One good reason to go up to the balcon du Panthéon is to see the cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris from up there. It's a better view of the cathedral than you get from the top of other Paris monuments — la tour Saint-Jacques, la tour Montparnasse, ou la Tour Eiffel, par exemple. By the way, another spot where you can see spectacular views of the city is the top of the towers of Notre-Dame itself.
Here are a couple of links to interesting information. The first is a link to a 2016 article in the Figaro newspaper about the renovation work at the Pantheon that was completed back then, leading to the the organization of tours up on the "balcony" of the building.
And here's an article published by the Mairie de Paris and updated just a couple of days ago about the progress being made on the restoration of Notre-Dame, which is scheduled to be re-opened to the public in 2024.
That article from the Mairie de Paris is fascinating....
ReplyDeleteOne thing the article said was that the cathedral would be ready to receive visitors in December 2024. I thought the plan was to get it ready for visitors before the Olympic Games start next summer.
DeleteThese are two very excellent (LUMIX?) photos. Too bad La Raffinerie could be seen in the back of the towers. They didn’t ask me, but I’d reconstruct the flèche in aluminum (it wasn’t original anyway). It was a creation of Viollet-le-Duc.
ReplyDeleteYes, Lumix TZ18.
DeleteHard to believe Beaubourg is that close to Notre Dame. When you walk it seems far. Even though the fleche is an add-on, I like it. When I first saw the church the facade was very dark and there were cars parked out front. That was the 1970s. I think Versailles was quite dark then too and lacked all the gilded details you see there now.
ReplyDeleteMy first view of Notre Dame was like Diogenes'. She cleaned up well before the fire. I hope she'll be ready for the Olympics.
ReplyDeleteMy first visit was in 1967 and Notre-Dame was DARK - I would describe it as black. Same as the Frankfurt Opera House. Yes, I have read a lot about the recent gilding at Versailles. My photos of 1968 Versailles are all of a light grey exterior. The speed of the Notre-Dame restoration is amazing. I also remember that Macron had wanted to have the completion in time for the summer Olympics, perhaps it still might be possible.
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