 |
| Arc de Triomphe |
Today we were on our own with no Adele to guide us. But I had chalked out a grand plan with her for today. After talking to a few fellow tourists, who were Paris regulars I decided that our small group, not afraid of walking on a nice sunny spring day, would reach Louvre by metro and then walk from there to Arc de Triomphe and from there to the Eiffel Tower enjoying the sights and sceneries as we go. The closest Paris Metro station to the Louvre Museum is Louvre Rivoli and Palais Royal Musée du Louvre, both on Line 1 (yellow) which travels underneath Rue de Rivoli. We got down at Louvre Rivoli and started our walk.
 |
| Louvre Museum |
The first of the things to do between
the Louvre and the Arc of Triumph is to see the triumphal arc of the Carrousel.
It was built from 1806 to 1808 to commemorate Napoleon Ist ‘s victories. It is
perfectly aligned with the obelisk of the Concorde, the center line of the
Champs-Elysées avenue, and with the Great Arc of Triumph, located at the other
end of the Champs-Elysées, twice bigger than the small Carrousel Arc.
 |
| Tuileries gardens |
Then we took that much recommended small
detour to see the Place Vendôme, and good we did it because it is one of the
most beautiful squares in Paris. At the center of the square, the Vendome
column stands to honor the Emperor Napoleon Ist. A word of caution, try to
avoid your shopping in this neighborhood as the shops here are among the most
expensive in Paris!
 |
| Place Vendôme |
The former Orangerie of the Tuileries
now houses an impressionist painting museum. Built in 1853, the orangery was
where the painter Claude Monet exhibited his Water lilies in 1920. If you
like impressionism then the museum of the orangery is definitely one of the
things to do and we spent some time there. Then we walked up the famous
Champs-Elysées avenue, stopping in the numerous shops on the avenue. The Champs-Élysées connects the Arc de Triomphe
with the Place de la Concorde and is considered to be one of the world's most famous commercial streets.
The inquisive me wanted to know the
meaning of the Champs-Élysées. I was told that its history can be traced to
1640 when this space was cleared to plant a line of trees, which would later
become an avenue. The name translates to “Elysian Fields” from the Greek
mythology, meaning resting place of Greek gods and dead heroes, similar to the
Christian paradise. And believe me, it is paradise!
 |
| Grand Palais |
Arc de
Triomphe, which is the short form of Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, is a massive triumphal arch and one of the world's best-known commemorative
monuments. The Arc de Triomphe remains
an iconic symbol of French national identity and took 30 years to build. The Grande Armee, as the Napoleon’s Army was called, had
conquered most of Europe and was then considered invicible. Napoleon ordered
the construction of this arc to honour his Army. The Arc de Triomphe honours those who fought and died for
France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals
inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from
World War I.
It was late in
the afternoon and we had our lunch in Bustronome Paris, a great place with 360
degree panoramic terrace and excellent French cuisine to choose from!
Rejuvenated, and after our cameras had captured the Arc de Triomphe from all
possible angles, we start our next leg of the walk to the Eiffel Tower. We
could have taken the Kleber Avenue to Trocadéro, and then cross
the Seine River to reach the Eiffel Tower but we took a small detour by the George
V Avenue and the Alma Bridge before reaching the Eiffel Tower.
The Alma Bridge, known as Pont de l’Alma in French, was
rebuilt in the 1970s. Its Zouave statue used to be on the old bridge before
1970, and was then transferred onto the pillar of the new bridge. This statue
is used by Parisians to measure the level of the river Seine. For instance,
when the feet of the statue touch the water, this means that the banks are
flooded.
Pont de l’Alma
The Modern Art Museum is located
at 11 Avenue du Président Wilson and is a must visit. We took time to
admire paintings from the twentieth century. The whole museum takes about two
hours to visit, so you might want to take a break in the museum’s café: the
terrace has a very good view on the Eiffel Tower.
Our next stop was the Palace of the
Trocadéro was built in 1937 for a universal exhibition. Today, the west
wing of the building houses the Navy Museum. This museum includes many models
of ships and many artifacts related to the navy. If you do not have time to go
inside the museum, take the time to go on the terrace between the two wings,
for a good view on the Eiffel Tower, before going down, crossing the
gardens, the river, and arriving right under the Eiffel Tower. I am told that
this museum is worth a visit and it remains in my Paris to do list for the next
time.
Palace of the Trocadéro
The Aquarium of Paris is relatively small. It has many species of fish, octopuses and sharks. If you have children in your group this is a great place to excite them. There is even a special tank where you can touch freshwater fishes such as goldfishes, koi carps, and ides.
 |
| Aquarium de Paris |
 |
| Touch pool |
We ended the second day's walking trip with another boat ride down the River Seine, enjoying the evening to our heart's content!
Whether you walk the area around the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre or the Marais, the Arc de Triomphe or the Louvre-Rivoli you will be amazed by the Parisian architecture, the history and the culture of the city. Paris remains one of my most favourite cities and if you have the stamina try to enjoy it as you walk down its legendary streets and avenues!
 |
| Cruise down River Seine |
 |
| Eiffel Tower |
No comments:
Post a Comment