Travel Tips

Not as famous as the Colonnade (East) face, this long gracious building tries to keep the same rhythm. It is mostly hidden by trees but the same form is maintained throughout with decorative pediments at appropriate locations.

We approached the tip of the Ile. The Pont Neuf runs across it and has two multiarched spans, one to each bank. The boat went up the Left side one. The picture is of the right side.

The tip is built up and has a grassy area. Below is a retaining wall and a stone ledge. This is characteristic of other areas along the Seine and is a spot where locals like to loung, read and in warmer weather sun-bathe.

On the land portion of the bridge, just above the point is a bronze statue of Henri IV on horseback. Behind him is the grassy area called the Square du Vert-Galant, his nickname.

As we passed the bridge we could see the corbel-like grotesque heads below the balustrade, an echo of an earlier period. The bridge was built between 1578-1607 and is the oldest bridege in Paris (obviously much restored for its heavy traffic)

It was difficult to see any of the buildings on the Ile since its land level is quite elevated. We saw the side of the Palais de Justice and saw the spire of Ste. Chapelle sticking up and later the upper part of the South Tower of Notre Dame but not the West facade. The boat docked at this point. When it started again we could see the South face of Notre Dame up close

The boat proceded toward its last Left Bank stop at the Jardin des Plantes. Enroute from the back of the boat there was a fine view of the Apse of Notre Dame with its fine flying buttresses

On our left as we proceded was the Ile St. Louis. We proceded to circle it and turned downstream with the Ile on our left, ultimately arriving at our destination below the Hotel de Ville. We planned to visit the Marais and the fine buildings and churches in this area, but since we were hungry we stopped in the Jewish Quarter and had a Freech Kosher lunch.