This week on Instagram
This week involved wondering Paris, both on beautifully sunny days and misty, mysterious ones. It finally feels like Spring may be on its way.
All posts tagged: photography
Exploring the 6th arrondissement, Paris
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
Farewell January, hello February!
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
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”, …
A spontaneous trip up La Tour Eiffel
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/
La Grande Mosquée de Paris
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.
Róisín Astell 