Last two weeks, I was on vacation in Germany. I decided to spend 3 days to see Paris, so I started my voyage from Mannheim straight to Paris. Not just Paris, but the very Avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie which is in Paris, 75 somewhere between Arc de Triomphe and Tour Eiffel (we stayed at Hotel de Sers) :) I came to Paris from A4, so the pictures are in order of my arrival.

It was my personal greatest achievement in terms of driving because I have never driven in such a busy and famous location.

Approaching Paris on A4. It is Saturday afternoon.
http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to1.jpg

http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to2.jpg

http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to3.jpg

We are heading straight for the city centre
http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to4.jpg

I think it is somewhere right before Boulevard Périphérique
http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to5.jpg

http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to6.jpg

Still aiming for the centre
http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to7.jpg

Hooray, we are inside Périphérique. The traffic is still OK.
http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to8.jpg

http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to9.jpg

The Seine is on the left
http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to10.jpg

The picture does not show it good, but the traffic became very dense, ad all the scooter drivers took their chances millimetres from the cars. I had a rental car from Germany, so I was a bit worried to get scratched. Fortunately, I managed not to put a single scratch during the whole rental period.
http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to11.jpg

We are lost due to poor navigation abilities of our GPS :lol:
http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to12.jpg


It is Sunday morning. Going back to A4. Starting from the centre. The Seine is on the right.
http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_back1.jpg

The traffic was very light. I think this is Voie Georges Pompidou.
http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_back2.jpg

Quai François Mitterrand
http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_back3.jpg

As we drive away from the centre, the buildings become more contemporary.
http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_back4.jpg

We keep straight, and the road will become A4.
http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_back5.jpg

Comments are welcome :cheers:

great! :cheers: nice photos. I was driving the same route in Paris once (beside Seine) only, I didn't come from outside. although I might soon do that to. :)
Where were you staying in Germany? I guess you entered Paris at Bercy and then went straight ahead. although I don't understand how did you turn back for autoroute de l'est in Paris.

Hooray, we are inside Périphérique. The traffic is still OK.
http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to8.jpg

http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to9.jpg
:

This is not the Peripherique, we don't see the Peripherique in any of your picture.
This road along the Seine is Quai de Bercy. :)

Look at closer this picture
http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to4
You took the direction Paris center, the direction to the peripherique is on the left.

I think he ment just that he is inside the ring, it s a bit confusing though.

This road along the Seine is Quai de Bercy. :)
You are right. Actually, I have not paid attention what road I was on while driving because I was a bit overwhelmed by driving style of Parisians. What I did was going to google maps today to see the street names before posting this thread :) And of course, the street along Seine would have to change its name numerous time just to render me wrong here :lol:

I think he ment just that he is inside the ring, it s a bit confusing though.
Thank you, that was exactly what I meant. I just did not know how you Parisians call the city within the Peripherique ring.

Where were you staying in Germany? I guess you entered Paris at Bercy and then went straight ahead.
I started driving to Paris from Mannheim, so I took autobahn 6 and then autoroute 4 all the way to Paris centre.

Not a lot of traffic congestion in Paris, I see.

Thank you, that was exactly what I meant. I just did not know how you Parisians call the city within the Peripherique ring.

Paris :D Only the urban area inside the Périphérique is actually the Paris city proper. The rest are slum suburbs and wealthy suburbs.


I started driving to Paris from Mannheim, so I took autobahn 6 and then autoroute 4 all the way to Paris centre.

+A320 ;)

Did you see anything from the U/C bypass at Reims?

+A320 ;)
To be technically correct - yes. However, A320 was quite short and served as a connection link between A6 and A4, so I omitted it.

Did you see anything from the U/C bypass at Reims?
I did not really pay much attention because I was looking for speed cameras that were plenty in Reims ;) I just remember the road work zone when passing Reims.

I think it is somewhere right before Boulevard Périphérique
http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to5.jpg

http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to6.jpg


Yep, it is this amazing interchange

http://i48.tinypic.com/vr6l4y.jpg

We are lost due to poor navigation abilities of our GPS :lol:
http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to12.jpg

If your GPS navigator took you there it badly sucks! This is Rue des Ecoles corner heading towards Paris' Latin district while the correct route was simply to follow the quays.

