Snowfall 18th of January 2013

Secco Boulangerie on the Corner of Rue Auguste Bartholdi and the Blvd Grenelle

 

Motorbikes on the corner of rue Humblot

  

Bicycle on the rue Auguste Bartholdi

Rue Auguste Bartholdi

Parc Dupleix

Le Dernier Metro on the Blvd de Grenelle

Metro Dupleix

Merry Christmas to all our Guests

Murillo - The Annunciation

Guest Reviews

As potential visitors mostly choose their holiday apartment based on the reviews left by previous visitors, we are very grateful that guests make the effort to write about their stay at the Eiffel Bartholdi.

Here are the Trip Advisor guest reviews:

Find 15th Arrondissement Vaugirard Vacation Rentals on FlipKey

Video Tour (Filmed November 2012)

St Vincent de Paul

The 27th of September of the feast day of St Vincent de Paul, one of many saints who made Paris their home.

St Vincent de Paul is best know for his charity work on the streets of Paris where he founded an the Order of the Daughters of Charity, whose sisters were instantly recognisable by their distinctive headwear

We have written a walking (and metro tour )guide of the saints of Paris where you can will guided towards the final resting place of St Vincent de Paul at the chapel on the rue de Sèvres  .

Other Paris saints in the walking tour are:

• Sainte Catherine Labouré, a nun at the Order of Daughters Charity at the rue du Bac
• Sainte Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris, whose shrine is in the church of Saint Etienne du Mont
• Saint Denis, the first Bishop of Paris and was beheaded by the Romans

How far to the Closest Metro Station ?

 The closest metro is Dupleix about 2 minutes walk from the apartment

Metro Dupleix Today

So how close is the apartment to the Eiffel Tower?

A ten minute walk.

Rue Auguste Bartholdi On Google Street View

Just click on read more immediately below and you find the Google Streetview of the rue Auguste Bartholdi

The Year 2012 is the 600th Anniversary of the Birth of Joan of Arc

The Passion of Joan by Carl Dreyer (1928)

Read about the extraordinary history of the film and its chance rediscovery right here.

Merry Christmas

Madonna of the Roses by William Adolphe Bouguereau (1903)

Warmest Christmas greetings to our past and future guests.

This year's Christmas painting comes to us courtesy of the wonderful Art Renewal website. If you have a have a little time to spare, it's worthwhile to read their philosophy which explains how the monstrous lie of modern art has come so very close to destroying five centuries of our natural artistic sensibilities. 

10th of October 732 - The Battle of Poitiers

Arab Mohammedan invaders had occupied Visigoth Spain since 711 and were working their way through France following the 720 takeover of Narbonne.

The clash between the Frank Charles Martel and the Ummayad Abd al Rahman took place somewhere between Tours and Poitiers on the 10th of October 732. 

Charles Martel choose the place of battle on top of a hill where his infantry stood firm while charge after charge of Arab cavalry tried to break the ranks of the Frankish footsoldiers. The battle ended when the Moors heard that their plunder from earlier battles was being taken by the Franks from their base camp. Panic quickly spread through the mohammedan cavalry and in the turmoil Abd el Rahman lost his life. 

The Arabs fled back to Spain where they remained until the Reconquista finally reclaimed  the Iberian Penisula for Christendom in 1492

Charles Martel was the grandfather of Charlemagne the founder of the Carolingian Empire. His tomb can be visited in the Abbey of St Denis.




Charles de Steuben, Bataille de Poitiers - Musée du Palais de Versailles



Charitable Help

Frederic Morgan - Charity

We were delighted to welcome The Jasinski family from Waukesha in Wisconsin for a last minute booking for a week in July 2011.

As they departed rather suddenly to continue their 3 month vacation to other European destinations, they had they tactfully informed us that the outstanding rent would be settled after their return home. We are of course relieved that they managed to return home but our phone calls and emails have been mostly unanswered. We understand in these troubled times that paying for holidays can be expensive and  this must make life terribly difficult.

Any holiday property owner that receives a booking request from Mike and Elizabeth  Jasinski should rejoice at the opportunity to be generous to their fellow man. You will be doing an "impoverished" family a great kindness.

The cleaner, after the initial shock when she enters the vacated apartment, will also be joyful in the knowledge that she can add the term "industrial cleaning" to her curriculum vitae.

Flood of 2010

This is the extent of the flooding near the Dupleix Metro in January of 2010

And this is the same view today

Excellence Badge and Top Vacation Rental

If you glance to the top right corner of this blog, you will see that Flipkey and Trip Advisor have awarded us a couple of badges.

Although neither Flipkey nor Trip Advisor have visited the apartment, our guests who write the reviews have all stayed for short or long periods.

We thank all our guests for choosing to stay with us and are very grateful to those who enjoyed their stay to such an extent that they took the time to write a review.

