Our hotel
Things we saw
The Louvre
Arc de Triomphe
Notre Dame
The Eiffel Tower
Cimetiere Du Pere
Lachaise
Our Hotel
Things we saw in Paris
We got off the train and walked around looking for a hotel. We compared prices
and got the cheapest we found. It was nice though it cost extra for a shower
so we didn't get one - but the room did have a bidet and a sink.
The Louvre
The Mona Lisa(tiny...)
This may very well be the grandest museum in the world - and not only because
recent renovations have made it the largest, nor because it is the oldest and
most visited. The Louve is the queen of museums because is displays the
most stunning artwork in the most elegant of settings. It also possesses an
overwhelmingly comprehensive collection of art and artifacts from almost all
ages, cultures, and regions. Before you skip down the escalator and turn into
the first wing you see, remember that the Louvre is enormous. There's
French art, Greek art, Renaissance sculpture, Egyptian artifacts, are from
Germany, art from ... you get the idea. To plan your visit - and avoid
spending several days wandering in search of the exit - pick up a visitors'
guide in the bookstore. Lines can be long especially during the midday tourist
rush.
Arc de
Triomphe
Commissioned by Napoleon I, the Arc de Triomphe remains the largest
triumphal arch in the world. The sculpture surrounding it includes Francois
Rude's famous La Marseillaise, depicting the uprising of 1972. Climb
the 50-meter (164-foot) arch for one of the better views of Paris,
highlighting the city's unmistakable design; radiating out from the arch are
12 avenues. Gaze along the precise lines to La Defense, down the Champs-Elsees
to place de la Concorde, and on to the Louvre. Visit the Arc's WebCam!
Notre
Dame
For centuries Notre-Dame (built between 1163 and 1361) has watched
Paris go through all sorts of phases, riding out periods of neglect and
hostility like a patient parent. Such patience is not without its payoffs, and
today Notre-Dame is one of the best-known houses of worship in the
world. The portals are fantastic, depicting (from left to right) the Virgin
(to whose glory the cathedral is dedicated), the Last Judgment, and Ste-Anne,
Mary's Mother. Above is a row of statues depicting 28 kings of Judeah and
Israel, all of which lost their heads during the French Revolution, when the
cathedral became the Temple of Reason (the heads were replaced once the fuss
died down). Climb the cathedral's towers (around to the left as you face the
building) for a terrific view of Paris.
The Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower's Official
Site
It's funny to think that a construction so abhorred by the French public upon
its conception could become the monument most closely associated with the
country. In 1885, the city held a contest to design a 300-meter tower for the
1889 World Exposition, and Gustave Eiffel won. It was slated for the junkyard
even as it was being built, but somewhere along the way people realized it
might actually have a practical use or two; the tower, which bristles with
television and radio transmitters, has gone on to help decipher German radio
codes during World War I, capture Mata Hari, and serve as the chosen place of
suicide for over 350 people. This 10,000-ton dark metal structure was the
world's tallest building until New York's Chrysler Building took over that
title in 1930. Nowadays, it's simply a source of wonder for legions of visitors,
especially at night when it's lit up. The hour-long lines to ascend the tower
in summer are decidedly less wonderful; to avoid them, try visiting early in the
morning or late at night. The best view, though, is on a clear day an hour
before sunset, when visibility from the top extends 90 kilometers (56 miles).
Visit the Eiffel's WebCam!
The Fireworks at
the Tower new years eve year 2000.
Cimetiere du
Pere Lachaise
The world's most celebrated necropolis, Pere-Lachaise is the final stop
for illustrious people like Oscar Wilde, Alice B. Toklas, Gertrude Stein,
Frederic Chopin, Edith Piaf, Marcel Proust, and Georges Seurat, to name a few.
The oldest residents at Pere-Lachaise are the celebrated lovers Abelard
(1079 - 1142) and Heloise (1101 - 64). But let's face it, most young travelers
are tromping out here to see lizard king James Douglass Morisson
(1943 - 71). A gendarme is now posted to keep crowds from committing all those
rowdy acts that Doors fans are capable of, and the grave site is periodically
cleaned of all messages left by well-intentioned devotees.
Pictures from someone's website.