The traffic was very light. I think this is Voie Georges Pompidou.
http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_back2.jpg

Actually this is Quai Henri IV, the Voie Georges Pompidou is the expressway underneath the esplanade on the right of your picture, but this part is closed to traffic on Sundays.


Not a lot of traffic congestion in Paris, I see.

He was there on a Saturday afternoon which is OK traffic-wise, and a Sunday morning which is the quietest moment of the whole week. That is the reason, although apart from particular schedules (weekdays rush hours) we don't have to complain much compared with other metropolis.

I noticed the GPS sometimes confuses roads that are very close to eachother. If I drive on a motorway with a local/express setup, it sometimes doesn't know if I'm on the local or express lanes.

^^ Exactly, especially in this case where like I said, the expressway runs underneath the border of the street.

If your GPS navigator took you there it badly sucks! This is Rue des Ecoles corner heading towards Paris' Latin district while the correct route was simply to follow the quays.


That's very odd indeed. What address/street did you set as destination, Alex?
Is it possible the GPS chose an alternate route to avoid congestion? Otherwise, it really sucks. :)

Driving in Paris with not being used to the driving style of the Parisians can be quite a surprise :). Living in Paris, but not being Parisian from origin, I also had to "learn" the Parisian way of driving. It's a quite agressive style, but you get used to it. It's almost necessary, for otherwise you're getting nowhere.

Scooters and motorbikes are a real p**n in the *ss. I drive to my work every day using the Voie Georges Pompidou (really nice by the way, if anyone wants to see some pics, I'd be happy to take a series and post it).

Concerning scooters and motorbikes: I generally ignore them, for they're usually not obeying traffic rules (like driving between the lanes). They'll have to watch out themselves.

By the way, if you consider the amount of traffic "heavy", then I'd like to know how you call it during the morning rush hours :D.

Concerning picture #8 (where you see the Ministery of Finances of Bercy): I hope you paid attention to your speed, for you just passed a fixed radar there :). But well, I don't know how this works with a rental car...

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed driving in Paris :)

^^ I would like to see photos of voie g. pompidou. :)

anybody knows about that? http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_autoroutier_pour_Paris
The plan for highways inside Paris from 60s, but only the voie G.Pompidou was realized.
At the end you can read that political left of Paris would like to delete this expressway to. :D

That's very odd indeed. What address/street did you set as destination, Alex?
Is it possible the GPS chose an alternate route to avoid congestion? Otherwise, it really sucks. :)
I drove to Hotel de Sers which is at 41 Avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie. There were several left turns so close to each other that I took the wrong ones, and the GPS then tried to get me back on track.

As for Paris not being congested on Saturday afternoons, for me it was even more congested than San Francisco during rush hours :lol: After driving in America for years, I was not used to such an aggressive driving style, but on the other hand it was a good experience. If I had to drive in Paris everyday, I guess I would eventually drive just like other Parisians.

Great photos. Why are the lines in the first few photos yellow? Aren't they supposed to be white?

That's temporary marking. As you can see, the arrows and distances are in yellow as well. It looks to me the lanes are particular narrow as well.

^^ there have been some works on this stretch of A4 since last summer (repavement, heightening of noise-walls), hence the temporary yellow lines.

That's temporary marking. As you can see, the arrows and distances are in yellow as well. It looks to me the lanes are particular narrow as well.

Ahhh. Thanks. I see now. I'm just not used to that during roadworks. Here they just make mazes out of pylons :?.

Thank you, that was exactly what I meant. I just did not know how you Parisians call the city within the Peripherique ring.


I started driving to Paris from Mannheim, so I took autobahn 6 and then autoroute 4 all the way to Paris centre.

You should have taken National 4 instead of the autoroute, it's very scenic and it's FREE! We did it last summer driving from Stuttgart to Paris, it was an awesome drive.

