Basilica of Sacré Coeur de Montmartre in Paris

8 November 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Paris / Île-de-France Reading Time:  7 minutes

© OliveiraTP/cc-by-sa-4.0

© OliveiraTP/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Basilica of Sacré Coeur de Montmartre (Sacred Heart of Montmartre), commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur (French: Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre), is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica in Paris dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was formally approved as a national historic monument by the National Commission of Patrimony and Architecture on December 8, 2022.   read more…

Grand Synagogue of Paris

10 October 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Paris / Île-de-France Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Luiza Fediuc/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Luiza Fediuc/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Grand Synagogue of Paris (French: Grande Synagogue de Paris), generally known as Synagogue de la Victoire (English: Synagogue of Victory) or Grande Synagogue de la Victoire (English: Grand Synagogue of Victory), is situated at 44, Rue de la Victoire, in the 9th arrondissement. It also serves as the official seat of the chief rabbi of Paris.   read more…

Paris, Banks of the Seine

6 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Paris / Île-de-France, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  11 minutes

Pont Michel © flickr.com - Joe deSousa/cc-by-2.0

Pont Michel © flickr.com – Joe deSousa/cc-by-2.0

The term Paris, Banks of the Seine refers to a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was entered in the World Heritage List in 1991 under the following names French: Paris, rives de la Seine, or English: Paris, Banks of the Seine and of course simply the water boundaries of the river. Unesco means the particularly historic section of the Seine within Paris between the Pont de Sully and the Pont d’Iéna. In addition to the Seine islands Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis and the fortified banks of the Seine, the Quais de Paris, adjacent building ensembles, squares, parks and visual axes are also part of the world heritage.   read more…

Cire Trudon

3 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Paris / Île-de-France Reading Time:  9 minutes

Plaques Cire Trudon in Paris © Mu/cc-by-sa-3.0

Plaques Cire Trudon in Paris © Mu/cc-by-sa-3.0

Cire Trudon is a French candlemaker. Founded in 1643, it was the provider of the royal court of Louis XIV, as well as most of the great churches of France. Cire Trudon was the biggest wax-producing factory in the French Kingdom during the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1762, in his encyclopaedia The art of the wax producer, engineer Duhamel du Monceau, praises the skills of the Trudons and gives the manufacture as an example. Such a level of quality led to King Louis XIV elevating Charles Trudon to the French nobility as Count Trudon des Ormes.   read more…

Bouquinistes de Paris

1 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Paris / Île-de-France, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  9 minutes

© flickr.com - Ninara/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Ninara/cc-by-2.0

The Bouquinistes of Paris, France, are booksellers of used and antiquarian books who ply their trade along large sections of the banks of the Seine: on the right bank from the Pont Marie to the Quai du Louvre/Quai François Mitterrand, and on the left bank from the Quai de la Tournelle to Quai Voltaire. The Seine is thus described as ‘the only river in the world that runs between two bookshelves’.   read more…

Sciences Po in Paris

19 July 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Paris / Île-de-France, Universities, Colleges, Academies Reading Time:  5 minutes

Hôtel Brochet de Saint-Prest on rue des Saints-Pères © Celette/cc-by-sa-4.0

Hôtel Brochet de Saint-Prest on rue des Saints-Pères © Celette/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Paris Institute of Political Studies (French: Institut d’études politiques de Paris), also known as Sciences Po or Sciences Po Paris, is a public research university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of grande école and grand établissement. The institute has decentralized campuses in Dijon, Le Havre, Menton, Nancy, Poitiers and Reims, each with their own academic program focused on a geopolitical part of the world. Sciences Po historically specialized in political science and history, then it progressively started to expand to other social sciences such as economics, law and sociology.   read more…

Quartier du Val-de-Grâce in Paris

27 June 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Paris / Île-de-France, Universities, Colleges, Academies Reading Time:  5 minutes

Church of the Val-de-Grâce - View from Rue Saint-Jacques © Poulpy/cc-by-sa-3.0

Church of the Val-de-Grâce – View from Rue Saint-Jacques © Poulpy/cc-by-sa-3.0

The quartier du Val-de-Grâce is the 19th administrative district or ‘quartier’ of Paris, located in the 5th arrondissement of the city. Its borders are boulevard de Port-Royal to the south, boulevard Saint-Michel to the west, rue Soufflot, rue des Fossés-Saint-Jacques and rue de l’Estrapade to the north and rue Mouffetard and rue Pascal to the east. It is named for the Val-de-Grâce military hospital and former abbey on boulevard de Port-Royal.   read more…

Café de Flore in Paris

14 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon appétit, Paris / Île-de-France Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Celette/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Celette/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Café de Flore is one of the oldest coffeehouses in Paris, celebrated for its famous clientele, which in the past included high-profile writers and philosophers. It is located at the corner of Boulevard Saint-Germain and Rue Saint-Benoît, in Saint-Germain-des-Prés in the 6th arrondissement. The nearest underground station is Saint-Germain-des-Prés, served by line 4 of Paris Métro. The coffeehouse still remains a popular hang-out spot for celebrities and its status attracts numerous tourists.   read more…

Café de la Rotonde in Paris

13 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon appétit, Paris / Île-de-France Reading Time:  9 minutes

© LPLT/cc-by-sa-3.0

© LPLT/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Café de la Rotonde is a famous café in the Montparnasse Quarter of Paris, France at 105 Boulevard du Montparnasse, known for its artistic milieu and good food. In its official website, La Rotonde defines itself as a brasserie and restaurant. Located on the Place de Picasso, that also holds the sculpture of Honoré de Balzac by Auguste Rodin called Monument to Balzac at the corner of Boulevard du Montparnasse and Boulevard Raspail, it was founded by Victor Libion in 1911. Based on examples established by La Closerie des Lilas (created in 1847) and Le Dôme Café (created in 1898), La Rotonde, along with La Coupole (created in 1927) and Le Select (created in 1925), was renowned as an intellectual gathering place for notable artists and writers during the interwar period due to its open atmosphere and reasonable prices. Unlike many establishments in Montparnasse, La Rotonde (now called La Rotonde Montparnasse) has retained much of its bohemian charm and continues in operation to this day as a popular and chic spot for classic French cuisine lovers and the Parisian artistic intelligentsia.   read more…

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