In Paris for the Solar Eclipse of August 12, 2026
Paris, August 12, 2026
Lucky me to be in Paris to witness Europe’s first solar eclipse in decades. And since Paris was not going to fall into total darkness (only 92.2%), I chose the Pont Alexandre III, the City of Light’s most beautiful bridge, to enhance the backdrop of the celestial spectacle.
The Solar Eclipse & The Eiffel Tower
And because we were all turned westward on the Pont Alexandre III, the majestic Eiffel Tower lingered in every frame, rising like a sentinel over the fading light.
| WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW |
Eclipses captivate us because they occur so infrequently
The moon is about 400 times smaller than the sun, yet also 400 times closer to Earth. This coincidence makes them appear the same size from our perspective.
The sun, the moon, and the Earth move in a gravitational choreography, and when their alignment is exact, we witness a solar eclipse. For a brief few minutes, the moon aligned perfectly with the sun, and cast a shadow that plunged part of the Earth into darkness, and the other part is semi-darkness.
About the Pont Alexandre III
The Pont Alexandre III is a triumph of Belle Époque aesthetics and advanced engineering. The bridge was intended not only as infrastructure but as an open-air artwork, dazzling visitors arriving for the 1900 World’s Fair (Exposition Universelle).
| History |
– Built: 1896–1900
– Inaugurated: 14 April 1900 for the World’s Fair
– Named after: Tsar Alexander III of Russia, honoring the 1891 Franco‑Russian Alliance
– Foundation stone: Laid by Tsar Nicholas II in 1896
– Status: Classified as a Monument Historique since 1975
| Facts |
– A single steel arch only 6 meters high, an engineering feat designed to preserve river views.
– Four monumental 17-meter pylons crowned with gilded bronze winged horses (“Les Renommées”), representing Arts, Sciences, Commerce, and Industry.
– Rich ornamentation: cherubs, nymphs, lions, dolphins, bronze candelabras, and allegorical sculptures celebrating different eras of France.
– Designed by architects Joseph Cassien-Bernard and Gaston Cousin, and engineered by Jean Résal and Amédée Alby.
– Four monumental 17-meter satues crowned with gilded bronze winged horses (“Les Renommées”), representing Arts, Sciences, Commerce, and Industry. See photos of two of them.
As mentioned above, the Pont Alexandre III is crowned at each corner by a monumental gilded statue, each one an allegory of a force that shaped France at the turn of the 20th century. These statues, winged female figures guiding Pegasus, are called Les Renommées (“Renowns”), and each celebrates a different domain of national greatness:
– Renommée des Arts (Renown of the Arts). This statue celebrates artistic creation, imagination, and France’s cultural legacy — pictured above
– Renommée des Sciences (Renown of Science). This allegory represents knowledge, discovery, and faith in scientific advancement — pictured above
– Renommée de l’Industrie (Renown of Industry). It celebrates the Industrial Revolution — machines, engineers, and the labor force driving progress
– Renommée du Commerce (Renown of Commerce). This figure honors economic vitality, international trade, and France’s commercial prosperity.
The gilded statues shimmering like guardians of the Seine, Paris felt suspended between sky and river as the eclipse unfurled above...
