On the "new Pont des Arts" with Laura

Laura - Pont des Arts ("Bridge of Arts")

8:03 AM - With Laura, from Chicago, we made a long running tour of Paris, a pleasant sporting stroll on a beautiful sunny morning of March.

Do you recognize the "Pont des Arts" ("Bridge of Arts")? Where are the famous padlocks of love?
Until 2015, we could see the "Pont des Arts" overloaded with "padlocks of love".
You probably know the story: two lovers write their names on a padlock, hang it on a bridge and throw the key in the river, thus sealing their love. 

This tradition would come from Italy, from a movie adapted from a novel "Ho voglia di te", where two lovers place their padlock on a lamppost of the bridge Milvius in Rome. Inspired by the movie, the lovers in Rome decorated in their turn this bridge with their own padlocks.
The fashion quickly spread in Europe and mainly in Paris, ideal romantic city. The "Pont des Arts", attractive pedestrian footbridge, was the main target of these padlocks. Transparent panels recently had to replace these padlocks, too heavy for the bridge.

The story of the "Pont des Arts" padlocks in some images of our blogs:

• The beginning of the love padlocks fashion on the "Pont des Art" (some padlocks) 
• The fast growth of the love padlocks on the "Pont des Arts"
• The replacement, summer 2015, by temporary artistic panels

Then, no more padlock on the "Pont des Arts"? No, some smart ones find solutions:

Having left the Pont des Arts, with Laura, we explored "Saint Germain des Près" and the Latin Quarter, the left bank, then the island of "La Cité" and the right bank, the Louvre, the Palais-Royal and the beginning of the historic axis of Paris. A sport visit for sure but with numerous stops to be able to appreciate magnificent Parisian landscapes: :

The Medicis Fountain at the garden of Luxembourg,

Animal statues in the Jardin des plantes,

The "Pont Neuf" and its beautiful view on the Seine,

The pond in the Garden of the "Palais Royal"

In the Garden of the Palais Royal, we found Michel Goulet's new chairs, inspired by the metallic chairs which we usually meet in the Parisian gardens (to know more about it => here):

We returned at a good pace to take advantage of the pedestrian part of the Seine left bank.

The new pedestrian banks between the "Pont Alexandre III" and the "Pont de la Concorde"

Merci Laura !

The route of the tour:

In the Latin Quarter with Erin et James

Erin and James - "Pont des Arts" (Bridge of Arts)

10:17 AM - Last June, we visited the Latin Quarter with Erin and James from Texas. At the end of the route, we passed by the "Pont des Arts". But where are the famous love padlocks? 
Too heavy for the bridge, Paris replaced them temporarily by panels painted by artists (while waiting for the definitive transparent panels).
Look at the photo above. The Arms of Paris were represented in a funny way, a banana for the boat and a bone for the mast!

A journalist of the Swiss Television accompanied us and realized this report:



A beautiful stroll in Paris.

We actually studied the pediment of the Pantheon. Here is the photo taken in the video:

Erin and James - The Panthéon

"AUX GRANDS HOMMES LA PATRIE RECONNAISSANTE"
"TO GREAT MEN THE GRATEFUL HOMELAND" is displayed on the Pantheon, monument to the glory of the great Men of French history. The crypt welcomes a large number of famous persons, Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, Jean Moulin... Many men but only four women: Marie Curie, Sophie Berthelot (wife of the chemist), Germaine Tillion and Geneviève de Gaulle-Anthonioz, both last ones entered the Pantheon last May. One day, maybe we shall see another inscription: " TO GREAT WOMEN AND GREAT MEN... "

Let us look closer at the pediment (in the report, we present the French Cock):

The Panthéon - On the left of the Nation, the civil society, on the right, the military representation (even if the high-ranking military figures rest in the Invalides like Napoléon or Foch)

After the Pantheon, we continue our route in the Latin Quarter (Cf. meaning of the name Latin Quarter), after the beautiful "place de la Contrescarpe", we join the Arenas of Lutèce going through a pretty flowered staircase (in harmony with the running wear!) :

Erin - "Rue Monge" (Monge street)

In the video, we evoke Montaigne's foot which gives luck:

Erin - "Rue des Ecoles" (Street of the Schools)

The story is funny. The students actually come to caress the foot of the philosopher Montaigne and formulate a wish (success in the examinations thanks to the knowledge of Montaigne?).
Before the current bronze statue, was a marble statue. This statue was created in 1933 by Paul Landowski. Here is the photo of its inauguration:

"Rue des Ecoles" - Statue of Montaigne - 1933

Made with a nice white marble, the statue attracted graffitis, paint, ink, lipstick... The right foot touched permanently and unceremoniously, was broken numerous times.
The statue had to be so often restored that Paris preferred to replace it by an exact copy but with a more robust material, bronze!
Robust, well, look at the patina of the shoe...

