Friday 31 January 2014

La Defense the Business district of Paris ..July 2013

 
I hope you enjoy this little trip, certainly a great place to see!!
 
 
After doing a little bit of research I found out that
 
 
 the American landscape architect and garden designer,
 was responsible for a 0.5 mile stretch
 
now known as L’Esplanade du Général de Gaulle
 
 between the River Seine and the Grand Arche
 
I am definitely going back to see this place. Loved having
my picnic amongst the trees ,
taking shade and then just people watching,
when I suppose I should of been walking around ...
 
 
 
The Men of the City
 
“Les Hommes de la Cite”
by France and Hughes Siptrott
 
 
You can see these statues as soon as you come out of the Metro
 

 
 
 
Les Signaux Lumineux by Takis (1990)
 
 
 

 
 
Two weeks of  FREE concerts .. It was such a shame I could
not get to one here at La Defense ..
 
 












 
 This is a  840 foot column with a massive mosaic on it. 
It is called “Les Trois Arbres” or The Three Trees
 
This mosaic was designed in  1988 by
a French artist, painter and sculptor, Guy-Rachel Grataloup


























The Grand Arche









Looking straight down to the
 





This view is the other side of the
 





 
View Larger Map

 
I have only shown you a few examples of the wonderful statues,
I was there for a few hours, so obviously we need to be there for a lot longer.
 
You can have lunch and you can also shop here too, as it has the biggest shopping
mall too. 
 
HOW did I miss "Le Pouce" The Giant Thumb
and lots more!!!
 
Oh well who needs an excuse to go back to Paris ??
 
 
 
 

Sunday 19 January 2014

A little stroll down Rue Mouffetard Paris - July 2013


After Peter and I looked at the Street Art , we talk a walk
down Rue Moufftard , just taking a stroll and
then going for a beer at the bottom of the street.
 
Hope you enjoy this little stroll. As you know this street
is famous for all the little Delis, Cheese shops, Wine shops and
lots more. I do have photos of those from another trip but not this time.



 
This ancient advertisement, is  above what was once a chocolate factory,
and dates back to 1748, is situated on the pretty, Place de la Contrescarpe, Paris.
It’s now on Paris’s registry of sites deemed historical and unable to  be removed or modified.
 
If you would like to read more of the history in the link please.
 
I am sure if this was in the UK , it would be destroyed. I hope that the people of Paris
who want to keep it , do,
 
 
 lived in Paris at 74 Rue Cardinal Limoine in 1922 until 1923 with
his first wife Hadley , an American writer.
 





This is such unusual looking Art work.  Pigs, birds, dear and wild boar intertwining
amongst the plant spirals. is is dating from 1929 - 1931 and the shades of Gold and
Brown are original for the time. Created by  Adigheri   , an Italian artisan using
the sgraffito technique. 
 
Sgraffito is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colors to a moistened surface, or in ceramics, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive layers of contrasting slip, and then in either case scratching so as to produce an outline drawing.







 
I just love walking around and seeing this history , much more than
going to a museum. Not to say I don't go to them , but not very often!

Hope you all have a great week
Take care.
 
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