Yes, I moved. My metro station is now "Alma-Marceau" – which opened in 1923. We are at the junction of the Avenue Marceau and the bridge, Pont d’Alma … and also of the Avenue George V, Avenue Montaigne...
Maybe it’s
of some interest to know why these names? Alma refers to the Battle of Alma in
1854 during the Crimean War. Marceau refers to a French general, François
Séverin Marceau-Desgraviers (1769-96) who was killed in a battle at the age of
27 and who also is immortalized by Byron: “Honour to Marceau… brief, brave and
glorious was his young career…”. King George V (1865-1936) gave his name to the
previous Avenue d’Alma already in his lifetime, in 1918, with reference to WWI.
Avenue de Montaigne was previously called the “widows’ alley” and got its name
from the renaissance philosopher Michel de Montaigne (1533-92) much later.
Before
visiting the immediate neighbourhood, here we can see how the area developed
during the centuries and especially note that from almost being countryside,
the real change took place during the last decades of the 19th
century, Haussmann again. One detail was the fire pump which lifted the Seine
waters to some nearby basins and which was in operation here between 1781 and
1900.
Here are thus some views
from my new and immediate surroundings – I neglect the Palais de Tokyo and the
Galliera Museum on which I have already posted, see here and here. The Flame,
copy of the Flame of the Statue of Liberty, was a gift by the International
Herald Tribune to Paris in 1989, to commemorate the 1789 Revolution, see
previous post. I have already talked about the new orthodox church several
times, e.g. here.
Some views
of churches behind the trees, the Saint-Pierre de Chaillot (see here) and the American
Cathedral (see here).
Three
embassies, the Spanish one, the Vatican one and the Kenyan one.
A number of
places where to eat and drink… some quite renowned.
Fashion
houses, Givenchy, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga … including the newly reopened YSL
museum.
Crazy Horse…
A
fashionable area, nice in many ways, but where it’s difficult to find a haircut
for less than 70 € …
… and where
I must make a nice walk to find a
supermarket, a boulangerie …but twice
a week, I can find fresh food and a lot of other stuff on Avenue Wilson... and I have my little garden in front of my little flat. It's really nice.
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6 comments:
Wow ! Tu es dans un quartier chic maintenant. Je connais bien cette flamme, je l'ai photographiée avec Lucie. Nous venions de passer devant le Palais de Toky et nous nous rendions avec une autre blogueuse au musée Branly.
Pour le sac à main, sans façon vraiment ! J'ai payé le mien 20 €.
Super beau quartier,près de belles boutiques.
What a splendid neighborhood! I've been by the flame but never really explored around there and I think I would love it. I love, also, that you have a small garden in front of your flat! Sounds pretty perfect to me!
What a wonderful area! And an apartment with a small garden in front? I'm so happy for you!
As for the kuaför ;), did you try chez Maniatis, près de Champs-Élysées? And 68€ I believe they charge. I have a friend who goes there when in Paris. He says the lady that cut his hair when he was a kid (and a medical student) is still there. That salon, one of several in Paris, belongs to the celebrated coiffeur Jean Marc Maniatis, a star student of the sisters Carita. Monsieur Maniatis was launched to stardom by working for Karl Lagerfeld.
My friend's late wife, the beautiful Laly (and one of my dearest friends) went to the Jean Louis David's salon in your neighborhood, one of the late Monsieur David's several around your fabled city......
Beautiful post and photos, Peter!
Thank you so much.
Maria
Hello Peter , Hope you are well. Not sure how I have missed all your fabulous posts. You certainly have moved to a lovely area, I am sure you lived in another lovely area before too.
As always your blog posts are amazing , with such interesting facts and a super insight to all around with fabulous links .. Amazing as always and thank you for sharing the joys of Paris :-) ♥
Many writers, among them Evangeline Bruce in her magnificent book "Napoleon and Josephine" mention that the lovely Theresia Tallien ("Notre-Dame de Thermidor") lived on the "Allée des veuves" or "Widows' Alley".
Paris by Sunlight and Gaslight: A Work Descriptive of the ...
https://books.google.com › books
James Dabney McCabe · 1869 · Paris (France)
...(The Widow's Alley), because it was the favorite resort of widows and persons in deep mourning whom fashion prevented from appearing in the gay throng that swept along the main drive. Madame Tallien lived here...
Thanks again, Peter!
Maria
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