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
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”, …
My friend and I made a spontaneous decision recently to go and walk up the Eiffel Tower – and why not?! It was a beautiful, albeit cold day – the sun was out, and with the prospect of the next few days being miserable here in Paris, this was the perfect opportunity. To my surprise, I was shocked at how cheap it was for us to walk up to the second level of the tower (which is a lot higher than it sounds!). However, I’m not gonna lie, it was tough walking up all those steps, but once completed, you’re rewarded with amazing views of the city. We also timed our visit really well, as we were able to see the sun setting over Paris. A view that I recommend to everyone! You can view more photos that I took on my flickr account: https://www.flickr.com/photos/roisingrace/sets/72157648139058404/
The Grand Mosquée is often off the radar for tourists, and you may not have heard about it. Founded in 1926 after World War I, it is one of the largest mosques in the whole of France. Visitors are allowed to explore the mosque as long as they are respectful to worshipers attending daily prayers, and I am so grateful that we are allowed this opportunity.
This Saturday, some of my closest friends and I went to the Musée d’Orsay. In addition to exploring all the beautiful paintings and sculptures on display, we could not miss seeing the iconic clock on the top floor. The vista of Paris from the clock is amazing, with stunning views of the River Seine and La Basilique du Sacré Cœur, amongst many others. Here are just a few of the photos I took.
With just a week to go till Christmas Eve and the big day itself, I thought it was about time that I uploaded some of the recent photographs that I took one night of Notre-Dame Cathedral being all festive. The Christmas Tree that adorns the square infant of the Cathedral was actually donated by Russia. Due to the struggle of the Cathedral to raise the money to purchase a tree, it appealed to foreign embassies in Paris for aid. According to Russia’s ambassador to France, the “Tree is a message of peace”, as I am sure that we are all aware of the current political occurrences regarding Russia. Although I’m actually not that impressed by the tree – I’m more of a gold and red Christmas decoration kinda’ girl – it is still lovely to see and photograph the beautiful Notre-Dame Cathedral during this merry time of year. What are your thoughts on the Tree?
Róisín Astell 