A little bit of Paris in one minute #7 In Paris, the oldest…
A little bit of Paris in one minute #7 In Paris, the oldest… …monument: Luxor Obelisk, ~3310 years old, …street: rue Saint Jacques (former Roman Via superior), ~2050 years old, …stadium: Arènes de Lutèce, ~2000 years old, …church: église Saint Germain des Près, ~1460 years old, …house: maison de Nicolas Flamel, 613 years old, …tree: a locust near Notre Dame, 418 years old, …bridge: Pont Neuf (the new bridge!), 413 years old, …square: Place des Vosges, 408 years old, …”Café”: Le Procope, 334 years old, …Theatre: Theatre de l’Odéon, 238 years old, …covered passage: Le passage des Panoramas, 221 years old, …running tour guide in Paris: 10 years old! 😃 10 years enjoying being your guide in Paris, Thanks to all the visitors who come to enjoy Paris with us! If you too, you come to Paris, we will be very happy to run with you. Join us and discover Paris with authentic Parisians guides who will take you on the best sight running routes in Paris and who always have tons of secrets to share with you: Music: Vlad Gluschenko — Harmony License: CC BY 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en
Running on mountain paths in Paris?
With Chloe (USA), very early in the morning, we explored places a little less known from Paris (“mountains” and canals for example). Glad to meet you again Chloe during this very early morning tour and to share with you new places in Paris 😀 Thank you very much! If you too, you come to Paris, we will be very happy to run with you. Join us and discover Paris with authentic Parisians guides who will take you on the best sight running routes in Paris and who always have tons of secrets to share with you:
Follow this running Lady in Paris!
For the Global Running Day, we followed a running Lady in Paris! If you too you want to book a special “GPS Drawing” tour, ask us, we will study all your ideas, surprise, text, drawing and propose an original tour in Paris => https://www.parisrunningtour.com/book-now/#request
Beautiful Parisian passages with Arnaud
Like Arnaud de Pézenas (city of Molière), come and discover Paris by running with Paris Running Tours, very beautiful sites and also less known but just as splendid passages. Thank you Arnaud! If you too, you come to Paris, we will be very happy to run with you. Join us and discover Paris with authentic Parisians guides who will take you on the best sightrunning routes in Paris and who always have tons of secrets to share with you:
Another tour with our friends from Turin for a new discovery of Paris
Daniele and Marina from Turin regularly come to Paris. We had the pleasure of doing a new Paris running tour together, a beautiful 18 km race in a rather cold Paris. This time, we explored the north of Paris (last February, we had covered 20 km around the Seine). Before venturing into the beautiful Montmartre, we passed by the rue de Turin 😉: Who says Montmartre says mills, the “Moulin-Rouge” (a “fake” mill whose theatre is well known) and the “Moulin de la Galette”, composed of two authentic mills: In Montmartre, we went to celebrate Marcel Aymé, here immortalized as the “Passe Muraille”, the hero of his famous novel. The statue was created by his friend, the actor Jean Marais, just in front of the writer’s house. Who remembers the inauguration of this work in February 1989? Exactly 30 years ago! We made a detour to see the Clos Montmartre. The vines are sleeping under the snow this February. Come also in October to participate in the Clos Montmartre grape harvest festival (“La fête des Vendanges du Clos Montmartre”). On the occasion of the race “Les foulées du tertre 2008″, one of our guides on the podium was rewarded with one of the very narrow bottles of the Clos Montmartre (on the right of the photo). A little known and very rare wine, the vine having a small production… And of course, the magnificent view of Paris: We left Montmartre (downhill, it’s easier 😉) to reach the centre of Paris via beautiful covered passages: Even if we still had a few kilometers to run, we took a short break to admire the beautiful church of Saint Eustache: Many thanks Marina and Daniele! We look forward to meeting again next year (or perhaps earlier). If you too, you come to Paris, we will be very happy to run with you. Join us and discover Paris with authentic Parisians guides who will take you on the best running routes in Paris and who always have tons of secrets to share with you:
Contemporary art in one of the oldest companies in the world. With Daniela.
