Eiffel Tower - The Sucker is bigger than I thought and other Paris, France Things to Do Tips

Whenever you think of Paris, visions of the Eiffel Tower flash in your mind. We all know the general design of the tower, but what impressed me the most was its size. Most pictures fail to give its size justice. I've attached a picture of the towers' base to give a better reflection of how large it actually is.

The first time we went to Paris we were concerned about the long lines we had read about,, but it was the off-season and low and behold, we just walked right up to the ticket window bought two tickets to the top, no problem. The Eiffel Tower itself was built in 1889 and at 1,046 ft was the tallest building in the world until the Empire State Building was completed in 1931. The Eiffel Tower was built for the World's Fair, held to celebrate the French Revolution's Centennial. Shock waves of dismay were said to reverberate around Paris when the Eiffel Tower was constructed, calling it "useless" and "monstrous". Slated to meet the wrecking ball in 1909, it was spared for use as a communications tower by the French army.

Tourists can go to three separate levels. An elevator goes to all three, but the first level (187 ft) and the second level (376 ft) can also be reached by steps. There is a post office on the first level so you can send mail home. The second floor has a really excellent restaurants, the Jules Verne), but it’s a bit pricey You don’t go to the top in one ride, you have to take the elevator to the second level, and then get off and stand in line again to take another elevator to the top. In the busy tourist season, the wait to take the elevator to the top level can be two hours but we just looked around a bit and took the next elevator up.

Also, don’t miss seeing it at night, especially just past dusk when it's set to twinkle for a few moments, it can be stunning. It is lit up until late at night with both lights on the structure and a rotating searchlight. Each hour at night, the tower sparkles with strobe lights for about 15 minutes. Awesome!

Leave a Comment

Directions: a bit tough not to see

We tend to vacation in the off season for most travelers and had no problem whatsoever just walking to the Louver pyramid and quickly getting a ticket and entrance to the museum. For the busy season you can buy your ticket in advance and enter the Louvre Museum without waiting. Info on the purchase of the tickets can be found at: http://www.louvre.fr/louvrea.htm. You can also order a Museum Pass ("Carte Musées-Monuments") that provides free access, without waiting, to the permanent collections of 60 museums and monuments, one of which is the Louvre Museum from the same site.

In the early part of the 12th century, a French king commissioned the first building of what eventually became the Louvre. After standing for over 500 years as a fortress, in the 16th and 17th century, the fortress was mostly destroyed to be replaced by a comfortable and elegant palace which would serve as the residence for the kings.

Until the Revolution in 1789, this collection was strictly for the private pleasure of the Court. Finally, the idea of a museum (originating with Louis XVI) was realized on 10 August 1793, when the Musée de la République opened to the public.
Napoléon greatly increased the collections by exacting tribute from the countries he conquered, but most of these were returned in 1815 after his defeat at Waterloo
In 1848 the museum became the property of the State. With an annual budget devoted to acquiring new art, the collections continued to grow. Private donations also augmented the Museum's holdings. The most recent addition to the palace is the pyramids, built in the late 1980s.

Today, the catalogue lists nearly 300,000 works, only a fraction of which are on display at any one time. Le Grand Louvre - begun in 1981 is transforming the museum once again enlarging it substantially. The Richelieu Wing - which had ``temporarily'' housed part of the Ministry of Finance since the 18th century - was opened in 1993.

Leave a Comment

Phone: Tel.: +33 1 40 20 53 17
Address: Musée du Louvre
Directions: Open every day except Tuesdays, from 9am to 6.45pm (9.45pm on Wednesdays and Fridays).
Website: http://www.louvre.fr/

In the center of the Place de la Concorde is the 3,300 years old Obelisk of Luxor, a pink granite monolith 73 ft high and weighing 220 tons. This is one of the pair of obelisks that were erected in front of Luxor Temple and decorated with hieroglyphics exalting the reign of the pharaoh Ramses II. In the 19th century it was transported to Paris, while the other monolith remained at the original cite in Luxor. On June 8th, 1831, a French naval engineer secured permission from the Egyptian viceroy to make off with the western obelisk. Then, on October 25th, 1836, it was erected at the center of Place de la Concorde in Paris, in the presence of French King Louis Philippe,

Recently Dr. Zahi Hawass, the Egyptian Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities has asked for its return to Luxor Egypt.

