Paris 2015 Day 6: Jardin du Luxembourg
The outside of the Palais du Luxembourg. Part of it houses the French Senate, the upper house of the Parliament of France. So especially on the side facing the street there were a number of armed guards.
Behind the Palais lies the 23 hectares large Jardin du Luxembourg. All over the garden you can find more than seventy works of sculpture. Like for example this faun.
From the garden you have a good view of the more than 200 metres high Tour Montparnasse, located on the southern side of Paris. I think I so far haven't mentioned it, you can get to the terrace at the top via a very fast escalator. The queues tend to be much shorter than at the Eiffel Tower. And it has the advantage that you have a good view of the Tower itself.
The Medici Fountain, built in 1630.
Some of the flower beds - and a NSFW statue - along the Palace.
The first version of the Palace was built in the first half of the 17th century to become the residence of Marie de' Medici. Its façade is similar to the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. It later became the home of the French Senate.
In the garden you can find tennis courts,
and lots of nice places to rest.
The third (and last) photographed version of Bartholdi's of Statue of Liberty of the trip.
The Theatre du Luxembourg, a puppet theatre.
As on most days, clouds started to gather in the course of the day. But there were still stretches of sunshine, providing nice photo opportunities, and a very pleasant environment for a rest.
Panoramic view to give a better impression of the northern centre of the garden. Like at Central Park, a pond for model sailboats.
A bit difficult to see all three of them. Along the balustraded terraces you can again find some Arago medallions, marking the Paris meridian.
Which isn't surprising since the extension of the southern corridor of the garden leads to the observatory.
In the central area in the southern part of the garden is one of the few lawns in Paris where you are allowed to take a rest or have a picnic. There are official signs that tell you so.
If I spent some time I probably could find it out myself. But maybe someone can help me out and tell me what kind of game they are playing here. As far as I can tell, there are a number of wooden sticks randomly stuck into the ground. And the guy walking away from the picture holds another one in his hands which he will then throw in the direction of the others.
On the more narrow southern extension of the garden you can also play football. As well as table tennis.
At the southern end of the garden - now strictly speaking called Jardin Marco Polo - is the monumental Fontaine de l'Observatoire. With lots of horses and turtles.
After the garden I went a bit further east. This is the Tour Zamansky, part of the Pierre and Marie Curie University.
Wikipedia informs me that its campus is decried as an architectural failure. Which is also the impression I got.
The reason I went in this direction, the building of the Institut du Monde Arabe. It was designed by Jean Nouvel. The building houses a museum, so I was a bit worried by that long queue that you can see here. But it turned out that was for an event unrelated to the museum.
It wasn't my intention to visit the museum itself, though if I had seen this advertising earlier for a special exhibition I maybe would've decided otherwise.
My destination was the rooftop terrace next to the restaurant from where you have a wonderful view of Notre-Dame. I had read that you can get to the terrace for free, though if my memory serves then I had to show my Paris museum pass to enter the building. But maybe there is a another entrance that I hadn't noticed.
Previously seen at night, the Palais Garnier, home of the Opéra Garnier, named after its architect Charles Garnier, inaugurated in 1875. It's the opera where the original phantom lived. It is as opulent on the inside as it is on the outside. Besides visiting a performance, they are also offering tours.
The evening was spent strolling along the Seine, starting at the Pont Alexandre.
Five "floating gardens" on the Seine. And the bright blue plastic seats of a tourist tour boat.
The Eiffel Tower at dusk.
The illuminated Tower was the main destination of the evening.
It starts to glow as it gets darker.
Once it is dark, at every top of the hour, for five minutes, this happens.
A few more impressions of the illuminated Tower.
Two searchlights at the top of the Tower that my camera wasn't really able to capture (picture wasn't taken by me).
Last stop of the day, the Arc de Triomphe. A little evening workout, the 284 steps to the top.
The monument is a War Memorial, it honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars. It is 50 metres high and was inaugurated in 1836.
To the East, the Champs-Élysées, ending at the Obelisk. The large building complex behind it is the Louvre. At the top centre-right in the distance, the two towers of Notre-Dame.
To the South, the Hôtel des Invalides and the Tour Montparnasse.
And another look at the Eiffel Tower. Photographed as an homage to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Obviously. It was very cold and very windy at the top. So I headed back down quickly.
Underneath the Arc, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I with an eternal flame.
Cities where former French victories took place. I'm quite familiar with some of the names here because many of the cities are located in the southwestern part of Germany.
The engraved names of the military leaders of the French Revolution and Empire. The names of those who died on the battlefield are underlined.
Inside view. The people in the picture give you an idea of the size of the monument.