The Rated Excellent Badge is awarded to the top rated apartment in the Vaugirard sector of the 15th arrondissement.

We are still the 5th most highly ranked apartment amongst the 2,045 listed for Paris.

The Top Vacation Rental Badge is awarded after 50 positive reviews. This took just over two years to achieve.

We are delighted that so many have enjoyed their stay, and look foward to many more years of providing a positive Paris experience to all our guests.

View from the Arc de Triomphe

View into the Courtyard

Fancy some fresh herbs with your salad from the market? Just help yourself to basil, chives, thyme and rosemary from the window box.

View from the Tour St Jacques

Below is a screenshot from the 360° Tour St Jacques website

Hotel de Ville as seen from the Tour St Jacques

Happy Easter

Easter Procession St Mark's (Maurice Brazil Prendergast)

Happy Easter to all our guests and visitors

Good Friday



The Crucifixion by Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506) Musée du Louvre

This scan taken as ever from the wonder Art Renewal website

Spring 2011 Photos

Here are a few photos of the appartment taken today:

Dining area

Living area

Bedroom

Living area


 

Close up of the fireplace in the bedroom



The Eiffel Bartholdi guides, local history pamphlets and local walking guides

Bathroom




Spring

Today is the first day of spring. We hope our guests will enjoy this from the wonderful Art Renewal website

William Adolphe Bouguereau - Le Printemps
Jocelyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska

Rue Auguste Bartholdi - Yesterday and Today

This is the rue Auguste Bartholdi as it looked 100 years ago. Then as now, there was a boulangerie on the corner.

Boulangerie on the rue Auguste Bartholdi taken from the site delcampe.net

Where are we located?

The apartment is on rue Auguste Bartholdi in the 15th Arrondissement. In the Google Map screenshot below, the apartment location is where the red star is marked. Note the proximity of the Dupleix metro station.

At the top of the image you can see the Eiffel Tower and the embarcation point for the various Seine boat tours. The large park is the Champ de Mars.

To get in touch with us initially, use the form on Flipkey and we will be pleased to introduce ourselves properly and answer any questions you may have on the apartment, neighbourhood, or what to do when you are in Paris.

Sightseeing Cruise on the Seine

About 10 minutes walk from the apartment, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower you will find the embarcation points for Batobus, Bateaux Parisiens and Vedettes de Paris. The Seine sightseeing boats,  are more commonly known as bateaux mouches because the boats were originally built in the Quartier de la Mouche in Lyon.

Le Ponts des Arts photographed from a river cruise on the 8th of March 2011

The Batobus service allows the passenger to embark or desembark as many times as he or she desires at anyone of 8 stops. 

Bateaux Parisiens and Vedettes de Paris have a one hour cruise which costs 11 euros for an adult. Boats leave every 45 minutes so just turn up and take the next available cruise. The boat journey will take you from the Eiffel Tower, through more than 22 bridges all the way to the Ile de St Louis and back. On the way you will see most of the major sites of Paris from a perspective that is often quite stunning. Paris is a incredibly beautiful city and seeing it from the river is a worthwhile and memorable addition to your holiday. 

View of Alexander III Bridge taken from a river cruise on the 8th of March 2011

8th of March

The 8th of March is internationally regarded as the day when we celebrate women, in particular, the women who are dear to us. Today our blog features La Liseuse by Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806). This painting can be seen at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

Local Travel Guide

Our apartment is located near the metro stations La Motte-Picquet Grenelle and Dupleix. These stations serve 3 metro lines and thanks to this, it's possible to get to major sites very quickly indeed. To help you on your way, we have just updated our local travel guides to assist you around the Paris metro, bus and tram system.

1900 Universal Exposition and Village Suisse

The Eiffel Bartholdi holiday apartment is located near the Village Suisse, a major site of the 1900 Universal Exposition. The Village Suisse was a reconstructed Swiss village complete with a mountain, a pond, beehives, daily folkloric dancing and cow milking.

The Village Suisse also had the then biggest Ferris wheel ever built. With a diameter of 100 metres, the big wheel remained until 1937 when it was dismantled and the passenger cars used as shop kiosks. This later became the Village Suisse antique shopping centre we now see today.

The Universal Exposition of 1900 lasted 9 months and stretched all the way from the Champ de Mars to the Place de La Concorde and had 53 million visitors at a time when the population of France was 35 million. Difficult to image that so many visitors came during a period that pre-dated air travel.

We have written for our guests a visual guide to the 1900 Universal Exposition. This guide features period photos as well as more recent images.

