A visit to the Latin Quarter in Paris
Today we explored the Latin Quarter and enjoyed a visit to the Pantheon. It was fun watching the people and seeing all of the impressive architecture and scenery everywhere. We ended up doing some night photography at the Louvre.
Walking to the Latin Quarter we walked through a treed area.
Then we walked by the river. The river was so peaceful compared to the busy streets of Paris.
A beautiful red door somewhere in the Latin Quarter. The Latin Quarter is a district dominated by universities, colleges and prestigious high schools.
In this photo, Seymour is busy taking a picture of all of the "love locks" on the famous Pont de Arts bridge. A nine-arch metallic bridge for pedestrians was constructed between 1802 and 1804 at the location of the present day Pont des Arts. In 1976, the inspector of Bridges and Causeways reported several deficiencies on the bridge. The damage had been caused by two aerial bombardments during the world wars and also from multiple collisions caused by boats. The bridge was closed in 1977 and in 1979 suffered a 60 metre collapse after a barge rammed into it. The present bridge was built between 1981 and 1984. The number of arches were reduced to seven allowing the look of the old bridge to be preserved while realigning the new structure with the Pont Neuf. The domed-like building in the background is the Institute of France which manages approximately 1,000 foundations, as well as museums and chateaux open to the public.
Thousands of tourists show their affection by attaching padlocks to this iconic bridge. After they attach the love locks to the railing or the grate on the side of the bridge, they throw the key into the Seine River as a romantic gesture to represent a couple's committed love. After a section of the bridge broke off apparently under the weight of the padlocks, authorities floated the idea of a ban with fines handed out to those caught ignoring the rule. For now the mayor is urging visitors to show their affection by tying ribbons to the railings as an alternative. Locals have complained about the "eyesore" locks.
The University of Paris is a famous university in Paris and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the middle of the 12th century and was officially recognized as a university from between 1160 and 1250. After many changes, including a century of suspension (from 1793 to 1896) it was divided into thirteen autonomous universities in 1970. The university is often referred to as the Sorbonne after the collegiate institution founded around 1257 by Robert de Sorbon.
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The ancient university disappeared during the French Revolution. All of the facilities were replaced by a single centre, the University of France. After a century, people recognized that the new system was less favourable to study so the old system of separate facilities was restored in 1896 but without the Faculty of Theology. |
I just liked the look of this building. To be honest I loved the look of most of the Paris buildings and architecture so it was hard to not stop and take photos of everything I saw.
Our group headed to the Pantheon which was under construction but still open to the public. The building, located in the Latin Quarter was originally built as a church but now functions as a secular mausoleum containing the remains of distinguished French citizens.
I loved the design of the ornate Corinthian columns. The Corinthian describes a single column style developed in ancient Greece.
The overall design of the building was that of a Greek cross with massive portico of Corinthian columns. Its ambitious lines called for a vast building 110 metres long by 84 metres wide and 83 metres high. The cross of the dome which was retained as a compromise is no longer visible due to the current major restoration project. |
Upon the death of the popular French orator and statesman, Honore Gabriel Riqueti, Comte de Mirabeau on April 2, 1791 the building was changed from a church to a mausoleum for the internment of Mirabeau. Twice since then it has reverted to being a church but eventually was once again a meeting house dedicated to the great intellectuals of France. |
This is the current floor of the Pantheon during the renovation project.
A hallway of The Crypt.
A photograph of part of the ceiling.
Gretchen looking up at me as I was photographing the stairs.
A typical Paris street scene.
I walked into this fabulous chocolate shop "Meilleur Ouvrier de France Chocolatier". A Chocolatier is a person who makes confectionery from chocolate. The chocolatiers generally start out as pastry or confectionery chefs. Being a master chocolatier involves perfecting the art of working with chocolate to create not only delicious desserts but also skilfully crafted pieces of art with the chocolate. Who ever made the above creation was certainly a master.
Where are all the cars? So unusual for Paris.
The Jardin du Luxenbourg was created in 1612 by Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henry 1V of France and the mother of Louis XIII of France. After the death of Henri 1V in 1610, Marie became the regent to her son and decided to build a new palace for herself given her more powerful position. After the revolution, it became a legislative building. Since 1958 it has been the seat of the French Senate. Shown above is the pool in front of the Palais du Luxembourg.
On the south side of the palace, the formal Luxembourg Garden is a 25 hectare park. The park is known for its lawns, tree-lined promenades, flowerbeds, model sailboats on its circular basin and for the picturesque Medici Fountain built in 1620. It was a perfect day for ice-cream.
After all of the walking it was time for a snack!
There were also lots of modern buildings in Paris.
A lot of the time I felt that Paris was a city to be photographed in black and white, however there were times where I came across some very nice colours. |
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After dinner we headed over to the Louvre for some night shots.
We had some beautiful light tonight as the sun was setting. This shot of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel was taken from the Louvre plaza. This Arc is located in the Place du Carrousel on the site of the former Tuileries Palace. The Arc was built between 1806 and 1808 to commemorate Napoleon's military victories of the previous year. This monument has eight corinthian columns of marble topped by eight soldiers of the empire. The more famous Arc to Triomphe de l'Etoile nearby was designed in the same year but it is about twice the size and was not completed until 1836.
This photo shows a small portion of the Louvre. The Louvre is one of the world's largest museums and is a historic monument. The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built as a fortress in the late 12th century under Philip II.
The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. The museum opened on August 10, 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings. Because of structural problems with the building, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801. The collection was increased under Napoleon but after his defeat at Waterloo, many works seized by his armies were returned to their original owners.
Facing towards the Arc.
By 1874, the Louvre Palace had achieved its present form of an almost rectangular structure. The glass pyramid and its underground lobby were inaugurated on October 15, 1988 and were completed in 1989. We stayed around until it got dark and all of the lights came on.
Last shot of the evening.