Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Beautiful Pont Neuf


It's been a while since I've shown our beautiful Pont Neuf (New bridge). I took this photo from l'île de la Cité. Let me just remind you what I wrote about it last June: "it was started in 1578 and completed in... 1604 (the French kings needed more money for the war than for bridges then). At that time it was really something: 20 meters wide (66 feet), real sidewalks (and unusual thing at that time) and 384 Mascarons (masks sculptures in stone) on each side."

31 comments:

  1. Hey, Eric...it's a beauty! And as much as I love your unique view on some of the lesser known parts of Paris, the classic parts are great, too.

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  2. Beautiful, as always. One of my favorite Parisian bridges.

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  3. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!! Pont Neuf belongs to the categories of things you can never see enough of, I think ... Thanks, Eric! :)

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  4. My second favorite after Pont Alexandre III. Ironically, I have a lot more photos of Pont Neuf though! Here is a close-up one of the faces that Eric mentioned. And another at dusk.

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  5. Great shot & a beautiful light to it.

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  6. merci merci je suis heureuse de voir la Seine.
    Mes enfants sont à Paris, moi à Québec.
    Avec ces photos je me sens un peu avec eux !

    à demain !

    Lucie

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  7. i dont think here we have such old bridges in the city.
    i love old buildings.
    and this photo, i like the background....:P

    jing

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  8. Straight to my desktop!

    Eric you know what pictures of the bridges of Paris does to my heart...
    For me this photo translates why it's impossible not to fall in love with Paris. This view is absolutely flawless.

    Merci, trés trés joli!

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  9. Really breathtakingly beautiful...Thank you!

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  10. Eric I just saw the funniest thing! The french channel showed Chirac at the Salon de l'agriculture (your post from march 3rd) and he was practically frenchkissing une vache!!!
    He was greeting children and reporters and there was this super cute cow too in the middle of them. They seemed very close!

    Did you see Chirac there?

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  11. You said: At the time it was really something...Now, at this time, it is still "really something!" Great photo taken from a wonderful place in Paris. Thanks! Kate (For some reason I wasn't able to comment using my acct so I tried "anonymous."

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  12. As always, I adore your photos of Parisian bridges. Susan, those were greats photos you have too!

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  13. Eric, such a lovely scene. . .sigh. . . One question for you. I've never seen people homeless people out along those walkways or under the bridge and imagine it must be forbidden to sleep there?
    -Kim

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  14. Gorgeous!! I don't think I've ever noticed the faces along the side before (thank you too, Susan).

    I was once swindled on this bridge into buying an alleged mini painting, that turned out to be a "photocopy" type thingy printed on canvas. I didn't take much offense, as I was too lame not to recognize it myself until I got home! Isn't this also the bridge in "The Bourne Identity" where Matt Damon stakes out his prey on the bridge from atop La Samarataine?

    A little off topic, but I heard La Samarataine is closed for major renovations. If true, does anyone know when it will reopen? (one of my fave places for le shopping...)

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  15. Beautiful...with each Paris picture
    I come across, especially in Eric's blog, the longing to go to Paris grows and grows . Already, I'm virtually in love with Paris ,virtually ...

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  16. I was there...I was there :D Thank you Eric!

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  17. Coincidentally, I just saw a documentary on the construction of Pont Neuf. It was a tremendous work. They did most of the construction on the foundation during the summers when the Seine almost dried. The building of the arch supports was an incredible feat at that time. It was hailed as being not only functional but beautiful as well. In the tradition of the French, as always, the bridge is a work of art.
    Haxo is back, I see. That is cause for a PdP celebration.

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  18. Lovely Eric...fun to say I WAS THERE-I WAS THERE too! ;)

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  19. Be still my beating heart! Thanks for lessening my homesickness, Eric. This photo is beautiful.

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  20. My desktop says,
    "mercis" très grands d'une belle photo, Eric.

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  21. As a penniless hippie type in the '60s I spent a few nights under that arch on the left. The flics may be more vigilant these days....

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  22. Je retrouve avec plaisir le Paris de ce blog d'Eric, blog où je me replonge régulièrement. En ce moment je suis très branchée "Piaf" et j'adore ces photos en noir et blanc, si bien en phase avec ce que j'écoute.
    Enfin je mets le lien du Paris-blog d'Eric sur mon 2e forum (je l'avais déjà mis sur le premier). Ainsi après avoir été visité par des dijonnais le blog sera visité par des Jurassiens

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  23. I am trying to envision exactly where you were when you took this photo. I have to guess you were on le Pont Saint-Michel rather than on l'ile de la Cite, maybe half way across the bridge. No matter. In May 2006, the latest renovation/cleaning was just completed on the south (Rive Gauche) part of the bridge. It shone in the sun with pride.

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  24. i love that, moino "je me replonge" ... ahhh the French language..

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  25. Ah, Haxo, votre information est merveilleuse, de nouveau. Merci. I wonder which leg of the bridge was built first, a le rive gauche ou le rive droit. Any clues, Haxo?

    And the Samartaine is closed, pont girl? Ouch. I hoped to have lunch there if it's not too cold. Maybe the restaurant isn't even open in April. Anyone? That could have been a good spot for Eric's congratulations lunch.

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  26. Merci beaucoup Eric pour la belle photo! I'm having one of "those days..." :c( and this lovely shot has taken me away to a place of which I have many happy, dreamy memories!!

    The day will get better! ;-) Merci encore!

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  27. Jeff, I went to look at the June 2006 PDP postings based upon Eric's info this time, and Eric had a photo of La Samaritaine with info that it is closed until 2011!! Boo Hoo, but apparently one of the restaurants is still open, but I don't think it's the one you were referring to.

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  28. Le Pont Neuf is one of my favorites indeed.
    But Eric, have you already shown to your PDP fans, the true New Parisian Bridge aka the latest built one: la Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir which has been completed last year, with its amazing shape?...

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  29. Ain't it great that we have such a fabulous research staff available? Thanks, Haxo and Pont Girl. Yes, it makes sense to conclude that Pont Neuf was begun on the rive gauche, unless the king just crossed to l'ile de la Cite. I doubt they'd begin from the island, though.
    Hey, Parisians, is the rooftop restaurant Samartaine closed?

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  30. I could not (don't know how to in forum) use image tag, so here is the link to see two images of the Pont Neuf, similar to Eric's photo:

    http://macsystems.com/pontneuf.jpg

    and

    http://macsystems.com/pontneufseine.jpg

    I found these on the net. Also, if you use Google Earth and go to Paris, you will see a very nice photo of the Pont Neuf, very similar to Eric's.

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