Today, we say “bonjour” as we spend some time in the romantic country of France, circa 1955. The first few photos that my mom snapped are from September 16, and show the Tuileries Garden, located between The Louvre Museum and the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Created by Catherine de Medicis as the garden of the Tuileries Palace in 1564, it was first opened to the public in 1667, and became a public park after the French Revolution (maybe the peasants ate their cake here!).
Speaking of the Louvre...mom had the next 3 shots marked as “The Louvre,” probably one of the most famous art museums in the world, and home to the mysterious “Mona Lisa.”
The Seine River:
You can enjoy the vintage cars AND the Eiffel Tower, which I remember being told the Parisiennes HATED! Ironic that most of us associate this city with that iconic landmark.
The Seine Bridges:
Some spectacular views that mom took from the Eiffel Tower:
And a fun shot of the Tower as she was descending:
Chateau de Malmaison (“the evil house”) was first used as a hideout for Norman invaders in mid 1200s. Josephine and Napoleon Bonaparte lived at Malmaison for a number of years.
The Palace of Versailles:
The grounds of the Petit Trianon were laid out by Marie Antoinette, the Queen of Louis XVI, who was extremely partial to this villa as a residence, and used to entertain her guests there, living there as a shepherdess. I guess it made her feel closer to the peasants without actually having to smell them.
See more vintage and contemporary photos at my main website.
3 comments:
Sure, the Louvres is famous, but can you get a Dole Whip there?
Love the photos taken from the Eiffel tower. I think Monet did a painting of the tower (or a view with the tower in it, anyway) when it was brand new.
More great vintage Europe pics!
Yeah, after the 1889 World Exposition, the Eiffel Tower was supposed to be torn down...and I think most of the locals WANTED it torn down!
I think that there is a smaller scale version of the Statue of Liberty at the opposite end of that island in the river.
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