You should have taken National 4 instead of the autoroute, it's very scenic and it's FREE! We did it last summer driving from Stuttgart to Paris, it was an awesome drive.
Oh, I definitely would if I had more time. However, my main goal was to see Paris, so I decided to get there as fast as possible.

http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to6.jpg

In the first photo: is the underground passage which princess Diana died in 1997? I dont remember the name of that underground passage.

btw, do you drive (actually you are co-driver) the new Daihatsu Terios?

btw, do you drive (actually you are co-driver) the new Daihatsu Terios?
Actually, I was the only driver for all 6 days that we rented this Škoda Fabia. My wife took all the pictures from this trip, so all the credit goes to her. Our car had only 14 km when we got it from Europcar in Stuttgart, and it had 1600+ km when we returned it 6 days later :) I really liked this car - it had very good fuel economy yet was very reasonable on the autobahn (although I did not try to push it beyond 160 km/h due to my wife's concerns :lol:

As promised, a complete set of the Voie Georges Pompidou (the express road following the river Seine through the heart of Paris). It was constructed as a part of the highway construction program within Paris. Fortunately, they didn't put the rest of the program into practice, for otherwise the city would have become unlivable.

The express road is only drivable without stops from the west to the east, so I set off at the beginning near the Pont du Garigliano (south-west corner) towards the beginning of the highway A4 (starting at the Porte de Bercy).

As you can see there was a lot of traffic, the first part up until the Louvre was one huge traffic jam.

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/01.jpg
Start at the Pont du Garigliano (still called Quai St Exupéry here); keep right

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/02.jpg
Here we are at the Voie Pompidou, right next to the Seine in the 16th district

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/03.jpg
Moving up north along the 16th district

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/04.jpg
Pont Mirabeau (still 16th district)

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/05.jpg
First exit near the Pont de Grenelle - generally the traffic jam intensifies here

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/06.jpg
The Pont de Grenelle itself

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/07.jpg
Moving towards the Eiffel tower and the RER (express subway) passing over the bridge

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/08.jpg
Temporary track separation in order to move below the railway (RER) bridge

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/09.jpg
Best view at the Eiffel tower with the Pont Bir Hakeim (line 6 of the subway passes over it)

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/10.jpg
End of the "low-level" section of the 16th district, we now move up to the "quai" level

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/11.jpg
Once up, keep left

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/12.jpg
The underpass for the Pont d'Iéna (the Eiffel Tower is just on our right, but we can't see it anymore, it's too close)

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/13.jpg
Moving towards Alma

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/14.jpg
The flame in memory of Princess Diana who died tragically inside this underpass of the Place de l'Alma

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/15.jpg
The car-crash of Princess Diana was against one of these pilars (but from the other direction if I recall it right)

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/16.jpg
The Voie Geoges Pompidou now parallel to the Champs Elysées

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/17.jpg
Nearing the Place de la Concorde

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/18.jpg
Traffic jam caused by those coming from our left (originating from the Champs Elysées)

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/19.jpg
Traffic jam towards the Louvre tunnel, keep left here

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/20.jpg
Entrance to the Louvre tunnel (1/2)

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/21.jpg
Entrance to the Louvre tunnel (2/2)

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/22.jpg
When driving out of the Louvre tunnel, you get this pretty sight with the Pont Neuf in front of you

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/23.jpg
Continuing our way through the city centre (Châtelet and the Hôtel-de-Ville are towards our left, the Notre Dame and Conciergerie towards our right)

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/24.jpg
Zig-zag for the little Seine-promenade to our right

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/25.jpg
Near the Pont Marie

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/26.jpg
Moving towards Sully-Morland (be careful here, they recently installed a new radar control point here - it's located near the red traffic light on the left)

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/27.jpg
Tunnel entry to connect to the section towards the Quai de la Rapée

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/28.jpg
Quai de la Rapée, with first indications of the highways

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/29.jpg
Highway indication at the Quai de la Rapée, with the elegant subway bridge Pont d'Austerlitz in front of us (line 5)

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/30.jpg
The Ministry of Finances in front of us (Bercy)

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/31.jpg
Passing once again under subway line 6, now at Bercy

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/32.jpg
The recently build pedestrian bridge Simone de Beauvoir, connecting the 12th district with the François Mitterrand Library (BNF)

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/33.jpg
The usual mess caused by those who want to access the périphérique near the Cour St Émilion

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/34.jpg
Separation at the Porte de Bercy between those towards the périphérique (to the right) and those continuing straight on to the highway A4

