arnastofnun/IGC-2024 huggingface dataset:
5. Quais – Pont des Arts

Pont des Arts & Institut de France

Institut de France

Opposite the pedestrian Pont des Arts we come to Institut de France.

The palace was originally built by Le Vau in French 17th C. style, financed by a bequest from the will of cardinal Mazarin. It has for a long time been the home of the influential Académie de France and a few other semi-official clubs of culture.

Pont des Arts

We walk to the middle of the pedestrian Pont des Arts.

From the middle of the bridge there is a delightful view to all directions, upriver, downriver, north to the Louvre and south to the palace of Institut de France.

When we reach the Right bank we save the Louvre for a later walk and turn right a short distance to Place de lÉcole where we started this walk. We should repeat this walk some evening when the banks and monuments of history are floodlit. No city is more floodlit than Paris. A boat trip would though be the best way of enjoying that spectacle. Next steps
4. Quais – Place Saint-Michel

Place Saint-Michel

Next we continue along Quai Saint-Michel to Place Saint-Michel.

The formal entrance to the Left bank. It was the centre of the revolutionary Paris Commune in 1871 and again the centre of the student uprisings in 1968.

From the square the famous café-boulevard Saint-Michel runs southwards, crossing the other famous boulevard of the Left bank, Saint-Germain. Boulevard Saint-Michel is lined with restaurants and book stores.

Quai des Grands Augustins

We resume our walk along the quais. Next comes Quai des Grands-Augustins.

Antique booksellers are with their cases in many places along the river banks. They are most numerous on the oldest bank, Quai des Grands-Augustins, running between Pont Neuf and Pont Saint-Michel, and on Quai de Conti, running between Pont Neuf and pedestrian Pont des Arts.

The books are generally worthless, but in between some interesting magazines can be found. Business is mainly in quickly done drawings and paintings, especially made for tourists. We allow time to study the cases of books on Quai des Grands-Augustins and Quai de Conti.

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3. Quais – Pont de la Tournelle

Pont de la Tournelle

From the bank there is a nice little footpath behind the church for a detour to have a quick cup in quaint Ébouillante. Then we return to the bank which here is named Quai de lHôtel-de-Ville.

We now have Ile Saint-Louis on our right. When we are midway opposite it, we cross the river on Pont Marie, Rue des Deux Ponts, and Pont de la Tournelle to arrive at the Left bank.

This bridge is a famous Seine viewpoint. In the Middle Ages a chain curtain was stretched here between two castles on opposite banks to prevent attacks on the city. A bridge was first built here in 1370.

On the bridge there is a monument in honour of Sainte Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, the girl who protected the town against the fury of Attila the Hun in 451.

The ancient and famous restaurant Tour dArgent is opposite the bridge on the mainland side, tempting travellers with a stunning view and a pressed duck for dinner.

Square Réne-Viviani

From there our path is downriver along the Left bank. Notre-Dame dominates the view and makes us stop every now and then.

The square is opposite the west end of Notre-Dame. We enter the garden in the square. From there we have one of the best views to Notre-Dame. The garden also has a tree said to be the oldest in the city. Behind the garden we see Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre from 1165-1220, described in a later walk.

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2. Quais – Hotel de Ville

Hotel de Ville

We continue along the bank and arrive at the town hall of Paris, Hôtel de Ville.

A town hall has been on this spot since the 14th C. The present palace is from the latter half of the 19th C., an imitation of an

Saint-Gervais

earlier Renaissance palace which was burned down in the 1871 revolt. The palace is full of art.

Saint-Gervais

We continue and soon see the Saint-Gervais church on our left.

Built 1494-1657 in late Gothic style. Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais is the full name of the church, named after two Roman martyrs. Is has the oldest Classical façade in the city. The famous organ of the church is used for religious recitals.

