Paris main visit page 2

Introduction to the quartier chic

House Clemenceau Musee du Vin Musee Balzac

Passy, Auteuil, Guimard,Castel Beranger

An architecural walk out of this time

Sewers-Modern Art museum
Musee d'Homme
Musee Marine

Musee du Cinema-Musee Marmottan

Musee Guimet
(new)

Musee Dapper

Bois de Boulogne part 1

Bois de Boulogne part 2

La Defense

Paris-16th arr-The sewers-Modern Art Museum-Musée de l'homme-Musée de la Marine

Let’s approach the 16th arrondissement from another angle. If you want to enjoy fully a view on the Seine, start at the Place de l’Alma. There is the famous bridge where Diana was killed in that terrible accident in the underground tunnel. The original bridge was replaced in 1970 by a metallic one, keeping only the famous sculpture of the “Zouave du Pont de l’Alma”, who was a symbol for the victory on the Russians in the Crimean War of 1854. The Zouave serves also as a tide-gauge, almost “drowning” in 1910. At the other side of the bridge is the entrance of the
“MUSEE DES EGOUTS “(the sewer museum). Open every day except Thursday and Friday from 1.00to 16.00 (17.00 in the summer). It is totally dedicated to the way Parisians solved the water problems since 1370. The museum was designed by engineer Belgrand who renewed the whole sewer system in the 19th century still existing today. You can walk into them and visit. As strange as it might be, it doesn’t have any particular smell, as you would expect.
Via the avenue du President Wilson you pass the MUSEE D’ART MODERNE DE LA VILLE DE PARIS, a feast for the amateurs of modern and abstract art. The edifice owns a few very important pieces: the vast composition of Dufy (60 to 10 meters) “La Fee Electricite”, realized for the hall of light in the 1937 World Fair. Four enormous canvasses of Robert and Sonia Delaunay, “Rhythms” (1938), “La Pastorale “by Matisse,  “La Femme a l’Eventail “ by Modigliani and many others.  But it’s for the  era after 1930 that the museum is particularly rich and all movements are represented: surrealism, expressionism, lyrical abstraction, new realism, narrative figurative etc….
Finally we arrive at the PLACE DU TROCADERO where you have such a magnificent view on the Eiffel tower. The equestrian statue of Marechal Foch stands in the middle of the square where the large avenues to Alma, Etoile, Bois de Boulogne and Passy start. Several museums surround that place housed mainly in the impressive PALAIS DE CHAILLOT. Also built for the fair of 1937, this monumental and complex building used to be a middle east palace built for the fair of 1878. They tore it down and built that cube pavilions that you see now. Between the two parts lies a 60 meters wide terrace with a magnificent view on the two buildings. In the left one is the Theatre de Chaillot, offering 1800 seats since its renovation in 1975. A famous director was Jean Vilar, creator of the Festival de theatre d’Avignon. He deceased a few years ago.
Four museums are housed in the Palais: LE MUSEE DE L’HOMME, (museum of mankind) that needs a good refurbishing, but I heard it's on his way. It’s a world in trip in miniature. You can see one of the world’s most important collections of ethnology, anthropology and prehistorical history.
Mummies, shrunken heads, exquisite crystal skulls,  masks from Central-Africa, European peasants dresses, shadow puppets from India and Aztec art.. Four hundred instruments from all over the world.  Generally the presentation is poor and shows or an evident lack of funds, maintenance and organization. You can see one of the world’s most important collections of ethnology, anthropology and prehistorical history.
A section is dedicated to mummies, warrior trophies like shrunken heads and tattoos, exquisite crystal skulls,  masks from Central-Africa, European peasants dresses, shadow puppets from India and Aztec art.. Four hundred instruments from all over the world. 
The anthropology section explains us more about the development of the different “races” (skin colour, body structure, blood groups). 
Another very interesting museum is the MUSEE DE LA MARINE. Yes, in the coat of arms of Paris you can see a sailboat! The museum houses a very rich collection with unique pieces representing all five marine disciplines:  war, commerce, pleasance, fishing and scientific. Gigantic collection of ship models, navigation technology, canons and a lot more like majestic bow figures and stern decorations in gilded wood of the Reale, admiral ship of Louis XIV, historic diving-suits, the imperial dinghy of Napoleon etc....... Small scale models created by a decree of Colbert on 31st October 1678 to realize models of every new built boat. Other precious models, remains of shipwrecks by Charcot or Laperouse, naval instruments, together with steam machinery, bathyscaphs and sail boats like the famous Pen Duick V, legendary boat of Eric Tabarly. This collection of about 300,000 objects is completed by an important document database. 
Next article a few other museums like the musee du Cinema, the musee Guimet and the musee Marmottan.

Bibliography

--Vie et histoire des arrondissements de Paris, ed.Hervas (1985-1988--Nouvelle Histoire de Paris, ed.Hachette--Le Pieton de Paris, by L.P.Fargue, ed.Gallimard 199 --Dictionnaire historique des rues de Paris, by J.Hillairet, ed.Minuit --Guide du Routard 1998-1999 (Ed.Hachette)--Paris, 2000 d'histoire, by J.Favier, ed.Fayard 1997—Trocadero buurt, prachtwandeling en museums, by.J .Fuherschien (ed.Alkhuys, 1995)