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/35.jpg
Passing under the monstruous interchange of the Porte de Bercy

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/36.jpg
Coming out of the tunnel - start of highway A4

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/37.jpg
5-lane start of the highway A4 towards Strasbourg

Hope you like it :)

awesome! :cheers: :applause:
is there always the speed limit 50? how many exits are there? that's what I was thinking while looking at Konigsberg photos - if you enter Paris at Bercy you will get stock soon or later - it's the opposite direction of voie G.Pompidou. :D however, what about Rive gauche? isn't there some kind of expressway for direction west - east too?
I made a little map showing your itinerary. At first I tried to make letters shown as your photos, but than I ran out of them. :D

http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu2/hofburg/voie.jpg

In the first photo: is the underground passage which princess Diana died in 1997?


No it is the interchange of Porte de Bercy.

crcorp, what is the tolerance of the speed cameras in the city? When I drove 50, it seemed like I was one of the slowest. So, sometimes, I sped up to 60, and now I am worrying if I get some tickets in the mail.

Radars are indicated, so drivers slow down next to these and accelerate after. :lol:

is there always the speed limit 50?Yes. The Louvre tunnel is currently udergoing renovation works and the speed limit is therefore brought down to 30 km/h, but it is never respected.
how many exits are there?14 if I counted correctly.
however, what about Rive gauche? isn't there some kind of expressway for direction west - east too?East-to-West you mean... no there isn't. It was foreseen in the original plans though, but they never realized it. There are just two little fractions existing of which the largest is between the Musée d'Orsay towards the Eiffel Tower. They even closed down the other section for the largest part as a result of construction works on top of it near the Institut du Monde Arabe (near the Gare d'Austerlitz).

Thanks for making the map, I ran out of time yesterday evening to provide one :)

crcorp, what is the tolerance of the speed cameras in the city? When I drove 50, it seemed like I was one of the slowest. So, sometimes, I sped up to 60, and now I am worrying if I get some tickets in the mail.Tolerance is normally up to 55 km/h. The general rule is 5 km/h when below 90 km/h of max speed, over 90 km/h you get 10% of margin.
For a certain - for me still mysterious reason - the French are incredibly afraid of these radar machines. Even when they may drive 50 km/h, they usually drive 40 km/h max, just in case somebody brought the limit down to gain some extra money :p. So don't be surprised if some guy in front of you starts breaking in the middle of nowhere, it usually means a radar is close :)

For a certain - for me still mysterious reason - the French are incredibly afraid of these radar machines. Even when they may drive 50 km/h, they usually drive 40 km/h max, just in case somebody brought the limit down to gain some extra money :p. So don't be surprised if some guy in front of you starts breaking in the middle of nowhere, it usually means a radar is close :)

That happens almost everywhere they have those stupid photo radars, not just in France. People who are not even speeding hysterically hit the brakes. :nuts:

That happens almost everywhere they have those stupid photo radars, not just in France. People who are not even speeding hysterically hit the brakes. :nuts:
In the states drivers do the same when they see a police car - even if they follow the speed limit, they still hit the brakes :lol: I guess it is a universal instinct.

In the first photo: is the underground passage which princess Diana died in 1997? I dont remember the name of that underground passage.

^^
http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/14.jpg
The flame in memory of Princess Diana who died tragically inside this underpass of the Place de l'Alma

http://c.raemaekers.free.fr/ssc/15.jpg
The car-crash of Princess Diana was against one of these pilars (but from the other direction if I recall it right)

In the states drivers do the same when they see a police car - even if they follow the speed limit, they still hit the brakes :lol: I guess it is a universal instinct.

jap, me too :D although when I see the radar I only check my speed.