Daniela came from Switzerland to rediscover Paris with Paris Running Tours. During our race, we went from one surprise to another, discovering both very old institutions and very recent artistic innovations, as Paris knows how to propose them very frequently. The city perfectly combines modern art and historic buildings. We can cite many examples, the sculpture Réséda by Jean Dubuffet at the “Caisse des Dépôts”, the Saint Merri Church and the Stravinsky Fountain, the Louvre Pyramid… Today, it is within the “11 Conti Monnaie de Paris” (Paris Mint) that we discover a very original work, created by the artist Suboh Gupta. Indeed the “Monnaie de Paris” regularly exhibits the works of contemporary artists. It is however one of the oldest companies of the world still in activity. Created in 864 by Charles II, said “Le Chauve” (the Bald), to realize the currency of Paris. It has been minting French coins for over 1150 years, and still today… the Euros we have in our pockets! The “Monnaie de Paris” is located 11 quai de Conti, in a neo-classical palace built in 1775 and rebuilt identically after being burned down during the Paris Commune in 1871. See the 11 Conti – Monnaie de Paris, whether for its architecture, the visit of its museum which offers breathtaking views of its art workshops, or its exhibitions of contemporary art. Paris Running Tours recommends it. We continue on our way (Daniela is more used to mountain races and yet we run at good speed on the Parisian pavement) and surprise, we meet another work of Contemporary Art very recently installed: This time, it is the very old “Conciergerie” that houses a new installation, “Détournement” of Stéphane Thidet, who diverts part of the water from the Seine to bring it into the Conciergerie (in a controlled way… if we think of the floods that have invaded the place). The water is then returned to the Seine via the waterfall that we see on the photo. A little later, we cross the Palais-Royal and admire nature exploding in spring: The Royal Palace also presents Contemporary art works, the famous “Columns of Buren”(see here), too modern for some in 1986 (the creation caused a scandal)… It is also where the “Conseil Constitutionnel” (Constitutional Council) sits: Running does not prevent us from passing through the beautiful covered galleries of Paris, here the Galerie Vivienne completed in 1823 (and which, a little degraded, is being restored): After the oldest company, we stop in front of the oldest house in Paris, the house of Nicolas Flamel and his wife Pernelle : If you too, you come to Paris, we will be very happy to run with you. Join us and discover Paris with authentic Parisians guides who always have tons of secrets to share with you:
A sports and cultural tour of Paris with Ingrid at Christmas
Ingrid – Gallery Vivienne 8:32 AM – Ingrid lives in Uberaba, Brazil. To begin her stay in Paris, Ingrid chose to make a Paris Running Tour. On Sunday morning, two days before Christmas, Paris is quite decorated for the holidays. As we can see above, the beautiful Gallery Vivienne (1823) also respects the tradition. Our run, in this very quiet Paris of a Sunday morning before Christmas, allowed us to see a highly varied Paris: passages (Gallery Vivienne, passage of the “Grand Cerf”, passage of Bourg-L’abbé), the Paris of Napoleon the 1st with the Arc of the Carousel, the modern Paris with the Pompidou Center or the very old Paris with Nicolas Flamel’s house. Ingrid – House of Nicolas Flamel Nicolas Flamel’s house, which dates 1407, is the oldest of Paris (older than those of the street François Miron). Nicolas Flamel was a rich “Bourgeois” who, with his wife Pernelle, made build houses to welcome the poor people. This one, street of Montmorency, is the last existing one. An inscription indicates the prayers that the inhabitants of the place had to make : “We, ploughmen and women living at the porch of this house, which was made in 1407, are requested to say every day an ‘Our Father’ and an ‘Ave Maria’ praying God that His grace forgive poor and dead sinners Amen“. It is at present an inn. Some strides farther, it is the modern Paris which we discover. Ingrid – Centre Pompidou – “The Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt” Piece of Adel Abdessemed Effectively, we find the Pompidou Center, one of the biggest world Contemporary Arts Centers. It welcomes at present a temporary exhibition of the artist Adel Abdessemed. We can see on the square a (provocative?) sculpture representing the headbutt given by the famous football player Zinedine Zidane to an opponent having a little moved words… Ingrid – Arc du Carrousel We have already spoken about the Arc of the Carrousel during a tour with Kristy. Had you noticed the quadriga at the top of the Arc? In fact, the sculpture is a copy. Napoleon 1st had taken the original statue to the Venetians who themselves had stolen it during the sack of Constantinople in 1204 (The quadriga were ordered by Emperor Constantin in 330). With Napoleon’s fall, the original horses were returned to Venice where you can admire them place Saint Marc. To finish, here is a small postcard with other beautiful places seen during our visit: Merry christmas to all! Merci Ingrid ! The route of the tour:
Center of Paris, right bank with Liz and Curt
