A River View of Paris

Sculpture on the
Pont Alexandre III

HE REMARK-ABLE French music-hall star Mistinguett described the Seine as a "pretty blonde with laughing eyes". The river most cer- tainly has a beguiling quality, but the relationship that exists between it and the city of Paris is far more than one of flirtation. No other European city defines itself by its river in the same way as Paris. The Seine is the essential point of reference to the city: distances are measured from it, street numbers determined by it, and it divides the capital into two distinct areas, the Right Bank on the north side of the river and the Left Bank on the south side. These are as well-defined as any of the official boundaries. The city is also divided historically: the east is linked to the city's ancient roots and the west to the 19th—20th centuries.

Practically every building of note in Paris is either along the river bank or within a stone's throw of it. The quays are lined by fine bourgeois apartments, magnificent town houses, world-renowned museums and strik- ing monuments. Above all, the river is very much alive. For centuries fleets of small boats used it, but motorized land traf- fic stifled this once-bustling scene. Today, the river is busy with com- mercial barges and massive bateaux mouches pleasure boats carrying sightseers up and down the river.

The Latin Quarter Quayside is on the left bank of the Seine. Associated with institutes of learning since the Middle Ages, it acquired its name from the early latin- speaking students.

This map shows the sections of the
river depicted on the following pages.

Les Bouquinistes, the
bookstalls on the river
banks, are treasure troves of
second-hand books and
prints, and perfect for an
afternoon's browsing.

A River View
of Paris

PARIS AND ILE DE FRANCE