Arc de Triomphe - Early Dawn and other Paris, France Things to Do Tips

Arc de Triomphe, early morning

Paris as anyone knows is an amazing place, full of pomp and contradiction. Take for instance the Arc de Triomphe which anchors a huge rotary from which a dozen lanes radiate. Traffic around the monument is fierce. That's why they've installed an underground passageway. Built by order of Napoleon, the great triumphal arch was constructed on the pattern of the triumphal arches in Rome, but in this case, Corporal Violet kicked the imperial bucket before his monument was finished.

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Directions: west end of Champs Elysees

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Arc de Triomphe: Arc de Triomphe - All Hours

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Written by mrclay2000

on Feb 25, 2003

Arc de Triomphe, mid-morning

traffic

In the early morning before Paris wakes (and yes, Paris is a city that sleeps!), you'll find minimal traffic around the Arc. Once the sun begins to spread its golden mantle on the City of Light, the rotary and the Champs Elysees are thick with furious traffic. Parisians drive with the horn and a heavy pedal. There is no 'best' time to see the Arc or the views therefrom. This is merely one of countless vistas that will enamor you to Paris.

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Notre Dame de Paris: Notre Dame de Paris

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Written by mrclay2000

on Feb 25, 2003

Notre Dame de Paris, comprehensive

view

By far the largest and best known Gothic cathedral in Paris (though not the oldest Gothic design in the city), Notre Dame is staggering in its dimensions and detail. Anchoring the Ile de la Cite, the western towers now front an open space called the Place du Parvis, thanks to the clearing of medieval structures in the 19th century. Note on the cathedral itself the huge western towers, the titanic rose window at the transept, and the famous flying buttresses outside the east-end apse.

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Address: Ile de la Cite

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Notre Dame de Paris: The Buttresses

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Written by mrclay2000

on Feb 25, 2003

flying buttresses, Notre Dame

detail

Buttresses are not decorative in their motive but rather are constructed to prop up or "buttress" the heavy stone walls, which in this case and others rose far higher than the engineering of the day could support.

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Address: Ile de la Cite

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Notre Dame de Paris: Rose Window - Gothic Signature

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Written by mrclay2000

on Feb 25, 2003

rose window, Notre Dame de Paris

Though stained glass and gargoyles are generally considered obligatory to the Gothic style, the rose window should also be considered. In Notre Dame, this tremendous window terminates the lateral transepts, showing a petal design outside and an explosion of colors inside through its stained glass. Most of the detail in Notre Dame is exquisite, from the spires to the statues to the reliefs in its arched portals.

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Address: Ile de la Cite

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Notre Dame de Paris: Quasimodo's Rooftop

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Written by mrclay2000

on Feb 25, 2003

statues climbing the spire, Notre

Dame de Paris

Whether you climb the stairs to get up close and personal with the myriad gargoyles, or you see the details in the rooftop from afar, there is so much to enchant in the exterior of Notre Dame, that days would be required to examine the whole. Like the Louvre, this is one extraordinary building in a city full of extraordinary buildings.

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Address: Ile de la Cite

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Notre Dame de Paris: Detailed Portals

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Written by mrclay2000

on Feb 25, 2003

portal, Notre Dame de Paris

There are three large portals on the western facade, each rich in detail from countless man-hours of designing and carving. Though the courtyard is littered with blunted remnants or discarded portions of the structure, and many of the faces in the niches and portals have been obliterated through accident or wear or Time, the craftsmanship of medieval sculptors in these portals is remarkable, whether viewed up close or from a distance.

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Address: Ile de la Cite

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Notre Dame de Paris: Gothic Imagery

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Written by mrclay2000

on Feb 25, 2003

mutilated figures, western facade,

Notre Dame

Here's a closer view of some of the sculpture inside a niche on the western facade of Notre Dame. For every four or five faces and figures that you'll find intact, there is one whose face almost looks carved away, or whose head is broken off entirely. Many of these figures are mitred bishops, while many others are as lowly as tonsured monks. In the present photo, the headless member is St Denis, martyred in the first few centuries of the Christian era. His deliberately lost head (held in his hands) is the exception to the rule of lost or mutilated heads.

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Address: Ile de la Cite

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Notre Dame de Paris: A Gothic Interior

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Written by mrclay2000

on Feb 25, 2003

interior, Notre Dame

From the magnitude of the church as seen from the outside, the enormity of its embellishments and the intricacy of its detail, one would expect some outrageously theatrical interior. Prepare yourself. This is Gothic. Real Gothic. Your ceiling will be a lifeless series of groin vaults, like an endless field of inverted dunes. You'll find panels like this running along the nave.

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Notre Dame de Paris: Stained Glass

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Written by mrclay2000

on Feb 25, 2003

stained glass window, Notre Dame