Leave a Comment

Address: center of the Place de la Concorde

The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel is elaborately decorated in rose marble on the columns and the front paneling. It is composed of three arches: a large one and two smaller ones. The arc is 63 feet high, 75 feet wide and 24 feet deep. The two small arches are 14 feet, 16 inches high and 9 feet wide. The large arch is 21 feet high and 9 feet wide. Around its exterior are eight Corinthian columns of granite, topped by eight soldiers of the Empire. Between the soldiers, bas-reliefs depict: the Arms of the Kingdom of Italy with figures representing History and the Arts; the Arms of the French Empire with Victory, Fame, History and Abundance; and the Wisdom and Strength holding the arms of the Kingdom of Italy, accompanied by Prudence and Victory.

Napoleon's achievements are commemorated by rose marble bas-reliefs, depicting the Peace of Pressburg,; Napoleon entering Munich; Napoleon entering Vienna,; the Battle of Austerlitz; the Tilsit Conference; and the surrender of Ulm.

The Arc is located at the easternmost end of the so-called "Great Axis" of Paris, a nine-kilometre long linear route which dominates central and western Paris. Looking westwards, the arch is perfectly aligned with the obelisk in the Place de la Concorde, the Champs-Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe and the Grande Arch de la Defense. The axis thus begins and ends with an arch

Leave a Comment

Address: Place du Carrousel,

The Arc de Triomphe was commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon shortly after his victory at Austerlitz but it was not finished until 1836. By then Napoleon had suffered the famous loss at Waterloo, been deported and eventually died. What was left of him passed under the arch on the day he was brought from his grave on St. Helena to his tomb at the Hotel des Invalides. The names of 558 generals who lead the French troops under Napoleon are engraved in the walls of the monument. Generals whose names are underlined died in action.

The Arc is the second tallest triumphal arch in the world behind the North Korean triumphal arch., and has four huge relief sculptures at the bases of the four pillars. These commemorate The Triumph of 1810 (Cortot); Resistance , and Peace (both by Etex); and The Departure of the Volunteers, more commonly known by the name La Marseillaise (Rude). The day the Battle of Verdun started in 1916, the sword carried by the figure representing the Republic broke off. The relief was immediately hidden to conceal the accident and avoid any undesired associations or interpretations as a bad omen.

Much like the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier here in the United States of America, France also has a tomb dedicated to such an unknown person. This tomb lies beneath Arc de Triomphe and contains the body of a soldier killed in World War two world wars.

Inside the Arch there is a small museum documenting its history and construction. Take the elevator to the platform on top and there are spectacular views of Paris from the Champs-Elysees all the way down to the Louvre. Turning 180 degrees La Defense with the The Grand Arch appeared to us extending the straight line linking between the Louvre, Arc du Triomphe du Carrousel, place de la Concorde, Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, avenue de la Grande Armee and place du Porte Maillot.

Leave a Comment

Address: Place Charles-de-Gaulle Etoile
Directions: Metro Line 1, 2, RER A : Charles-de-Gaulle Etoile

This is truly the most beautiful theater that I have ever seen. Built between 1862-1875, its architect was Charles Garnier. When construction started, it was quickly suspended after the discovery of an underground lake and spring. Although this problem was overcome, the lake persists and lies beneath the cellars of the building and home to the “Phantom”.

If you can’t catch an Opera or ballet performances, just visit the museum which allows you to walk the Grand Foyer whose staircase is spectacular and also the auditorium. This richness continues inside with velvet, gold leaf, and nymphs and cherubs. The auditorium's central chandelier weighs over six tons, and its ceiling was painted in 1964 by Chagall.

A large building, it has a total area of 118,404 square feet and a vast stage with room for up to 450 artists. The auditorium itself comprises roughly half of the total space, most of the rest being used to house necessary logistical support so that the stage demands of any opera can be met and even surpassed. This can include live horses running on a rotating stage. The opera seats only 2,200

Leave a Comment

Address: PL de L'Opera

The Place de la Concorde, the largest place in Paris, is situated along the Seine and separates the Tuilerie Gardens from the beginning of the Champs Elysées. It is often chocked with traffic and is at its most scenic at night when the fountains are illuminated.

It was here during the Reign of Terror when King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were guillotined in January and October 1793, respectively. Their bodies were buried in a cemetery nearby with their heads between their legs as a sign of hatred and disrespect by the revolutionaries led by Robespierre, who would share Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette's fate at the guillotine. 2800 people were executed here between 1793 and 1795. It is said that the smell of blood was so strong that a herd of cattle refused to cross the place.

