Travelsmartplanet

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The beauty of taking a Bateau Mouche ride on the Seine is the joy of going under so many famous bridges – and learning the history effortlessly as you go. This one is the Pont Alexandre III built between 1896 and 1900, the most ornate one and a Paris historical site. Four gilt-bronze statues of Fames watch over the Beaux-Arts style bridge. The exuberant Art Nouveau lamps, cherubs, nymphs and winged horses celebrate the Franco-Russian alliance enacted in 1892 by Tsar Alexander III. His son Nicholas II laid the foundation stone in October 1896. In the same political spirit, the Trinity Bridge in Saint Petersburg was designed by Gustave Eiffel, and the first stone was laid in August 1897 by French president Félix Faure .

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This monument on the side of the Opera de Paris is dedicated to its architect, Charles Garnier. We loved the idea of putting the seating plan front and center.

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Flying buttresses on the back of Notre Dame Cathedrale from the perspective on a Bateau Mouche.

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Notre-Dame Cathedral is a architectural masterpiece and you really need to walk around the outside of it to appreciate it all. It was begun in 1160 and completed by 1260. Just think about how long ago that was and here it still stands so magnificently; What are we building today that will last that long? This medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité in Paris is still widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture with its innovative use of the rib vault and flying buttress, the gargoyles and the enormous and colorful rose windows.

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This Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel stands west of the Louvre (you can see it behind the arch) and was built between 1806-1808 (before the famous Arc de Triomphe) to commemorate Napoleon’s military victories of the previous year. The REAL Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile is down the Champs Élysées and though it was designed in the same year (and twice the size) it was not completed until 1836. The quadriga (horses and men) atop the arch is a copy of the so-called Horses of Saint Mark that adorn the top of the main door of the St Mark’s Basilica in Venice.

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Place de la Concorde is where, during the French Revolution in 1789 the statue of Louis XV of France was torn down. The area renamed the Place de la Révolution and a guillotine was erected in the square. It was here that King Louis XVI was executed on January 21, 1793. On October 25, 1836, King Louis Philippe placed this tall Egyptian obelisk in the center, a gift from the Khedive of Egypt, Muhammad Ali Pasha. The 3,300-year-old Obelisk once marked the entrance to the Luxor Temple and the hieroglyphics on it herald the reign of the pharaoh Ramesses II.

If you squint and look way down the Champs Elysees behind the Obelisk of Luxor, you can see clear back to the Arc de Triomphe.

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Les Invalides or Hôtel des Invalides is a vast complex of buildings in Paris including museums and monuments relating to the military history of France. As per its name it was originally built by Louis XIV as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans. Pictured here is the Dôme des Invalides, a large church, the tallest in Paris which contains the tombs of some of France’s war heroes, most notably Napoleon.

The complex had 15 courtyards for military parades. At the church, attendance was mandatory. Louis XIV also commissioned his architect Mansart to construct a separate royal chapel referred to as the Église du Dôme from its most striking feature (pictured). By combining a royal chapel with a veterans’ chapel, the King and his soldiers could attend mass at the same time while entering the place of worship though different entrances, as prescribed by court etiquette at that time.

I’d like to think the gentleman sitting there (in the wheelchair and on the bench) are two of our veteran heros..

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Yup, the symbol of France is still there and still majestic. The Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile is situated at the center of Place Charles de Gaulle at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. Etoile means star and that refers to the twelve avenues which radiate from the arch.
The Arc de Triomphe honours those who fought and died for France in wars so it became the rallying point of French troops who paraded through it after successful military campaigns and for the annual Bastille Day Military Parade. After the interment of the Unknown Soldier from WWI, however, parades have avoided marching through the actual arch and go around its side, out of respect for the tomb and its symbolism. Both Hitler in 1940 and de Gaulle in 1944 observed this custom. After WWI, in an event captured on newsreels, Charles Godefroy flew his Nieuport biplane under the arch’s primary vault.

The bas relief shown in pic 2 represents Liberty under the figure of a winged woman pushing against the enemy invasion.

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Everyone getting ready to watch the sunset from the perch above the city of Paris on the steps of the Sacre Coeur Cathedral. And don’t forget to turn around from that iconic view and take a look at the Cathedrale itself in the shadows of the night.

Tags: breathtaking, cathedral, Cathedrale, city, city of paris, CostSaver, Europe, France, iconic, landmark, montmartre, night, Paris, paris view, perch, Sacre Coeur, Sacre Coeur Cathedral, shadow, sights, sightseeing, steps, sunset, tour, tourist, Trafalgar, travel, travelblogger, view

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You get two photo ops for the price of one in London because Big Ben (in the re-named Elizabeth Tower) stands right next to the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament). Big Ben is the name of the largest bell. When built, in 1859, the clock was the largest and most accurate four-faced striking and chiming clock in the world. In August 2017, renovation work began in order to include a lift, and to re-glaze and repaint the clock dials. Though the clock could chime throughout the work being done, it was too loud for the workers so the bells will remain silent except for such occasions as New Year’s Eve and Remembrance Sunday. Here we caught it from the top of the Hop On Hop Off bus with the tour guide telling us about it.

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