Familiarity Sets In
They say that familiarity breeds contempt. This may indeed be true, but I have contempt for very few things in Paris. Thus, without further ado (that's not French, despite what you may have heard on the Dukes of Hazzard), I give the pictures of random stuff that I pass by all the freaking time, and which, for whatever reason, may not warrant their own post.
This is the Ecole Militaire; of all the Grandes Ecoles, this was the only one I was impressed with physically. It sits at the end of Champ Mars on the Left Bank, which puts it directly opposite the Tour Eiffel, which I happened to be standing under to take this picture. By the way, the building in the background is Tour Montparnasse, the highest in Europe.
This is the Place de la Concorde; it is literally about a block or two away from me, and although it is a very storied place (the site of the executions of the revolution, including those of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI), I usually just walk into the metro station. Pity. Assemble Nationale is right across the bridge on the opposite end of the Place from me.
The fabled La Sorbonne; this is at the intersection of Rue St. Jacques and Rue de Grandes Ecoles, and this institution, though it is not a Grande Ecole itself, certainly overshadows the latter in terms of physical beauty.
Le Grand Palais; directly across from the smaller, and aptly named Petit Palais, this now houses a museum. This view is looking south from the Champs-Elysees. Continuing down the road between these palaces takes you across Pont Alexander and to Les Invalides. In case you were wondering the Champs Elysees is named for Palais Elysees, which is where Monseiur le President resides.
Opera; a 10 minute walk from me up Rue Tronchet and east across Boulevard Haussman, this was not only a theatre, but also a place for the gentry to go in order to see and be seen. Apparently it was quite the meat market in its day. The golden statues on top were restored several years ago, and one of the statues on the side of the building, ground floor, is a replica of the original, which resides in Le Musee D'Orsay.
Centre Georges Pompidou; this building was built in the 70s, and much like the Pyramides, it is quite the anachronism in Paris. And, much like the Pyramides, I don't like it. To me it's a huge gerbil habitat, or a building that forgot its walls. Inexplicably, it is the largest tourist draw in Paris - yes, even more than La Tour.
This is the Ecole Militaire; of all the Grandes Ecoles, this was the only one I was impressed with physically. It sits at the end of Champ Mars on the Left Bank, which puts it directly opposite the Tour Eiffel, which I happened to be standing under to take this picture. By the way, the building in the background is Tour Montparnasse, the highest in Europe.
This is the Place de la Concorde; it is literally about a block or two away from me, and although it is a very storied place (the site of the executions of the revolution, including those of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI), I usually just walk into the metro station. Pity. Assemble Nationale is right across the bridge on the opposite end of the Place from me.
The fabled La Sorbonne; this is at the intersection of Rue St. Jacques and Rue de Grandes Ecoles, and this institution, though it is not a Grande Ecole itself, certainly overshadows the latter in terms of physical beauty.
Le Grand Palais; directly across from the smaller, and aptly named Petit Palais, this now houses a museum. This view is looking south from the Champs-Elysees. Continuing down the road between these palaces takes you across Pont Alexander and to Les Invalides. In case you were wondering the Champs Elysees is named for Palais Elysees, which is where Monseiur le President resides.
Opera; a 10 minute walk from me up Rue Tronchet and east across Boulevard Haussman, this was not only a theatre, but also a place for the gentry to go in order to see and be seen. Apparently it was quite the meat market in its day. The golden statues on top were restored several years ago, and one of the statues on the side of the building, ground floor, is a replica of the original, which resides in Le Musee D'Orsay.
Centre Georges Pompidou; this building was built in the 70s, and much like the Pyramides, it is quite the anachronism in Paris. And, much like the Pyramides, I don't like it. To me it's a huge gerbil habitat, or a building that forgot its walls. Inexplicably, it is the largest tourist draw in Paris - yes, even more than La Tour.
posted by Guy Fawkes at 12:06 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home