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Óskhyggjan tempruð

Skynsamlegt er frumvarp Bjarna Benediktssonar um að festa hámark fjárlagahalla við 2,5% á ári og áskilja tekjuafgang á hverju fimm ára tímabili. Svipuð regla og í Evrópusambandinu, þar sem hún temprar margvíslega óskhyggju. Því miður tíðkast víða í hinum vestræna heimi að eyða umfram í dag og safna skuldum til morguns. Hefur haft geigvænleg áhrif á greiðslugetu margra ríkja, til dæmis Miðjarðarhafsríkja. Frakkland og Bretland hafa löngum rambað við þakið og farið yfir það. Slíkt er sjálfseyðing til langs tíma. Við þekkjum það hér af biturri reynslu, að fjölskyldur lamast af skuldasöfnun. Og það gera þjóðríki einnig.
10. Îles – Conciergerie

Conciergerie

Subsequently, we walk along Quai de lHorloge past the northern side of the former royal palace, the oldest part of it, commonly called the Conciergerie.

On this side of the palace there are four 14th C. towers. The central towers originally guarded the entrance to the palace. The square tower farthest to the east has housed the official clock of Paris for more than six centuries. The entrance is between that tower and the central towers.

Salle des Gens dArmes

We enter the palace.

Inside there are three vast Gothic halls from the 14th C. The biggest is Salle des Gens dArmes of 1800 square meters, the ground floor under the palace.

After the Revolution in 1789 these halls were converted into a prison. 2600 people were brought in 1793-1794 and from here to the guillotine. The massacre did not end until the head of Robespierre himself was cut off in this manner.

This is the end of the Îles walk.

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9. Îles – Square du Vert Galant

Square du Vert Galant

We go to the square between the wings of the bridge, Square du Vert Galant.

Henri IV at Pont Neuf

The small park on the western tip of the island is named after Henri IV. There are groves and benches for relaxation. Also, here is the pier of one of the shippers who offer tourists a one-hour trip on the Seine. We can accept the offer and have a pleasant voyage with splendid views from the river.

Vert Galant

Otherwise, we climb back the steps and enjoy the view from the statue of the Vert Galant.

The equestrian statue of Henri IV is called The Vert Galant, which means the Womaniser in Green Clothes. He was a very popular king who did much to calm the religious wars that had dominated France in the years up to his access to power.

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8. Îles – Pont Neuf

Place Dauphine

We exit by the same way, find the street and turn right and then again right along the river bank, Quai des Orfèvres, along the main police station, Police Judiciare. Then we again turn right into Rue de Harley and from there to the left up to Place Dauphine.

This restful square, which fans of inspector Maigret should remember, was planned in 1607 by Henri IV. It was mercifully spared when city planner Haussmann rebuilt the island. Some of the houses, for example no. 14, still have the original façade. Here are the wine bars Bar du Caveau and Henri IV, where we can rest our tired limbs.

Pont Neuf

After our rest we leave the square by the narrow end of its triangle and arrive at Pont Neuf.

The oldest bridge in Paris in spite of its name, built in 1578-1604, during the reigns of Henri III and Henri IV. It spans 275 meters, has heavy pillars and twelve Romanesque arches, decorated with grim faces of stone.

The former bridges in these places had houses on, as can be seen from paintings.

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7. Îles – Sainte-Chapelle

Sainte-Chapelle

Sainte-Chapelle seen from an Art Nouveau metro station

When we return down the front steps we turn to the right into the main courtyard of the palace. There we see the oldest part of the palace complex, Sainte-Chapelle.

Built in 1248, singularly dazzling, probably the most beautiful Gothic church in existence. It is completely in the original state of the late Gothic style. The enormous windows of stained glass are the oldest windows in Paris and the most splendid windows from the 13th C.

We enter at the west front and first arrive at the lower church, originally the church of the royal household. From there we take the stairs to the upper church, which was the church of the king himself

Sainte-Chapelle interior

The upper church is one big room between windows. The walls between the windows are very narrow and roof rests on slender pilasters. The windows of 15 meters in height let in a mysterious light. This is the most magic place in Paris.

The church seems fragile but has in spite of that stood proud and without fissures for seven centuries and a half. It is strange that this jewel is hidden in a courtyard.

Sainte-Chapelle

If we want to scrutinize the windows we need a lot of time. The pictures in them show 1134 scenes from the Bible.

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6. Îles – Palais de Justice

Palais de Justice

We go past the flower market. Behind massive railings of wrought iron we see the former parliament and present palace of justice.

