Along the Canal with Jannicke in a sunny and cool morning

Place de la Bastille - Colonne de Juillet - Jannicke

7:57 AM With Jannicke from Oslo (Norway), we started from "Le Marais" district and went to the canal St-Martin by the "place de la République", then reached the "place de la Bastille" and the Arsenal Marina, a yachting harbor, with several house barges floating on the quiet water.
We enjoyed running in the cold morning (around +3°C, for October, a relatively cold temperature in Paris), went around the "place des Vosges" and then finished along the bank of the river Seine a few meters from the Notre Dame cathedral with a nice rising sun. Merci Jannicke!

On our way:
On the "Place de la Bastille" stands the "Colonne de Juillet" (the July Column).
The monument commemorates the Revolution of 1830 (and not the 1789 one), the "three glorious" days in July 1830 that saw the beggining of the "July Monarchy" of Louis-Philippe (and the fall of Charles X of France)
This column, with "Le Génie de la liberté" (The Spirit of Freedom) at the top, is inspired from the Trajana Column in Rome. Another Column in Paris is also inspired from the Roman Column, visible in the centre of the "Place Vendôme", with this time, dressed as a Roman Emperor, Napoleon at the top!

We already talked about the Bastille, see there.

The route of the tour:

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Left bank, at the level of the ancient city with James

On the left bank - Notre-Dame - James

10:02 AM - With James, from Chicago, starting on the Island of Saint Louis, we ran on the centre of Paris finishing on the left bank of the river Seine, at the level of the ancient city...

As us (James and the Paris Running Tour team), if you are interested by the Roman Lutecia (name of Paris at the Gaul and Roman periods), at the foot of Notre Dame, you must visit the Archaeologic Crypt (just under the square of Notre Dame). You will find the ruins of the Roman constructions and many information on how Paris evolved in time.

Some information here (in French) and a brochure (in English) here. 

Go there! Merci James!

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Modern art in Paris with Ginger and Ryan

Ryan and Ginger - Chestnut trees and modern art in the garden of the Tuileries

7:59 AM With Ginger and Ryan from Austin, Texas, we had a 2 hours tour. Ginger and Ryan are preparing their first marathon, Saint Jude Memphis Marathon, beginning of December. We started from the Arc of Triumph, ran on the Avenue Foch (Finish of the Paris Marathon), went along the "Bois de Boulogne" lake, went back to Paris and finished the tour by the Champs Elysees (Start of the Paris Marathon!).

On our way, crossing the Tuileries garden, we had the opportunity to enjoy some modern creations of the Contemporary Art International Exhibition (in French, FIAC, Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain) which takes place every end of October. See the FIAC here and the Tuileries garden part here.

Thank you Ginger and Ryan! Enjoy your first marathon!

The route of the tour:

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Paris Arts and Cultural News: A journey with Monet

Monet - Nympheas - Orangerie

Running, running, running... We love to run, and especially in Paris, you already know that.

But it is also our duty to give news about Arts and culture in Paris, so in addition to the posts about our nice sight jogging in Paris and also about Paris running competitions, we would like to give you some news about Arts and Culture in Paris.
While running, we cross so many museums and places of art exhibitions...

So, here is a new rubric: Paris Arts and Cultural News!

This autumn, Paris celebrates Monet! If you have the opportunity to come to Paris, you should really see the Monet Exhibition in the Grand Palais (until the 24th of January 2011). We also strongly recommend the virtual journey proposed by the Grand Palais.

Many Paris museums also have temporary and permanent expositions of Monet Painting, among them, the Marmottan Museum, and the Orangerie, where you can see the famous Nympheas...

And why not combining those visits with some Paris sightjogging with Paris Running Tour? Pourquoi pas ? ;-)

Paris Competitions News: 10/10/10 10h => 20 km de Paris

20 km de Paris - Start

This Sunday will see another release of the 20 km of Paris. We will be there.

Recently, Debbie told us Melbourne will have its marathon. Chicago, Bruxelles, Munich, Bueno Aires, Ottawa, Poznan, Eindhoven also will welcome their marathon... Probably many other competitions this Sunday too...
10/10/10, a good day for running all over the world!

Very early with the Parisian Statue of Liberty on our way

Debbie - With the Statue of Liberty on the "Ile aux cygnes", Paris

5:57 AM - With Debbie, from Melbourne Australia, we started very very early coming from the "far south-west" of Paris, running all along the river Seine to join the Trocadero place, cross the Iena bridge, go under the Eiffel tower, run on the Champ de Mars and then go back to the hotel going through the 15th arrondissement (French for district) by the famous "rue du Commerce".

On our way, we saw the Statue of Liberty, a small version of the New-York one.

Do you remember the Roman Polansky film, "Frantic"? At the end, Harrison Ford completely lost in Paris, just kidnapped, laying in a barge, opens his eyes and sees above him the Statue of Liberty... "Where am I now?! ..."

Thank you, Debbie!

The route of the tour:

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Going fast all along the river and through "Les Halles"

Devon - Les Halles - Eglise Saint-Eustache

7:01 AM - With Devon, coming from New-York, we ran at a fast pace, without taking into account the little rain we had in Paris this Monday morning.

We followed the river most of the time, to finish by the Halles and the street of Rivoli.

Thank you, Devon!

Les Halles was the traditional central market of Paris. The big iron and glass buildings, created by Victor Baltard in the 19th century (we said "Les Halles de Baltard") were destroyed in 1971 to let the place to the "Forum des Halles" in 1977, a giant mall, partially underground.

Forum des Halles

The route of the tour:

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Paris Competitions News: A sunny October Sunday for competitions...

This Sunday, October 3rd, was a sunny day in Paris. A good day to compete...

Three 10K races in Paris or near, one in Neuilly (a rich city in the west of Paris), one in the Bois de Vincennes (the forest in the east of Paris) and one in the center of Paris called "les 10K Paris Centre". This one is a very nice competition to run on the middle of the most beautiful streets of Paris. More than 2000 runners. Start: Avenue de l'Opera, End: Place du Palais Royal - The Louvre.

The route

Two of our coaches were there (as fans of Paris and running, they had to be there): one on the podium (veteran), the other one, just behind. Next time: October 2011. Be there!
(Photos of the competition here.)