Look Ma, no wires in Reims
An unusual feature of the new Reims tramway is that when the tram approaches the center of the city it suddenly loses its overhead wires and gets its electricity from Read More …
Category: France
Look ma, no wires!
Like most French cities, Bordeaux had an efficient tramway system for over three-quarters of a century — from 1880, when the first horse-drawn trams were installed, to 1958, when the Read More …
Place de la République
It took me a while to realize that some of the most dreadfully over-motorized squares and circles in Paris were at places where three or four districts (arrondissements) come together. Read More …
Ruebens and Marie de’ Medici in the Louvre
Why the French King Henri IV felt obliged to marry Marie de’ Medici, of all people, is something I have never quite understood, even though I once had a phase Read More …
Léopold-Sédar-Senghor footbridge
This footbridge across the Seine in Paris connects the Garden of the Tuileries on the Right Bank (1st arrondissement) with the Faubourg Saint-Germain on the Left Bank (7th arrondissement), near Read More …
Mirabeau Bridge in Paris
The Mirabeau Bridge across the Seine was built in the 1890s and was considered a remarkable technical achievement at the time. It connects Auteuil on the Right Bank (16th arrondissement) Read More …
Auguste Comte in Paris
This monument to the philosopher Auguste Comte (1798-1857), by the sculptor Jean-Antonin Injalbert (1845-1933), is on the Place de la Sorbonne, close to Boulevard Saint Michel in the Latin Quarter Read More …
Mundolingua in Paris
Mundolingua is a small museum devoted to a huge subject, namely “language, languages and linguistics.” Topics include definitions, phonetics, vocabulary, grammar, first language acquisition, foreign language learning, language problems, myths Read More …
Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier
Contrary to what I used to believe, the building which houses the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in Paris is not an old dovecote (= pigeon house) that somebody decided to re-purpose Read More …
Château de la Reine Blanche
Blanche, meaning White, was a popular name for aristocratic ladies in the Middle Ages. There were several queens and princesses named Blanche in various centuries. No one is quite sure Read More …