The last days of October for us were spent visiting the city of love: Paris, France. The main purpose for the trip was to attend a work training but we added a few days for fun. I have to say Paris was a great choice for a training. Back in the states, I remember traveling to Ft. Worth, Texas for training....which is not quite as cool as Paris, France (no offense to the readers from Texas).
We decided to utilize the speed train as our means of traveling to Paris for a couple reasons. First, the train departs from Luxembourg city which is a short drive from our village. Second, the rumors towards the "colorful driving" in the city streets of Paris did not sound all that fun to try out. And for the record, I found the rumors towards the driving are true. Wow. I thought driving in Italy was an adventure......that is nothing compared to those crafty drivers navigating the labyrinth of narrow side streets through the heart of Paris.
Shortly after arriving and checking in to our hotel we headed out with the group to get the lay of the land. The plan was to enjoy a ride up and down the Seine River where you will see a number of great historical buildings while also listening to the educational dialogue. The boat we chose departs from the base of the Eiffel Tower and with the sun getting ready to set, it was perfect for a picture. Wait....what?! You left the camera in the hotel room?? Yes, major fail right out of the gate. I will tell you that the views from the boat ride are worth the Euros and I highly recommend doing this activity right away when you visit Paris.
The following day a few of us grabbed our cameras and headed out to explore. First stop: Napoleon's infamous Arc de Triomphe that sits at the western end of the Champs-'Elysees. Completed in 1836, the Arc honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars. When you venture through the tunnel under the roundabout to see the Arc up close, you will see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. If you have the time and a few Euros, you can pay a visit to the top of the Arc where I hear the view is amazing.
We decided to walk down to the eastern end of the Champs-'Elysees, heading towards the Place de la Concorde. If you enjoy looking around luxury specialty shops and perhaps enjoying treats at cafes, then look no further than the "Champs". The Champs-'Elysees is one of the most famous streets in the world and it does a great job living up to its reputation. Here is a picture taken while crossing the Champs and looking back towards the Arc de Triomphe. It was fun to finally visit the traditional finish line for the annual Tour de France bike race that takes place each July. Another bucket wish item crossed off for both of us.
One of the cool features of the Champs is the high level of care for the landscaping. I thought this near-perfect straightline trimming of the branches appropriately reflects the high standards set for maintaining the greenery found along the avenue.
It did not take us too long before we reached the Place de la Concorde. This is one of the major public squares in Paris and also home to the U.S. Embassy building....which is good to know. The Place was originally designed in 1755 as a moat-skirted octagon between the Champs-'Elysees and the Tuileries Gardens and was named Place Louis XV to honor the king at the time. The area is famous for not only the statues and two fountains, but also where King Louis XVI met his demise via a guillotine in 1793. What I found fascinating was that this guillotine received quite a workout during its tenure. During the height of the French Revolution in the summer of 1794 more than 1,300 people were on the receiving end of this.....device. But, the story has a happy ending: in 1795 the guillotine was removed and the square was renamed Place de le Concorde as a symbolic gesture of reconciliation after the turmoil of the French Revolution.
This is the north fountain in the heart of the Place de la Concorde: Fountain River of Commerce and Navigation. Behind the fountain on the left is the Hotel de Crillon (one of the oldest luxury hotels in the world and the place where the treaty was signed by France in 1778 that recognized the independence of the United States of America).
Wait. If this is such a major square with several statues dating back hundreds of years, why only one picture? Well, the pictures that we took during an evening stroll are amazing and do more justice to majestic landscape. Stay tuned for later in the post.
If you continue east of the Place de la Concorde you will enter the Jardin des Tuileries. This public garden located between the Concorde and the Louvre Museum dates back all the way to 1667. While strolling through the gardens, you will likely see one of the several statues.
Looking over the one of the two large basins inside the Jardin des Tuileries.
The Jardin des Tuileries Gardens has a rich history filled with turmoil and rebuilding. Today you will find this place honors the reputation it held during the 19th century: it is the ideal location for people to visit and relax, meet their friends, and enjoy the fresh air and greenery. A favorite find is the several chairs and reclining chairs found throughout the gardens. As luck would have it we just happened to find a few empty reclining chairs sitting next to the basin and took the opportunity to give the ol' dogs a break from all the walking. As you can see in the background we were not alone in our thinking.
