he name "Montmartre" comes from the old name of "Mont des Martyrs", Mountain of the Martyrs, because it was here where the first martyrs of Paris, the bishop St. Denis, the priest Rustique and the arch-deacon Eleuthère (or Rusticus and Eleutherius) were decapitated by the Romans around 250-258 A.D. The Romans had built temples to Mercury and Mars on this hill and they didn't take kindly to Christians moving in.
Legend has it that St. Denis went on to pick up his head, wash it off and carry it 8 kilometers (about 4 miles) to the north to what is now the town of St. Denis before he finally dropped. A shrine was built on the spot which was replaced by the beautiful Basilica of St. Denis. This basilica became the place of burial for the kings of France. Most of the French kings from Dagobert I (reign 629-639) to Louis XVIII (reign 1814-1824) are buried here.
As is often the case when a religious figure has been executed by the Romans, the hill became a place of pilgrimage, including such pilgrims as St. Germain, St. Clotilde, St. Bernard, St. Joan of Arc, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Thomas Aquinas and also St. Ignatius of Loyala and St. François Xavier who together founded the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits, here in 1534.
In the 12th century, Benedictine monks built a monastery on the hill which later became the powerful Abbey of the Dames of Montmartre and which almost covered the entire hill. Only the Church of St. Pierre, consecrated on April 21, 1147, is left of this Abbey.
Source: paris-walking-tours.com
Les Papilles
Published on: 2009-01-02
Restaurant
Closer even than Luxembourg Park or the Pantheon, it's Les Papilles. With its casual atmosphere it really seems like a genuine, Parisian bistro. Upon entering, you'll be surprised by the many bottles of wine arranged all along one of the walls. Yes, this is a place where you can drop in for some wine, an appetizer, or an after dinner snack and even take it with you if you'd like.
In addition to standards like salads, foie gras, and escargot, they also serve a daily special made with fresh ingredients purchased right there in town. (At night, only the meal is available.)
During my visit, I had the cold pea soup as an appetizer. Dishing other ingredients into your own soup can actually be a lot of fun. It's interesting to see how the different ingredients used, like poached eggs, croutons, and radishes, and their varying textures, can change the whole meal.
For the entrée, out came a big pot filled with a giant roasted duck. The duck is great, but even better are all of the perfectly crisp vegetables with it. And finally, dessert was panna cotta.
With hearty enough portions to fill you up, this is an address where you can enjoy fine dining at ease.
Les Papilles
Address : 30 rue Gay Lussac 75005
Phone : 01 43 25 20 79
Metro : - Luxembourg RER Line B, then a 1 minute walk
- Cluny la Sorbonne Line 10, then a 5 minute walk
Business Hours : 12:00-14:00, 19:00-22:30
Holidays : Sundays, Mondays
Budget :
- Daily Special (Four Courses: Appetizer, Entrée, Cheese, Dessert) 31
- Daily Special (Two Courses: Appetizer, Entree) 24.5
- Daily Special (Two Courses: Main, Dessert) 22
Source: cahierdeparis.us
La Victoire Supreme du Coeur
Published on: 2009-01-02
Restaurant
Found in the heart of the Marais district on Rue Bourg Tibourg, this restaurant's name bears the suggestive meaning of Ultimate Triumph of the Heart .
It's is also famed as "Paris's most delicious vegetarian food" and features a refreshing, pure white interior.
Their specialty is the Indian dish thali (rice or grains with curry, salad, tofu or other side dishes all served on one plate). A daily special entrée, such as twisted pasta salad or quiche made with vegetables from Provence, complete your meal. Indeed, their handmade, warm desserts, creamy lassi, and homemade fresh fruit juices are all delicious!
And of course the tea and coffee are organic as well. Having the menu available in English makes it even better.
This is a place we recommend to anyone looking to have a carefree and healthy meal in Marais.
Address : 27-31 rue du Bourg Tibourg 75004
Phone : 01 40 41 95 03
Metro : Hotel de Ville Lines 1 and 11, then a 2 minute walk
Business Hours : Mon.- Fri. 12:00-15:00, 18:30-22:30
Sat. 12:00-23:00
Sunday Brunch 12:00-16:00
Salon des Thes 16:00-18:30
Dinner 18:30-22:30
Holidays : None
Budget :
Weekday Lunch (appetizer and entrée) 13.50
Sunday Brunch 17
Web : www.vscoeur.com
Source: cahierdeparis.us
Gerard Darel
Published on: 2009-01-02
Shopping
Once they began using the image of actress Charlotte Gainsbourg in 2003, Gerard Darel instantly became an internationally popular brand. However, the company has surprisingly been around since 1971, and has lasted long enough to be considered one of France's most well-established lines of ladies prêt-a-porter clothing.
Until recently, they projected more of a quiet and restrained image, but their current style fits better with a refined and cool working woman in the city.
Part of the charm is that these clothes, made using a gentle muslin, is that they have a style perfect for your days off as well. The bag with the names of various cities like Saint-Germain, Barcelona, and Syracuse on it has seen its popularity explode, and has even become a must-have item for Hollywood celebrities recently.
And now that they've started a new children's line, you'll be catching the eyes of fashionable mothers everywhere.
Address : 174, Boulevard Saint Germain 75006
District : Saint Germain des Pres
Phone : 01 45 48 54 80
Métro : Saint Germain des Pres Line 4, then a 1 minute walk
Business hours :
Mon.-Sat. 10:00-19:00
Closed : Sundays, National Holidays
Web : www.gerarddarel.com
Other locations : - Madeleine Shop
22 rue Royale
75008 Paris
- Marais Shop (Open on Sundays)
41 rue des Francs Bourgeois
75004 Paris
- Galeries Lafayette
- Printemps
Source: cahierdeparis.us
Chapelle Expiatoire
Published on: 2008-12-23
Sightseeing
The garden area of Chapelle Expiatoire began in 1720 and was used as the new burial grounds of the parish of La Sainte Madeleine whose cemetery had outgrown its usefulness for the growing parish. It was used extensively for the next eighty years.
