All Along The Seine In Paris
A lot of Parisian history is woven around the Seine. This river is the city's artery as it winds its way right through, making its presence felt. In fact, a lot of Paris is classified as being either in La Rive Droite or La Rive Gauche. The river cuts the city almost into half and many of the most famous monuments can be found along its winding banks. Whether it is the Eiffel Tower or La Place de la Concorde, the Champs Elysees or the Notre Dame, Le Petit or le Grand Palais or the Louvre, this river really does have it all.
The river originates in Burgundy and flows through Paris in a rather roundabout manner till it finally empties itself out in the English Channel. The river is nearly 500 miles and flows through some incredibly beautiful countryside. There was a time when the Seine was the main means of transportation for the city of Paris.
What is extraordinarily beautiful about the river are the old world bridges that span it all along the way. These were probably the inspiration for the old song, ‘Sous les ponts de Paris' or ‘Under the bridges of Paris with you'. The river has been the inspiration for many a famous painter and you'll see that the Seine has been immortalized with paintings hanging in the best of museums all over the world. Don't miss out on the spectacular sight of the Saint-Michael Bridge at night. Situated very near to the Notre Dame, it is a riot of color as it is lit up with every imaginable hue. It looks like a rainbow of colors in the night. Now this must be recorded for posterity on your video recorder.
The river cruises down the Seine usually begin across the road from the Eiffel Tower and you can meander along on a boat with the shade of the beautiful trees that line its banks casting their speckled patterns on you. The river stretches on beyond Paris. You can carry on along it to the Normandy beaches with their pine trees and beautiful landscapes.
The Seine probably embodies all that Paris is – the past and the present all coming together. While it has all the old world monuments and tourist attractions, it also has the expressways skirting it. Together with its romantic old bridges, it also has its modern motorboats and commercial buildings on its banks. It really is what holds Paris together. Somehow, can one really imagine the city without the river? It's what gives it its character and history. Maybe if you listened hard enough as you take a moonlight stroll along its banks, you can hear the whispers of lovers from long ago – it is after all the city of romance!