Continuing our direction of due east we came to the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. This structure was built at the same time as the Arc de Triomphe located at the western end of the Champs-'Elysees we saw earlier. This Arc, however, was built by Napolean to commemorate his military victories the previous year and is about half the size and took only two years to build.
Just on the other side of the Arc is the world famous Louvre Museum. One of the most visited musuems in the world, it is not only the central landmark of Paris, but also home to the Mona Lisa painting. The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace that originally began as a fortress in the 12th century, but was converted to a musuem during the French Revolution. The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. The glass pyramid in the heart of the complex was completed in 1989 and now serves as the main entrance to the musuem.
More on the Louvre museum later in the post. For now, let's continue with the sight seeing adventures. The Louvre museum sits along the Right Bank (or northern side) of the Seine river and we thought it would be fun to cross over too the Left Bank and visit the Latin Quarter. As we crossed the Pont du Carrousel bridge over the Seine river, we caught a good view of the Notre Dame cathedral in the distance.
After enjoying possibly the best Doner Kebab ever at some random restaurant in the Latin Quarter, we headed over to check out the Notre Dame cathedral.
Looking up in search of Quasimodo.
The Notre Dame Cathedral dates back to the year 1163, but was officially competed in the year 1345. The building is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in Europe.
Walking through the front doors and looking down the center aisle to the opposing wall will stop you in your tracks.
Looking up to the large window near the front of the Cathedral.
Looking back up to the organ that hangs over the front entrance.
While viewing the front of the Cathedral a thought occurs: Napoleon was coronated here in 1804.
Walking around the back of the Cathedral you will find two models. The first is a look at how the Cathedral was constructed. Lifting large stones with long wood poles.....wow. The second model is a miniature of the Cathedral.
It was getting late in the day and we were a good distance from the hotel, so we opted to begin our way back. If you have ever been to Paris then you know that the quickest way around is the good ol' metro (subway). HOWEVER, on this particular day, the citizens of Paris elected to show their displeasure with the retirement age moving up 2 years by holding a protest. How does this affect us? Well, the protest was impacting key transportation services....like the metro. We heard that some trains were not running, so you could end up waiting a long time for a connection. Not a problem for us: the weather is beautiful making it perfect for a long walk back to the hotel.
Instead of winding our way through the city streets, we opted to walk along the Seine river for as long as we could and then turn right....somewhere. The views along the river were rewarding. Here we are looking up to the Pont Alexandre III bridge with the Eifel tower in the background.
The Pont Alexandre III bridge is considered the most beautiful bridge in Paris. The bridge was built in the late 19th century as part of a series of projects undertaken for the Universal Exposition of 1900. A little bit of trivia we learned: the first stone was placed by the Russian Tsar Nicolas II and was meant to symbolize the friendship at the time between Russia and France. The bridge was named after the father of Tsar Nicolas II: Tsar Alexander III.
Remember that protest I mentioned earlier? Yes, well we thought that heading back to the hotel in the early afternoon would allow for us to miss the planned protest march. We were wrong. As it turns out the route of the march was to end directly in front of our hotel. Lovely. So with limited knowledge of the city streets and hundreds of police officers directing us to the few streets that were not closed, we soon found ourselves marching in the protest. When in Rome afterall. I found the protest to closely resemble a college football tailgate party. Most people were laughing and yelling with their friends all the while enjoying an adult beverage. No violence or anger, just a bunch of people showing their displeasure for having to work until the age of 62 before they could retire.
Of course people marching long distances need to maintain their energy...hence the several street vendors selling hot dogs. I even saw a vendor that was using a sheet of plywood and milk crates as his preparation table. Love the creativity.
After walking around the end of the parade, I went inside the hotel to meet up with the rest of the group for dinner. Our thought was to head out towards the Eiffel tower, take a few pictures at sunset, and then find a great place to eat. Well that was before we knew the end of the protest march was going to delay our departure. The permit for the protest allowed people to mingle in the streets until 6pm. At about 6:30pm, the police were kind enough to help people find their way home. Given the hundreds of police walking down the street in a solid wall, covered in riot gear and shields, we elected to stay inside the hotel lobby until the party was officially over. Thankfully the end of the protest was non-eventful and everyone found their way home....eventually. Here is a view of the tail end of the party....er, I mean protest.
The next evening we set out to visit the Louvre museum and stopped by the Place de la Concorde on our way to capture some great evening pictures.
The Obelisk luminated with the Champs-'Elysees in the background.
