15.8.13

If you want to climb...


If you want to climb to the top of the “Tour-Saint-Jacques”, it’s now or - perhaps - never.

The tower is normally closed to visitors, but exceptionally it’s now open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until September 15 – only 8  visits per day, max 17 persons = 136 visitors per day. You must queue up the very day of the visit and if you wish to be sure to get a place, I recommend being there before 8 in the morning. You can then book for a visit at an hour of the day which suits you, as long as there is place.




I already wrote about the rather recently renovated tower – all that remains of the church Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie - in this post, so I’m not repeating its five centuries history. I could possibly add that it actually was used as a meteorological station until as late as 2000 and that the little square that surrounds it was the first official green space that was created in Paris – during the 19th century… and that although you can find the statue of Blasie Pascal under the arches, it’s not sure that he actually did some experiments here.  


The stairs are narrow, there are some 300 steps…


There is not much to see inside, the restoration has obviously been concentrated to the outside. Do the stained glass windows show the signature of Nicolas Flamel and his wife Pernelle (see previous post), who had their tomb in the disappeared church?


Once on the top you are on a altitude which is similar to the top of the Notre Dame towers and this was for centuries as high as you could get to get some good views of Paris. You can of course look down, notice some very ancient “tags”…



… but I guess you will especially admire what you can see of Paris. 







12 comments:

yoko said...

Great pictures from top of Tower !!
thank you

Thérèse said...

Unique experience, unique views!
Lucky you.

Studio at the Farm said...

Beautiful building, and the sculptures are exquisite! Thank you so much for posting this, Peter.

hpy said...

So you climbed!

Dédé said...

Si tu pouvais monter sur d'autres tours et nous montrer la vue d'en haut, ce serait bien. Nous, comme ça, on n'est pas du tout fatigué. :-)

Jeanie said...

Fantastic photos! Wish I could pinpoint all the locations -- they are GREAT!

This is a spot I passed by quite regularly and saw often when I was in Paris. It would be fun to get to the top! How lucky you are right there to do it. Bravo!

Anonymous said...

Such wonderful views from that place!

Once, when trying to find a famous café where Berthe Morisot's most beloved friend, Stephane Mallarme liked to hang out...I think I saw this tower in that neighborhood...

Beautiful post, Peter! Thanks.
Maria

claude said...

Je l'ai photographié en compagnie de Lucie. C'est curieux, mais cette tour a toujours captivé mon regard de petite fille. Merci pour tous les détails et pour les vues sur Paris, Magnifique !

arabesque said...

Would love to see that up close!
But a pity it's only till sept.
Looks beautiful from above and of course its exteriors.

Starman said...

Back when we first went to Paris, I could have made that climb, but I could even think about it now.

Virginia said...

Merci for the view Peter. As you know, I've climbed the Sacre Coeur twice, once with you and with my knees, the Tour St. Jacques is O.U.T. for me. When I started reading your post I suspected that you were at the head of the line raring to go and you were! BRAVO.
V

Vacations-Abroad.com said...

Amazing views..and beautiful buildings and skyline