The Bridges of Paris

The Bridges of Paris

THE BRIDGES OF PARIS

Paris occupies a bowl hollowed out by the Seine, and the surrounding heights are considered to be the limits of the city. The river arches through the center of town, visiting 10 of the 20 arrondissements. Entering the city at the southeast corner, it arcs northward and bends out of Paris at the southwest corner. As a result, what starts out as the east bank becomes the north bank and ends as the west bank, and the Parisians therefore adopted the simple, unchanging designation of Right and Left Bank (when facing downstream). These terms are not much used in conversation, as specific places are usually indicated by arrondissement or by quarter (e.g., Latin Quarter). At water level, 30 feet below street level, the river is bordered by cobbled quays graced with trees and shrubs. From street level another line of trees leans towards the water. Between the two levels, the retaining walls, usually made of massive stone blocks, are decorated with the great iron rings of a past ages commerce and sometimes pierced by mysterious openings (water gates for old palaces or inspection ports for subways, sewers and underpasses). Here and there the wall is shawled in ivy.

As the Seine travels through Paris, it is crossed by 32 bridges. Here are just a few of them:

Pont d'Iéna: This bridge connects the Eiffel Tower on the left bank with the Trocadero on the right.

PONT D'ALMA:

PONT DES INVALIDES:

Pont Saint-Louis: This bridge connects Ile de la Cité and Ile Saint-Louis

Pont Alexandre III: Russian Czar Alexander III laid the cornerstone of this bridge (named after him) in October 1896. It the most beautiful bridge in Paris.