Eiffel Tower from the Seine

Walking along the Pont de Bir Hakeim (bridge) in Paris 

on the blog today to give you an idea of the neighborhood. 

More night photos!

At not quite the middle of the bridge stands this statue

which I only realized recently was a likeness of Joan of Arc. 

I have a whole new respect! 

The bridge itself runs across the Seine

 from the 15th arrondissement to the 16th,

from the Bir Hakeim metro stop to Passy on the 6 line

which runs over the top of the bridge. 

The statue sits on a small pullout from the bridge

where people often gather to stare at the Eiffel Tower 

and often sip something of their choice

(as evidenced by the empty bottles we frequently find left behind). 

We have on occasion brought guests here

with a bottle of bubbly and glasses

to watch the tower sparkle

as we sparkle. 

(We take our bottle with us!)

From here you can walk along the Seine and the boats

all with a view of the tower. 

I love these boats which are often rented

but I especially love them in the summertime

when people sit out on the decks

in the warm evenings

 sipping wine and eating

while they talk softly and enjoy the view. 

The Pont d'Iena (next bridge over) connects the Eiffel Tower to the Trocadero. 

In the early 1800's, Napoleon wanted a bridge to overlook his Ecole Militaire

(Military School and his offices) located on the other end of the Champ de Mars. 

So from 1808-1814, he had this bridge built and named after

one of his battle victories: The battle of Jena

(apparently the American spelling).

The stairs from the bridge to the river 

are called the Renault Stairs

where James Bond (Roger Moore)

drove a Renault 11 down the stairs in pursuit of an assassin

in the film A View to a Kill.

Christmas in full form 

on the river below the tower. 

I loved the colors here against the fog. 

And the tower doing its sparkly thing.

Hope you've enjoyed this little walk

along a small part of the Seine in Paris. 

Back next time with more of Paris!

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen

Please do not reproduce

Bridge info via: Wiki)