Thank you for the help GENIUS LOCI... its la Place d' Alma indeed

photos of entering Paris from A4 to Gare de Lyon from yesterday trip (then we took the TGV - 320 kmh max speed, verrified with gps) :cheers:

http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu2/hofburg/bercylyon.jpg

http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu2/hofburg/11042010004.jpg

http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu2/hofburg/11042010005.jpg

http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu2/hofburg/11042010006.jpg

http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu2/hofburg/11042010007.jpg

http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu2/hofburg/11042010008.jpg

http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu2/hofburg/11042010009.jpg

http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu2/hofburg/11042010010.jpg

http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu2/hofburg/11042010011.jpg

http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu2/hofburg/11042010012.jpg

http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu2/hofburg/11042010013.jpg

Nice :)
Fortunately for you, you didn't see the effects of the A6B being closed for 8 months now (this is why you see the yellow tags placed over the signs). Usually there is now a big traffic jam in the middle two lanes to get onto the Périphérique Intérieur. Of course there are always ******* who try to push themselves into the line at the last moment, also blocking all lanes to the left (Paris) and right (Périph Extérieur).

By the way, if you took a TGV at Paris-Lyon, it "only" runs at 300 km/h. The 320 km/h is only on the LGV-Est-Européenne (trains departing from Paris-Est). Anyway, if you start driving just after a trip by TGV, everything seems to be going slooooooow :D

yeap, and it was a good feeling when TGV is parallel to A6 and you are going 3x faster then cars. :cheers: so it must be the lack of satelites then, because I actually saw 320kmh on gps based speedometer. :) but normaly it was between 270-290.

I didn't quite understand why the closed A6b is affecting Bercy, where exactly are the traffic jams? it's nothing nicer then sunday mornings in Paris. :D

I just did not know how you Parisians call the city within the Peripherique ring.
It's called Paris intra-muros. The official name however is Ville de Paris (City of Paris).

Here on this picture I have shown the exact border of the City of Paris.

http://i39.tinypic.com/2d3sc6.jpg

Here you are already inside Paris intra-muros (in the 12th arrondissement). The road above the bridge is not the Périphérique, it's the Boulevards des Maréchaux ring. It was the only ring around central Paris until the 1960s, when they built the Périphérique ring. The area between the Boulevards des Maréchaux ring and the Périphérique ring was annexed by the City of Paris in July 1930 (i.e. this bridge in the picture would have been the border of the City of Paris until 1930).

http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to7.jpg

Here the big building in the background above the avenue (this building is France's Ministry of Finance and Economy) marks the border of the City of Paris before 1860. Until 1860, the border of the City of Paris (with a toll gate) was located where this building stands now (the toll gate here was called "la barrière de la Rapée"). The area between this building and the Boulevards des Maréchaux ring was annexed by the City of Paris on Jan. 1, 1860.

http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to9.jpg

This is how the Barrière de la Rapée looked (it stood exactly where the Ministry of Finance stands today, the Seine is to the left):

http://gallica.bnf.fr/RequestDigitalElement?O=IFN-7743681&E=JPEG&Deb=1&Fin=1&Param=D

Here you are finally inside the old City of Paris as it existed before 1860. Back then it was the 8th arrondissement of Paris (this area along the Seine at the entrance of Paris was industrial and contained the docks, where grains from the Brie and wines from Burgundy landed in Paris). Now it's the 12th arrondissement of Paris (all the docks, warehouses and industrial buildings were demolished after WW2 and replaced with modern buildings; the huge wine warehouse was destroyed by a raid of the Luftwaffe the day after the liberation of Paris in August 1944 and burnt all night).

http://almikul.home.comcast.net/images/paris/paris_to10.jpg

This is how it looked in the 18th century (the quai, i.e. "embankment" hadn't been built yet). Paris and Notre Dame cathedral are visible in the background.
http://i43.tinypic.com/29c0zfp.png

And this is how the docks looked in the 19th century (it's exactly where you took the picture above):
http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/thumbnail/80539/1/Paris-Quai-De-La-Rapee.jpg

http://cache3.asset-cache.net/xc/82093899.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF8789215ABF3343C02EA548E94AD90D64709EB08B96F96B0BD622C2571CCACCDDE020AE

http://cache2.asset-cache.net/xc/92387489.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF878921CC759DF4EBAC47D0F874FDC8C498AA8A8247DC49814F4C89DD1C69796514C06B

This plant produced the electricity for the Métro network:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/PARIS_-_Chemin_de_fer_m%C3%A9tropolitain_-_Usine_du_Quai_de_la_Rap%C3%A9e_pour_la_production_d%27%C3%A9nergie_%C3%A9lectrique_Les_Dynamos.JPG/800px-PARIS_-_Chemin_de_fer_m%C3%A9tropolitain_-_Usine_du_Quai_de_la_Rap%C3%A9e_pour_la_production_d%27%C3%A9nergie_%C3%A9lectrique_Les_Dynamos.JPG