For another story about a bronze then marble statue, look this at this article where we speak about the Statue of Louis XIII "place des Vosges".

Merci Erin ! Merci James !
And thank you Michel from the Swiss Television!

The route of the tour:

A new Running Tour in Paris with Cori

Cori - "Jardin des Plantes" (Garden of the Plantes)

8:05 AM - Do you remember Cori? We ran together in April 2012. It rained that time, which had not prevented us from making an attractive run in Paris. 

In this month of April 2015, the weather is beautiful and we can enjoy the sun. Although we pass again by the "Pont des Arts" (Bridge of Arts), we choose a very different route. Compare both views of the "Pont des Arts" in April, 2012 and April, 2015:

Cori - "Pont des Arts" - April 2012 and April 2015

Look at the sides of the "Pont des Arts". We have already spoken a lot about the famous Padlocks of Love. In 2012, they are already present and begin to be many but not still in the point to make bend and fall the railings which carry them.

In 2015, the railings fell and were replaced many times: the padlocks placed on the railings, themselves covered by other padlocks, finished to be too heavy.

Paris decided to act: at first, the padlocks will be replaced in May by panels painted by artists then, in September, by transparent Plexiglas panels. Now, this April, it is temporary wooden panels which line the bridge (graffitis did not delay covering them).

For our new circuit in Paris, we favored parks and gardens. What a pleasure to run under the sun there. We discover:

The "Jardin du Luxembourg" and its magnificent "Fontaine Medicis" (Medici Fountain)

Cori - "La Fontaine Medicis"

"Les Arènes de Lutèce" (Arenas of Lutetia), with soccer players, gladiators having left for quite a long time :)

Cori - "Les Arènes de Lutèce"

"La Grande Serre du Jardin des Plantes" (the Great Greenhouse of the Garden of the Plantes) (go there, a real jungle in Paris!):

Cori - "La grande serre du Jardin des Plantes"

Merci Cori ! 

The route of the tour:

The oldest monument of Paris with Laura, Marni, Peter, Marshall and Jason

Marni, Marshall, Laura, Jason et Peter - Jardin du Palais Royal

7:00 AM - Marni, Marshall, Laura, Jason and Peter are runners-friends coming from the United States.
Paris is still a little bit chilly in this early spring. Magnolias begin to bloom, as here in the garden of the "Palais Royal" (Royal Palace).

Our sports visit begins in the garden of the Tuileries to arrive quickly at "place de la Concorde", in front of the oldest monument of Paris, the Obelisk of Luxor:

Jason, Marni, Laura, Marshall and Peter - "Place de la Concorde" - Obelisk of Luxor

The Obelisk which we can see in the center of the "place de la Concorde" is more than 3000 years old. It comes from Egypt. 
The Pharaoh Ramses II had made two obelisks in the entrance of the Luxor temple, temple placed in the center of the old city of Thebes. The obelisk of "la Concorde" is one of them.

In 1830, the viceroy of Egypt Mehemet-Ali offers to France the obelisks of Luxor. 
Then begins, for the first obelisk, an adventure which will last more than 6 years: the preparation of the operation, the cutting down of the obelisk, its transport towards Paris and its erection "place de la Concorde" in 1836, with all the troubles such an expedition can generate (heat, diseases, expectation of the Nile flood, navigation and transport difficulties, etc.)  

Cutting down of the Obelisk in 1831 (the other obelisk is situated to the left by looking at the temple)

Erection of the Obelisk in 1836 "place de la Concorde" 
(The king Louis-Philippe and 200 000 Parisians attend the "show")

The other part of the "present", the second Obelisk, remained in Luxor, France not wishing to launch again such an operation!

Our visit continues along the Seine, the left bank then the right bank again. We cross the river Seine running on the "Pont des Arts", the famous footbridge:

Marshall, Laura, Marni, Jason and Peter - "Pont des Arts"

In the background of the photo above, we can admire the "Galerie du bord de l'eau" of the Louvre. Did you know that in this long corridor, king Henri IV organized fox hunting for his son, future Louis XIII?

We finish our running by returning by the garden of the Tuileries, very quiet in this morning of March:

Merci Peter, Marni, Marshall, Jason and Laura !


