A Visit to the Île de la Cité

Here’s where we start our visit to the Île de la Cité. This park is on the southeast side of Notre-Dame Cathedral. With no major streets nearby, it’s a peaceful park. This is where Paris started, about 4500 years ago. Paris is named after the Parisii, who settled here 2300 years ago. The Romans arrived in about 52 BC, but they settled mostly on the Left Bank. (The Left Bank is the south side of the river, including the Latin Quarter.) You’re looking roughly northwest at the moment. The faint motor sound you hear is a boat on the river, not traffic. Here you can see the back (east side) of Notre-Dame Cathedral. The flying buttresses are visible. They provide support for the cathedral walls. This allows more stained glass to be put in the walls. This bridge connects the east end of the island to the Latin Quarter. These days the railings are awash in padlocks, placed by romantic couples. This has only become popular in recent years in Paris. City Hall in Paris isn’t quite sure whether or what to do about them. This is the Left Bank of the river, across from the cathedral. (The voice saying “come on” is a French street artist soliciting clients.) This is the classic “postcard view” of the cathedral from the bridge. It’s probably the best shot for souvenir photos showing Notre-Dame. The uppermost statue in green is supposed to be Saint Thomas. The model, however, was 19th-century architect Viollet-le-Duc. He extensively restored the cathedral in the 1800s. This is the west facade (front) of the cathedral. Originally there were buildings on this plaza, centuries ago. Their locations are still marked on the pavement. This is the northern (side) entrance to the cathedral. It hasn’t yet been restored (it takes years). Here on the portal of the Last Judgment, Hell is depicted graphically. It’s a reminder of what happens to people who are insufficiently pious. Saint Denis, depicted here, picked up his head and carried it away … … after having it chopped off by the Romans (or so they say). The portal of Saint Anne is the main entrance today. Admission is free. This is just inside the entrance. There’s a “standard” path that visitors usually follow inside. It takes them up and down the sides and around the back of the interior. This is exactly how it looks inside. I didn’t use any artificial light. There are always many candles glowing inside Notre-Dame. They’re a source of revenue for the cathedral, which may be a factor. Notre-Dame is “tourist friendly,” with few restrictions on visitors. They don’t like flash photos or loud noise, but that’s about it. These big candles encourage a larger “donation.” There’s a guest book that visitors can sign, or simply look at. The number and variety of signatures are fascinating. These are the tiniest candles. In theory, they are free … … in practice, not quite. The public is only allowed on the ground floor. But there are galleries above, up and up to the very high vaulted ceiling. The huge southern rose window on the right is justifiably famous. This is the original altar of the cathedral. And on the right in the foreground is its ugly modern replacement. This is the nave of the cathedral. The stained glass is beautiful, but often it is quite far away! This is the huge northern rose window. And this … is the inevitable gift shop near the exit. The oldest hospital in Paris is on the north side of the plaza. Hôtel-Dieu is the old French term for a hospital. The building in the background is home to the national law courts. It’s where gangsters and other high-profile suspects are tried. And this is another one of my patented, hand-held traveling shots. This street, just north of Notre-Dame, has tons of touristy shops. And this crowd, blocking my way, is getting off an excursion bus. Les Cars Rouges is one of several companies offering bus tours. I guess I can kiss my Oscar goodbye! Rrrr. Finally! Plenty of postcards, berets, and plastic gargoyles here! I’ve edited out most of the walk, so as not to try your patience. Still, I think shots like this give you a feel for what it’s like. That yellow box on the left is a mailbox. The bridge up ahead leads to the Right Bank (north side) of the Seine. These are people relaxing at the west end of the Île St. Louis. This is a tiny street just off the beaten path on the Île de la Cité. This restaurant has been here for almost eight hundred years. Here’s today’s menu. This ultra-small park would be peaceful if it weren’t for that siren! This is on the rue des Ursins, a street that (almost) nobody visits. The line on the sign marks the highest flood the Seine ever had, in 1910. This is the rue des Chantres, a narrow but somehow charming street. And this is the rue Chanoinesse. This charming restaurant is only a few feet away from the tourist track. Near the Cité Métro station is a flower market. On Sundays, it also turns into a bird market. Everything bird fanciers need is sold here on Sundays, including the birds. I suppose these bags of seed must look very tasty to birds. There are cages for every taste and budget. The variety of seeds available is amazing. Are birds really that picky? I don’t know what species of birds these are, but there are lots. It seems kind of cruel to keep these little birds under these metal wires. More bird food—I notice that only vegetarian species are accommodated. Medicines and nutritional supplements are available. As I said, this is also a flower market the rest of the week, and Sunday. Fresh eggs for sale, and more food for birds. I guess the latter leads to the former, sort of. Pick your species and take it home. Birds are some of the rare pets that can fit in a typical Paris apartment. The seller was amused that I shot three minutes to get six clean seconds. I think I like plants and flowers a bit more than birds. I like walking among the plants and flowers. It’s quite a change from the urban decor of Paris streets. I guess you can grow your own flowers from the seed packs on the right. But in Paris, where would you grow them? Most people live in small apartments, without much room for a garden. Maybe customers come in from the suburbs. It’s a bit like a friendly jungle in here! Yes, the bells you hear are those of Notre-Dame. Have I been this way before? I’m not even sure! Let me just take a left here. Back out towards the bird market. Hear the bells at Notre-Dame? They’re real, not electronic. I guess these are flower pots? And birdhouses, I think. I don’t have any plants at home, as you may have guessed. But I like them as long as someone else takes care of them. And these are apparently to scare away birds, I think. Moving right along … in the background, the oldest bridge in Paris. It’s called the “New Bridge” because it was new when it was built. It’s actually about four hundred years old. It was the first bridge that didn’t have houses built on it. You can see the Latin Quarter in the background. The bridge has two spans, north and south. This is the south span. Each of these hand-carved faces is different. Some are a bit scary! I hope they are intended as caricatures. I think I know a few of these people! This is a Batobus. It’s a river-based shuttle boat that makes many stops. It’s not as useful as a bus, but it’s a lot more scenic. Batobus = Bato (boat) + Bus. Get it? Clever, no? The apartments on the island are expensive even by Paris standards. Incidentally, the Pont Neuf was the first bridge in Paris with sidewalks. This is a Bateaux-Mouches excursion boat. I like Bateaux-Mouches because they have nice, large boats. But there are a number of excursion-boat companies in Paris. The bridge has had heavy traffic ever since it was built. This is a statue of Henry IV. The bridge was completed during his reign. Like most Parisian parks, this tiny park at the west end of the island is charming. Another excursion boat. The boats of this company are arranged like floating gardens. This square (which isn’t square) is very peaceful, which means expensive to live in. The park has no grass, but the trees are nice when they are green. Let’s walk across the north span of the bridge, shall we? This bridge was considered extremely wide when it was built. I consider it the second-prettiest bridge in Paris, after the Alexander III bridge. The Samaritaine building in the distance used to be a nice department store. Now it’s empty, while its new owner tries to figure out how to get rich with it. This is a little café facing the John XXIII park. And this is a street performer on the Saint Louis bridge. There are always a few performers on this bridge between the islands. This other performer is taking a break. I’ve seen him lots of times. This is one of several nice café/restaurants on the Île Saint Louis. And this one is across the street. Sorry about the wind. Thank you for watching my video.