Then it's time to climb the 300 winding steps to the top, before the roof. There is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a bit of art, and a gift shop.
Beneath the Arc is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. Interred here on Armistice Day1920,[15] it has the first eternal flame lit in Western and Eastern Europe since the Vestal Virgins' fire was extinguished in the fourth century. It burns in memory of the dead who were never identified (now in both world wars).Next it's time to go up on top. At first, Suzanne stays in the middle. She slowly gets her mojo and is able to stand near the edge. A feat for someone who's afraid of heights, ladder level. Going up 50 meters is a milestone :)
A ceremony is held Tomb of the Unknown Soldier every 11 November on the anniversary of the armisticesigned between France and Germany in 1918. It was originally decided on 12 November 1919 to bury the unknown soldier's remains in the Panthéon, but a public letter-writing campaign led to the decision to bury him beneath the Arc de Triomphe. The coffin was put in the chapel on the first floor of the Arc on 10 November 1920, and put in its final resting place on 28 January 1921. The slab on top carries the inscription ICI REPOSE UN SOLDAT FRANÇAIS MORT POUR LA PATRIE 1914–1918 ("Here lies a French soldier who died for the fatherland 1914–1918").
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy of the United States paid their respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, accompanied by French President Charles de Gaulle. After the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy, Mrs Kennedy remembered the eternal flame at the Arc de Triomphe and requested that an eternal flame be placed next to her husband's grave at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. President Charles de Gaulle went to Washington to attend the state funeral, and witnessed Jacqueline Kennedy lighting the eternal flame that had been inspired by her visit to France.
Next step is a metro ride to Sacré-Coeur, the basilica that stands high on la "butte Montmartre". Another landmark, we found ourselves walking many steps up just to reach the base of the hill. We did the last 20 meters in a funicular not because we couldn't walk anymore, but for the experience. It did help our decision when we realized the cost was handled by our daily metro pass. At the foot of the Church, the view is simply spectacular.
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur (French: Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, pronounced [sakʁe kœʁ]), is aRoman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Paris,France. A popular landmark, the basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city. Sacré-Cœur is a double monument, political and cultural, both a national penance for the excesses of the Second Empire and socialist Paris Commune of 1871[1] crowning its most rebellious neighborhood, and an embodiment of conservative moral order, publicly dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was an increasingly popular vision of a loving and sympathetic Christ.[2]The Sacré-Cœur Basilica was designed by Paul Abadie. Construction began in 1875 and was finished in 1914. It was consecrated after the end of World War I in 1919.
There are many people asking for money around the Church, may they be street hustlers (I'm trying to figure out the string thing) to beggars. Once we step inside the Church, we're in awe. Because a mass is being given, we're not allowed to take pictures of the interior. So here are the pictures I took.
I didn't take the main room, that would've been too obvious, considering that there were ushers going around telling people not to take pictures. But there's more to a Church then just then the communal part, and we have to see it all. So we decided to go to the top, many, many more steps, where the ones at the top were barely wide enough for us to go through (and not my passenger friend on the plane)...
...and down to the Crypt under the Basilica (and more steps). Note that we really need to be in shape to walk those up.
A wow experience. I've always had a certain like to villages that are built on a hill. I really like the area of Montmartre where the Church is built. Here are a few pictures with one of the funicular we took going up. Note that we did walk it down though.
We have lunch at Le Quinze Vins, a nice little wine bar we wanted to come have dinner at a few nights back. It's good we didn't for there's no place to eat, really, except for the few tiny tables on the very tiny sidewalk. It was one of my favourite lunch of the trip, and the wines were excellent, of course. Thanks Kim for the discovery. I actually like their tasting table downstairs, giving me ideas for our next house :)
Next stop, Le Louvre. We're finally going to see the most famous museum of the world, something I've been looking forward ever since this trip was planned.
The Louvre or Louvre Museum (French: Musée du Louvre, pronounced: [myze dy luvʁ]) is one of the world's largest museums and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, France, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (district). Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres (652,300 square feet). With more than 8 million visitors each year, the Louvre is the world's most visited museum.[5]The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre), originally built as a fortress in the late 12th century under Philip II. Remnants of the fortress are visible in the basement of the museum. The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. In 1682,Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his household, leaving the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection, including, from 1692, a collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture.[6] In 1692, the building was occupied by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettresand the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which in 1699 held the first of a series of salons. The Académie remained at the Louvre for 100 years.[7] During the French Revolution, theNational Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum to display the nation's masterpieces.What can I say. Our first order of business was to visit the painting that represents Art itself, the Mona Lisa. We found the lady herself within minutes of our arrival.
The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being royal and confiscated church property. Because of structural problems with the building, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801. The collection was increased underNapoleon and the museum renamed the Musée Napoléon. After the defeat of Napoleon atWaterloo, many works seized by his 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. As of 2008, the collection is divided among eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, andRoman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings.
The Mona Lisa (Monna Lisa or La Gioconda in Italian; La Joconde in French) is a half-length portrait of a woman by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci, which has been acclaimed as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world."[1]The painting, thought to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, is in oil on a white Lombardy poplar panel, and is believed to have been painted between 1503 and 1506, although Leonardo may have continued working on it as late as 1517. It was acquired by KingFrancis I of France and is now the property of the French Republic, on permanent display at The Louvre museum in Paris since 1797.[2]The ambiguity of the subject's expression, which is frequently described as enigmatic,[3] the monumentality of the composition, the subtle modeling of forms and the atmospheric illusionism were novel qualities that have contributed to the continuing fascination and study of the work.[4]Next we just walked around and snapped hundred of pictures. Here are some of them.
Next it's time for dinner. I don't remember where but I'm sure it was alright. We end the day with a stroll to Lady Eiffel to see her beautiful evening coat, then we head back home.
All in all, I find Paris to be similar to any big western city. I don't feel out of place here, like I could be in Tokyo or Karachi. Like any other city there are particularities that are striking. One I like is the three wheel scooter. I just had to take a picture.
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