Paris. A walk on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées

Although the afternoon was taken up with a walk on the  Champs-Élysées, a shorter stroll in the morning took us up to the last vineyard in the city, on the Montmartre Butte.  Because the weather has been unseasonally warm, the vines were very lush.

The Vineyard of Montmartre

The vineyard is just across the road from the cabaret au lapin agile where, at the turn of the twentieth century,  many struggling artists and writers met, including Picasso, Modigliani, Apollinaire, and Utrillo.

Au Lapin Agile

In fact  Picasso's wonderful painting "At the Lapin Agile," was originally meant to hang on one of the walls in the cabaret.

Picasso, "At the Lapin Agile"

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is known as "The most beautiful avenue of the world", La plus belle avenue du monde in French.

Start of the Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe in the distance

The avenue runs for 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) through the 8th arrondissement from the Place de la Concorde in the east, with the Obelisk of Luxor, to the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, the location of the Arc de Triomphe. The lower part of the Champs-Élysées is bordered by greenery and is basically a parkland with statues and buildings such as the Théâtre Marigny and the Grand Palais.

A kiosk on the Champs-Élysées

One of the many fountains

The Grand Palais

Detail from the Grand Palais

In front of the Grand Palais there is a statue of Charles de Gaulle.

Charles de Gaulle

Further to the west, beginning at the Rond Point

Rond Point

The "business" end

the avenue is lined with cinemas, cafés and restaurants (most notably Fouquet's), and luxury speciality shops. Needless to say, some of the shops are pretty impressive.

Guerlain

Cartier

On the other hand, Paris has not entirely escaped the evils of Americanization!

One big mac, fries and a coke.

Still, there are plenty of places on the Avenue where one can stop and enjoy a "Creme" which is really just coffee with milk or cafe au lait.  A "Grand Creme" is a large coffee.  Most Parisiens appear to prefer to finish a meal with an expresso, enjoying the sharper taste.

Stopping for a coffee

The Champs-Élysées ends at the Arc de Triomphe, built by Napoleon Bonaparte to honour his victories.

Arc de Triomphe

By the way, you may remember in an earlier blog I had a picture of the Carillon hotel.  Here it is again, but the front, with the figure, is actually a faux, painted front because there is work being done behind it on the hotel.  It is a lovely example of Trompe-l'œil.