The front of the palace dates from the years after the fire of 1776, one of the many attacking the palace. The left wing and the back, facing Place Dauphine, also date from this time. The oldest part, Conciergerie, the remains of the ancient royal palace, is on the right hand side, dating from the beginning of the 14th C.

Here the Merovingian kings lived in the 6th to 9th C. and Capetian kings in the 11th to 13th C. After that the French parliament was housed here up to the Revolution of 1789, when the palace became a prison and a court.

We can follow barristers, defendants, judges, journalists and inquisitive people up the great steps and take in the goings on in the long corridors and in the courtrooms themselves. Those with scant interest can make do with inspecting the Marchande gallery behind the front door. Others can turn right into Salle des Pas Perdus, where the commotion is greatest.

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Nelson betri en FH

Margir kvarta yfir vondum uppeldisáhrifum vegna áhuga á bardagaíþrótt Gunnars Nelson. Mikið kemur hann þó betur fyrir en þeir, sem fá mestan pening fyrir uppeldisáhrif. Til dæmis FH. Framkoma leikmanna og stuðningsmanna eftir tapið gegn Stjörnunni var stjórnlaus. En svona er fótboltinn, frekja og yfirgangur, fyllerí og garg. Þegar Gunnar tapar hins vegar, er hann yfirvegaður og þakkar andstæðingi sínum og dómara. Hann er margfalt betri fyrirmynd en FH. Það er þó bara eitt af þessum fótboltafélögum, sem tröllríða íslenzkri framkomu þessi ár. Stuðningur hins opinbera við uppeldi fólks á að fara í allt annað en boltann.
5. Îles – Île de la Cité

Place Louis Lépine

Ile de la Cité

We leave the church and enter the square in front of it, Place de Parvis.

The centre of Paris and of France. All distances in France are measured from Place de Parvis. Here the city was founded 200-250 B.C. by the Parisii, a Celtic tribe of fishermen and sailors. For a long time, during the four first centuries A.D. it was a stronghold of the Romans who built their barracks on the Left bank.

In 508 it became the capital of Klodwig, king of the Franks, and has since then been the capital of France. In the Middle Ages the city itself spread to the mainland banks. Later Charles V moved court over to the Louvre palace. Left behind was the parliament and later the city court.

It is fitting that a museum of the prehistory of the city has been set up under the square after extensive excavations had been made there. In the museum we can see the past in its original place. The remains are from Celtic and Roman times and some from the Middle Ages. This is a delightful museum.

Place Louis-Lépine

We cross the square and turn right into Place Louis-Lépine.

Art Noveau Metro sign

The venue of the main flower market of central Paris, held in Place Louis-Lépine and Quai de la Corse, a stones throw from Notre-Dame. On Sunday this market changes into a pet bird market, popular both with local people and travellers.

We can inspect the flowers, or the birds, if we happen on a Sunday. From the square we can descend through one of the famous Art Nouveau gates of wrought iron to the Paris metro.

Metro Art Nouveau

We take a look at the metro entrance.

Many entrances to metro stations are from the lively years around 1900, the Belle Époque, when Art Noveau swept through Europe from Paris. Hector Guimard designed the entrances which are built of wrought iron. One of them is here on the square.

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E. Passages – Rue Volta

Passages

Rue Volta 3

This time we are going to look at rather unknown parts of central Paris.

On the one hand we shall visit some of the old glass-covered passages and arcades of shopping, which are more typical of Paris than of other cities, especially of the 1st and 2nd districts. Early in the last century about 140 such passages existed in the city, of whom about 30 are still in use today.

On the other hand we are to visit the almost secret garden of Palais Royal, which is only a stones throw from the Louvre. Rue Volta 3

We start at the Arts et Métiers metro station. First we walk a short distance to the east along Rue Réaumur and turn right into Rue Volta. There on the right hand side we look at house no. 3.

This half-timbered house of four storeys was until recently thought to be the oldest dwelling-house in Paris, built in the 13th or 14th C. In fact it is a 17th C. imitation. In spite of that it is typical of homes from the Medieval times.

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4. Îles – Notre Dame

Notre Dame

Notre-Dame

We cross the garden behind Notre-Dame and at its backboard side. From this side we have the closest view of the cathedral.

