The Beginning

The next day, we decided to visit the famous spots around Paris. Since we thought most of the famous tourism were just nearby, we can actually walk to those spots instead of taking public transport. Oh, this was a painful lesson!! The weather was so cold and dry with strong wind blowing towards, it was so terrible. However, we still enjoyed with the endless walk, beautiful scenery and attracting stuffs along the way…

First part of the route, starting from the hotel to Louvre Museum…

First Spot – Arc de Triomphe

Yes, we reached this arch after 2km of walk. This is the famous landmark of Paris city, which actually honors to those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic war. It was commissioned in 1806 after the victory at Austerlitz by Emperor Napoleon at the peak of his fortunes. Laying the foundations alone took two years, and in 1810 when Napoleon entered Paris from the west with his bride Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria, he had a wooden mock-up of the completed arch constructed.

 Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile

Second Spot – Avenue des Champs-Élysées

This is one of the prestigious avenue in Paris, with a lots of branded and luxurious shops, cafes and cinemas. According to New York Times (year 2007), this is street can rent up to USD 1.5 million annually per 1000 sq. ft, which makes it to be the most expensive strip of real estate in Europe.

The avenue has a total length of 1.91km, which begins at Place de la Concorde and ends at Place Charles de Gaulle. Visit the official website…

The photo taken looks more like an ordinary street… Check out the photo gallery here from fotosearch.’

Third Spot – Grand Palais

This building is located off from the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, and you can see while walking along the street. It is a large glass exhibition hall that was built for the Paris Exhibition of 1900. Too bad,I didn’t have the chance to stop by and visit the building due to the tight schedule.  Just managed to capture a photo far from the street…

Forth Spot – Place de la Concorde

This is the largest public square in French capital, composes of 86400 square meters. It is located at the eastern end of Avenue des Champs-Élysées. There are a lot of interesting monuments here, including The Obelisk of Luxor, The Fountain of River Commerce and Navigation and the Church of the Madeleine.

Fifth Spot – Louvre Museum

Grand Louvre, one of the world largest and most visited museums, located on the right bank of the Seine river. The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being confiscated church and royal property. Because of structural problems with the building, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801. The size of the collection increased under Napoleon when the museum was renamed the Musée Napoléon. After his defeat at Waterloo, many works seized by Napoleon’s armies were returned to their original owners. The collection was further increased during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second French Empire the museum gained 20,000 pieces. Holdings have grown steadily through donations and gifts since the Third Republic, except during the two World Wars. As of 2008, the collection is divided among eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings. (Wikipedia)

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel

It is a triumphal arch that was commissioned in 1806 to commemorate Napoleon’s military victories of the previous year. The more famous Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile nearby was designed in the same year, but it took thirty years to build, and it is about twice as massive.

The entrance fee costs about 9 euro per head, and I didn’t pay a visit to the museum. Probably, I was on a tight schedule and also not that keen with the antiquities inside.

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