Coucou! Redeux - La Grande Arche

Crossing the street near the Champs-Élysées, I happened to look down the street and - coucou! - there was La Grande Arche de la Défense. 

La Défense - Mod Men

And these are the men of La Défense. Modern Men. Business Men. "Suits." I love the way their suits are not just clothes, but a part of their bodies, integral to who they are.

Next week....more art from Paris!

La Défense - A Little Seussical

One of my favorite things about La Défense is how it combines the modern and the whimsical. In addition to skyscrapers and modern architecture (remember this?), it is also home to trees and other plant life that look like they belong in Whoville. It's the perfect spot to spend your lunch hour reading a book as this lucky Parisian is.

La Défense - La Grande Arche

I give you.....La Grande Arche de la Défense. One of the first monuments I visited in Paris, not long after it was inaugurated in July 1989. Designed by Danish architect Johann Otto von Spreckelsen and Danish engineer Erik Reitzel, it was the initiative of French president François Mitterrand. It is a monument to humanity and humanitarian ideals rather than military victories. Another reason to love it.

Charles de Gaulle Étoile - Avenue de la Grande Armee

This is the Avenue de la Grande Armee, the avenue directly across from the Champs-Élysées on the other side of the Arc de Triomphe. This avenue is continued by the avenue Charles-de-Gaulle as far as Neuilly-sur-Seine, towards la Défense home to La Grande Arche de la Défense, which you can see in the distant haze.

I visited La Grande Arche on my very first trip to Paris in 1989 and thus it holds a special place in my heart. Next week, more photos from la Defense.

Le Métro - Esplanade de La Défense

 

  

The logo for Le Métro moderne. This one is at Esplanade de la Défense.  La Défense is a major business district on the outskirts of Paris.