honour is empty. The police are watching. The president is on vacation. He took his summer quarters at the Fort of Brégançon* for a holiday that is said to be “quiet and studious”. No doubt he takes advantage of his new swimming pool whose construction caused a great controversy last year. But let’s be reassured, he prepares for the G7 held in Biarritz in August as his Interior Minister runs the fires that ravage the south of France.
*The Fort of Brégançon is located on the shores of the Mediterranean, on the territory of the commune of Bormes-les-Mimosas in the department of Var.
The Pont Alexandre III, the most emblematic bridge in Paris
Then, by Avenue Marigny and under police surveillance, let’s go down to the Champs Elysées, marking a stop in front of the Grille du Coq, Avenue Gabriel (access to the very private garden of the Elysée Palace!). So here’s the most beautiful avenue in the world. Would there be a few scents of tear gas left? Not only this string of tricolour flags, a reminder of the arrival of the Tour de France or the impressive military parade of July 14th that impressed a Donald Trump va-t-en guerre. You could cross (a little attention anyway!) the Avenue at the beginning of august blindfolded to arrive at one of the most majestic perspectives of the capital. Imagine, between the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, this huge green breakthrough that leads to the Invalides. First you have to cross the Seine on the Alexandre III bridge, a masterpiece full of gilding and lampposts; a bridge that was intended to be the symbol of a Franco-Russian friendship (1891) as ephemeral as all the peace treaties of the Middle East. We’re now on the left bank. Let the two Chambres sleep (National Assembly and Senate). Besides, aren’t they on vacation?
Le Petit and le Grand Palais before crossing le Pont Alexandre III
Le Petit Palais framed by the girl on the trottinette and the statue of Churchill. Created for the Paris World’s Fair in 1900, le Petit Palais (Musée des Beaux-Arts de la ville de Paris) in front of the Grand Palais presents works by Monet, Sisley, Courbet, Fragonard, Greuze… Will you still be there in the fall when the apples will be ripe for this Romantic Paris Exhibition, 1815-1848. Great exhibition-event, a vast panorama of the capital during the romantic years, from the fall of Napoleon to the revolution of 1848 (Photo FC)
Le Pont Alexandre III (1900) is one of the most emblematic of the capital, due to its architecture and geographical location. Its four ends are flanked by monumental pylons 17 meters high, decorated at their top sores of golden bronze. They represent the Fame of Arts, Science, Commerce and Industry. This bridge connects the Grand and Petit Palais to the Invalides. To cross it is to enjoy a panoramic view especially of the Eiffel Tower and the Seine. Bet with the ice man in his old 4L, you’ll still have some ice to suck at the end of the bridge (Photo FC)
“Under the Alexandre III bridge flows the Seine and our love. Shall I remember. how joy always followed grief?…”
Parody of Guillaume Apollinaire’s poem Mirabeau bridge (Sous le pont Mirabeau coule la Seine…).
Walk in the corridors of power, among the great men (and woman then!), at the philosophers‘ table and in some wonderful gardens
Passing the left bank
Passing left bank is the Paris of intellectuals, artists, cafes and surprising encounters (Paris, la bohème as we liked to say!). But at the corner of this huge esplanade of the Invalides and la rue de l’Université, the world is heard. A handful of irreducible Mauritanians, in the middle of summer, raise the voice, that of the black people of Mauritania led by their young and charismatic leader. For the public, two goofy policemen and a few stray tourists. On the megaphone, they demand justice: down with slavery (would it really be abolished in this country!), protest of the new president, questioning of a draft fisheries agreement with the Chinese and especially the infamous collusion between France and this shamed regime.
*The new president Mohamed Ould El-Ghazouani was at the same time invested despite a disputed election.