The Arc in all its glory at night.
The colourful shop windows of the Louis Vuitton Flagship Store on the Champs-Élysées.
Behind the Palais lies the 23 hectares large Jardin du Luxembourg. All over the garden you can find more than seventy works of sculpture. Like for example this faun.
From the garden you have a good view of the more than 200 metres high Tour Montparnasse, located on the southern side of Paris. I think I so far haven't mentioned it, you can get to the terrace at the top via a very fast escalator. The queues tend to be much shorter than at the Eiffel Tower. And it has the advantage that you have a good view of the Tower itself.
The Medici Fountain, built in 1630.
Some of the flower beds - and a NSFW statue - along the Palace.
The first version of the Palace was built in the first half of the 17th century to become the residence of Marie de' Medici. Its façade is similar to the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. It later became the home of the French Senate.
In the garden you can find tennis courts,
and lots of nice places to rest.
The third (and last) photographed version of Bartholdi's of Statue of Liberty of the trip.
The Theatre du Luxembourg, a puppet theatre.
As on most days, clouds started to gather in the course of the day. But there were still stretches of sunshine, providing nice photo opportunities, and a very pleasant environment for a rest.
Panoramic view to give a better impression of the northern centre of the garden. Like at Central Park, a pond for model sailboats.
A bit difficult to see all three of them. Along the balustraded terraces you can again find some Arago medallions, marking the Paris meridian.
Which isn't surprising since the extension of the southern corridor of the garden leads to the observatory.
In the central area in the southern part of the garden is one of the few lawns in Paris where you are allowed to take a rest or have a picnic. There are official signs that tell you so.
If I spent some time I probably could find it out myself. But maybe someone can help me out and tell me what kind of game they are playing here. As far as I can tell, there are a number of wooden sticks randomly stuck into the ground. And the guy walking away from the picture holds another one in his hands which he will then throw in the direction of the others.
On the more narrow southern extension of the garden you can also play football. As well as table tennis.
At the southern end of the garden - now strictly speaking called Jardin Marco Polo - is the monumental Fontaine de l'Observatoire. With lots of horses and turtles.
After the garden I went a bit further east. This is the Tour Zamansky, part of the Pierre and Marie Curie University.
Wikipedia informs me that its campus is decried as an architectural failure. Which is also the impression I got.
The reason I went in this direction, the building of the Institut du Monde Arabe. It was designed by Jean Nouvel. The building houses a museum, so I was a bit worried by that long queue that you can see here. But it turned out that was for an event unrelated to the museum.
It wasn't my intention to visit the museum itself, though if I had seen this advertising earlier for a special exhibition I maybe would've decided otherwise.
My destination was the rooftop terrace next to the restaurant from where you have a wonderful view of Notre-Dame. I had read that you can get to the terrace for free, though if my memory serves then I had to show my Paris museum pass to enter the building. But maybe there is a another entrance that I hadn't noticed.
Previously seen at night, the Palais Garnier, home of the Opéra Garnier, named after its architect Charles Garnier, inaugurated in 1875. It's the opera where the original phantom lived. It is as opulent on the inside as it is on the outside. Besides visiting a performance, they are also offering tours.
The evening was spent strolling along the Seine, starting at the Pont Alexandre.
Five "floating gardens" on the Seine. And the bright blue plastic seats of a tourist tour boat.
The Eiffel Tower at dusk.
The illuminated Tower was the main destination of the evening.
It starts to glow as it gets darker.
Once it is dark, at every top of the hour, for five minutes, this happens.
A few more impressions of the illuminated Tower.
Two searchlights at the top of the Tower that my camera wasn't really able to capture (picture wasn't taken by me).
Last stop of the day, the Arc de Triomphe. A little evening workout, the 284 steps to the top.
The monument is a War Memorial, it honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars. It is 50 metres high and was inaugurated in 1836.
To the East, the Champs-Élysées, ending at the Obelisk. The large building complex behind it is the Louvre. At the top centre-right in the distance, the two towers of Notre-Dame.
To the South, the Hôtel des Invalides and the Tour Montparnasse.
And another look at the Eiffel Tower. Photographed as an homage to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Obviously. It was very cold and very windy at the top. So I headed back down quickly.
Underneath the Arc, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I with an eternal flame.
Cities where former French victories took place. I'm quite familiar with some of the names here because many of the cities are located in the southwestern part of Germany.
The engraved names of the military leaders of the French Revolution and Empire. The names of those who died on the battlefield are underlined.
Inside view. The people in the picture give you an idea of the size of the monument.
The Arc in all its glory at night.
The colourful shop windows of the Louis Vuitton Flagship Store on the Champs-Élysées.