Paris - The Seine - 7me

Plate XL1X - The River Seine…

The Seine flows through the city like its aorta, and in Paris one is never far from its waters. Life on the river and its immediate surroundings appeals to the romantic visitor in us all. From the tourist laden bateaux mouches (as seen here in the river centre) that ply the waters of the central city, giving an unique view of the attractions along its banks, to the smaller privately owned craft moored along the quays, who in this city has not dreamed of sharing the freedom that the river life suggests. A dinner cruise on a bateau is a treat and the illuminated attractions of the city (if not the cuisine) still endure as a special memory of Paris.

The city started life some 2000 years ago on the island in the river, today known as the Île de la Cité . First known as Lutèce, it was inhabited by the Parisii tribes, which having made it their capital gave the city its modern name. Many of today’s landmark buildings on the island were built above the ruins of much older civilizations, Notre Dame for example was preceded by two earlier Christian churches, and they in turn were said to have been constructed on the site of a Roman temple to Jupiter.

The Seine is France’s second longest river after the Loire, but is the main waterway used for inland traffic, and is best known as the river of Paris. It rises near the town of Dijon in the Cote d’Or region of France, and flows to the English Channel near the port of Le Havre - a distance of some 780 kilometres.