Place des Vosges and Victor Hugo's Home | Paris Travel

Windows in a building in place des Vosges.

 

Our Silver Paris

Welcome to my Paris travel journal,

where I share our experiences of our special journey to Paris.

Please use these posts as a guide for your own travels

to this amazing and wonderful city!

Or simply read, and dream...

Our last day in Paris dawned bright and clear, with a promise to be the perfect last day for this couple, still in love after 25 years. We had done so many things all week long, and even though we took our time with each and every walk, tour, and visit, we were tired.  Things worked out that we had ventured farther out from our appartement in le Marais at the beginning of our week, and gradually moved closer with each day we spent in Paris.

We were thankful we didn't have to walk too far on this morning.  I wasn't sure about venturing out without my sweater, but after several minutes, I realized that it would be warm enough to enjoy the  soon-to-be 70-degree day with uncovered arms.

On rue de Birague, looking into a building archway, and beyond.

The archway (and beyond!) was our goal for the morning.

Through the arch, and on the other side, we stood in place des Vosges.  I looked back toward the arch in the building and took a picture.

Then I looked around the place, which was the first planned square in Paris, and where jousts, tournaments, and historic events once took place.

Statue of Louis XIII on the north side of place des Vosges.

Rather than writing out what was written on the statue, or trying to translate and remember what it said, I simply took a picture.

This statue

work of Dupaty and Cortot

raised the 4th of November 1829

replaced

the old (ancient) statue of bronze

erected in 1639

I love, love, love the below image I captured of one of the fountains in the place, with the water droplets in the air, and people relaxing on the lawn and strolling on the path.

Here is a description of the place from one of our walking-tour books:

The square was built in 1600-1608, as a country retreat for Henry IV and his courters.  There are nine houses on each side of the square, the two tallest being the King's Pavilion to the south and the Queen's Pavilion over on the north side...  Victor Hugo lived here.  The house at No. 6 is now the Victor Hugo museum and it can be visited free of charge.  ~Frommer's 24 Great Walks in Paris, p. 27 (ISBN 978-0-470-22897-5).

Place des Vosges is the oldest planned square in Paris, and is perfectly symmetrical in shape.  Although the lawn was packed with people with blankets spread out, eating lunch, talking, or simply relaxing on a beautiful Saturday morning, it was a beautiful and peaceful place to stroll, whether on its square tree-lined path, or underneath the viaducts of the buildings along the edge of the place.  These viaducts, or arcades, house a variety of shops, galleries, and cafés, if you're in the mood to shop and/or eat.

Under the arcades along the buildings at place des Vosges.

As our walking-tour book said, the Victor Hugo museum is located here, and is free of charge (there is a small fee for the audio tour, if you want to purchase it).  He wrote his work Les Misérables while living here.

Maison de Victor Hugo, No. 6, place des Vosges, Paris.

We were all ready for free, and figured we would enjoy wandering through the appartement to see a little of how Hugo's home may have looked while he lived there.  Here are a few images from inside the home.

Back out in the place, we enjoyed the rest of our morning strolling, people-watching, and picture-taking.

• Nearest Métro station:  Bastille (lines 1, 5, and 8)
• Cost:  free
• What to look for:  Grassy lawn with fountains, great for spreading a blanket and having a picnic lunch; tree-lined walkway around the place with benches for relaxing; the Victor Hugo Museum (free; closed Mondays); walking under the viaducts (arcades) to explore a variety of shops, galleries, and cafés.
• Combine with:  place de la Bastille, or window-shopping along rue du Pont Louis Philippe.

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

Visit my website
Stop by my family blog
Like me on Facebook

Marché d'Aligre | Paris Travel

A pâtisserie in the 12th Arrondissement.

Our Silver Paris

Welcome to my Paris travel journal,

where I share our experiences of our special journey to Paris.

Please use these posts as a guide for your own travels

to this amazing and wonderful city!

Or simply read, and dream...

I don't think I ever mentioned that this day--the same day we walked along the passage du Chantier and relaxed in the square Trousseau--this very day, was my birthday!  Yes, I almost forgot that it was my special day as we walked throughout le Marais enjoying the scenery and the sights of Paris.

Well, back to our story.  :)

After we left square Trousseau--that pretty public garden--we walked up a street and over a few more streets, and found ourselves walking along rue d'Aligre.  There was supposed to be a market-- 

Le marché d'Aligre, a farmers market in le Marais.

We literally walked right into it!  In The Little Black Book of Paris 2012 (ISBN 978-1-4413-0651-7), the author writes that this market, "a frolicking food market with secondhand antique stalls, embodies the working-class character of the area" (p97).  With just one day left in our tour, we didn't need more food.  I was more interested in the antique stalls.  But, it was sure fun strolling through the food part of this market!

Vegetable stand in le marché d'Aligre.

We wandered through the marché, enjoying looking at all the produce being sold.  The vendors were merrily hawking their wares, shouting out the places of origin of their bananas and tomatoes, attempting to lure in buyers for a sale.  It truly was a "frolicking food market!"

We learned later that this covered portion of the marché d'Aligre is called the marché Beauveau, and is possibly one of Paris' best food markets.  We spotted a few organic vendors there, and there were vendors selling flowers and fresh poultry, as well.  The marché is open Tuesday through Saturday, with both a covered portion and shops, and open stalls.

We kept wending our way through the marché, then it seemed that the crowd of people parted, and we were standing in place d'Aligre, the large plaza about halfway down the street.  Now, it wasn't just a plain, empty place.  This is what we saw:

Another part of le marché d'Aligre in the place--a brocante (flea market)!

A cloth vendor displays his fabrics.  Beautiful!

