On the "Pont des Arts" with Manoella

Manoella - "Pont des Arts" ("bridge of the Arts"), EST side, 
in the background, the "île de la Cité" ("Island of the City")

Manoella - "Pont des Arts", WEST side, in the background, the Orsay museum and the Eiffel tower

7:06 AM - Manoella, who lives in São Paulo (Brazil), came to stay some time in Paris. She will participate in a major event, the Paris Marathon! It will be her first marathon, we can appreciate this choice, what better than Paris? ;)  

No unnecessary risks in 7 days of the marathon (April 7th, 2013 ), we ran quietly and took advantage of a route around the Latin Quarter, on the "Ile de la Cité" and also right bank: Louvre, Palais Royal, Pompidou Center, the "Marais".

Early on Sunday morning, very few people on the route, see how the Louvre is quiet :

Manoella - Pyramid of the Louvre

The winter does not want to go and it is by the temperature of -2°C (28.4°F) that we ran . March 31st!
Well, this cold gave a beautiful particular luminosity to the city, we admired Notre-Dame nicely "colored" :

Manoella - Far off "Notre Dame de Paris"

Manoella, we wish you a magnificent first marathon in Paris!

Merci Manoella !

The route of the tour :

Paris Competitions News: Ready for the 2013 Paris Marathon?

Champs-Elysées - Kilometer 1 - Just before "place de la Concorde" before turning left to the Rivoli street

In spring, strange signs appear on the Parisian road, blue lines accompanied by indications which seem to be coded: "KM1", "KM2", "KM3", etc. 
These are the kilometric marks of the Paris marathon! In other places, all the miles are indicated too.

On the photo above, the first kilometer. Magic kilometer going down the Champs-Elysées. Imagine, you are in the middle of the road of one of the most beautiful avenues and you are running applauded by the crowd!
Take care, in spite of the enthusiasm, don't lose your head. If it seems to be easy, it is because you are running downhill. keep your energy.

One kilometer earlier, the start, in the middle of the Champs-Elysées. The mark is already present:

The 2013 Paris marathon start at the level of the Marbeuf street

Here you are, ready to make a magnificent route in Paris. Find the route in detail by clicking the image below, with a view of monuments, buildings, streets:

Having crossed and taken advantage of Paris up and down, here you are, very close to the finish, in the kilometer 42:

Avenue Foch - 42th kilometer - In the background, the Arc of Triumph

Only 195 meters to go (enjoy it, this moment is extraordinary) and you arrive!
Here is the location of the finish, rather discreet for the moment:

The finish line ! Behind the Arc of Triumph, the Champs-Elysées from where the Marathon started!

We wish you a beautiful Paris Marathon!

In front of the oldest tree of Paris with Michael

Michael - Garden René Viviani, in the background the church "Saint-Julien le Pauvre"

9:01 AM - Michael, who lives in Hamburg (Germany), began his first visit of the capital by a Paris Running Tour.

Having left the district of the "Gare de Lyon", we traveled the garden of Plants, crossed the Latin Quarter on the left bank, visited the Island of "La Cité", then of return on the right bank, saw the Pompidou Center and the "Marais" quarter.

We discovered in particular the Gallo-Roman Paris by admiring the Arenas of Lutecia, the Roman Thermal baths and the archaeological crypt where we can see real Roman streets.

Before leaving the Latin Quarter, in the Public garden René Viviani, we greeted the oldest tree of Paris (we can see it on the photo above). This Black Locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia) was planted in 1601 by the botanist Jean Robin who introduced it in France (the tree is native of North America).

The public garden René Viviani faces the Cathedral Notre-Dame-de-Paris as we can see on the photo below:

Michael - "Square René Viviani" and Notre-Dame de Paris

A little earlier, it is another place of worship we crossed, the Big Mosque of Paris:

The "Grande Mosquée" of Paris

The Big Mosque of Paris was inaugurated in 1926. Of Spanish-Moresque style, it possesses a 33 meter minaret. The Mosque is opened to the tourist visits.

On the right bank, very close to another "temple", "temple" of the culture this time, the Georges Pompidou Contemporary Arts Center, we contemplated beautiful mural paintings, of which the stencil "Chuuuttt!!!" of Jef Aérosol: 

Michael - "Chuuuttt !!!" from Jef Aérosol (2011)

In the "Marais", we took a shortcut which made us, directly from the street Saint Antoine pass on the beautiful "Place des Vosges":

Michael - "Hôtel de Sully"

A magnificent shortcut, the Hotel of Sully! This "Hôtel particulier" (mansion) allows to join the "place des Vosges" by way of the inside courtyard and the garden. Built at the beginning of the 17th century, it was the property of the "Duke de Sully", king Henri IV's Minister of Finance. It shelters now the Center of the National Monuments.

Merci Michael !

The route of the tour :

Grande Arche - Arc de Triomphe return trip with Maggie

Maggie (in front of the Arc of Triumph) - Champs-Elysées

6:51 AM - Maggie, who lives near Houston, runs very regularly. Early on Sunday, we ran on the West part of the Paris historical axis (map here), from "La Défense" up to the Arc of Triumph.

We thus left "La Défense" to cross its esplanade, the city of Neuilly, the avenue of the "Grande Armée" and join the Arc of Triumph on the "Place de l'Étoile" (place of the Star). 