The route of the tour :

Two early morning runs to discover Paris, with Agnes

Agnes - Pont au Change - La Conciergerie

Thursday 3 July 5:55 AM, Saturday 5 July 7:33 AM - Agnes lives in Los Angeles. Among the numerous visits which she foresaw to know Paris, Agnes included two Paris Running Tours, two morning visits to fully enjoy the capital.
Indeed, it is a good means to understand the city landscape, discover numerous sites, to know its history and its architecture but also to apprehend its places, streets and squares in a sport way.

First morning:
A few minutes after the sunrise, a start not far from the Opera. Let us go to see the Eiffel Tower.
Place of Concorde, we begin to see the tower far off:

Agnes - Place de la Concorde - Behind the Obelisk, far off, the Eiffel Tower (notice the preparations for the National Day, on July 14th, with the stands which are going to welcome the government for the parade)

Let us get closer. Place of the Alma, the Eiffel Tower is more and more visible:

Agnes - Place de l'Alma with the Flame of Liberty, an exact replica of the Statue of Liberty's flame and underneath, the famous tunnel of Alma
In the background, the Eiffel tower

Now, let us go to the Esplanade of the Trocadéro, one of the best locations to see the Eiffel Tower:

Agnes - "Esplanade du Trocadéro" - The Eiffel tower, very close!

Look at the landscape visible since the Esplanade, with in the background, on the left, Notre Dame, the Pantheon and the dome of the Invalides:

Let us go towards Notre Dame. After a few kilometers of running, we can see the Cathedral, closer this time, since the bridge of the Carrousel:

Agnes - Bridge if the Carrousel - Far off, on the Island of "La Cité", the Saint-chapel and Notre Dame

Second morning:
Small rain this morning.
Today, we are going to admire Notre Dame and the Pantheon. Let us cross the Bridge of the Arts (with a small "Hello" to the Eiffel Tower, far off):

Agnes - "Pont des Arts" - Far off, the Eiffel tower

We join the Pantheon and greet the great man recently arrived:

Agnes - The Panthéon

The Pantheon in restoration, as we can see it with these scaffolds on the photo, welcomes the exhibition of the artist JR.

We follow our route to finally find the Cathedral "Notre Dame de Paris":

Agnes - Notre Dame - Notice on the ground, the marks which testify of the presence of a street (which existed until the middle of 19th century. Under the feet of Agnes, the mark of a church, Sainte Genevieve des Ardens)

Before finishing our run, we cross another church, the Church Saint Eustache (built from 1532 till 1633):

Agnes - Church Saint Eustache

Funny detail, before the construction of the current church, stood a chapel (built at the beginning of the XIIIth century). This chapel was dedicated to Saint Agnès!

Merci Agnes !

The routes of the tours:

14 miles visiting Paris while running to prepare the New-York marathon, with Jess

Jess - "Pont des Arts" (Bridge of the Arts) and view on the Island of the City ("île de la Cité")

7h11 - Jess, marathon runner of New York (USA), in business trip in Paris, had two objectives by making a running tour: discover Paris and make a long run to prepare the New York marathon.

We thus made a running of 14 miles (23 km) in Paris, distance which allows a beautiful visit of the city and the discovery of its numerous aspects.

At first, a short pause to remember the objective, 26.2 miles (42.195 km) in New York:

Jess - Avenue de New-York

Then, from the avenue of New York, a small ascent (light preparation of the hilly New York marathon route) to join the Esplanade of the Trocadéro, the most beautiful view on the Eiffel Tower:

Jess - "Esplanade du Trocadéro"

We then leave the Eiffel Tower by the "Champ de Mars":

Jess - "Champ de Mars"

Formerly used for military maneuvers, the Champ de Mars is now an ideal training ground for the runners: firm and supple hard-packed surface, buckle of 2 km, garden always opened (without railings), enlightened paths... Perfect circuit for the early morning runners!

Much more east of Paris, it is on the sandy soil of the Lutetia arenas that we ran:

Jess - "Arènes de Lutèce"

Nowadays, we meet "pétanque" players or amateur soccer players there... About 2 000 years ago, there, we could see gladiators fighting, wild animals and also theater plays.
Paris, at the time, was Roman and was called Lutetia.

Of course, we did not miss numerous majors places of Paris, for example, the "Pont des Arts" (as we can see in the first photo of this article with its beautiful view on the Island of the City) or the Louvre Pyramid:

Jess - The Louvre pyramid

Since this sports stroll in Paris, Jess ran the marathon of New York with a beautiful performance. 
Paris Running Tour hopes to have contributed to this a little... ;)

Merci Jess !

The route of the tour :