Day 1 Paris – 7th Arrondissement: École Militaire (Military Academy), Champ de Mars (Field of Mars), Eiffel Tower

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The 7th Arrondissement is located on the south side (left bank) of the Seine, and includes these sights that I visited this morning:

• École Militaire (Military Academy)

• Champ de Mars (Field of Mars)

• Eiffel Tower

The first thing I did after dropping off my bags was to lean out the window and take a photo of the view! What a view! This hotel was recommended to me by my travel agent when I said I wanted something near the Eiffel Tower.

École Militaire

I made sure I rugged up and headed out. First I went to the Military Academy around the corner from the hotel. I couldn’t actually get in, but I do love the architecture of the building.

The school was founded in 1750 by Louis XV to create a college for cadet officers from poor noble families. It was designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, and construction began in 1752. Out the front is a statue of Joseph Joffre, a General in the French forces in World War I.

Champ de Mars

I then walked through the Champ de Mars, a large public park between the Ecole Militaire and the Tour Eiffel. (Did you know: the Roman God of war was Mars?)

Behind me was the Military Academy, and in front of me was the Eiffel Tower. I loved being outside wandering around in the fresh brisk air after being stuck in transit for about 24 hours!

The lawns were previously used for marching for the French military.

Tour Eiffel

One of the main reasons I came to paris in winter was to seen snow at the base of the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately, although it was cold, there was no snow. Never mind, I still loved it! I also loved the carousel at the base of the tower. I wanted to go up, but the lines were so long, I figured I'd try another day.

The Eiffel Tower is a wrought iron lattice tower at the northern end of the Champ de Mars. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. It was Constructed in 1889 as the entrance to the 1889 World's Fair. Initially criticized by some of France's leading artists and intellectuals for its design, it has become an icon of France and one of the most recognisable structures in the world.

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