We see clearly the extensive system of flying buttresses supporting the walls. They are one of the main characteristics of Gothic churches. We also see the front of the transept with an enormous rose window, also spires and dragons, all typically Gothic.

When we come to the west front of the church it rises in all its majesty, with magnificent pointed arches over the portals, a row of kings statues, a rose window of nine meters in diameter and finally two massive and spireless towers which reach 70 meters in height.

The biggest bell in the south tower weighs 13 tons and its clapper half a ton. Travellers who want to enjoy the view from the tower can take the stairs.

Notre Dame interior

We enter the Notre Dame.

It can take 9000 worshippers at the same time. It has a crucifix plan with very short transepts. It is 31 meters high on the inside, with lon

g, Gothic windows. It is completely surrounded by chapels nestling between the buttresses. In the transept there is a rose window on each side. An enormous chancel with an altar and an ambulatory is in the far end.

Notre-Dame is an historical landmark of architecture, a show-piece of the early Gothic. It was built in 1163-1345. All the time the original plans were faithfully used. Therefore, it has a consistent style and became the model for French cathedrals. Thus, it was dominant in spreading the Gothic style all over France and also had influence on similar cathedrals in Britain.

Today most of church is original, including the glass in the rose window on the west front. And what has been renovated has been done in the original style. The church itself and the square in front of it have for eight centuries been the focal point of Paris and France.

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3. Îles – Quai d’Orléans

Notre Dame seen from Quai dOrléans

Quai dOrléans

When we arrive at the other end of the street we first observe Notre-Dame which lies open before our eyes on the far side of Pont Saint-Louis. We turn right and walk along the river bank around the whole island.

We first stop at the bend of Quai de Bourbon and enjoy the downriver view. Then we continue along Quai dAnjou where some of the finest mansions are, such as Hôtel de Lauzon at no. 17 and Hôtel Lambert at no. 1. In French hôtel means a town mansion and not necessarily a guest house or hotel. We turn again over Pont de Sully over to Quai de Béthune and then Quai dOrléans.

Here one can often see sunbathers and anglers on the lower bank below the street level when the weather is fine. On the bend of Quai dOrléans there is a splendid view through the foliage of the trees to the back of Notre-Dame which many find to be at its most beautiful from this direction.

Rue des Ursins

Next we turn left over Pont Saint-Louis to Ile de la Cité. First we ignore Notre-Dame and turn right along Quai aux Fleurs. Soon we turn left down steps to Rue des Ursins.

It runs parallel to the bank. We are down at the original level of the island and in a medieval aura from the 11th and 12th C. Such was the island before city planner Haussmann overthrew everything on behalf of Napoleon III. We walk the narrow street to the end.

Then we turn left into Rue de la Colombe and then again to the left into Rue Chanoinesse. These streets constitute the ancient quarter of monasteries. Next steps
2. Îles – Rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île

Rue Saint-Louis-en-lÎle

We walk from the Pont de Sully bridge to its intersection with Rue Saint-Louis-en-lIle, where our walk really begins.

An elegant house on Rue Saint-Louis-en-lÎle

The street with the long name is the backbone of the island, the only street that goes through it lengthwise. It is full of tiny and ench

anting speciality shops, interspersed with restaurants and hotels. The specialization of the shops is so far developed that there are no general butchers, only special beef shops, fowl shops, pork shops and sausage shops.

It is fascinating to observe how the street flows with pedestrians all day long. In the morning it is a world in itself, when the locals go from shop to shop to assemble their lunches and dinners before the tourists take over the scene. Some of the establishments in the street are mentioned elsewhere in this database.

There is also the church which has given its name to the island and the street, Saint-Louis, built 1664-1726, with an interior in decorous Jesuit style by Le Vau, consecrated to Louis IX

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4. Paris – cuisine

Grand Véfour, restaurant

Cuisine

French restaurants are the best in the world. The range and variety of French cooking is astounding. France is very rich in agricultural resources. There is a tradition of passion for cooking. Parisians love to eat out and to discuss cuisine and chefs, as others might discuss politics and politicians. Celebrated chefs are considered national monuments.

Western European and North American cooking is mainly derived from the French. The nearest rival to French cooking is Japanese cooking. In the last decades French chefs have emphasized their lead by inventing Nouvelle Cuisine, a light and lean version of the classic French cuisine, but more in line with modern considerations on health.

