Tour Eiffel Panorama

Another shot of the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris on a beautiful Autumn morning.
This view is from the Champs de Mars where the Peace monument is. The place was still empty with few tourists wandering around.

I don't know about you but I've met many people who dislike the Eiffel Tower, finding it ugly and breaking the charm of Ol' Paris.
I personally find it beautiful and a marvelous piece of architecture. I especially enjoy it when the tower sparkles for a minute every hour at night.

Have you ever been to Paris to visit the Tower? Do you like it or do you find it ugly and intrusive?

Photo Essay: Pere Lachaise Cemetery ~ Paris

Bored of the Eiffel Tower or the Notre-Dame Cathedral when visiting the beautiful city of Paris? Why not spend a quiet afternoon walking along the haunting tombstones of the most famous and most visited cemetery in the world? The Père Lachaise Cemetery!

~~oOo~~

1) Entrance of Père Lachaise, the most visited cemetery in the world. It was established in 1804 by Napoleon Bonaparte.

Belvedere de Buffon

Every time I find myself in Paris, I take some time to go visit the Jardin des Plantes (Botanical Garden) near the Austerlitz train station.
Founded in 1626, it has first been used as a medicinal herb garden and later was opened to the public in 1640. Today the garden covers 28 hectares and hosts four museums: The Grand Gallery of Evolution, the Mineralogy Museum, the Paleontology Museum and the Entomology Museum.

In the south corner of the garden is a small "maze" (it's actually a spiral to the top) around a 20 meter high hill with a beautiful belvedere crowning the top. The small hill was actually a huge pile of garbage. Instead of removing the pile, it was turned into a tiny hill for the public to enjoy a higher view of the garden.

The elegant belvedere is the work of the architect Edme Verniquet, made for Comte de Buffon. It is a mixture of Chinese and western architecture and is topped by a sundial. The words "Horas non numero nisi serenas" are inscribed around the higher part of the structure. It means in Latin: "I do no count the hours, except the calm ones". The word serenas, meaning calm represents the weather, more precisely the sunny weather.
Every day, a bell used to ring announcing noon only when the weather was clear. The mechanism was invented by Mr. Mille and consisted of a counterweight balancing a hammer striking a bell. A string held the counterweight in place until the sun was up high. At noon, thanks to a magnifying glass cleverly positioned, the string burned and released the weight. Every day, it was replaced with a new one for the next day.

Although the view is not what it used to be (new buildings), the belvedere is still a beautiful place to sit and relax away from the busy streets of Paris, or just hang out with your loved one in a nice romantic setting.

Have you ever visited this part of Paris?

Pere Lachaise - City of the Dead

Pere Lachaise is the largest cemetery in Paris and probably the most famous and visited cemetery in the world. Originally established by Napoleon I in 1804, it is "home" to some of the most famous French and foreign personalities.
I visited the cemetery in winter walking along the cold alleys swept by a chilling wind. The light was really beautiful, and the place was deserted.
It felt like wandering in a huge city of the dead with all those famous names staring up at me from the crumbling and forgotten stones.

Le Bistrot Parisien

When you hear Paris, what do you think? What image comes to mind?

Of course, most people visualize the Eiffel Tower or Notre-Dame. But Paris is also much much more than that!

What I love most is the small narrow streets with the old bistrots and the cliché frenchman with his baguette (for the record, a baguette never reaches a house untouched.. half of it is ALWAYS eaten on the road..yumm!) going home under a cold rain while a couple is kissing soaking wet.

That's Paris for me, the old Deuch ("Deux-Chevaux" The old Citroën car on the photo), the cafés and bistrots, the smell of croissant, the sound of accordion..

Listen to this music, close your eyes, and wander in the streets of the city of Love!

~Paris je t'aime!~

Pont d'Austerlitz

The Pont d'Austerlitz is a bridge crossing the Seine in Paris. The construction began in 1801 till 1805 but it was rebuilt later due to cracks appearing all the time making it a dangerous bridge to cross. The actual bridge was finished in 1885.

