6,000! That was the number of seats available at the Gaumont Palace, a legendary movie theater in Paris, on Rue Caulaincourt in the 18th arrondissement.

Nicknamed “the largest cinema in the world,” the Gaumont Palace dominated the golden age of cinema between 1907 and 1972. Before becoming a movie theater, the building originally opened as the Montmartre Hippodrome for the 1900 Universal Exhibition, hosting circus performances, horse shows, and spectacular productions involving hundreds of performers and animals.

From 1911 to 1973, the Gaumont Palace was the paradise of movie-loving Parisians, devoted first to silent films and later to talking pictures.

To accompany films starring Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, or Max Linder, the Gaumont Palace had an orchestra of 30 musicians, and in 1931 a giant “Christie” organ was installed there. Miraculously saved from demolition in 1973, it is now housed in the Pavillon Baltard in Nogent-sur-Marne.

The Christie organ, entirely electric and made up of more than 1,500 pipes of tin, zinc, and wood, was installed 25 meters above the stage.

The Gaumont Palace was more than just a cinema. Often, the movie theater would give way to music-hall performances.

As for the films themselves, the highlight of the show, they were preceded by newsreels, a sort of early television news broadcast, followed by live acts featuring clowns, trapeze artists, singers, comedians, and more. During the intermission, the theater ushers sold ice cream, popcorn, and sweets, while advertisements featuring the famous “little miner” mascot were projected onto the screen. Nostalgia, when it grips you!

Movie screenings were true events. Programs began with “Gaumont-Revue du Monde,” presenting the week’s news, followed by documentaries, live attractions, and finally the feature presentation on a gigantic 35 mm screen. During intermission, spectators could enjoy tea rooms, bars, and promenade galleries inside the theater.

One of the theater’s greatest triumphs was the screening of Abel Gance’s “Napoléon,” which filled the auditorium for ten consecutive weeks. In 1962, the Gaumont Palace also installed a giant curved Cinerama screen measuring 600 square meters, then considered the largest in the world.

With the arrival of multiplex cinemas, single-screen theaters began to disappear. The Gaumont Palace closed its doors in April 1972 after the final screening of a cowboy film starring the unavoidable John Wayne. Developers began demolishing the building in early 1973. In place of the Gaumont Palace now stands, far less glamorous, a hotel and a DIY hardware store.

The demolition marked the disappearance of one of Paris’s greatest entertainment landmarks. Most of the theater’s archives were discarded during the destruction, leaving behind only fragments of the history of what was once considered the world’s greatest cinema palace.

Located in the heart of the Bois de Boulogne, the Parc de Bagatelle is a place for walking and relaxation covering 24 hectares. I had the chance to visit it and take a few pictures during my walk.

Created in 1775, the park and its château were built in sixty-four days following a wager between Marie-Antoinette and the Comte d’Artois. Designed in a typical Anglo-Chinese style of that period, the Parc de Bagatelle was conceived by Belanger and carried out by Thomas Blaikie.

The setting is so perfectly romantic that it almost seems unreal. Small bridges, rocks, caves, water mirrors and artificial waterfalls wind beneath the wooded canopy of gigantic trees. The gentle murmur of water accompanied my steps through the landscaped part of the park.

The Parc de Bagatelle is dotted with small gardens grouping flowers by species: the iris garden, the perennial plants garden, and the presenters’ garden. The entire park is one of the four sites of the Paris Botanical Garden. It was even possible to come across peacocks strutting about, completely unbothered by visitors, I managed to capture a few in photos.

The Parc de Bagatelle is also famous for its rose garden, where 10,000 flowers from 1,200 different species can be admired during their bloom at the end of spring. In front of the orangery, a magnificent flowerbed with shimmering colors prepared the eyes for the incomparable brilliance of the Bagatelle roses.

I really enjoyed the visit, it is a beautiful, very calm place, with not many people. Highly recommend.

In the second half of the 19th century, especially under the Second Empire, transport organization became a major concern due to increasing traffic in a rapidly expanding city. Under Prefect Haussmann, major urban works reshaped Paris and improved circulation, but central districts became increasingly congested.

The 1867 Universal Exhibition revealed the serious limits of surface transport, and rail appeared as the solution for mass transit. After 1870, many projects emerged, until the government decided in favor of a local, independent metro network for Paris.

As early as November 1898, the City of Paris began preparatory work: service galleries, sewer relocation under Rue de Rivoli, and water pipe modifications. Construction, which tore up parts of the city, was completed in record time (17 months).

Immediate success for Line 1

On July 19, 1900, at 1 p.m., Line 1 opened to the public between Porte Maillot and Porte de Vincennes, linking sites of the Universal Exhibition and serving events of the 1900 Olympic Games in the Bois de Vincennes. 30,000 tickets were sold for the launch.

The line was inaugurated discreetly during a heatwave to allow gradual use. Only eight stations opened at first; the others followed between August 6 and September 1, 1900, under engineer Fulgence Bienvenüe (who would later give his name to the Montparnasse–Bienvenüe metro station in 1933).

The success was immediate. By December 1900, millions of passengers had already used the line, and traffic kept increasing rapidly in the following years.

