Another Bloomsday in Paris

In late April Brenda and I walked a 12 kilometer course in Paris to complete Virtual Bloomsday. It was our version of the annual 12 kilometer road race held in Spokane the first Sunday in May. We wrote about our doing this same thing five years ago (https://muchadoaboutparis.com/bloomsday-in-paris/). On that occasion we followed a course passing places and events important to the publication of James Joyce’s Ulysses. The book focuses on a day in the life of protagonist Leopold Bloom, thus the idea of Bloom’s Day. In Spokane, where the Lilacs bloom in May, the event title also celebrates the fullness of spring. 

This year we chose a different route, one that passed by locations we like to visit in Paris. The map above shows our twisting route and the approximate locations of the below numbered photos taken along the way. Paragraphs following the photos explain their significance. Basically, we followed the Seine eastward, switching back and forth until we reached the Jardin des Plantes. Then we reversed direction and went into the Marais until our total distance reached 12 kilometers. 

Here are photos along the route:

1. Brenda is descending to the riverfront promenade on the left bank of the Seine. Behind her is the ornate and extravagant Pont Alexandre III, constructed in 1891 to commemorate the alliance between France and Russia. Its construction in the Beaux-Arts style with a single low steel arch was then a celebrated engineering achievement.

2. Brenda is ascending from the riverfront. Behind her is the 4th most visited museum in Europe, Musée d’Orsay. The building was constructed in 1810 as Palais d’Orsay to house government offices. It was destroyed by fire in the 1871 Paris Commune riots, remaining in ruins for about 30 years. Then the French government built a railway station in the Beaux-Arts style for the 1900 French World Exposition. It was now Gare d’Orsay. In 1939 it fell into partial disuse; the railway platforms were too short for new trains. By the 1970’s the government had plans to demolish it. However, there was such a public outcry that instead it was preserved and converted to today’s Musée d’Orsay. The new museum was founded to bridge the gap between the art collections of the Louvre and the Centre Pompidou.

3. Hugh is standing near the entry to the Louvre (the world’s most visited museum) at Place du Carrousel. Through that entry there used to be a huge square, walled off from the Tuileries Garden by the King’s palace, Palais des Tuileries. The Palace was burned and later torn down after the Paris Commune riots of 1871. Carrousel refers to an elaborate equestrian spectacle organized by Louis XIV in 1662 to commemorate the birth of his son.

4. Brenda is on the pedestrian bridge Pont des Artes, behind which looms the Palais de l’Institut de France. This palace houses five academies: the Académie Française, Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres, Académie des sciences, Académie des beaux-arts, and Académie des sciences morales et politiques. Briefly, these function to preserve and update the academic goals and standards for all aspects of education in France. They act on the French educational system through leadership and communication rather than by administrative control. Being a member of l’Académie is a great honor conferred only upon a small group of accomplished academics.

5. The view is looking up rue de l’Odéon, at the end of which is the Odéon Theater. Queen Marie-Antoinette inaugurated it on April 9, 1782, and even today it hosts theatrical productions. The original Shakespeare and Company, where James Joyce’s Ulysses was first published, was halfway up on the right side.

6. From here we have walked east into the Latin Quarter. Between Boulevard Saint-Michel and rue Saint Jacques, there are many restaurants, shops, and especially Greek and Turkish fast-food places. We affectionately call this area “the food court”. Brenda is pointing to the menu at New Antalya, named after a popular Turkish tourist city on the Mediterranean.

7. Brenda stands in front of the famous Latin Quarter pastry shop Odette, known especially for its cream puffs. Odette was the grandmother of shop owner Frédéric Berthy. The shop name is not related the character Odette in Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time.

8. Hugh is standing across from Pont de la Tournelle, the middle bridge from the left bank onto Île Saint Louis. The tall statue on the bridge is of Sainte Geneviève. French sculptor Paul Landowski, who carved the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, created Geneviève in 1928. Sainte Geneviève is the Patron Saint of Paris, credited with saving the city from Attila the Hun in 451 AD.

9. Just nearby the previous photo is the entry to Tour d’Argent (https://tourdargent.com/), one of Paris’s most famous and expensive restaurants. The top floor restaurant has a commanding view of Notre Dame de Paris, the Seine, and Île Saint Louis.

10. Brenda stands in front of the plaza by the metro station at Jussieu. The purple flowered trees (Paulownia I think) were in full bloom. This site, alongside the iron-gated Jussieu Campus of the Pierre and Marie Curie University, was once the battleground for the 1968 Paris student riots. These protests created profound effects on French culture and politics. The iron gates were installed at the time to keep the students out. 

11. Hugh is looking at the flower identifier in the Jardin des Plants. King Louis XIII established this garden in 1626 to grow medicinal plants. Over the years, the garden’s role has expanded to support scientific research and education. It continues to serve education today even as it serves also as a public park. 

12. Now we turned back towards Île Saint Louis on the banks of the Seine through Jardin Tino Rossi. Brenda poses in one of the many flower beds along our route. People come here on summer nights to salsa and tango on the concrete dance floors by the river. 

13. We crossed the Seine again at the eastern end of Île Saint Louis and proceeded into the Marais. Shown is a photo of Brenda in the garden of the Hôtel de Sully. This large private mansion was constructed in 1624. It was purchased in 1634 by Maximilien de Béthune, the first Duke of Sully and a former minister of King Henri IV. His family occupied the mansion until 1752. After that it changed hands, was split into smaller spaces, and lost its aura of aristocracy. It was designated an historic monument in 1862 and was acquired by French state in 1944. It was restored in the 1950s and 1970s, and today it serves as a great cultural landmark.

14. Brenda poses in the garden area of Place des Vosges, the oldest square in Paris, originally called Place Royale. It was inaugurated in 1612. The previous structure, the former royal residence Hôtel des Tournelles, was destroyed following the death of King Henry II in 1559. He died in a jousting accident. Place des Vosges design features uniform red brick and stone façades. No two buildings are exactly alike. It set a new standard for urban planning in Europe and became a model for later residential squares. 

15. The Peloton Café at 17 Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe is a favorite among bike enthusiasts. We included it on our route to honor our Australian friends, who come to Europe every summer on bike tours.

16. We ended our virtual Bloomsday in front of La Cuisine (https://lacuisineparis.com/), our favorite English speaking cooking school in Paris. Over the years, we’ve often celebrated American holidays by taking a cooking class there. After working together to prepare a meal, the class can sit down and enjoy it. 

So that was it – another Bloomsday in the books ! We were somewhat weary by then, so we slipped off to one of our old favorite cafés for lunch and something to drink.

BloomsdayParis walking tour