One day in Paris

June 1, 2022

As it turns out, there are good reasons that Paris is reportedly the most popular tourism destination in the world. We split up today, with Rachael and Susan taking a twelve mile trek through many of the major sights in central Paris. I covered nearly as much ground but for much less effort, biking eleven miles in five hours. So much to see! It feels like I could go out on a daily outing like this for weeks covering different parts of the city. It’s very easy to see why Susan loves staying here.

For dinner the three of us walked over to an Italian restaurant Rachael researched for us and Susan made reservations at. It’s over a mile away, and I suspect if Rachael imagined walking over there and back after a twelve mile hike she might have looked for something closer by. It made for a perfect end to a spectacular day though, dining outdoors beneath the Eiffel Tower and then walking back along the Champ de Mars taking in the sunset.

Paris is completely transformed from when we were last here in 1996. Bicycles everywhere! It’s quite amazing.

Crossing the Seine on the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, originally the Pont du Passy - it was renamed to commemorate the Battle of Bir-Hakeem, a battle fought in 1942 in the Libyan desert between the Free French and Axis forces.

On the Pont de Bir-Hakeim. It’s a two layered structure built in 1905, with the railway line running atop the viaduct. Below is another of the inescapable sights in Paris today - selfie posers. It seems like every other scene you shoot is being bombed by a bicycle, an Instagram influencer, or the Eiffel Tower.

On the Pont de Bir-Hakeim: Renaissance France, a statue with an interesting but controversial history. Cast in 1930 and given as a gift to Paris by Denmark, it was originally named to represent Joan of Arc. The arts commission found it to be too warlike a representation and refused to site it, creating a minor international incident. It was placed in storage and slated for meltdown when it was finally placed here in 1958 after being renamed to something less controversial.

On the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, beneath the railway viaduct.

In Plessy, looking back along the viaduct on the Pont de Bir-Hakeim.

By the Trocodero Palace: a memorial to François Joseph Paul de Grasse, an admiral in the French Navy best known for his command of the French fleet in the Battle of the Chesapeake in 1781. His defeat of the British fleet here was instrumental in enabling the revolutionary forces to win the battle of Yorktown and end our War of Independence. The apparent ethnicity of his forces is also interesting: on his way to Chesapeake Bay he set sail with 24 ships of the line and 3,000 men from the Caribbean, where the French fleet was based. It looks likely that many of his men were conscripts from the Caribbean.

In the Trocadero, in front of the Palais de Chaillot.

In the Trocadero: a panel from the frieze above the Théâtre National de Chaillot. Orfeo and Eurodice, presumably.

Image not found :( — The fountain in the Trocadero Garden, with the palace behind. This is a famous viewpoint, but the best known view is from the front of the palace looking back at the Eiffel Tower.

One of the appealing aspects of the city is the great diversity of folks and attires you see biking the streets.

In the Place de la Concorde, looking up the full length of the Champs-Elysee.

In the Place de la Concorde: the Fountain of Rivers.

Looking up the Rue de Rivoli, with the Tuileries Gardens on the right. The uniformity of the half mile long line of buildings on the left is remarkable.

The view up the arcades along the Rue de Rivoli. The consideration of people here also is noteworthy. Off the frame to the right are two women who walked out into the street to avoid blocking my sight line.

A view east along the Tuileries (on the left), with the buildings lining Rue de Rivoli on the right.

The Grand Bassin Rond, in the Tuileries.

Another long view along the Tuileries. In the far distance are the Luxor Obelisk in the Place de la Concorde, and behind that the Arc de Triomphe, about three miles in the distance. I should have stopped for a longer look at the obelisk, which was placed here in 1833 after removing it from in front of the temple of Ramses II in Luxor. It seems greedy to have stolen such a precious monument, but it’s OK - there were two, and the Egyptians got to keep the other one.

The Louvre of course, and the famous/infamous pyramid by I.M. Pei, the main entrance to the museum.

An old trade, but it still draws in the marks.

Still waiting. If there were a stage in the background instead of that big metal thing, it makes me think of a scene from Woodstock.

In the Champs de Mars: two friends reflecting on a perfect day in Paris.

From our room: a new moon for a new month.

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Ride stats today: 11 miles, 300’; for the tour: 2,276 miles, 110,500’

Today's ride: 11 miles (18 km)
Total: 2,304 miles (3,708 km)

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Jacquie GaudetI want a redo of my days in Paris in 2019. No Maillots Jaunes leading to street closures everywhere and no 35° temps.
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Jacquie GaudetWe were very lucky, obviously. It rained the day we left, but couldn’t have been better while we were there. Timing is everything. Well, timing and attitude.
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2 years ago