Paris – a reprise

Posted on by spohalloran

With my brother here in Paris this year, I planned a new take on my 2013 bike trip across Paris.

This time we will do it on electric scooters!

6am: First stop, the strip where the poshest hotels in Paris are located, next to Le Louvre. You will see Le Louvre in the pictures below. Here is a the penthouse bathroom from Le Meurice’s brochure.

They had a dark past though.

In August 1944, the Meurice Hotel became the headquarters of General Dietrich von Choltitz, the military governor of Paris. Von Choltitz famously disobeyed Hitler’s commands to level the city of Paris. Hitler reportedly screamed to von Choltitz over a Hotel Meurice telephone, “Is Paris burning?”

Guerre 1939-1945. La croix gammÈe flotte sur la rue de Rivoli, devant les Tuileries et au coin de la rue Rouget-de-Lisle, Paris, vers 1942-1943. Photographie d’AndrÈ Zucca (1897-1973). BibliothËque historique de la Ville de Paris.
Change of guard at hotel Crillon place de la Concorde. Releve de la garde au Crillon. Credit Line (ACME), Paris Oct. 7/40, Chas. Baulard.

Arc de Triomphe at sunrise.

The stunning Dior building on the Champs Élysées

The destination: La Grande Arche

And the view from its podium. Note the teeny-tiny Arc de Triomphe dead centre now 4 kms away.

4 thoughts on “Paris – a reprise”

  1. Hello O’Hallorans. Love your work and commentary. Are all the Parisians en vacance peut-etre? No traffic and no people?
    Must be wonderful to go back again and explore again.
    Godspeed.
    Clare xx

    1. Hello Clara, hope you are well. Thank you for the comment.
      There is significantly more bikes and less cars than previous year, so hard to tell if everyone is back yet. You would absolutely love biking around here. Bike lanes everywhere and plenty of mutual respect between transports.
      Sean n Kim

  2. The Dior building is fantastic! A gentle feast for the eyes. Exploring the city at sunrise – one way to beat the tourists.

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