Testavin

Although there are thousands of restaurants in Paris and hundreds of great restaurants I always seem to come back to Testavin. It is across from Bertillon the famous sorbet establishment on the Ile Saint-Louis and was first recommended by Lorenzo and Linda Rovere via Francois and Janet Sully. I've eaten there more than a dozen times and it is usually my first stop on any trip to Paris including this trip. I ate there three time on this stay ... my first night alone ... with Denis, Janice, Ashlee, Savannah and Peter and on my last night with Vida. I didn't take pictures on the previous trips but have a few to show for this dinner since Vida had her camera. It was spectacular as usual and I highly recommend it to anyone travelling through Paris. It is very much a classic french restaurant serving classic french dishes served in classic french style. If you are a Big Mac lover this is NOT the place for you. When I travel to Paris I try to be Parisian ... open markets every day or at least every second day, long walks and more long walks, Le Metro when I have to although this trip I tried to NOT take the Metro whenever possible, baguette and cheese, fois gras, jardins, museums, statues, read a lot of history, open windows in my apartment, European style sirens in the street 24-7, feeble attempts to speak french etc. If this is your objective and I admit it may not be right for everyone ... then I can't think of a better way to start a stay in Parisian than to eat out at Testavin. Parisian to the core.


Life is good ... enjoy


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Tracadero Fountain

Vida and I walked down to Trocadero to see the fountain in operation. Met these two Australian girls who were having a blast being "Parisien" ... notice the Normandy striped shirt, the beret and baguette and the mustache. Oh to be in Paris and have the freedom to enjoy oneself.

The Trocadero area, made up of the Place du Trocadero and terraced gardens, is dominated by the Palais de Chaillot. Built in 1937 for the Exposition Universelle, it's a rather ugly building, in sober Neoclassical style. The central terrace between its two wings has been kept clear, forming a perfect frame for the Eiffel Tower beyond as you see in the pictures. The vast building houses the radical Theatre National de Chaillot and four museums, only two of which are currently visitable, the Musee de l'Homme and the Musee de la Marine. Damage from a fire in 1996 closed the Musee du Cinema Henri Langlois, for which a permanent home has still to be found. The Musee des Monuments Français has been closed for renovation and will form part of a planned "Cite de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine", a vast architectural information resource center.

Life is good ... enjoy

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Place de Concorde

One of my disappointments on arrival in Paris was that the Place de la Concorde was pretty well blocked off with viewing stands for Bastille day. Indeed you couldn't even get to the centre island. I did pass by the other day and everything is back to normal so I took some pics ... primarily of the fountain ...

At 8 hectares (20 acres), the octagonal Place de la Concorde is the largest square in Paris. It is situated between the Tuileries and the Champs-Elysees.

In 1763, a large statue of king Louis XV was erected at the site to celebrate the recovery of the king after a serious illness. The square surrounding the statue was created later, in 1772, by the architect Jacques-Ange Gabriel. It was known as the place Louis XV.

In 1792, during the French revolution, the statue was replaced by a another, large statue, called 'Liberté' and the square was called Place de la Révolution. A guillotine was installed at the center of the square and in a time span of only a couple of years, 1119 people were beheaded here. Amongst them many famous people like King Louis XVI, Marie-Antionette, and revolutionary Robespierre, just to name a few. After the revolution the square was renamed several times until 1830, when it was given the current name 'Place de la Concorde'.

In the 19th century the 3200 years old obelisk from the temple of Ramses II at Thebes was installed at the center of the Place de la Concorde. It is a 23 meters (75 ft) tall monolith in pink granite and weighs approximately 230 tons. In 1831, it was offered by the Viceroy of Egypt to Louis Philippe. The obelisk - sometimes dubbed 'L'aiguille de Cléopâtre' or Cleopatra's Needle - is covered with hieroglyphs picturing the reign of pharaohs. Pictures on the pedestal describe the transportation to Paris and its installation at the square in 1836. At each corner of the octagonal square is a statue representing a French city: Bordeaux, Brest, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Rouen and Strasbourg. They were installed in 1836 by Jacob Ignaz Hittorf, who redesigned the Place de la Concorde between 1833 and 1846. That same year a bronze fountain, called 'La fontaine des Mers' was added to the square. A second one, the 'Elevation of the Maritime' fountain, was installed in 1839. Both fountains were designed by Hittorf. My pictures are primarily of these two fountains.

Life is good ... enjoy

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