Porte de Sèvres from the Universal Exposition of 1900 and now located near the Abbey de St Germain dès Prés

Time for a fresh coat of paint

We have taken advantage of a few quiet weeks to completely redecorate the living room, kitchen and parts of the bathroom and bedroom. Whilst our guests have been kind enough not to point out that some of the paintwork was looking a little tired, we certainly felt it was time for a fresh look.

This is what the apartment looks like today.

And this is how it looked at the beginning of February

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all our visitors and guests



Norman Rockwell - Tiny Tim and Bob Cratchit taken from the excellent Art Renewal website

Rue Auguste Bartholdi on Google Streetview

Just click on read more immediately below and you find the Google Streetview of the rue Auguste Bartholdi

An extra half day holiday at the Eiffel Bartholdi Apartment

We understand that when you stay at a holiday apartment, you probably don't really want to spend half a day shopping for essentials.

Here is a small list of things you will already find when you arrive.

For the kitchen:
Tea, coffee, sugar, salt, pepper, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, herbs, spices, kitchen towels, hand soap, dustbin liners.

For the washing mashine:
Detergent, fabric softener, water softener.

For the bathroom:
Towels, toilet paper, hand soap.

Our only aim is to ensure that our guests can comfortably settle in to their holiday apartment with the least amount of fuss.

Art Nouveau Walk

29, ave Rapp. Building by Jules Lavirotte 1901

The apartment borders the 7th arrondissment where you will find some of the grandest Art Nouveau buildings in Paris. Our walk starts at 10 ave Elisée Reclus and takes you to the Lavirotte masterpieces on the ave Rapp and rue Sédillot.

The tour concludes with the Maison de Arums on the rue du Champ de Mars. Our self guided tour with colour photos and explanations of the buildings you will discover on the walk takes around 90 minutes.

Maison des Arums, 33 rue du Champ de Mars

Walking Tour to the Hotel des Invalides

We have written several walking tours for our guests. The walk to the Hotel des Invalides, a military hospice and final resting place of Napoleon, takes you past the Ecole Militaire (See above photo) and through the public areas of Les Invalides.

The statue of Napoleon, overlooking the Cour d'Honneur in Les Invalides was originally on Colonne de la Grande Armée in Boulogne-sur-mer.

The statue was moved to Les Invalides in 1911.

How to get to the apartment

Once you have booked, we will send you a detailed guide on how to find us. We live just around the corner from the apartment, so when you arrive, just pick up the key from us.

Sshhhhh.....

Many people ask if the apartment is quiet !

We are located on the third floor overlooking the courtyard and there are no windows onto the street. You will therefore not hear any traffic sounds.

In order to ensure your privacy, the walls and front door have been fitted with soundproof panels with the result that you and your neighbours remain in blissfull ignorance of each others presence.

The windows are also double glazed to provide you with that extra peace and quiet.

Pricing

The prices at the Eiffel Bartholdi are as follows:

• 
  
  125 € per night based on 2 guests staying
• 
  
  135 € per night based on 3 or 4 guests staying
• 
  
  735 € per week based on two guests staying
• 
  
  770 € per week for 3 or 4 guests
• 
  
  Extra nights are at 100 € regardless of the number of guests

These prices are the same all year round even in the event of a volcano (unless the eruption is in Paris, in which case a slight reduction will apply to reflect lower heating costs)

There is a 4 day minimum stay during the Christmas holidays when bookings are for one week minimum.

For longer periods, please ask us.

Happy Easter to all our Guests

The Resurrection (1463-1465) by Piero della Francesca. Image courtesy of Art Renewal

Dining In

In earlier postings we mentioned the proximity of small local shops and the twice weekly market. In our opinion and the opinion of many of our guests who have commented on Trip Advisor, this is one of the more memorable aspects of this neighbourhood.

Considering that we spend such a large proportion of our lives shopping for food, preparing meals and cleaning up afterwards, its seems appropriate that we ensure all stages of this process are as pleasurable as humanly possible.

There is, I'm sure you'll agree,  a real difference between  buying meat from a butcher who will slice the rumpsteak in front of you and a choosing a shrinkwrapped steak in a supermarket aisle that will be scanned in by an unmotivated cashier.

This posting on the Thinking Housewife blog reflects our feelings on supermarket shopping. Buying food at the supermarket is a sometime necessary chore, but when staying at the Eiffel Bartholdi, it's quite possible to feast like a royalty having never stepped into a supermarket.

Eating good food prepared with fresh ingredients is one of the finest recipes for human joy and despite a history of civil strife going back hundreds of years, this is one aspect of life in France that all Frenchmen can agree on.  

Buying food in a foreign country can be a little daunting but it needn't be. We have tried to make this task as easy for our guests as possible by creating an 8 page guide full of colour photos helping you to find your way around the local shops and the market.

This guide is frequently updated as we obtain more information, (often from our guests) that may be useful for anyone staying at the Eiffel Bartholdi.