The first trains, made of wood and fully electric, reflected industrial innovation. Stations, with white tiles and electric lighting, impressed passengers and illustrated the modernity of the system.

A rapidly expanding network

From the start, traffic exceeded expectations, leading to the rapid construction of new lines. Expansion continued without interruption until World War I. By 1939, most of the inner-city network was completed.

By 1949, the network reached 166.2 km with 14 lines and 270 stations.

Since then, Line 1 has been extended to Château de Vincennes (1934), Neuilly-sur-Seine (1936), and La Défense (1992). It is now 16.6 km long with 25 stations.

Fully automated since 2013, Line 1 is the busiest line in the Paris metro network, with around 750,000 daily passengers.

Église Saint-Eugène-Sainte-Cécile is a Roman Catholic church in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, designed in the Neo-Gothic style by Louis-Auguste Boileau and Louis-Adrien Lusson. Completed in 1855, it was the first church in France to employ an entirely iron-framed structure.

The design of the church sparked controversy, because of its industrial materials and stylistic choices. In 1856, a public debate in the Journal des Débats saw architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc criticise Boileau, describing him as more of a “mechanic than an architect” and dismissing the church’s Neo-Gothic design as a “pastiche of bad taste.”

Franz Reichelt surely dreamed of a different fate. This women’s tailor from the Opéra district, appreciated by his neighbors and colleagues, suddenly developed a passion for aviation, which was still in its infancy and already experiencing its first accidents.

At the time, people were thinking about parachute systems, and our man believed he had found the solution. He created a large suit made of rubberized fabric, extending from the shoulders to the calves, with wings comparable to those of a bat. The whole structure was supported by a light metal frame, which deployed via a system of pulleys and straps when the arms were stretched out like a cross.

A series of trials with little success

Cautious, he conducted several tests. Some seemed relatively conclusive, as the mannequin’s wings slowed the fall. He himself attempted a jump in Joinville from a height of about ten meters. There, the parachute was useless, but the straw on the ground fortunately cushioned the impact.

He also tried throwing a mannequin from the first level of the Eiffel Tower, again without success. To ensure success, he increased the surface area, from 6 to 12 square meters, eventually producing a parachute with a surface area of 32.5 square meters and a diameter of 6.5 meters. The device weighed nine kilograms.

Why on earth did Franz Reichelt decide to attempt the jump himself at the beginning of 1912? He had convinced himself that if his invention hadn’t worked, it was because he had used mannequins. With himself as a human test subject, the outcome would be entirely different.

Death captured on camera

The police prefect had granted permission… for a mannequin. But on that Sunday, February 4, in freezing temperatures, it was indeed Reichelt himself who prepared to jump, in front of about thirty people, including a cameraman recording the scene.

Before his jump, surrounded by friends helping him deploy his invention, he seemed to hesitate… but jumped anyway. His suit did not work; the parachute twisted and wrapped itself around him. Fifty-seven meters below, he was dead. His tragic attempt, captured in both press accounts and images such as the one from Le Petit Parisien, remains a stark reminder of the risks taken by early aviation pioneers.

Visited NINA’S, it’s mainly a tea shop (their whole thing is flavored teas inspired by Versailles, especially the Marie Antoinette one), but they lean a lot on historical branding.

It has a very “Versailles”-like atmosphere, with elegant decor, pastel tones, flowers, and a distinctly 18th-century aesthetic.

The menu highlights flavored teas, delicate pastries, and creations inspired by the French art of living.

You may also see a marble bust of Marie Antoinette, a handwritten letter attributed to her, and even a recreated “lost shoe” from 1793. Pretty cool.

A bit pricey, but original. I liked the ambiance and the whole “Marie Antoinette fantasy” they’re going for.

Official website; https://www.ninasparis.com/en/

If you’re walking along the Seine and reach the Pont de l’Alma, it’s worth stopping to take a closer look at the statue standing by the river. The Zouave has become one of Paris’s most unusual flood indicators, and locals still glance at it when the river rises.

The bridge was built under the Second Empire and inaugurated in 1856 by Napoleon III. It is named after the Battle of Alma in Crimea (1854), where French, British, Ottoman, and Piedmontese forces defeated Russia. The bridge was designed to connect the rapidly developing districts of Chaillot and Grenelle, and it also formed part of preparations for the 1855 World’s Fair.

Originally, four statues were placed on the bridge’s piers, each representing a branch of the French army that fought in the Crimean War: a Zouave (North African light infantry), a grenadier, an artilleryman, and a light infantryman.

The Zouave became the most famous of the four during the devastating 1910 flood, when the Seine reached 8.62 meters in Paris and rose up to its shoulders. The statue is 5.2 meters tall and weighs around eight tons. After that flood, Parisians began using it as a visual reference: when the water reaches its feet, the riverbanks are closed; at knee level, navigation on the Seine is stopped.

The other three statues were later moved elsewhere in France, but the Zouave remained at the Pont de l’Alma, becoming a small but enduring part of how Parisians read their river.

Just a short trip (around 90 mins) from Paris, and you’re in Monet’s gardens, one of the prettiest spots around.