La Défense

Tuesday, August 24, 2010 Day 55
Having discovered the fish market yesterday, we went there and bought some flounder for dinner this evening. I have enjoyed cooking here, even though our apartment is small and lacks some of the basics such as measuring spoons and cups.

This afternoon we took a tram (a couple of trams, actually) out to La Défense. La Défense a major business district of Paris, and is named after the iconic statue La Défense de Paris, which was erected in 1883 to commemorate the soldiers who had defended Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. The area is full of skyscrapers and is Europe’s largest purpose-built business district.

One of the things distinguishing Paris is its skyline. Except for the Eiffel Tower and one 59-story office building (Tour Montparnasse, which many Parisians still consider an eyesore), there are few buildings taller than 12 stories. In the 1950s, when the pressure for skyscrapers began to grow, the city determined to commit an area outside the boundaries of Paris in which to allow construction of modern skyscrapers; hence, La Défense. It hosts some 72 skyscrapers and a huge square arch called the Grande Arche, which lies perfectly in line with the Louvre, the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe. Many of the buildings lie on either side of a huge pedestrian mall which contains some 60 modern art sculptures and numerous fountains. What fun! We spent the afternoon exploring the area and taking photos. As a result, today’s post has more photos than verbiage.