The deputies are on holiday and the nuns have given up their large garden
A few hundred meters away, a silence of lead reigns over the Chamber, Place du Palais Bourbon. The National Assembly is in the field (on holiday). If the doors are open it is for a few small works (it is necessary to secure its surroundings damaged last winter by the Gilets jaunes). And then, they are already thinking about the plan to reduce parliamentarians (a 25% reduction in the number of MPs and senators and the introduction of 20% proportional). But the slingshot is in motion led by senators. They are said to be standing up against the reform. Many say they will not hold: age, political blur, lack of leaders…
“C’est un jardin extraordinaire ” (Charles Trenet)
Before joining them at the Palais du Luxembourg (15 minutes walk), let’s pass (it’s on the way) through one of the most secret gardens in Paris. Easy to find, it is on rue de Babylone, just behind the Hôtel Matignon, the Prime Minister’s residence and right next to Yves Saint Laurent’s house. This is Catherine Labouré’s very discreet, very wild garden. Imagine an orchard and a nuns’ vegetable garden in the heart of Paris. Eric is there, he is the volunteer gardener. He will tell you that the nuns gave up their huge garden at the request of a former President de la Republique and his very devout wife. He has forgotten everything today, but the French remember it to the point of putting him at the top of all the popularity polls (Photos FC)
Garçon, 2 cafés please, Le Flore and les Deux Magots and book me a room with a view at Lutetia.
The Senate is much higher, normal for the Upper Chambre. It occupies the Luxembourg Palace and good prince, he left to the pleb, free access to his garden. But before joining this illustrious institution (some wonder what it still does in the Republic), let us pass three lieux incontournabes of Parisian life. Hotel Lutetia is located in the Saint-Germain-des-Près district (it faces the Bon Marché). This hotel, which aspires to the title of Palace, has just been completely restored by French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte. It was built in 1910 and was intended to be the forerunner of Art Deco. If the rooms range from 300 to 800 euros, it is possible to reduce the expense during these hot weather by landing at the bar, the Bar Josephine (and its jazz club), ode to the Belle époque.
Les Deux Magots and Le Flore, the custodians of Surrealism and Existentialism
These two cafés, Les deux Magots and Le Flore, a few steps from each other, are the symbols of the literary history of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It is true that they have hosted for more than a century the All-Paris of l’Art et de la Littérature. The list is long. It is first by names such as Alfred Jarry, Foujita, Guillaume Apollinaire, Elsa Triolet, Louis Aragon, André Gide, Jean Giraudoux, Picasso, Fernand Léger. The Surrealism of André Breton, Existentialism with Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir (a room bears the name of one of her novels: Les Mandarins) were born there. For Le Flore, names like Françoise Sagan, Picasso, Giacometti, Boris Vian found themselves there. The existentialist couple Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir had their seats there (Photo FC).
The Senate behind its palace hides the most beautiful garden in Paris, the garden of Luxembourg
The Luxembourg Palace has been the seat of the Senate since 1799. It was Marie de Medici who had bought this estate in 1612 where she had her palace built in 1615 when she had become regent of the kingdom, on the death of the king, Henry IV. What a mimicry! Its current President (very good political tactician) looks jovial and gargantuan. As you could think, he does not come from the professions of mouth but he was a veterinarian. He would share with Marie de Medici this overweight that characterized her. Should it be to weigh down the painting, add the immoderate taste of the regent for the painter Rubens world famous for his sensual nudes, with generous shapes.
Besides this noble assembly is known by the recurrent and restorative naps of its members after it is true of solid lunches. A book has caused a scandal: Un paradis fiscal pour des parlementaires fantômes (a tax haven for shadow MPs). But these are just rumors. Hasn’t the senate become a counter-power today?
An avant-goût of Luxembourg Garden
But before going to frolic (laze around or flirt, it depends!) in this garden that many consider to be the most beautiful city garden in the world, a few stops are necessary. We are in this district of the Odeon, the Sorbonne, Luxembourg, Panthéon at the very beginning of the Rue de Vaugirard, the longest street in Paris. Don’t hesitate to walk, it’s all in a handkerchief (un mouchoir de poche in french).
Photos above: in the Place de l’Odeon, the forecourt of the theatre of Europe transforms in the summer into a vast café terrace. Just across the street, the famous restaurant La Méditerranée (speciality of fish and seafood) which was frequented by Jean Cocteau and at the corner of Rue de Vaugirard, facing the Luxembourg garden, my favorite café: Aux Petits Suisses, finally the façade of the Sorbonne closed due to university holidays (Photo FC)
The Luxembourg garden in the heart of summer: freshness, encounters, love, fantasy, dancing and…running!