We went around the "Arc de Triomphe", admired the other part of the historical axis: Champs-Elysées, far off, the obelisk of "La Concorde" then, at the end, the Louvre (on the photo above, by enlarging it, we can see the Obelisk and the buildings of the Louvre far off).

Maggie - The "Arc de Triomphe"

On returning to "La Défense", we were able to appreciate some of the numerous works of art arranged on the Esplanade, as "the pond of Takis" created by Vassilakis Panayotis Takis:

Maggie - The "Bassin" of Takis (1988) - The "Grande Arche" of "la Défense"

or "Le Moretti" ("Cheminée Moretti") of Raymond Moretti :

"Cheminée Moretti" (1995)

"La Défense" is the biggest business center in Europe. On this Sunday morning, the esplanade of "La Défense" was deserted, contrary to the working periods when the paving stone of "La Défense" is full of businesswomen and businessmen who join or leave their offices.

La Défense (Click on the picture for a larger view)

By the way, do you know why this business area is called "La Défense"?
In 1883, the Statue of the defense of Paris was placed on a traffic circle of Courbevoie, one of the cities where is situated the business center. The statue evokes the resistance and the bravery of the Paris defenders during the 1870 French-Prussian war.
See below "La Défense" in the debuts of the business center developments (begun with the CNIT):

On the left, "La Défense" in 1962 with the statue in the center and the CNIT recently created (1958) 

On the right, the Statue of "La Défense" still visible on the esplanade and drilling the paving stone.

A little run of 10 km through space and time! ;)

Merci Maggie !

The route of the tour:

On the Paris Marathon route with Magdalena

Magdalena - "Lac Inférieur" of the "Bois de Boulogne" - Close to Kilometer 41 (mile 25.8)

9:31 AM - Magdalena, who lives in Poland, prepares the 2013 Paris marathon. It will be her second marathon after the one of Warsaw. We thus chose to follow beautiful portions of the Paris Marathon route by running about 20 kilometers (12.7 miles).

We joined at first the magnificent Wood of Boulogne, awaiting the arrival of spring. 
It is in this wood that are located the last six kilometers of the marathon. For example, very close to the big lake, is the kilometer 41, an important passage!

Out of the wood, at the beginning of the avenue Foch, we reach the kilometer 42 of which you can see the track registered on the ground in the photo below (track of the 2012 Paris marathon - find the very fresh mark in this other article of April 2012). The 2013 road markings are soon going to appear...

Magdalena - Avenue Foch - Kilomètre 42, à 195 mètres de l'arrivée !

Kilometer 42, only 195 meters to go, Rich in sensations and feelings...
Before the "Arc de Triomphe", is the "triumphant" arrival (we can see the location of the arrival on the photo above, at the green light - click on the picture for a larger view).

We then stroll up the avenue Foch to find the Champs-Elysées, located on one of the branches of  "the Star", center of which is the Arc de Triomphe ("Place de l'Etoile"="Place of the star").
The Paris Marathon starts in the middle of the Champs-Elysées. What a magnificent place to begin a marathon! (See a photo of the start in this other article.)

Magdalena - Place de la Concorde - Having left the Kilometer 1 on the Champs-Elysées

Champs-Elysées, "place de la Concorde", the street of Rivoli, the Bastille, the Wood of Vincennes and its magnificent castle, the splendid banks of the Seine, the Wood of Boulogne and the grand finish avenue Foch.  Aren't you tempted by this route?

Route of the 2013 Paris Marathon

Merci Magdalena ! Good Paris marathon!

The route of the tour :

In front of the garden of the Elysée with Meredith and John

Meredith and John in front of the gardens of the Élysée Palace, residence of the President of the Republic.
To see the main entrance, on the other side, you can click here

9:07 AM - Meredith and John come from the East coast of the United States (Washington, New York) and are in Paris for a cultural and very sports visit.
This Monday, March 4th, we combined a tourist stroll and and "recovery jogging". Indeed, Meredith ran the day before, the Paris half marathon by establishing a new personal record on the distance. Bravo Meredith!

More than 30000 participants at the 2013 Paris Half-marathon! The start.
With a close look, you will see 2 Paris Running Tour guides in the foreground, orange and (Paris Running Tour) green T-shirts

That is thus, quietly, that we crossed Paris and took advantage of the beautiful morning, second brightened up morning after a very cold and dark winter.

Meredith and John - Garden of the Tuileries - On the historical axis: far off the Obelisk of the place de la Concorde and the Arc of Triumph at the end of Champs-Elysées

On the photo above, we see clearly the "pyramidion" (pyramid cover cap) at the top of the Obelisk, its gold cover shines as in the time of antique Egypt.
Did you also know that the Obelisk of "Place de la Concorde" represented the gnomon (the needle) of a gigantic sundial? Had you noticed these marks on the ground?

A gigantic sundial (1999) "place de la Concorde" - Click on the picture to see the details!
The hour calculation is not as simple (duration of the day, etc.)

By continuing our running, we returned on the historic axis, with in its beginning, the Louvre:

Meredith and John - The pyramid of the Louvre

It is in this way that we admired the oldest monument of Paris, the obelisk of Concorde (13è century BC) and one of the most modern, the Louvre Pyramid (inaugurated in 1989)!

Merci Meredith, merci John!

The route of the tour: