After no problems with our flights from Ulaanbaatar, we arrived in Paris after two long flights.
Sunday 17th June
We discovered the Metro, which is the train system that runs all over Paris. We decided to give it a shot, we found it quite easy to use as the train lines were colour coded, the only confusing part was which exit to use to reach the right street. Our first stop was to cross the oldest bridge in Paris called Pont Neuf which crosses Seine River and then we headed to Cathédrale Notre-Dame.
Notre Dame Cathedral (full name: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, "Our Lady of Paris") is a beautiful cathedral on the the Île de la Cité in Paris. Begun in 1163 and mostly completed by 1250, Notre Dame is an important example of French Gothic architecture, sculpture and stained glass.
The cathedral was amazing and beautifully built. We were lucky to hear the singing for the Sunday service which was lovely in this setting.
We jumped on the Metro again and then went to see the Arc D Triomphe Etoile which is located in the middle of a round about so after taking a while to find the right underpass we were able to stand under the arch.
One of the many signs in Paris
Notre-Dame
Inside Notre-Dame
Service in progress at Notre-Dame
Another view of Notre-Dame
Ben and Paige looking at the map
Arc D Triomphe Etoile
The arch was commissioned by Napoleon as a tribute to the French army. The original architect was Chalgrin; after his death, the work was continued by Joust (or Goust) from 1811-14 until it stopped after the defeat of Napoleon. In 1833 work was begun again. The name of Blouet, who had the honor of completing the monument, is engraved on it. The inscription (translated) reads: "This monument which was begun in 1806 to honour the great army, was left unfinished for many years, was continued in 1823 with a new purpose, and was completed in 1836 in the reign of King Louis-Philippe I who dedicated it to the glory of France's armed forces. G. A. Blouet, architect" (Dillange 7). Completed under the new king Louis-Philippe and his minister of the interior, Adolphe Thiers, the arch was a way of illustrating the new government's efforts at national unity and reconciliation.
Arc D Triomphe Etoile
Bernadette, Ben & Paige at the Arc D Triomphe Etoile
Under the Arc D Triomphe Etoile
One side of the Arc D Triomphe Etoile
Monday 18th June
Ben and Paige in our hotel room
We have been happy with the location we had picked for the hotel. The hotel we stayed in was the Holiday Inn Paris Opera Grands Boulevards. The Metro was just out side and there were many cafes and eating places so everything was at hand for us.
We started out our day picking up our Paris pass and headed to see the Pont Alexandre III bridge. After walking the bridge we headed to the Army Museum where Napoleon's Tomb is located. The Army museum was really interesting and had many displays of armour that stretched back to the 16th century.
Pont Alexandre III bridge
Section on the Pont Alexandre III bridge
The Army Museum
Inside the court yard of the Army Museum
A display at the army museum
A display at the army museum
A display at the army museum
Outside Napoleon's Tomb
Inside Napoleon's Tomb
The ceiling inside Napoleon's Tomb
George Washington's statue
We then jumped on the "Hop on Hop Off bus" and toured the city. While on the bus we saw the full view of the Eiffel Tower. Paige was very excited to finally see the tower in full view as was Bernadette.
Ben and Paige on the Hop On Hop Off bus
The Eiffel Tower
The Luxor Obslisk
Arcade near the hotel
One of the shops in the arcade
Another shop in the arcade
Paige and Bernadette with their berets on
Tuesday 19th June
We had an early start as we wanted to make sure we arrived in line early to go to the top of the Eiffel tower. When we arrived it was a little confusing about where to get your tickets but after chatting with some very nice American people we found out that the line that was forming was to buy your tickets. As we waited the line become constable longer and by 9am the line was around 200 meters long. Once the entry was opened we passed the ticket both then made our way to the lift which was Double Decker. We were able to go up to the second level then had to catch another lift to the summit of the tower. The view was breath taking.
The Eiffel Tower was built for the World Exhibition in 1889, held in celebration of the French Revolution in 1789.
The structure took more than two years to complete. Each one of the about 12,000 iron pieces were designed separately to give them exactly the shape needed.
The construction was only meant to last for the duration of the Exposition, but it still stands today.
Looking up from the bottom of the Eiffel Tower
Ben and Paige on the lift to the top of the Eiffel Tower
View from the top of the Eiffel Tower
The view from the top of the Eiffel Tower
Ben, Bernadette and Paige at the top of the Eiffel Tower
Observation area at the top of the Eiffel Tower
The height of the Eiffel Tower
Looking down the lift of the Eiffel Tower
Bernadette, Paige and Ben at the Eiffel Tower
We then headed to Sacre-Coeur, which was at the top of a hill. The Basilica was very pretty inside as well as outside. There were many people sitting on the steps outside watching the tourists coming and going.
Sacre-Coeur
Sacre-Coeur
Construction of the Basilica started in 1876 with Abadie as the lead architect. When Paul Abadie died in 1884, he was succeeded by Lucien Magne, who added an 83 meter (272 ft) tall clock tower. The Savoyarde clock installed here is one of the world's largest.
Due to its location on the Montmartre hill, the basilica towers over the city; its highest point is even higher than the top of the Eiffel Tower. Thanks to this prominent location the Sacré-Coeur Basilica is one of the most noticeable landmarks in Paris.
Paige at the bottom of the stairs to the Sacre-Coeur
View from the Sacre-Coeur
Lady making crepes
Paige eating her crepe
Wednesday 20th June
Today we headed to visit the Louvre Museum which we arrived early before the lines were too long and having the Paris pass we were in the shorter line and could walk in to the different sections with the one pass.The Louvre was huge and our first stop was to see the Mona Lisa. We had to walk through a number of rooms to reach the painting which I think everyone was there to see. The Louvre was amazing with the most impressive display of artifacts and paintings. It was worth the time to visit.
The Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre, is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, France, it is located on the right bank of the Sein in the 1st arrondissement.The museum opened on 10 August 1793.
Outside the entrance to the Louvre
One of the many halls in the Louvre
Bernadette in front of the Mona Lisa
One of the many paintings on show at the Louvre
The Venus De Milo
Mesopotamia Display
We then headed for a boat trip down the Sein River. It was a lovely afternoon, the sun was shining and it was interesting to see parts of Paris from the river view. Many people lined the banks and were eating lunch or just soaking up the sunshine.
A long the banks of the Sein River
View from the boat on the Sein River
Paige on the boat on the Sein River
Thursday 21st June
Today we made our way to the Catacombs. On arrival was had to stand in the line for about an hour due to the amount of other tourist who had already arrived. The Catacombs ran for 2km under the city and we found them to be really interesting. There were large amounts of human bones that lined many of the walls. We were surprised at how many bones there were.
The Catacombs of Paris (the “municipal Ossuary”) had been created at the end of the 18th century. The cemetery of Innocent (close to Saint-Eustace, in the district of the "Halles") had been used during nearly ten centuries and had become the origin of infection for all the inhabitants of the district. After multiple complaints, the Council of State, by decision of November 9, 1785, pronounced the removal and the evacuation of the cemetery of the Innocent ones.
Old Quarries were selected to deposit Parisian bones; Paris indeed had just created the General Inspection of the Quarries charged of the consolidation of the public highways undermined by the Quarries. The Quarries “of Tombe-Issoire” were the object of work including masonry and consolidations of galleries, and by the digging of a flanked staircase.
The removal of the bones began after the blessing of the place on April 7, 1786 and was continued until 1788, always at night and according to a ceremonial made up of a procession of priests who sang the burial service along the way borrowed by the tip carts charged with bones and covered with a black veil. Thereafter, this place was used, until 1814, to collect the bones of all the cemeteries of Paris. From the first day of their creation, the Catacombs caused curiosity. In 1787, Lord of d' Artois, who will become Charles 10, went down there, in company of ladies from the Court. The following year, one mentions the visit of Madam de Polignac and Madam de Guiche. In 1814, François 1st, emperor of Austria, residing as a winner in Paris visited them. In 1860, Napoleon III went down there with his son.
The Catacombs of Paris reopened on June 14, 2005 after several months of closing for work. Lighting was revised, the arches were consolidated and the walls of re-installed bones.
Street entrance to the Catacombs
Bernadette in the Catacombs
Some carvings in the Catacombs
Bones and skulls lining an area in the Catacomes
Another walled lined with skulls and bones
One of the Metro Stations in Paris
After Indian food for dinner we headed out to see the Eiffel Tower at night. To our surprise there were a large amount of people out which was due to the Euro Soccur game being shown on a big screen in the park.
Eiffel Tower at night
Friday 22nd June
Our last day in Paris we decided to visit the location of the Moulin Rouge as we decide not to see one of the shows, it was nice to see the building of this land mark in Paris.
We then headed to the Rodin Museum which had some lovely gardens in the grounds of the museum and we even got to see some interesting pieces of art.
Outside the Moulin Rouge
The Moulin Rouge is best known as the spiritual birthplace of the modern form of the can -can dance. Originally introduced as a seductive dance by the courtesans who operated from the site, the can-can dance revue evolved into a form of entertainment of its own and led to the introduction of cabarets across Europe.
Rodin Museum
Rodin's Sculpture The Thinker
Gardens at the Rodin Museum
Rodin's Sculpture La Cathedrale
Vincent Van Gogh's The Harvesters
In the afternoon we decided to visit The Musee Grevin Wax Museum which was filled with cheesy wax figures and many we didn't know who they were meant to be but we had fun anyway.
The Musee Grevin at the end of the 19th Century, Arthur Meyer, a journalist and founder of the famous daily newspaper Le Gaulois, conceived the idea of showing his contemporaries 3D representations of the front-page celebrities in his newspaper. At a time when the press did not use photography he thought of creating a place where the public could at last “put a face” on the people in the news. To achieve this original project, he called on Alfred Grévin, who was a cartoonist, sculptor, and designer of theatrical costumes, and who became so involved that in the end, the project bore his name. When the Grévin opened its doors to the public on 5th June 1882, it was an immediate success! In 1883, Gabriel Thomas, a distinguished investor who had previously backed the companies running the Eiffel Tower and the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, gave the Grévin a business-like economic structure to enable rapid expansion. He also enriched the site with new decors which are today its very precious heritage, such as the Grévin Theatre, which is listed on the inventory of Historical Monuments, or the Hall of Mirrors (Palais des Mirages) that had been part of the 1900 "Exposition Universelle".
Paige with the leaders of the world
Who are the real Laurel and Hardy?
Our own Mona Lisa, Paige
Paige and Jackie Chan
Over all Paris was an interesting place to visit. We visited many well known land markets, found the metro easy to use and didn't discover any traditional French food. A couple of things that did stand out were the large amounts of graffiti around the city and the number of homeless men we saw each day in our travels. There were so many museums that are in this city that six days we couldn't get to see them all but the ones we did see were just wonderful and feel very cultured now having visited them. We had a great stay in Paris and glad we came, another tick on our list of places to see in the world.
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