Oh, look at all those items!  Should I spend some money?  Oh, I was in my element--well, except for the French!

Okay, enough of the pictures--I found a vendor selling necklaces, bracelets, and other vintage jewelry.  I happened to spot several silver bracelets, and decided to try on a particularly pretty one.  We did just celebrate our silver anniversary two days earlier!  Fernando was agreeable, and I acted as interpreter--as well as I could--for him and the vendor.  A price was settled on, and I was the happy new owner of a vintage silver anniversary bracelet.

After purchasing the bracelet and wandering through most of the rest of the brocante, we encountered a Frenchman who boldly asked us, in English, "You are American, yes?"  At my nod, he asked if we had a map, then proceeded to guide us over to a vendor (one of his friends apparently).  He "borrowed" our map to show his friend the way to a massage shop (oh, my).  They went on and on in French, then the gentleman chatted with us--or rather, in his beautifully accented English, gave us tons of helpful information about our stay in Paris, what we should do, where we should go, etc. etc.  We didn't have the heart to tell him we had just 24 hours left to enjoy his city!  We simply nodded and smiled, and thanked him for his advice, all the while wondering if we would actually get our precious map back!  After about ten minutes of conversation, he surrendered the map and was on his way.

As we left the brocante, I suddenly remembered the name of the street on which were a number of recommended restaurants.  We spotted it on the map, and were on our way to my birthday lunch.  If you want to read about the details (no food pictures; Fernando wouldn't let me in the tiny restaurant), click here and scroll toward the end.

The fabulous little restaurant, Le Temps au Temps, where we ate a wonderful birthday lunch.

• Nearest Métro station:  Ledru Rollin (line 8); walk east along rue du Faubourg St. Antoine and rue d'Aligre is the fourth street on your right (south side of the street).
• Cost:  Free.  (Unless, of course, you're purchasing produce or flowers, or plan to shop at the brocante!)
• What to look for:  That "frolicking food market" mentioned above, with covered stalls and vendors tempting you to buy.  This is not a touristy place, so be prepared to practice your French!  Also look for the brocante (flea market) which is spread out over the entire place d'Aligre, and where you can find almost everything imaginable for sale at the different stalls and tables set up.
• Combine with:  A walk around place de la Bastille, a walk along the raised promenade Plantée (coulée Verte) and/or the specialty shops underneath its viaducts, a stop at canal St. Martin and its garden walkway, a visit to passage du Chantier to window-shop in the furniture makers' workshops, and/or a stop at the pretty public garden at square Trousseau to take a break from all that walking!!
• Where to eat:  a few more streets east and to the north of rue d'Aligre is rue Paul Bert (look for rue Faidherbe and rue Paul Bert angles off to the right).  There, in one short block, you'll find three highly rated restaurants (The Little Black Book of Paris 2012, one of which is Le Temps au Temps, tiny but amazing.

Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

Visit my website
Stop by my family blog
Like me on Facebook

Place de la Bastille, Marais | Paris Travel

Walking along rue d'Hôtel de Ville.

Our Silver Paris

Welcome to my Paris travel journal,

where I share our experiences of our special journey to Paris.

Please use these posts as a guide for your own travels

to this amazing and wonderful city!

Or simply read, and dream...

Whenever we left our appartement and walked to the Métro station Bastille, we'd see this column, topped with a golden génie

Métro station Bastille is located at place de la Bastille, the plaza where the column is located.  As a helpful side note--Métro stations are generally named after a street, or place, or museum, near which they are located.

The column at place de la Bastille.

The column and statue were built in memory of the Revolution of 1830, which saw a king put back on the throne.  On the top sits the Spirit of Liberty holding broken chains.  According to our walking-tour book:

During the reign of Louis XIV the Bastille became notorious as a place where the king could send his enemies without them being tried.  The king's infamous 'Lettres de Cachet' were enough to earn someone an indeterminate sentence; among the famous here were the Man in the Iron Mask, the Marquis de Sade, Voltaire and the celebrated Latude, who escaped several times.  ~ 24 Great Walks in Paris, p. 50.  (ISBN 978-0-470-22897-5)

The génie de liberté atop the column at place de la Bastille.

A massive medieval castle, the Bastille was built to defend the Paris of Charles V.  It was completed in 1382, having taken 13 years to build.  It took only four months to destroy it, in 1789.

The column at place de la Bastille.

On one of our nighttime walks, we happened down rue Saint Antoine and spotted the column in its evening light.  It made for a great photo.  :)

Night view of the column at place de la Bastille, taken from rue Saint Antoine.

Also located at place de la Bastille is the new opera house, Opéra Bastille, with an elegant modern curving glass front.

The Opéra Bastille, in place de la Bastille.

The building was designed in the 1980s by Venezuelan/Canadian architect Carlos Ott.  Almost all of its 2,700 seats afford perfect visibility.  Guided tours are sometimes available; the booking hall is on the right.

Opéra Bastille.

This plaza (place in French--pronounce the "a" as "ah" as in father) is a busy one (especially on weekends).  Six to eight streets meet around its circle, making walking slightly dangerous (pay attention!) and reading a map nigh impossible.  I say "six to eight streets" since a few "couples" of streets come to a point together, then come into the circle.  It's crazy.

Its Métro station--an exchange station for three different lines--is just as busy and crazy, with six entrances/exits depending on where you are in the place.  Although Fernando and I mastered the Métro after just a few rides, it took us about six tries before we figured out which of the six exits to use so we could emerge at the right street without having to brave crossing several streets to get back to our appartement!  When we finally did figure it out, we shared a triumphant fist-bump.  :)


Treasuring life's moments,
Christine

Visit my website
Stop by my family blog
Like me on Facebook