Andrea and our friend Sarah with the Obelisk and Eiffel Tower in the background.
Alas, here we are: the Louvre museum. Visiting the Louvre has been a long-held dream for us and we could not wait to get inside and explore. Considered one of the world's largest museums and most visited musuem in the world, we knew going in that we were not going to see every piece in just a few hours. There are over 35,000 works of art throughout the nearly 652,000 square foot museum, so getting through the Louvre may take a few visits. I'm fine with that. For this visit however, we decided to stick with the traditional attractions and take advantage of the smaller crowds found during the weeknights.
Walking up to the Louvre in the evening does not disappoint. As mentioned earlier, the glass pyramid is the main entrance to the vistors center. In the background of this picture, you can see the two of the three wings that make up the Louvre Palace.
First stop is of course the Mona Lisa. Painted by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1503, it is believed that the painting was not completed until 1519, just before Leonardo passed away. The Mona Lisa is the probably the most popular attraction at the Louvre and we were lucky enough to get close for a picture. You will note the bullet-proof glass that covers the painting. Throughout the years there have been many succesful attempts to vandalize the painting so the glass was added. The glass also helps to maintain a stable climate-controlled environment to prevent further deterioration. I have to admit, between the thick glass that covers the painting and the barrier that sits in front of the attraction, it was hard to appreciate the painting. For me, to appreciate paintings, I like to get close enough to see the brush strokes and observe the different hues. Since you cannot get close to the Mona Lisa, I found standing there looking at the painting from a distance of about 3 meters somewhat anti-climatic. Don't get me wrong, I loved the fact that we were fortunate to see the Mona Lisa in person, it's just that the other paintings in the Louvre had a much more profound affect on me.
For example the "Feast at the House of Levi". This painting found in the same room takes up almost the entire wall (as evidence by the two men standing in front of the painting). How long did it take to paint such a massive picture with such a high level of detail. Amazing.
There are more than 6,000 paintings throughout the Louvre that date from the 13th century to the year 1848. What happened to the pieces dated after 1848? Was there a massive flea market held where people could pick up legendary pieces for cheap? No, they simply moved the pieces to another musuem and thought the best way to "split up the musuem" was to identify a specific date and period. So when the d'Orsay train station was converted into the Musee d'Orsay in 1986, pieces completed after the 1848 Revolution were moved from the Louvre to the d'Orsay.
Back to the Louvre. Almost all paintings throughout the museum capture you attention.
We loved the almost 3-D like image reflected in this painting.
The level of detail in this painting of a concert hall was amazing.
This was one of my favorites. Notice the several paintings being auctioned off in the setting.
This piece demanded your attention the moment you walked by it.
Another top attraction at the Louvre is Napoleon's Apartments. This portion of the museum provides a view of the luxurious environment that Napoleon enjoyed.
Throughout this room there are several murals, paintings, vases, scluptures, and of course this breathtaking chandelier.
Walk through a private room and you find the main dining area.
With time running out, we had one more exhibit to see before we made our way home: the European Renaissance. This exhibit is filled with sculptures, furniture, tapestries, and armor worn during this period. My favorite collection of tapestries was the Maximillan hunting scene. In all there are twelve tapestries all depicting hunting scenes set in the forest somewhere outside of Brussels, Belgium. If you look closely at the top of the border in the center of the piece, you will see the medallion that reflects that particular month for which the scene represents. A little trivia for you: the first month in this sequence is the month of March as this was the first month of the year in the Julian calendar that was in use in Brussels until 1575.
One of several bronze scluptures found in this exhibit.
We took our time finding the exit to the Louvre and eventually ended up in The Cour Marly. This section contains statues from the park of Marly, Louis the XIV's favorite residence. The area is wide open and covered by a large glass roof that allows natural light during the day to highlight each piece. I think the views during the night are equally impressive.
Back in the main entrance under the glass Pyramid, if you find yourself there at night, don't forget to look up. It's worthy of a picture, or a long stare at least.
The next morning we headed out in search of the infamous cafe shown in the movie 'Amelie'. The Cafe' des Duex Moulins is located near the Montmarte area on Rue Lepic street and I was very happy to find a hearty breakfast can be enjoyed here. Of course if you are in the mood for a great desert, they also offer a creme brulee that is appropriately named after the character Amelie.
Andrea and Sarah enjoying the atmosphere as we wait for breakfast to arrive.
