Paris & Ile De France | A French Collection

Notre-Dame de Paris Restoration Photos

Notre-Dame de Paris with scaffolding over it

Notre Dame de Paris - Repair work - Photo taken August 2017 from Arab World Institute rooftop balcony

Notre-Dame de Paris Restoration Photos

Notre-Dame de Paris is one of those places you dream of visiting and standing in front of when planning a trip to the city of Paris. No trip to Paris should be without a visit to this show-stopping medieval wonder. Often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, it's a Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité, in the 4th arrondissement (one of the two islands in the middle of the Seine River in the centre of the city).

Unless you've been living on another planet, you'll have heard about the catastrophic fire that destroyed the cathedral in April 2019. On my visits into Paris I've watched the repair work that was being carried out in 2017 with the scaffolding engulfing part of the cathedral, then I was personally visiting the cathedral just one hour prior to the breakout of the April 2019 fire, and also over the next five years on different occasions I've walked as close as possible to the worksite as the major fire-damaged cathedral was undergoing its major restoration.

Paris Catacombs – A World Beneath the City

Paris Catacombs - A World Beneath the City

There is a world beneath the city of Paris and it includes the Paris Catacombs which houses one of the world's largest ossuaries. An ossuary can be a small chest or box, a building, or a dedicated site used as the final resting place for human skeletal remains. The Paris Catacombs are just part of the underground world of Paris which includes subterranean Métro tunnels, sewers, and the deepest of all, a network of abandoned quarries. It is part of the these underground quarries that contain the famous ossuary, Le Catacombes de Paris (the Paris Catacombs).

The Grand Mosque of Paris

Courtyard between the street and the entrance to the café and hammam

The Grand Mosque of Paris

After years of visits to Paris and wanting to visit the Grande Mosquée de Paris (Grand Mosque of Paris), I was delighted to make my way there last summer. It was a particularly hot day and after wandering around the Jardin des Plantes (opposite the Grand Mosque) and exploring the large garden maze, I found it a refreshing place to escape the heat. Found in the 5th arrondissement, this significant landmark built in 1926 to honour Muslim soldiers from French colonies who fought in WWI, also served a vital role during World War II as a refuge for Jews, with its rector providing certificates of Muslim identity to help them escape Nazi persecution.

Designed in Moorish style, it features intricate tile work, a beautiful courtyard with sculpted arcades, and a 33 metre minaret, mostly all hidden behind its high walls. The Grand Mosque expands into prayer rooms, gardens, hammam, library, a North African restaurant and other facilities behind its tall walls.

Medici Fountain in Jardin du Luxembourg

The Medici Fountain - Jardin du Luxembourg with autumn flowers in urns

Medici Fountain in Jardin du Luxembourg — The Most Romantic Fountain in Paris

La Fontaine Médicis, or Medici Fountain, is a romantic fountain in the beautiful Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris found in the 6th arrondissement. Built in 1630 for Marie de Médicis, the monumental fountain is of an ornate Italian design that stands out from the geometric French layout and the formality of many areas of the Luxembourg Garden. You'll find it in a quiet, shaded corner of the garden surrounded by benches, urns and sweeping ivy vines that border and separate the fountain from its surrounds. Stunning in any season, it's easily the most romantic fountain in Paris.

The History of Medici Fountain

The Medici Fountain was commissioned by Marie de Médicis around 1630 for her palace on the Left Bank. Marie de Médicis is one of the 20 illustrious women of French history who are honoured with a statue in the Luxembourg Garden. See our post 20 Queen Statues in Luxembourg Garden to read more about these incredible French women.

The fountain takes inspiration from Florence’s Boboli Gardens. It was moved to the present site and expanded in 1864 to 1866. Sculptor Auguste Ottin added the figures from Greek mythology, including bronze cyclops Polyphemus discovering white marble lovers Acis and Galatea. In the myth the jealous giant kills human Acis, so sea-nymph Galatea transforms her dead lover into an immortal river spirit. The long reflecting pool in front is fringed with charming flowers and foliage.

The Oldest Public Clock in Paris: The Conciergerie Clock Tower

In the middle of the city of Paris, on the Île de la Cité, stands the Conciergerie. The Conciergerie, positioned on the very edge of the Seine River, and with its dramatic four towers, also houses the oldest public clock in Paris. The clock is housed, funnily enough, in the Clock Tower. If you'd like to read about the history of the Conciergerie click here for blog post Marie Antoinette’s Last Prison: A Guide to the Conciergerie, Paris.

The Clock Tower was built by King Jean II (Jean le Bon) between 1350 and 1353, on the corner of what is now the Quai de l'Horloge and the Boulevard du Palais. It rises 47 metres tall and was originally built as a lookout for the Royal Palace. Later In 1370, King Charles V commissioned a clock to be installed in the tower. The clock was designed by Henri de Vic and was the first public clock in Paris.

Marie Antoinette’s Last Prison: A Guide to the Conciergerie, Paris

Marie Antoinette's Last Prison: A Guide to the Conciergerie, Paris

Ever wondered what the history is of the Conciergerie that stands boldly on the water's edge of the Seine on Île de la Cité? Was Marie Antoinette actually imprisoned in the Conciergerie? Today the Conciergerie operates as a museum and is listed as a national monument, but it's been used for many different purposes over the centuries. It's a popular visitor attraction in Paris where you can explore the medieval halls of the former royal palace and the prisons used during the French Revolution. And yes, the Conciergerie was Marie Antoinette's last prison before her death.

The Conciergerie can be described as a relic of the Palace of the Cité, the royal residence in the Middle Ages. It has kept its original name as it was the headquarters for the Conciergerie of the Palace, chief of police and justice of Paris. In the XIV century, Charles V left his residence for the Louvre and transformed the Conciergerie into a State prison.

Square Gabriel-Pierné, Paris – A Pink Fairytale Park in Spring

Square Gabriel-Pierné, Paris - A Pink Fairytale Park in Spring

Paris is an amazing city for the millions of tourists that flock to the City of Light to explore, dine and shop. But what about the locals who live, work, study and call the city their own? What makes the city amazing and so enjoyable to live in for them? I've asked many people who live in Paris what they love most, and it's the abundance of large gardens and small parks or squares that they love. Especially at springtime when the cherry trees blossom.

With so many Parisians living in apartments, gardens and parks are an essential part of their life, in fact they are rather like having a garden with all the benefits without the maintenance. Parisians embrace picnicking in parks, reading on quiet benches, watching their children on playground equipment, enjoying social gatherings or just simply taking in the fresh air and green surroundings. And this is regardless of the weather.

The Statue of Liberty in Paris

Statue of Liberty in Paris

You'll find the Statue of Liberty in Paris on the Île aux Cygnes. The statue is a replica of the famous monument in New York City offered by the Americans to the French. Formally named 'Liberty Enlightening the World' most of us know, and love her as, 'the Statue of Liberty'.

Three years after the inauguration of the Statue of Liberty in New York City, the French people living in the United States offered to their fellow countrymen of France a replica of the statue for the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The inauguration of this statue took place on 4 July 1889 (the American Independence Day) in the presence of French president Sadi Carnot.