All merchandises entering Paris had to pay a special tax called "l'octroi" (which is why they built toll gates):
http://cache2.asset-cache.net/xc/55753024.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=79FB7D004A5D4687642A11241CC980BE2C3E8AF3A6B5BF6038B3FA9046C82766

Some of the many warehouses that were demolished after WW2:
http://cache3.asset-cache.net/xc/56198024.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=79FB7D004A5D4687FE506D194FD26098A4393E0E2BC5C8319F0A328035F2CA1E

http://cache3.asset-cache.net/xc/56198023.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=79FB7D004A5D4687FE506D194FD26098C3C62B3A95A31B631E5418CA7FCD6E32

By the 1920s, traffic had already decreased (it had been largely moved further upstream in the suburbs):
http://cache3.asset-cache.net/xc/56234453.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=79FB7D004A5D468743204A97596502EC29DB9F7EB51A3D0045FD4140845ACF45

On the eve of WW2:
http://cache1.asset-cache.net/xc/50690431.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=E41C9FE5C4AA0A14430FF3EDB6939D870967E661EFE3934312DE7065AD911CAFE30A760B0D811297

Pont Mirabeau (still 16th district)
"Sous le pont Mirabeau coule la Seine
Et nos amours
Faut-il qu'il m'en souvienne
La joie venait toujours après la peine

Vienne la nuit sonne l'heure
Les jours s'en vont je demeure

Les mains dans les mains restons face à face
Tandis que sous
Le pont de nos bras passe
Des éternels regards l'onde si lasse

Vienne la nuit sonne l'heure
Les jours s'en vont je demeure

L'amour s'en va comme cette eau courante
L'amour s'en va
Comme la vie est lente
Et comme l'Espérance est violente

Vienne la nuit sonne l'heure
Les jours s'en vont je demeure

Passent les jours et passent les semaines
Ni temps passé
Ni les amours reviennent
Sous le pont Mirabeau coule la Seine

Vienne la nuit sonne l'heure
Les jours s'en vont je demeure"

Guillaume Apollinaire (1880 - 1918)

The flame in memory of Princess Diana who died tragically inside this underpass of the Place de l'Alma
:nono:

That flame is not in memory of Princess Diana. It already existed BEFORE the death of Princess Diana. It is the Flame of Liberty, a full-size replica of the flame at the upper end of the torch carried by the Statue of Liberty in NYC. It was offered to the city of Paris in 1989 by the International Herald Tribune, the culmination of that newspaper's 1987 celebration of its hundredth anniversary of publishing an English-language daily newspaper in Paris. That flame is a symbol of Franco-American friendship, and has nothing to do with Princess Diana.

thanks for that great historical explanation. :okay:

I didn't quite understand why the closed A6b is affecting Bercy, where exactly are the traffic jams? it's nothing nicer then sunday mornings in Paris.The A6B is closed in the direction of Paris -> Province, thus people coming from the north-east who want to access the A6 highway are left with 2 out of the usual 3 alternatives:
- Use the Périphérique in order to join the A6A near the Porte d'Orléans, causing a traffic jam from the Porte de Bagnolet until the Porte d'Orléans
- Use the A86 ringway in order to join the A6 near Fresnes, causing a traffic jam from Thiais until Fresnes.

That flame is not in memory of Princess Diana. It already existed BEFORE the death of Princess Diana. It is the Flame of Liberty, a full-size replica of the flame at the upper end of the torch carried by the Statue of Liberty in NYC. It was offered to the city of Paris in 1989 by the International Herald Tribune, the culmination of that newspaper's 1987 celebration of its hundredth anniversary of publishing an English-language daily newspaper in Paris. That flame is a symbol of Franco-American friendship, and has nothing to do with Princess Diana. You're right that the monument was not put there for Princess Diana as you pointed out. However, the monument is nowadays largely used as such. Even though it is a form of historical distortion, you cannot deny anymore that the one and only meaning of this monument is a symbol of Franco-American friendship.

