On the "île aux cygnes" with Sarah

Sarah - Ile aux cygnes

7:41 AM - With Sarah who lives near Chicago (USA), we left the Beaugrenelle district, in the West of Paris, to join the center up to the Louvre, to discover the city, always full of surprises. 
Do you know that besides the islands "Ile de la Cité" and "Ile Saint Louis", in Paris, the Seine also accommodates the "Ile aux cygnes" (cygne=swan), artificial island of about one kilometer, an ideal straight line for runners?
While passing by the "Champs-Elysées", we noticed that the preparations for the National Day were quite advanced. The terraces of the presidencial stand, which will welcome the government, at the "Place de la Concorde", on July 14th, are already installed as we can see on the picture below.

Sarah - Place de la Concorde

If you come to run at present near the place, very early in the morning, you should see the soldiers repeating the military parade (the marks of alignment are already drawn on the ground on the "Champs-Elysées" and on the place).
Seats, barriers, installed in the "Champs-Elysées", will also serve again for the last stage of the "Tour de France", on July 24th.

The "Champs-Elysées" for the military parade, the "Champs-Elysées" for the "Tour de France", yes, but what we, Paris Running Tour, like above all, is the start of the Paris marathon!

Merci Sarah !

The route of the tour :

New discoveries in Paris with Kristyne

Kristyne - Jardin des Tuileries

7:37 AM - Kristyne from Montreal (Canada) knows Paris but had never visited the city while running until now. It is thus that we rediscovered about eleven Parisian kilometers. On our route, known ways but also some discoveries. Do you know, for example, that under the square of Notre-Dame is the Roman city (Gallo-roman) of Lutecia, that is to say the ruins of the ancient city?
Among these discoveries, regularly, Paris offers directly accessible artistic novelties. On our route, the two following temporary exhibitions provide good examples of it:

"Makom II", of Michal Rovner, an artistic piece installed in the Louvre by Israeli and Palestinian workers

The statue of Condorcet surrounded by "Ahlala", work of Daniel Hourdé

Merci Kristyne !

The route of the tour :

Morning workout and visit of Paris

Brandy - American Church - Eiffel tower

8:02 AM - Brandy from San Francisco (USA) prepares the next half marathon of San Francisco. What is better than a visit of Paris while running to continue the training? We thus left the street of Rivoli to join the Seine having crossed the Tuileries and the "place de la Concorde". On the bridge of the "Invalides", we had the opportunity to admire the American church and the Eiffel Tower. We continued our tour on the left bank and then crossed the island of "La Cité" to return to the start by the Louvre and the "place Vendôme".
On our way, the American Church:
On the photo above with Brandy, we can see two "peaks", the Eiffel Tower, of course, but also the American Church. This church presents a neogothic style; it is nevertheless recent, it was built and ended in 1931 by the architect Carol Greenough.

The American Church of Paris

Merci Brandy !

The route of the tour:

At the top of Paris with Bart after a sports ascent

Bart - At the top of "La butte Montmartre"

7:27 AM - With Bart of Delft (Netherlands), we left the heights of the North of Paris to join the edges of the Seine. The departure was thus easy thanks to the long descent of the street of Amsterdam. Having joined the Opera, then the place Vendôme and after, the Champs Elysées, we took the left bank to follow the Seine. Returned by the "Pont des Arts" on the right bank, we ran northward to undertake our ascent towards Montmartre and reach our goal at the feet of the "Sacré-Coeur" church.

On our way back, we crossed galleries of the center of Paris, galleries which we also call the passages (Web page in French).
Below, on our route, the passage Verdeau:

Bart - Passage Verdeau

Merci Bart !

The route of the tour :

At the Champ de Mars with Janet

Janet - Champ de Mars

7:52 AM - Another very sunny day in Paris. With Janet of Singapore, we evoked the competitions in Singapore and in France. Because of the warm temperatures in Singapore, the races begin very early, for example, the departure of the marathon, which takes place in December, is at 5 am in the morning. Janet will redo it certainly this year but also thinks of making the marathon of Paris next year...

The tour of this morning allowed us to notice in which point museums are many in Paris. On our route of about 10 kilometers, we crossed successively, the "musée Galliera" ("museum of Fashion "), the "musée Guimet" ("museum of Asian Arts"), la "cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine", the "musée de l'Homme", the "musée de la Marine" (Navy), the museum of Arts and Civilizations, the museums of the "Invalides", the museum of the Legion of Honour, the "Musée d'Orsay", the Louvre, the "Orangerie", the "Jeu de Paume", the "Petit Palais", the "Grand Palais", the "Palais de la Découverte"! More museums than run kilometers!

And the art in Paris is not only in museums but, of course, also in streets.
Below, on our route, an example of representative building of the "Art nouveau":

Avenue Rapp

Merci Janet !

The route of the tour:

On the Alexandre III bridge with Jackie

Jackie - Alexandre III bridge

7:54 AM - A very beautiful sun on Paris, this Sunday. The running of this morning allowed us to cross the Seine several times: with Jackie, of Kansas (USA), we passed over the river by five bridges, of which the bridge Alexandre III.
Our race allowed us to visit Paris by a circuit starting place de la Concorde, by alternating the passages on the right bank and the left bank of the Seine.

The Alexandre III bridge, as the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, close, was built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900 (Paris welcomed height Universal Exhibitions, the most famous was the one of 1889 with the creation of the Eiffel Tower).
Even if czar Alexandre III did not still carry the French people in his heart, France, little vindictive, gave its name to the bridge. The bridge Alexandre III is the widest of Paris.
Merci Jackie !

The bridge Alexandre III in 1900 (a very different landscape with the buildings of the Universal Exhibition)

The route of the tour:

Along the Seine with Angela

Angela - Quay Malaquais

7:32 AM - With Angela of Santiago (Chile), we ran early during this beautiful morning of May. At that time, streets are still quiet, with very few pedestrians, deserted quays and the tourist places still little frequented. We had the city only for us. The morning, Paris belongs to the runners! 
If you run the morning on the quays bordering the Seine, you will see surely large green boxes (as on the photo above).
They are the boxes of secondhand booksellers, called the "bouquinistes" (here a video - in French). You will see them opening from 11 am. The "bouquinistes" of Paris sell old books, secondhand or contemporaries but also of the exhausted editions, prints and etchings.

From the XVIth century, on the quays of Paris, we could meet small peddlers of books ; from 1620, twenty four approved secondhand booksellers. For a royalty, they are entitled to hold portable shops on the bridge and the neighboring quays. In 1859, the itinerant secondhand booksellers became concessionary of the city of Paris which enabled them to pose boxes at fixed place on the parapets.
The Seine is the only river which runs between rows of books (more than 300 000)!
Merci Angela!

"Bouquinistes" during the day - Quay Malaquais

The route of the tour :