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Jardin des Tuilleries
The Tuileries Gardens were designed by Andre Le Notre in 1664
and is one of the largest parks in Paris. It is bordered by the
Louvre, Rue de Rivoli and, at the western end, the Orangerie and
the Jeu de Paume. The Orangerie houses Monet's magnificent 'Nympheas'
series of paintings of water-lilies which were painted at Giverny
and donated to the nation by the artist as a 'spiritual testimony'.
It also houses other great Impressionist and 'Ecole de Paris'
artists. It is undergoing a major re-haul at the moment. The Jeu
de Paume holds special exhibitions.
Rue de Rivoli
This lovely arcade was begun by Napoleon in 1811. Under its arches
are two English language book stores; Angelina's, a tea salon famous
for its thick hot chocolate; and the luxurious Hotel Meurice. Tolstoy
at one time lived in one of the apartments above the Arcade.
Place de Vendome
This classically elegant square built in 1685 has a 44 meter high
column with a crowning sculpture of Napoleon as Caeser, although this
has changed several times. It is home to the world's most opulent
jewelers and the legendary Ritz Hotel, a favorite haunt of the famous,
such as Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, Proust, and Chanel.
Louvre
Once a royal Renaissance palace, the Louvre Museum houses some
of the world’s most famous works of art, highlights of which
are the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory,
360
degree visit . Closed on Tuesdays.
Place de la Concorde
The grandest and most infamous square in Paris. It is situated at
a crossroads, the National Assembly to the south facing its mirror
image a neo-Greek Temple, the Madeline church, to the north and
the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees to the west facing the Tuilleries
Gardens and the Louvre to the east. It was constructed between 1754
and 1763 to hold a statue of Louis XV and was then called Place
Louis XV. It then became the Place de Revolution and the site of
the guillotine which beheaded nearly 3000 people including Louis
XVI, Marie-Antoinette, Danton and Robespierre. After the Reign of
Terror it was renamed Place de la Concorde, then after several name
changes, it once again became the Place de la Concorde. See it in
360
degrees
The statue of Louis XV, removed during the Revolution, was replaced
by the over 3000 year old Obelisk of Luxor, given by the viceroy
of Egypt to Louis Phillippe in 1883.
The Palais Royal & Gardens
The Palais
Royal was constructed for Cardinal Richelieu in 1628.
On the southwest corner is the Comedie Francaise and on the northwest
corner is the 4-star 'Grand Vefour', an haute cuisine restaurant
since the 1760s. The Palais Royal was home to Colette and Jean
Cocteau.
La Madeleine
The building of the Madeleine Church, named for Mary Magdalene, began
in 1763 but was not finished until 1842. The famous Maxim's restaurant
is nearby on the rue Royale and on the square of the Madeleine are
two famous specialty food stores; Fauchon and Hediard's.
Musee d'Orsay
Across the river from the Louvre, was originally a Beaux-Arts train
station but by the 1950's its platforms became too short and it was
up for demolition. An innovative restoration transformed the train
station into a museum spanning art from 1830 to 1914. Its sky-lit
Impressionist Gallery holds the jewels of Impressionist Art with masterpieces
by Monet, Degas, Renoir, Pissaro and Van Gogh. Next to the gallery
there is a cafe built to incorporate one of the two original giant
clocks of the station, with a balcony (open in the summer) and lovely
view over the Seine. The other restaurant is the more formal Restaurant
du Musee
d'Orsay , which was the dining room of the old hotel in
the station and is an ornately gilded period piece. Its buffet brunch
or prix-fixe menu is good value. Museum closed on Mondays. National
Museums as the ‘Louvre’ are closed on Tuesdays and Paris
Museums as the ‘d’Orsay’ are closed on Mondays.
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