Anyhow, "bravo" for the nice historical explanations on the progressive growth of Paris :).

Anyhow, "bravo" for the nice historical explanations on the progressive growth of Paris :).
And we haven't even touched on the borders of the Medieval city. None of von Königsberg's pics were taken inside the Medieval city (or perhaps on the way out, but it's hard to tell), so I couldn't show you were the Medieval wall was located (in fact there were three successive Medieval walls).

Here on this picture by Crcorp I have indicated where the Medieval wall of Paris stood (it's the 2nd city wall in that picture, i.e. the 12th century wall).

http://i42.tinypic.com/dxftr9.png

Just on the quai above the Voie Express George Pompidou stood the Tour Barbeau (Barbeau Tower), the first tower of the 12th century Medieval wall on the Right Bank. This sign below tells us that in the 16th century a tennis court called la Croix-Noire (the Black Cross) was built here at the base of the wall (possibly where the Avenue Express Georges Pompidou runs now). Tennis courts back in these days were covered with a roof and had terraces for spectators (jeu de paume, the ancestor of our modern tennis, was practiced by aristocrats and rich people). The famous French playwright Molière set up his theatre inside this tennis court in 1644 according to the sign.

http://www.philippe-auguste.com/img/mur/pla-rdr-tour-barbeau.jpg

In this map from 1550, you can still see the Tour Barbeau (the 12th century wall has already disappeared, absorbed within the buildings of Paris):
http://i42.tinypic.com/332m6i0.png

In this map from 1615 by Matthäus Merian, the tower had already disappeared:
http://i44.tinypic.com/xe21xv.png

Here a reconstructed view of the area in the 15th century:
http://i39.tinypic.com/14jyfzo.png

Very near where Crcorp took his picture, a section of the 12th century wall is still visible (it had been absorbed within some buildings, so they destroyed part of the buildings after WW2 to make it visible again):

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/FranceEnglandCard2_052.jpg/1000px-FranceEnglandCard2_052.jpg

The A6B is closed in the direction of Paris -> Province, thus people coming from the north-east who want to access the A6 highway are left with 2 out of the usual 3 alternatives:
- Use the Périphérique in order to join the A6A near the Porte d'Orléans, causing a traffic jam from the Porte de Bagnolet until the Porte d'Orléans
- Use the A86 ringway in order to join the A6 near Fresnes, causing a traffic jam from Thiais until Fresnes.


aha. why they added A6b instead of widening original A6?

Thank you very much for that fine historical analysis brisavoine :). It's a good thing that they open up old remnants of city walls. Although it is completely understandable that at the time people wanted to get rid of these things, but it is simply part of history and nowadays it would really look very nice to still have intact city walls :).
aha. why they added A6b instead of widening original A6? Because the A6a could not be widened as a result of surrounding buildings. The A6a and A6b run through a very densely populated area and they are completely surrounded by buildings. The A6b was originally intended to connect Paris to Rungis (where a huge market is located). However, nowadays it has merely a role of doubling the A6a for those coming from/going to the east, whereas the traffic on the A6a focuses most on those coming from/going to the west.

Some interesting information (in French) and historic pictures are available at the information web site for the renovation works : http://www.couverturea6b.fr

(in French)


that's even better as it was in english. :D
nice video.

Nice :)
Fortunately for you, you didn't see the effects of the A6B being closed for 8 months now (this is why you see the yellow tags placed over the signs). Usually there is now a big traffic jam in the middle two lanes to get onto the Périphérique Intérieur. Of course there are always ******* who try to push themselves into the line at the last moment, also blocking all lanes to the left (Paris) and right (Périph Extérieur).

By the way, if you took a TGV at Paris-Lyon, it "only" runs at 300 km/h. The 320 km/h is only on the LGV-Est-Européenne (trains departing from Paris-Est). Anyway, if you start driving just after a trip by TGV, everything seems to be going slooooooow :D

The average speed between Paris Gare de Lyon to Le Creusot TGV (LGV Sud Est) is a bit less than 300km/h (389km in between 1h18 and 1h21). It is not unrealistic that the maximum speed is around 320/330 km/h.

yeap, I passed by le creusot :)