Paris - Tuileries Gates - 1er

Plate VI - Tuileries Gates ...

As a portal into the city’s 1st arrondissement the gilded gates to the Tuileries Gardens separate the gardens from the Place de La Concorde. Beyond the gates lay extensive work as the Grande Louvre was taking shape. An area of Paris as old as the city itself, I doubt that work and change of some nature will ever cease here. But it is always done with the care for a visitor that is a trademark of the French – making you feel that it is being undertaken for you alone and therefore, in a strange way, you welcome it. Informative signage explains exactly what is being done, and plans for the eventual end result are generally on view to further inform the traveler.

Beyond the Place de la Concorde the seemingly ever-present Eiffel Tower towers (what else would it do?) to give all visitors their bearings in the city. Despite a generally poor sense of direction elsewhere in the world, I never lost my way in Paris. Surrounded and populated by many landmarks, anyone taking a few minutes, at one of the many vantage points (I have suggested the Grande Arche at La Défense), to familiarise themselves with Paris’s layout will find navigation through the often labyrinthine streets and byways quite simple. Besides, if you do get momentarily lost you are likely to find some place of interest in almost any area that it will make it more a pleasure than an annoyance. A good book on Paris walks is therefore almost a must, as many a gem will be missed if you don’t know what you’re looking for.