This extraordinary 25-hectare garden, which was created on the initiative of Queen Marie de Medici in 1612, is a jardin à la française and a jardin à l’anglaise. In between are a geometric forest and a large basin. You will also discover an orchard, a beehive to learn about beekeeping, greenhouses with a collection of orchids and a rose garden. The garden has 106 statues scattered throughout the park, the monumental Medici fountain, the Orangery, the kiosque à musique. Activities and facilities for children are numerous: puppets, rides, slides… Adults, Parisianors or tourists, play chess, tennis, bridge…
For fans of “footing” (what we say in french!), it is a “must” to run in Luxembourg
By focusing on taking the “outside” along the gates of the park, one manages to travel some 2 kilometers. It takes about ten minutes. 4 to 6 laps are therefore required to result in a session of 40 minutes to an hour.
In le jardin du Luxembourg, how many photos are taken in front of the famous Medici fountain?
In the Luxembourg garden, when dog and tourist chat in admiring silence!
In the Luxembourg garden, when it‘s good to rest from a long day of heatwave (Photo FC)
In the Luxembourg garden, beware, the beehive is a few steps from the bowling alleys
In the Luxembourg garden, dance on Sunday evenings. It’s Belle Epoque under le kiosque à musique (the bandstand)
Last steps in this summer Paris: Notre-Dame, Trocadéro and Louis Vuitton Foundation
Notre-Dame, what Parisian church to replace it? Finally, passing through the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadéro, let’s join the fronds of the Bois de Boulogne for the most beautiful, the newest contemporary museum in Paris, the Louis Vuitton Foundation, an architectural masterpiece!
Which Parisian church can replace Notre-Dame? Nothing is decided yet, it’s up to you to choose between two?
1/The Church of St. Sulpice famous thanks to Da Vinci Code
The Church of Saint-Sulpice, a stone’s throw from the Luxembourg garden, is the largest church in Paris after Notre Dame (it can hold at least 2000). Its exceptional dimensions and its Latin cross plan are directly inspired by Notre-Dame de Paris. Saint-Sulpice, built in the 17th century, is located in Saint-Sulpice Square, in the heart of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district. It should be noted that the church became famous thanks to the film Da Vinci Code, a film based on Dan Brown’s bestseller. The fountain on the forecourt (or fountain of the four bishops) built in 1844 was named fountain of the “des points cardinaux” because of the presence of the four statues of bishops: Bossuet, Bishop of Meaux, Fénelon Archbishop of Cambrai, Massillon Bishop of Nimes and Flexbishop bishop of Clermont. They were never cardinals (point cardinaux, a pun with cardinal points) Photo FC
2/ The Church of St. Eustache in the heart of Les Halles
St. Eustache is one of the most visited churches in Paris. Its architectural style, mainly Gothic and Renaissance, gives it its unique character that contrasts with the modernization of the district. It is located in the historic part of the Halles. It is distinguished in particular by its dimensions (After Notre Dame, it is one of the largest churches in Paris), the great wealth of works of art and its great organ. True to its musical tradition, the church hosts year-round philharmonic sits, choirs and prestigious festivals. If you are still in Paris in November, the 211st Mass of Remembrance of the Charcutiers-Treaters will take place in the Church of Saint Eustache in Paris with the participation of the Brotherhood of the Knights of Saint Anthony. (Impressive!) Photo FC
From l’esplanade du Trocadéro to the Louis Vuitton Fondation on the edge of Bois de Boulogne
Louis Vuitton Foundation, this impressive ship set on a pond, between wood and garden, playing with light and mirror effects.
Run for it. This museum is exceptional! Imagine an impressive ship (designed by architect Frank Gehry), set on the edge of the Boulogne woods (near the acclimatization garden)! Museum no, it is a foundation, the Louis Vuitton Foundation designed by Bernard Arnault owner of LVMH, the world’s leading luxury group. He dedicated it to his great passion, contemporary art: “There are these curved beams, the play of materials that reveals the frame, this amazing alliance between wood and glass. And then there is the curve and oblique, present constantly.” The interior houses 11 exhibition halls, a concert hall, a bookshop, a restaurant and three terraces with a grand view of Paris.
Toutes les photos © de cet article sont de l’auteur