The last decade of the 20th Century has seen a resurgence in Cuisine de Terroir, earthy farmhouse cooking, partly as a counterweight to Nouvelle Cuisine and partly an evolution of farmhouse cooking under Nouvelle Cuisine influence.

Pharamond, restaurant,

Eating habits

The French do not eat much in the morning. They may have a café latte and croissants at the corner café. Lunch often starts at 13 and dinner at 20:30. Both lunch and dinner are hot meals and are equally important. The French like delicate food and consume it with due reverence.

Few French have drinks before eating as it spoils the palate. They are also careful with the wine and some only drink water. In good restaurants most people have bottled water though, leau minerale, often with gas, gaseuse.

Nouvelle Cuisine

French chefs have emphasized their position as the world leaders by inventing Nouvelle Cuisine, a light and lean version of the rich and classic French cuisine, but more in line with modern considerations on health.

The main rules of Nouvelle Cuisine are as follows:

Raw materials are fresh, chosen according to the season, preferably not from the freezer and definitely not out of tins. Emphasis is put on seafood and vegetables. Cooking times are shortened to conserve the taste and ingredients of the food. Precooking and reheating are abolished. Flour in sauces and soups is written off in favour of fumets and blenderized vegetables which are lighter on the stomach. Fats are used sparingly, pan-frying has decreased and deep-frying almost disappeared.

Wine

French wine is absolutely the best in the world and priced accordingly. But the general quality is so high, that even the house wines are excellent. The French dont drink plonk. The best French wine is graded in complicated ways which vary betwewaen regions, Bordeaux and Burgundy wines generally fetching the highest prices.

Now we start the Paris walks.

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3. Paris – sights

Notre Dame

Sights

Paris is the most beautiful metropolis in the world, crammed with famous churches and palaces, squares and avenues. Its centre is the largest tourist city in the world. There are five kilometres as the crow flies from Arc dTriomphe to Notre Dame and from Montmartre to Montparnasse. In no city centre has the traveller more things to cover.

Not only does the city boast of centuries of basilicas and mansions, plazas and boulevards. It also excels in the necessities of life for travellers. Nowhere is a greater conglomeration of excellent restaurants and hotels, some of them even at a reasonable price. It is based on the natural culinary artistry and architectural taste of the Parisians.

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2. Paris – life

Champs-Elysées

Life

Paris is the city of elegance and style. People conduct themselves in the streets as kings and queens. Elegance is everywhere, from hotel and restaurant decoration to everyday clothing. What would be considered casual elsewhere would be considered shabby and vulgar in Paris. The clean and efficient and stylish Metro is a symbol of the classy status of Parisians.

Parisians consider themselves to be citizens, discussing politics, design and cuisine as eloquently as ancient Roman orators, balancing the abandon of the south and the restraint of the north. They are proud and self-sufficient, and consider themselves to be equal to anybody, including kings and popes. On foreigners this often wrongly translates as haughtiness.

Paris is a lively city of liberal inhabitants. Its nightclubs are world leaders. Its vibrant pavement cafés constantly evoke fond memories in the minds of visitors to Paris. The home team and visitors hang around in cafés, squares and streets to kill time and observe fellow humans. Champs-Élysées and the boulevards Saint-Michel and Saint-Germain are the main centres.

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Guð blessi Bandaríkin

Samkvæmt kveðjuorðum Geirs H. Haarde mun hann í Washington gráta á öxlum manna yfir vonzku íslenzka vargsins. Þar getur hann í ró haldið áfram að reka mál sín gegn íslenzka ríkinu, sem tók af honum æruna. Eini pólitíkusinn, sem hefur fengið dóm fyrir heimsku og vangetu. Í aðdraganda hrunsins hraut hann fast og hrökk stöku sinnum upp til að hringja í Davíð og fá línuna. Allt verk hans á þessum tíma var andstætt „verkferlum“, svo notað sé ljúflegt orðalag Sigmundar Davíðs. Geir og Davíð keyrðu saman og prívat Ísland til andskotans. Og Geiri glæpur er svo verðlaunaður með hanastélum í Washington. Guð blessi Bandaríkin.