Curt and Liz – The “Bourse de Paris” 9:12 AM – Curt and Liz are regular runners who live near Boston (USA). We left the Opera to make a big visit, more than 10 miles (16 km) to discover Paris center, on the Right bank side (a good training for the half marathon Curt prepares). Not far from the Opera, we found the “Bourse de Paris”. Ordered by Napoleon the 1st and created by Alexandre Théodore Brongniart, the building called Palais Brongniart (Brongniart Palace), served for a long time as stock exchange, the Paris Stock Exchange, before the transactions were dematerialized since the 1980s. Remember: Now everything is computerized! The “Bourse de Paris” serves now as a conference, receptions, fashion shows, showroom or exhibitions center. Later, we crossed “Le Marais” quarter (Marais=swamp), very quiet on this Sunday morning. No cars! The street belongs to the runners! Curt and Liz – The Marais Sunday morning, ideal moment to run in Paris! How many discoveries by running, the old Paris, the modern Paris, the fashion shops, the museums, the passages… The Marais, the “Passage des Panoramas”, The “Pont des Arts”, The Pyramide of the Louvre The first shop of a very fashionable shoes manufacturer, The Louvre, The river Seine On our way, a couple of tourists asked Liz to photograph them. It fell well, Liz is, among others, a professional photographer! Liz – Louvre and the Arc of the Carousel Merci Liz ! Merci Curt ! The route of the tour :
Place des Vosges with Anne and Niels
Anne et Niels – Place des Vosges 8:08 AM – It was a great pleasure to meet Anne and Niels from Denmark again. We had run together during a rather cold March, two tours in Paris, for the greater part on the left bank. This time, in this warm day of August, we chose the right bank and followed the plan of the ancient Paris surrounding wall of King Louis XIII, path which constitutes largely what we name “Les Grand boulevards”. To join the Grand boulevards, we went through some of the numerous covered passages of Paris, in particular the “passage des Panoramas”: Anne and Niels – Passage des Panoramas Deserted passage on a Sunday morning and thus usable by the runners! The passage of the Panoramas is one of oldest covered passages of Paris, created in 1799 and doubtless inspired by the oriental souks… The name “panoramas” comes because the main entry was framed by two towers where were exposed panoramic landscapes representing big cities, panoramas. On the Grand boulevards, we admired two big triumphal arches commissioned by king Louis XIV: the “Porte Saint-Martin” (1674) and the “Porte Saint-Denis” (1672). Both arcs were built to the glory of Louis XIV and of his victories and replaced the fortified doors become useless, Charles V’s wall being replaced by the Boulevard. Anne et Niels – Porte Saint Denis We then left the Boulevard to find the “Place des Vosges”: Anne et Niels – Place des Vosges Look closer at the Louis XIII’s statue. To replace the former bronze statue, melted during the Revolution, the sculptors chose the marble, indeed much heavier… The statue threatening to collapse in its center, it was decided to place a trunk under the horse’s belly. It gives a very strange look to this equipage, slowed down in its center by a tree trunk! Merci Anne et Niels ! The route of the tour :
By way of the gallery Véro-Dodat with Erin and Jaymi
Erin and Jaymi – The Fountain of the Four Parts of the World 8:55 AM – With Erin from Miami (USA) and Jaymi from San Francisco (USA), we left the “Porte d’Orléans” at the south end of Paris to run toward the center of the city, cross the Louvre, then return by a parallel route. Do you know the garden of the Great Explorers, the small long and narrow park, situated very close by the garden of the Luxembourg? In its entrance, south side, we met the Fountain of the Four Parts of the World, as we can see it on the photo above, behind the pond. This bronze fountain, realized by several artists from 1867 till 1874, symbolizes the four Continents, Africa, America, Asia and Europe (Oceania not being represented). We also name this fountain the Fountain Carpeaux, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux having sculptured the women who represent the continents. We are in the axis of the meridian of Paris. In the background of the photo, we recognize the Paris Observatory, created in 1667. By running northward, in the Latin Quarter, we crossed the Hotel of Abbots de Cluny, where resides, nowadays, the Museum of the Middle Ages: Erin and Jaymi – Hotel of Cluny It is at the Museum of the Middle Ages that we can admire the magnificent Tapestries of the Lady and the Unicorn . Of return southward, we entered the beautiful gallery Véro-Dodat, a passage created in 1826. For the amateurs of fashion, it is at the end of the gallery that one of the most famous mode shoemakers created his first shop. Shoes with very high heel, incompatible with the running… Jaymi and Erin – Galerie Véro-Dodat We went to finish our running by way of the beautiful Montsouris Park, of which the construction was decided by the baron Haussmann in 1860 to match in the South the Park of the Buttes Chaumont, the other big garden in the North of Paris. Erin and Jaymi – Montsouris Park Merci Erin ! Merci Jaymi ! The route of the tour: