Author: Roisin Astell

Misty views of Paris from Montmartre

Misty views of Paris from Montmartre

Published by

The weather this week in Paris has been like a yo-yo, one minute it’s glorious and the next it’s rainy. It was also during this week that there was an enigmatic mist covering the skyline over Paris, almost like a lilac blanket keeping the city warm. Whilst on the train into the city centre, I am usually blessed with stunning views of the vista with the Eiffel Tower emerging from the cityscape, however, on this particular journey La Tour Eiffel was concealed into the depths of the mist that engulfed it. Therefore, what better place to get a more fitting view than at the top of Montmartre by La basilique du Sacré-Cœur. There’s something quite magical and enchanting about such a landscape, it’s just a shame I didn’t manage to get a photo of the Eiffel Tour hiding away – next time.

Le mur des je t'aime, Montmartre

Le mur des je t’aime, Montmartre

Published by

What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a post all about love! This week I ventured off to Montmartre, and stumbled upon an infamous sight of this area. Stretching across 612 lava tiles, this is no ordinary wall. It is Paris’ Le mur des je t’aime, a wall devoted to expressing the words ‘I love you’ in 311 various languages. It was created by Frédéric Baron and Claire Kito, who both went round the various Embassies in the city and asked their neighbours to write down the phrase in their own languages, until finally they had gathered an adequate amount of love. Furthermore, what is interesting is that the artist Frédéric Baron stated that the random red shapes which interject various parts of the tiles have a metaphorical function, representing “the pieces of a broken heart” of “which the wall tries to gather together.” You can find this interesting piece of art in Jehan-Rictus Square, which is located right by Abbesses station in Montmartre. There is even a website for the wall: http://www.lesjetaime.com

Exploring the 6th arrondissement, Paris

Published by

The 6th arrondissement, known as offering the quintessential Parisian experience. This area of the city is beautiful – you can take a leisurely stroll around the Jardin du Luxembourg, check out some chic boutiques, visit a 6th-century Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and eat to your heart’s delight. Wanna be a true Parisian flâneur? Head to the 6th arrondissement

Instagram

Farewell January, hello February!

Published by

January is often a somewhat monotonous month. Christmas has come and gone, and people go back to work or university. However, for me, this January has been incredibly different to what I have become accustomed to. For the last 6 years, January has meant exams, but this year was the first time in many that I didn’t have to revise over the Christmas holidays nor panic myself during this period. So now, I have a very different view-point of this time of year.  As previously mentioned, nothing exciting normally happens around this time, but here in Paris, January has definitely been an eventful one. One only needs to think back to the three days of terror that took the city by surprise, with the attack on the satirical paper Charlie Hebdo, and the hostage scenes taking place both outside Paris and in the very heart of the city. Everyone was shaken by these events, which ultimately led to the most attended march in French History. Within the following weeks, the hysteria subdued, and people carried on with their January. Personally, this …

A hidden gem of the Art Nouveau era: 29 Avenue Rapp, 7th arrondissement, Paris

A hidden gem of the Art Nouveau era: 29 Avenue Rapp, 7th arrondissement

Published by

This weekend a friend and I were exploring the streets of the 7th arrondissement, when unexpectedly we stumbled upon the gem that is 29 Avenue Rapp. Right in front of us was an amazing Art Nouveau building, and we just had to go and have a closer look! After some research, I found out that this building is much more famous than I had first imagined. Built in 1901, it was designed by Jules Aimé Lavirotte, a famous French architect whose theatrical designs are typical of the Art Nouveau moment, and today there are just around nine of his buildings left in the whole of Paris. It is a truly unique building, with a stunning façade that had me transfixed. Adorning the façade are beautiful sculptural designs, figurative symbols and exquisite balconies. Unfortunately (or fortunately to the residents), you cannot go inside, so one can only imagine if the interior is as opulent as the exterior. I also read online that a myth of this building is that it is “a private residence for widowed military spouses”, …