A stroll through Paris

Rita and I often go to Paris, easily reachable by TGV from Turin for 29 euros per leg. We stay at the Hotel Jules Cesar, near the Gare de Lyon; we'd already been there other times, double room, all services, without breakfast, 90 euros. We start the visit with a wander around the Les Halles area, which is going to undergo major changes; we walk among narrow, crowded streets, some pedestrian, with a high density of bars and bistros. We reach the Centre Pompidou (Beaubourg), a masterpiece of contemporary architecture that alone is worth a visit, home to the modern and contemporary art collections, among the richest in the world. The square in front is always crowded with young people. To the side, the Stravinsky Fountain, a bit Disneyland in style, is much loved by children, who flock to see the brightly coloured robots moving in the water.

In the following days we continue our walks, we linger in Place Vendôme, one of the most beautiful and elegant squares in the city, octagonal in shape, surrounded by period buildings in neoclassical style, with pediments and columns; it was designed by Mansart, great-nephew of the architect of the Place des Vosges, and is the kingdom of luxury, home to famous jewellers and big fashion names; the shop windows aren't very showy, but the jewels are breathtaking. In the centre, the Colonne d'Austerlitz. We continue along the Rue des Petites Champs, we come across and visit some “Passages”, covered shopping arcades, a bit narrow, full of small boutiques, few of them original, then the Place des Victoires and the Palais Royal.

We reach Notre-Dame cathedral; we notice the ugly staircase placed in front of the façade, we visit the interior, enjoying the view (with binoculars) of the storied stained-glass windows, few of them original medieval ones. We end the day with a spiced mint tea and pastries in the original café of the Paris Mosque. The building is rather anonymous, while the interior seems to imitate the Alhambra. We've visited some museums; at the Grand Palais we visit the exhibition dedicated to Georges Braque, “the painter of the intellectuals”, whose style oscillated between Fauvism and Cubism; the works come from all over the world, and we particularly liked the early works. The Grand Palais is an imposing palace with a glass dome-shaped ceiling; it has always hosted major temporary exhibitions.

Then the Petit Palais, similar to the first, with a monumental, somewhat Baroque entrance, where we visit the Musée des Beaux Arts, a vast collection of artworks: paintings, tapestries, sculptures, furniture etc., ranging from Egyptian to modern art, mostly French works, with many Flemish artists (Dürer, Rembrandt, Van Eyck, etc.), some Italian Renaissance pieces, numerous Impressionists, and two rooms dedicated to Russian icons. The museum is very interesting and not very crowded, even though it's free. Then the Musée d'Orsay, for the Masculin/Masculin exhibition, a display of works of the male nude from the 19th century to today, which sparked much controversy; many great painters are present, above all Man Ray, Schiele, Cézanne. Then we move on to the permanent collection; the museum is the temple of Impressionism.

We have lunch in the elegant first-floor restaurant, with frescoed vaults, mirrors and wall decorations; the dish of the day is about 15 euros. We treated ourselves to a trip along the Canal St. Martin, leaving by boat from the Seine, in the Bastille area, heading for the Port de la Villette; you pass through a tunnel under the square, and to overcome the 25-metre difference in level you go through about ten locks; you see a Paris outside the tourist circuits, with many scenic wooded areas too — it was a pleasant and interesting experience. Then Versailles, to see the Palace and gardens again, subject to restorations lasting years; now the Palace and Gardens have returned to their former splendour, and you see them as Louis XIV saw them. Note that this year marks the 400th anniversary of the birth of André Le Nôtre, the creator of the gardens, whose style spread throughout the world.

A big crowd admires the Galerie des Glaces and the royal rooms with frescoed vaults, walls with luxurious decorations and tapestries, particularly in the queen's rooms, although there aren't many original furnishings. Note that the Palace is also a museum, where you can also see works by Veronese and Domenichino. Of course, a stroll along the shopping streets couldn't be missing, so the Bd. D'Hausmann, where on the pavements, because of the crowd, you struggle to walk; we visit the Printemps department stores, with a magnificent domed building, and the Galeries Lafayette; almost all the big fashion names are present, of course a different thing from the Place Vendôme and avenue Montaigne. Then a walk in Montmartre and Pigalle.

The church and the parterre of the Sacré-Cœur are always crowded, also to enjoy the view of the city; then we lose ourselves in the streets among pubs, stalls with paintings etc.; we also passed in front of what used to be the famous Moulin de la Galette, painted by Renoir, practically nothing remains, a restaurant in its place. We arrive at Place Blanche around 19:00, along the pavement of the historic Moulin Rouge; a long and varied queue waits to get in; it's quite a sight to see people in tuxedos and women in long gowns alongside others with a backpack and a T-shirt; despite the passing of time, the Moulin still exerts a great fascination on tourists. On the last evening, a night tour of Notre-Dame and the Champ de Mars to see the Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower lit up.

Useful notes: For lunch we almost always went to the self-service Bazar at the Hotel de Ville; it isn't haute cuisine but the prices are low for Paris, there's everything … various types of freshly cooked pasta and meat, pizza, fish, build-your-own salads. It's on the fifth floor, with a lovely view over Paris and the Seine. In the evening we went to various cheap bistros: Le Moliere in rue st. Honoré, Cafe L'imprimerie in rue Coquilliere, frequented by young people. Le bistrot D'Eustache, a historic bistro, with quiet music on Friday and Saturday evenings. All with low-to-medium prices, around 15-20 euros per person. Le Bistro de Montmartre, avenue Rachel (near the Moulin Rouge), a bit more expensive, a place with more refined furnishings, average cuisine.

Ferny forner