Paris 8/3-4

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On our first full day in Paris we visited Place de la Concorde, L’Orangerie, and Jardin de Tuileries. In the afternoon we went to Angelina's for dessert, and then to Musée de l'Armée (Les Invalides). The next day Jackie and Jeff went to the Latin Quarter, while Cyndi and I walked around Paris. We saw many sights such as the Seine River, Pont Neuf, Place Dauphine, Ste. Chapelle, Notre Dame, Place de la Concorde, Champs-Elysee, and the Arc de Triomphe.

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Photos

Jeff's first sight of central Paris!!
After the metro dropped us at Place de la Concorde, we climbed the stairs to our first real sight of central Paris. When we turn 360 degrees, we can see the Egyptian obelisk, the Jardin de Tuileries, fountains, and the Eiffel tower in the distance.

Dean at Musee de la Orangerie
Monet's Water Lilly murals are on display in two large oval rooms of this impressionist museum. Each room has 4 versions of his garden at different times of day.

Angelina
Dean, Cyndi, Jeff, and Jackie in mirror at Angelina's.
The Jeanbins had introduced Jackie to Angelina's last year. Its 2 claims to fame are its Mont Blanc, a dessert made with creme and chestnut paste, and its hot chocolate, which is just that- think melted dark chocolate slightly thinned with cream.

Mmmmmmmm!!!!
Jackie and Jeff at Angelina's enjoying Hot Chocolate, Mont Blanc and L'Africain.

Jeff, Cyndi, and Jackie in Jardin de Tuileries, Paris.
This large centrally located park connects Place de la Concorde and the Louvre, and is on the right bank of the Seine River.

Cyndi with the River Seine and the Grand Palais in background.
The Grand Palais is a large exhibition hall that was built for the World's Fair in 1900.

Jackie, Jeff and Dean listening to an audio tour in Musée de Les Invalides
Les Invalides was originally a home or hospital for old or infirmed soldiers. Now it is a group of buildings which contain Napoleon’s tomb, museums, and monuments dealing with French military history.
The temple houses Napoleon’s tomb, and several other prominent French military figures. Inside the museum itself are interesting exhibits about the military and wars that France has been involved in. We spend most of the time in the WWI and WWII wings- they are comprehensive, with English explanations near most displays.

Napoleon’s Tomb
His tomb is located in Musée de l'Armée (Les Invalides), Paris.

Display room of knights' armor in the Musée de l
We see at least 30 suits of armor, including knights on horseback, on display before we walk out the back hall, with windows to the storerooms on either side- there must be hundreds of individual suits of armor for men and horses, including guns, swords, and pikes.

Jeff with armor for both horse and knight
There are many displays of armor in the Musée de l'Armée .

Dean and the River Seine
Dean on a pont (bridge) overlooking the River Seine with the Tour Eiffel in background, Paris.

Cyndi and Dean on Pont Neuf (New Bridge), Paris
This bridge is actually the oldest remaining bridge that crosses the Seine River. Pont Neuf connects the Rive Gauche (Left Bank) with the Île de la Cité (an island in the middle of the Seine on which stands Notre Dame) to the Rive Droite (Right Bank).

Cyndi is sitting on the bank of the River Seine at Place Dauphine.
Place Dauphine is a triangular shaped square on Île de la Cité , which was named for the Dauphin of France, (who later became Louis XII).

Dean with a rear view of Notre Dame in background, Paris.
Notice the h flying buttresses of Notre Dame in background..

Cyndi at Place de la Concorde with Tour Eiffel in background, Paris.
Cyndi and I walked from Place de la Concorde up the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe.

Dean and Cyndi at the Arc de Triomphe, Paris.
The Arc de Triomphe is located at Place Charles de Gaulle (prior to 1970 it was known as Place de l'Étoile). This monument sits at the intersection of twelve avenues (one of which is the Champs-Élysées). Due to traffic from the many avenues, pedestrians can gain access to the monument by using an underpass. This arch was built to honor those who have fought for France (especially during the Napoleonic Wars). This is also the location of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from WWI.

Comments

[Maria Miller]

Comment on comment
Loved the photos, Cyn, Paris in particular. What a wonderful and sumptuous place to visit! You look so excited in all the photos. Sort of a surreal feeling there--like being in a movie background, n'est-ce pas? What wonderful pictures!