The Seine River (known as Sequana in ancient times) rises on the Plateau of Langres (near Dijon) and flows northwest past Troyes, Fontainebleau, Paris and Rouen into the English Channel.

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The Seine River (known as Sequana in ancient times) rises on the Plateau of Langres (near Dijon) and flows northwest past Troyes, Fontainebleau, Paris and Rouen into the English Channel. The river is about 776 km long; it is navigable for riverboats from Bar-sur-Seine (560 km from its mouth) and for ocean shipping from Rouen (121 km from its mouth). The Seine River is connected by canals with the Schelde (also called Escaut), Meuse, Rhine, Saone and Loire rivers. I recommend all first time (and subsequent) visitors to take a Seine river cruise. One good company to try is the Bateaux Mouches. They go down the Seine and give a recorded overview of all the sights that are located along the Seine. Like a sightseeing tour bus this boat tour gives one an idea of what Paris has to offer and you can always return to visit a particular sight in detail later on. Many others have recommended this and I have to agree. See the Seine from as many different perspectives as possible. For example start at one of the bridges and walk along rive gauche till the next bridge then cross it and walk along rive droit till the next bridge and then so one. Then you could turn around and do it in reverse direction. There's so much to see! See it from vantage points such as the Tour Eiffel or La Samaritaine or Tour Montparnasse. Also get right down to next to the water at many of the steps that lead down. Take something to read and a piece of fruit or a pastry or two to munch on and if it's a sunny day you'll be so glad you did! Pont Alexandre IIIThe richest and the most beautiful bridge in Paris is Alexander III Bridge. Tsar Nicolay II had placed the first stone in 1900 and the bridge was open in 1902. One the picture you see one of four 17 meters high pillars. The bridge is rich with sculptures. It also owes its fame to the technical prowess that went into its construction. Built in only two years by the engineers Résal and Alby, the first stone was placed by Tsar Nicholas II, although the structure was opened at the 1900 Universal Exhibition.The keystones are decorated with two compositions in beaten copper representing, upstream, the Nymphes de la Seine (the Seine Nymphs) bearing the arms of Paris, and, downstream, the Nymphes de la Néva (Nymphs of the Neva) bearing the arms of Russia by G. Récipon. On the bridge parapet, at the foot of the pillars, are four superb groups of water spirits with fish and seashells sculpted in beaten copper by L. Morice and A. Massoule, while the four monumental candelabra surrounded by cupids and sea monsters are by the sculptor, H. Gauquic To get to the Pont Alexander III: Left Bank: exit Métro Les Invalides, head north toward the Seine Right Bank: exit Métro Champs-Elysées Clemenceau, go south toward the Seine on Avenue Winston Churchill. Le Pont NeufThe Pont Neuf was commissioned by Henry III in 1576. Despite its name, which translates as New Bridge, it is now the oldest bridge in Paris. Henry III was in tears when he laid the foundation stone for the bridge in May 1578. This was because he had just returned from funeral services for two close friends who had been killed in duels. So, at first, the bridge was refered to as the "Bridge of Tears". This was soon replaced with the name Pont Neuf because in its construction, Henry broke with tradition whereby all Parisian bridges had houses on them from one end to the other. No houses were to be built on this bridge. Before the construction was finished Henry III was assassinated and the bridge was completed in 1604 by his successor Henry IV. When Henry IV was assassinated in 1610 the Grand Duke of Tuscany presented his widow, Marie de Medicis, with a bronze horse as a memorial. The boat that transported the horse to France sank off the coast of Sardinia in 1613 and the horse went down with the ship. A year later it would be found and set on to Paris. It would be placed on the Pont Neuf rider-less for twenty-one years. In 1635 Louis XIII had a statue make of his father Henry IV and placed him on the horse. This it would sit for the next 157 years. In 1792, in the third year of the French Revolution, the Paris mobs took down the horse and the riding king. They smashed them both to bits. Most would go off to be melted down while the rest went into the Seine. The Pont Neuf would remain without a statue until the return of the monarchy in 1814. Louis XVIII then ordered a replica of the horse and Henry IV cast in bronze, using part of the melted down statue of Napoléon that had been on top of the Vendome column. The caster was happy for the work, but also was a Bonapartist. He is said to have placed a small statue of Napoléon in the right arm of Henry IV's right arm. In the belly of the horse he placed papers containing songs and celebrations from the Napoléonic era. 2006-07-29T22:21:19-07:00

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2006-06-20T17:00:00-07:00

0 -9223372036854775790 248911

1872598

371494

181083

0.247078830607558

2006-06-19T17:00:00-07:00

Published

150.0 The Seine River (known as Sequana in ancient times) rises on the Plateau of Langres (near Dijon) and flows northwest past Troyes, Fontainebleau, Paris and Rouen into the English Channel.

2006-07-30T01:18:32-07:00

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