The place today maintains the general appearance that it had in the eighteenth century except the statue of Louis XV, removed during the Revolution, was replaced by the Obelisk of Luxor. Two magnificent vistas open up: one towards the Champs-Elysées and Le Louvre beyond the beautiful gates of the Jardin des Tuileries, the other towards the Madeleine at the end of the rue Royale and the Assemblée Nationale across the pont de la Concorde

Leave a Comment

Directions: It is in the 8th arrondissement, or district, of the city.

Bus: 42, 73, 84, 94
Metro: Metro 1, 13 Concorde

Construction of Notre-Dame de Paris began in 1163 during the reign of Louis VII. Pope Alexander III laid the foundation stone on the earlier site of a Gallo-Roman temple to Jupiter, a Christian basilica, and a Romanesque church. During its history, The Cathedral of Notre-Dame has seen the marriages of Kings and Princes and the crowning of Napoleon’s Empress.

Notre Dame exterior has all of the features a Gothic Cathedral needs with its flying buttresses, towers, and gargoyles that keep the evil spirits out. Notre Dame's interior houses some of the biggest stained glass windows in the world including its 30-foot Rose Window. There is also an 11th-century 7800-pipe organ near the altar that is played during monthly concerts

Don’t miss the tour up the tower to the gargoyles. There are 387 stairs to the very top of the tower, where the Emmanuel bell is housed (the bell made famous by the character Quasimodo in Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame ) The gargoyles are about two thirds of the way up. Once you get to the top you feel like a a Marine, “the few, the proud”.

Underneath Notre Dame is a crypt, the Crypte Archéologique, that has remains of 3rd-century BC walls, and Gallo-Roman streets and houses. It also explains the history of the Parisii, the Celtic tribe that lived on the Ile de la Cité and gave the city its name. It is the largest Archeological site in Europe. The entrance for this is near the street in front of the front of the church.

Leave a Comment

Address: Ile de la Cité

Get off at the Anvers metro station and head up “Rue de Steinkerque” past the Arab discount shops and you will run into the Sacre-Coure (Sacred Heart),

After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, it was proposed to construct a church to the Sacred Heart on the butte Montmartre as an act of national pentinence.

he plans for the new basilica called for an edifice of Romano-Byzantine style, and the first stone was laid in 1875. Completed in 1914, it was not consecrated until 1919 after World War I had ended

The interior of the church contains one of the worlds largest mosaics, and depicts Christ with outstretched arms. The nearby bell tower contains the ``Savoyarde''. Cast in Annecy in 1895, it is one of the worlds heaviest at 19 tons

Leave a Comment

Address: PL du Parvis-du-Sacre-Coeur
Website: http://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/

The Tuileries garden is the most central park in Paris. Designed in 1664 by Le Notre, the gardener of king of France Louis the 14th and the Versailles park designer, was even then a popular public garden. The stately central alleyway stretches in a straight line from the flower beds near the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel to the place de la Concorde, where an octagonal ornamental pool is surrounded by various statues and flanked by terraces. The paths here are straight, trees are aligned -- all is calculated. At the center of the city, the gardens with bubbling fountains and vast pond surrounded by benches draw visitors and natives alike. This spot is very appealing with colorful flowers and a glorious surrounding vista, especially to the east and west .

The Tuileries garden was formerly the royal gardens that were exclusively used by the monarchy. The land that it occupies was originally the site of tile-works (tuileries), a palace that was burnt down during the tumultuous Paris Commune days. Today, with its Ferris wheel and many areas for relaxation, it is truly a people’s garden at the core of the city. The Tuileries is a meeting place for the masses, amidst all the pomp and glory of France’s monarchical and imperial past. This is an "open-air" museum of statues, with sculptures by Marly, Van Cleve, Coustou, and Le Paultre. The sculptures in the parks were intended to provide artistic experiences to the people of Paris. It creates a place for art lovers to go to even if most museums are closed.

Recently renovated as part of the Grand Louvre project and totally separated from car traffic, the Tuileries garden is part of a spectacular view of the river and the gardens with the Louvre in the background from the Terrasse du Bord de l'Eau running along the riverbank.

Leave a Comment

Address: Place du Louvre
Directions: Metro: Tuileries,Concorde
Website: http://www.louvre.fr