It is pleasant to walk along the Seine river and watch the Peniches and Bateaux-mouches on the calm waters. Every traveler should at least visit the "berges de la Seine" once while having a good jambon-beurre (Ham and Butter in a baguette sandwich). So cliché but so good!

Enjoy!

La Blue Eiffel

An unusual shot of the Tour Eiffel in Paris. I have not touched the colors, so yes.. It was blue :)

In 2008, the Eiffel Tower was lit in blue every evening because France was presiding the E.U. at that time. It was an overcast evening so the sky appeared pinkish.

You can see a different view from the tower here. It also had the yellow stars that represent the European Union flag.

Enjoy!

Notre Dame de Paris

This past year, I have visited many cathedrals during my travels. I always find these worship places quite impressive.

Notre Dame (Our Lady in french) is one of the icons of Paris of course, located not far from the Musee du Louvre. It is one of the most visited places in the city.

Its construction began in 1163 and was effectively completed by 1345 (a 182 years of construction). It is one of the first Gothic cathedrals.

Enjoy!

Golden Bliss

I grew up in a Gulf country and till today, Autumn still amazes me with its colors because it has been a season I barely knew.

I had my share of beautiful colors when I traveled through Spain and France (photo above).

This photo was taken in Paris, in the "Jardin des Plantes" (Botanical garden?). A lovely place with also so much to learn about plants and climates.

Enjoy!

"Every Leaf speaks Bliss to me, fluttering from the Autumn tree"

~ Emily Bronte ~

Peace

While visiting the Eiffel tower again with a friend, I came across this monument at the end of the "Champs de Mars" (a big garden next to the tower), right in front of the military school that you see behind the monument on the photo.

It is a monument dedicated to Peace. It consists of 32 pillars with the word "peace" written in 32 different languages all over them.

I find it kind of ironic to have a peace monument right in front of a military school actually.

And just a little trivia for those interested: Do you know why that big garden is called "Champs de Mars" (field of mars)? No it has nothing to do with the planet.. It's because this area was used as a field to plant potatoes imported from the American continent. These potatoes were planted in the month Mars, hence the name. Yep... Before being a french icon, this area was a potato field :)

Bon appetit!

Carousel

There are 3 things in Life that make me automatically smile, return back to childhood and awesomely make my day:

1-Snowglobes (Beautiful ones and not stupid souvenirs).

2-Old Music boxes (With a beautiful tune, original, and not happy birthdays or Christmas songs).

3-Carousels

I find something magical in these old wooden carousels. As if they had a spirit of their own. I almost sense it as an element right out of a fairy tale.

I could just stand there and watch it turn and turn with children laughing their hearts out, while the hypnotizing tune captures your soul to take you back to childhood... Weird isn't it!

So if you want to make me happy... You know what to offer for christmas!

Happy Merry-go-round!

Autumn Leaves

I want an end like autumn leaves

That gracefully depart the tree

A Life beyond the edge of branch

My season reached, a freedom's chance.

To drift upon a breeze refined

Descending toward my Life's design.

To welcome all these changes sown

From light received to splendor shown.

And when I've reached my place of rest

I hope my life, by then shines best.

As I depart this withered shell

With peaceful colors chosen well.

Photo taken in Paris, Jardin de Luxembourg .. Poem author unknown.

La Flute

"To him no vain regrets belong

Whose soul, that finer instrument,

Gave to the world no poor lament,

But wood-notes ever sweet and strong.

O lonely friend! he still will be

A potent presence, though unseen,

Steadfast, sagacious, and serene;

Seek not for him -- he is with thee."

~ Louisa May Alcott ~

(Photo taken in the Jardin de Luxembourg in Paris - France).

French Icon

When we hear "Paris", one of the first images in our head is: The "Tour Eiffel".

This 324m (1063 feet) high tower is the tallest standing structure in Paris and is the most visited single paid monument in the world. It was built in 1889 for the Exposition Universelle and was supposed to be destroyed in 1909. As it has been used by the army and by a radio station (an antenna is on the top), the city of Paris gave permission for the tower to stand longer and it later became one of the icons of the city of Love.

It is also a great idea to visit the tower at night as it is all lit up (different colors depending on the occasion). Every hour, it starts sparkling for a few minutes. Don't miss it!