The Arc de Triomphe was commissioned by the Emperor Napoléon I in 1806 to celebrate the triumph of his armies over the rest of Europe in the early nineteenth century, particularly his triumph over the Russian and Austrian Empires at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805. In recent decades, however, Read More …
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) with Javel (15th) on the Left. The bridge was named after the Count of Mirabeau (1749-1791), a rebellious aristocrat whose Read More …
Since it was the middle of February I was prepared for snow, slush, sleet, gale-force winds and freezing temperatures, but in fact it was dry and frost-free the entire time, and on my last day we had brilliant sunshine and temperature readings from 17° C. at noon up to 20° Read More …
Rue d’Auteuil was the main street of the village of Auteuil, until that village was divided up between Paris and Boulogne in 1860. At that time more than half of Auteuil was incorporated into the city of Paris. This part is now the 61st administrative quarter of Paris and is Read More …
Looking back, I think the first time I ever even read about the Paris quarter of Auteuil was in a short story by Marcel Aymé (1902–1967) called Le décret (The Decree), a story about going backwards and forwards in time in which the narrator says: “During these famous seventeen years Read More …
This is a pleasant little three-star hotel in the Auteuil quarter, which I chose because I had never even set foot in Auteuil up to then and wanted to get acquainted with the neighborhood. Like most Paris hotels that are located in obscure corners of the city, this one tends Read More …
On August 11, 1858, the emperor Napoléon III arrived in Brest in his uncle’s boat, the Canot de l’empereur, rowed by twenty oarsmen, with a golden Neptune on the front (sorry, the prow), gold trim all along the edges and a huge golden crown on top. The audio guide at Read More …
This architecture museum traces its history back to the year 1795, but in its current form it didn’t open until 2007 in the east wing of the Palais de Chaillot. I must admit I can’t help feeling suspicious when a museum insists on calling itself a “Cité” rather than just Read More …
There always seems to be a festive atmosphere up on the roof of the Chaillot Theater, where people from all over the world come to look at the Eiffel Tower. This roof is often referred to as the Esplanade du Trocadéro, but its official name is le Parvis des Libertés Read More …
Here’s a Blast from the Past for you: an electric “Indicator of Itineraries” such as used to be found in about half of the Paris Métro stations. I came across this one — not hooked up and not functioning, but still — in the station Porte d’Auteuil on line 10. Read More …