The Seine river

The Seine (pronounced "sen") is a major river of northern France, forming the country's chief commercial waterway. It is also a tourist attraction, particularly within the city of Paris.

The river is 780 km (485 miles) long, France's second longest (after the Loire which is 1020 km (634 miles) long). In ancient times the Seine was known by the Latin name Sequana.

The Seine's main tributaries are the Aube, Marne and Oise rivers from the north and the Yonne and Eure rivers from the south. It is connected with canals to the Scheldt (also called the Escaut), Meuse, Rhine, Saône and Loire rivers.

The Seine rises in the French région of Burgundy, in the département of Côte-d'Or, 30 km (18 miles) northwest of Dijon at a height of 471 metres (1545 feet). The river then flows through Troyes to Paris.
In Paris, narrowed between high stone embankments, the river carries commercial barges, waterbuses and large tourist boats (bateaux-mouches). From the water, fine views are seen of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay (housing Paris' collection of Impressionist art), the Conciergerie and the Eiffel Tower. The northern side of the river is described as the Right Bank (Rive Droite) and the southern side as the Left Bank (Rive Gauche).

Ile aux Cygnes

Cutting the Seine in two, this Ile Aux Cygne is a very pleasant walk between barges. It follows "Le Front de Seine" and its modern buildings large 70's project.

Between the pont de Grenelle bridge and pont de Bir-Hakeim bridge on the Seine River, there is a little tree-lined, paved path on a sort of dike or pier running in the center of the river from one bridge to another. This path, called the allée des Cygnes (“Promenade of the Swans”) is very quiet and pretty, and far from the traffic of the city. It’s a popular spot to walk or jog.

At the west side of the island, the second in hight (after New York) Statue de la Liberte looks in the direction of America.

Viaduct of Passy - Bir-Hakeim

It was in 1878, for the Universal Exposition, that an original metal footbridge was built on either side of the Ile des Cygnes, and called the "Passy footbridge". It was much used by the inhabitants of the 15th and 16th arrondissements. However, to meet the needs of the Universal Exposition of 1900, plans were drawn up to replace it by a bridge combining a railway and a road. In late 1902 a competition was organised by the Metropolitan railway and Seine Navigation departments for a two-tier bridge, with a road bridge on the lower level comprising two lateral roadways separated by a central walkway and, on the upper level, the metropolitan railway viaduct supported by metal columns resting on the central space.

The author of the project was Louis BIETTE, in association with the contractors DAYDE and PILLE. Formige, a Paris municipal architect, was responsible for the decoration. He hired three sculptors; Gustave Michel, who produced the cast iron groups aligned with the piers at the arch springs. There are two groups, one representing "boatmen", the other "ironsmith-riveters". For their part, Coutan and Injalbert are the authors of four allegorical figures decorating the structure on the Ile des Cygnes.The Pont de Bir-Hakeim is in fact comprised of two unequal metal structures, each comprising three cantilever type spans, separated by a monumental stone structure on the upstream tip of the Ile des Cygnes. The metropolitan railway viaduct on the top rests on a series of elegant pillars, whose highly ornate decoration unfortunately disappeared when the structure was strengthened from 1930 to 1940.

Called the Passy viaduct until 1948, the work was renamed the Pont de Bir-Hakeim to commemorate General Koenig's June 1942 victory over Rommel in the Libyan desert.