Andrea standing in front of the cafe. What you don't see is the black clouds that have rolled in and are about to dump inches of rain.
After the brief rain storm, we took our newly purchased Paris umbrella up the street to visit the area of Montmarte. This area sits high above the streets of Paris and offers an amazing view from the Basilica du Sacre Coeur. More on that in a bit. Montmarte has been the setting for many famous films (like Amelie) and also where many artists had studios (Monet, Picasso, and van Gogh to name a few).
Walking up one of the narrow streets on our way to the main area of Place du Terte that is known for its local artists that will quickly sketch a portrait of you for just a few Euro's.
One of the many cool cafe's located in Montmarte that are perfect for enjoying the area and people watching.
Remember I mentioned the view from the Basilica? Well here it is:
And just around the corner from the Basilica you can find a good view of downtown Paris with the Eiffel Tower in the horizon.
Looking back up to the Basilica.
Walking back from Montmarte to our hotel, the route just so happened to go by the infamous cabaret, Moulin Rouge and the birth of the can-can dance.
One of the best features of Paris, in my opinion, is the fresh crepes that can be found throughout the city. Don't settle for the pre-made crepe that they simply warm up on a hot plate. No, if you want to really enjoy a crepe, seek out a stand that pours the batter onto the hot plate after you place your order. It may take a few minutes and there could be a line, but believe me.....it is totally worth the wait. Oh, and I should point out that most shops do not sell crepes until high noon (12pm) and they are not open on Sundays.
Our favorite crepe was Nutella with banana. My mouth is watering just thinking about how good it tastes. And for the record, there is no rule that says you cannot enjoy a crepe at noon and another after dinner.....which we did.
The best place to buy a fresh crepe was conveniently located just around the corner from our hotel. These things are made with love.....
After the delicious snack we headed over to the L' Hotel National des Invalides. This beautiful building is located along the Seine river and is easily recognized by the large grass area in the front (formerly referred to as Esplanade des Invalides). Our first night in Paris we walked by this building and the sheer size and architecture of the building were enough for us to make a return visit during the daylight hours. The building was constructed in 1671 by Louis XIV as a means to build a royal hostel that would be large and spacious enough to house all officers, old and retired alike. The buildings house Musee de l'Armee (the military museum of the Army of France), the Musee de l'Ordre de la Liberation, and the Musee des Plans et Reliefs. Perhaps the most famous attraction is the burial site for Napoleon.
After walking the long distance through the esplanade, we finally arrived at the front gates to the Invalides.
Our arrival was perfectly timed with an exhibition of a classic sword fight demonstration in the main court.
Looking from the North Reception up to chapel dome.
Unfortunately our timing was not 100% perfect: our arrival coincided with the closing hour for the day. Our tour of the museums and visiting the tomb of Napoleon will have to wait until our next visit.
We had one last item on our agenda for the day: the Eiffel Tower. Now you will recall that we have made two unsuccessful attempts to ride up the Eiffel for an evening picture of the city. Well tonight was attempt number three. We had some time before it was going to be dark and opted to get a bite to eat. Walking down the Rue de Grenelle we saw a small Italian restaurant named Le Den. The place has about 5 tables inside and they prepare your meal from the freshest ingredients available. It was quite possibly the best meal yet in Paris. And when they brought out the Tiramisu dessert, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. If you are in Paris, I HIGHLY recommend getting a dinner at Le Den on Rue de Grenelle.
Just a short walk after dinner and we found ouselves walking into the Champ de Mars, the park immediately in front of the Eiffel Tower. Our timing was perfect as the sun had just set and the sky was rich with color.
By the time we arrived at the Eiffel Tower the lights had been turned on. This is the view if you walk to the middle and look up. Pretty cool view.
We looked at the long lines to ride the elevator or climb the stairs to the main observation area .....looks like over an hour wait. Strike three on our attempt to take a picture of the city from the Eiffel Tower. Actually, we felt this was a blessing for now we have yet another reason to come back!
Making our way back to the Champs-E'lysees, we turned around for the amazing view of the Eiffel as the top of the hour arrived, which is when they flash random lights over the entire structure. You will always know this time from the crowd as they "oh and ah"....and EVERYONE stops to take a picture.
As we made our way back to the hotel, we discussed the rich history found throughout Paris. Our few days were not enough to take in all the treasures so we are making plans for a return visit. There are many places and museums to explore and when you live 2 hours by train from Paris, you should not be a stranger to this wonderful city.
