Finally - Day Two of my Paris Adventure

I cannot believe it has taken me a whole month to get through posting my pictures of my first day in Paris.  But here we are - day two!


We had to take a second look at the Hotel de Rohan in the Le Marais district.  As I mentioned in a previous posting, this hotel is actually 4 buildings with a park in the middle, known as the Place des Vosges.

Once known as the Palace Royal, ground was broken in 1605.  The surrounding area, including the park is referrred to as  Park Tournelles.

As you can see, it is another beautiful, sunny day in Paris.  Here I am again posing in front of the fountain in the park.  

And here is my favorite photography subject Jorge, posing in the park.

I am not really sure what the sculpture is, coming out of the ground, but it was worth taking a picture of.  Some sort of restoration work is going on to the building to the right.  Parisians take great care lovingly restoring and preserving their historical buildings.

After our delightful morning walk, we visited a cafe to have breakfast.  It was a wonderful experience to start the morning with a walk and top it off with a breakfast in a cafe with a view of the bustling street.  While we were eating breakfast, we had a lovely couple from Vermont who were also visiting Paris.  

Another beautiful start to a beautiful day in Paris.

Au revoir mes amis!

Perfect End to a Perfect First Day in Paris

After a long first day full of adventure and marvelous sights, we returned to the Le Marais district for dinner. 

La Terasse did not disappoint.   The food, wine, and service was wonderful, as is evident by the smiles on our faces.

I sampled what was to become one of my favorite French dishes.  Tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and pesto.  I tried it at several different places, but the dish at La Terasse was my favorite.  

This cafe was quaint and romantic.  

A perfect end to a perfect day.  

Check back, as I financially move on to day two of my French adventure. 
Bon Jour mon amis!

Wonders of the IV Arrondissement – Hotel de Ville

Three different city halls have stood on the sight of the Paris city hall building.    

The first was the House of Pillars (Maison aux Piliers) from 1357 to 1533.  

In 1553 King Francis decided to build a dedicated City Hall, which was completed in 1628.  

However, the original Hotel de Ville was destroyed by fire in 1871 by insurrectionary Communards. 

In 1873, Architects Theodor Ballu and Eduard Deperthes designed the Hotel de Ville in its original Renaissance style.  

The rebuilt Hotel de Ville was completed in 1882. 

In true Parisian style, the Hotel de Ville is situated in a public park with a lovely carousel on the grounds.

Third time is a charm for the Hotel de Ville, this is an amazing place. 

Location:

The Hôtel de Ville is in the IV Arroindissement, near the Seine River.  It is near the Centre Pompidou (to the north), and the Notre-Dame Cathedral (to the south) across the pont d'Arcole.

When decided to post my pictures of my Paris on my blog, I wanted to be able to do these pictures a little bit of justice and include some history on the sights I was taking pictures of.  As I do some basic research on that various monuments, I marveling at the history of Paris.  The more research I do, the more I am convinced on visit to Paris is simply not enough!

If you have been following this blog, you know that we stayed in the La Marais district.  La Marias is located on the right back of the Seine River, near the Notre Dame.  From what I gather La Marias is located in the IV Arroindissement.  I am learning as I go….

Au revoir!  Rendez-vous la prochaine fois!

For more information visit:

http://www.aviewoncities.com/paris/hoteldeville.htm

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/443621/Paris/60497/The-Hotel-de-Ville

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/443621/Paris/60497/The-Hotel-de-Ville

Hotel de Rohan Duemenee

The Hotel de Rohan Duemenee is stunning example of the wonderfully preserved Renaissance architecture in the Le Marais quarter.  This hotel is actually 4 buildings with a park in the middle, known as the Place des Vosges.


Once known as the Palace Royal, ground was broken in 1605.  The surrounding area, including the park is referrred to as  Park Tournelles.

Check back to the blog for more pictures of this amazing place.  We loved it so much, we stopped back often to marvel at this area, and join other Parisians who relaxed in the park.  

Sources:


http://www.paris.fr/loisirs/maisons-de-victor-hugo/paris/l-hotel-de-rohan-guemenee/rub_5932_stand_12763_port_13289


http://marais.evous.fr/Hotel-de-Rohan-Guemenee.html

Le Marais Quarter and Saint Paul - Saint Louis Church

We stayed the Le Marais district.  Le Marais, which translates to "the swamp", dates back to the 12th century.  While most of Paris was overhauled in the mid-19th century by architect Baron Georges Eugen Haussman under the direction of Napoleon III, the Le Marais district remains preserved with its Medieval and Renaissance-era architectural style and narrow streets.  

Le Marais is best toured by foot.  Most streets are too narrow for vehicles and pedestrians to share.  (Although they try.)  The main street, Rue Sain-Antoine is the only avenue place where there is 4 lanes of buses, automobiles, mopeds and bicycles all travelling in a frenzied and congested free-for-all.  Although, I love to ride my bicycle, I would not dare try to try to ride a bicycle on this road!

The Le Marais quarter was favored by the royals such as Henri IV and Louis XIII.  Sadly, it fell into ruin after the French Revolution in 1789, but has enjoyed a revival in the 1960's.  Since this was where our hotel was located, I will be featuring several pictures from the Le Marais quarter.

One of the landmarks of Le Marais is the St. Paul - Saint Louis Church.  This church is located on the main street of Le Mariais, the Rue Saint-Antione.  

This Jesuit church was  commissioned by Louis XIII and the first mass was held in 1641 by Cardinal Richeliu. The baroque-style architecture was inspired by the Gesu Church in Rome, and features Corinthian pillars and ornate ornamentation.  

This church suffered heavy damage and pillaging during the French Revolution in 1789.  The Bastille, which is where the French Revolution began, is walking distance from this church.  With its close proximity to the start of the revolution, it is remarkable that this church has been restored to its former glory. 

So many of my friends have been asking me to post the pictures on Facebook that I took of my trip to France.  I wanted to add some detail and description to these pictures to really do them justice.  Please check back often, because I will be updating this blog often.  

To get email notifications of my updates, please become a follower to this blog, if you are not already.  

Merci beaucoup!

Sources:

http://goparis.about.com/od/sightsattractions/ss/MaraisTour.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Marais

http://goparis.about.com/od/sightsattractions/ss/MaraisTour_5.htm