In 1770, it was used to bury the 133 people who were killed in an accident resulting from a fire and stampede that occurred at a fireworks display during the wedding of the dauphin, Louis, who was to become Louis XVI, and his wife, Marie Antoinette. It was not the last episode it played in the life of this King and Queen and the events that brought about the French Revolution.
On August 10, 1792, more than three hundred Swiss Guard were slaughtered while making a heroic stand to protect the Tuileries Palace from a mob. Their stand allowed the King and Queen to escape to Versailles. The bodies of the guard were buried in this cemetery of what was to become the grounds of Chapelle Expiatoire.
Source: paris-walking-tours.com
Pere Lachaise Cemetery
Published on: 2008-12-23
Sightseeing
It was called "The East Cemetery" when it opened on May 21, 1804. However, it attracted little use because people felt that it was just too far away and in an "unfavorable" neighborhood. In its first three years it contained only 60 graves.
Pere Lachaise, Father François de Lachaise d'Aix, a Jesuit, was the Confessor for Louis XIV. It was on this hill where he built a Jesuit Rest House in 1682, which later became his residence. With his name being attached to the property for some 120 years, the name Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise, Cemetery of Pere Lachaise, was a popular one.
To encourage the purchasing of grave sites here, officials began to re-inter celebrities from other graveyards, beginning with playwright Moliere and poet La Fontaine and the ancient remains of Abelard and Heloise, whose tragic love affair from the 12th century is legendary among Parisians. The idea worked. By 1830, the number of grave sites purchased at Pere Lachaise Cemetery jumped to 33,000
Source: paris-walking-tours.com
Paris Garden Tour
Published on: 2008-12-12
Sightseeing
Come visit the oldest Square in Paris.
Or, perhaps the garden created as the medicinal garden for Louis XIII.
Visit what may be the most beautiful park in Paris, Parc Monceau , surrounded by 18th century townhouses.
Paris boasts over 400 gardens parks and squares which cover over 30% of the City, making it one of the "greenest" cities in Western Europe.
The parks and gardens scattered throughout the city boast the widest imaginable variety of plants, trees and flowering shrubs.
Not to be missed, of course, are the royal gardens in all their formal splendor, the Luxembourg Garden and the Tuileries Garden.
The gardens included in the tour will vary according to time of year and to your own whims.
Source: paris-walking-tours.com
Montmartre Tour
Published on: 2008-12-12
Sightseeing
Montmartre is the home of the beautiful Basilica Sacre Coeur and the Church of St. Pierre which has a claim to being the oldest church in Paris.
Our Montmartre Tour takes you to the old residences, studios and cafés of such artists as Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet and Auguste Renoir, as well as to some of the subjects of their work, for example, the Moulin de la Galette, one of the two remaining windmills on Montmartre and the subject of Renoir's 1876 painting, "Le Bal du Moulin de la Galette", which now hangs in the Musée d'Orsay.
We will see both windmills and the last of the vineyards that once covered the hill, the Clos Montmartre, one of few remaining vineyards in Paris.
Along the way is a statue of St. Denis, standing near the spot where he is said to have washed his decapitated head before setting off on a four mile walk with it.
Our tour introduces you to two museums, the Musée du Montmartre which is in the oldest house on Montmartre, and the Espace Montmartre, the Museum of Salvador Dali.
Nearby is the very popular Place du Tertre where quick-sketch artists are busy at work and souvenir artwork is sold. The Place is surrounded with restaurants and cafés and is alive with people.
Source: paris-walking-tours.com
The Eiffel Tower From Palais de Chaillot
Published on: 2008-12-12
Sightseeing
The Eiffel Tower was constructed for the Universal Exposition of 1889, the centennial of the French Revolution. Little did the architect, Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923), know that it would become an icon of the Parisian landscape.
There are many ways to get to the Eiffel Tower. The one that offers a most stunning view of the Tower is from the Palais de Chaillot.
Take the Metro, lines #6 or #9, to the Trocadéro station. Once at the Trocadero station, follow the exit signs to the Palais de Chaillot/Eiffel Tower. If you happen to take another exit to the street, just look for the most impressive building around. That will be the Palace of Chaillot. The others are restaurants.
The Palais de Chaillot is made of two columned, curved buildings connected by a large plaza. It was built for the World Exhibition of 1937. The Palais houses the Théâtre National de Chaillot and the Cite de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine in the East Wing, and the Musée de l'Homme (Museum of Mankind), the Musée de la Marine (Maritime Museum) in the West Wing.
Walk through the plaza, past the many gilded statues and the colonnaded wings of the Palais, and you'll get an extraordinary panorama of the Trocadéro Gardens, the Seine river and the Eiffel Tower.
Source: paris-walking-tours.com
Saint Chapelle in Paris
Published on: 2008-12-09
Sightseeing
Sainte. Chapelle in located in the heart of Paris, on the Ile de la Cité, not far from Notre Dame and mostly surrounded by the Palais de Justice.
La Sainte Chapelle (The Holy Chapel) is a Gothic chapel built in what is known as the rayonnet style.
It is perhaps the purest example of high Gothic architecture in the world.
The reason for this can be attributed to the speed at which it was built.
Begun in 1246, it was completed and consecrated on April 26, 1248, and was most likely designed by one person.
No designer-builder is directly mentioned in the archives, but the name of Pierre de Montreuil has been historically connected with the chapel.
Pierre de Montreuil had rebuilt the apse of the Abbey of Saint Denis and completed the façade of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
