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I love Paris, it's an awesome city. It's the sort of place you can return to and always see something different, or come back just to see the same things all over again. I could never get bored here.
My first stop was the Louvre, home of; amongst other things, the Mona Lisa. I decided against making a beeline for this one piece, and worked my round at a slower pace. There are large collections of sculptures from Egypt and Italy which are well worth a look.(Which includes the stature of Venus de Milo)
I eventually made my way over to the gallery housing the Mona Lisa. To get to the Mona Lisa you have to pass through a series of rooms (which are open plan) along which sit loads of pictures of Christ and his Disciples, and a few of what appear to be the crusades. I'm unsure whether there is any significance in this layout.
The Mona Lisa itself is actually quite small; I always imagined it as being a huge portrait. I must admit that I wasn't particularly struck by it, but that could be down to the huge crowd that surrounded it.
The Louvre is a must see if you visit Paris, but make sure you have plenty of time free to explore as much as you can. You'll never see it all, but there's little point in coming to see only one or two pieces.
My next aim was to see Notre Dame, but on route I took a detour to the Centre Georges Pompidou and Eglise St Eustache (Eglise is French for Church) to see the Statues that decorate the park. The best piece was actually right beside the church (A large head in a hand - a picture is on my myspace).
I also passed Hotel de Ville, which is am impressive building, thought not one to waste too much time staring at.
Notre Dame is a magnificent building; the gothic façade stands out from a mile away. It's easy to imagine the slouching figure of the hunchback climbing over the Gargoyle lined buttresses, and swinging from the eaves. Personally I think it would look better with an overcast sky, rain hammering against the flagstones, and the gargoyles casting long shadows along the walls. But that's just me. Again, I would suggest Notre Dame as a must see.
There is so much to see in Paris, but it's never a chore (even if you do as I did and walked everywhere). The city feels so tranquil, especially on a warm day when you amble along the river banks; watching Parisians lounge in the parks on the islands in the middle of the river. Or sipping coffee at a street café, talking about small dogs (Seems to be fashionable, a lot of people have dogs.)
During my walks I came across the Fountain of St Michael, (Which is similar to the Trevi Fountain in Rome, only smaller; a lot smaller) the Palais de Justice, Eglise St Sulpice and the Assemblea National. Nice buildings to look at, but again not ones to spend a lot of time over.
Somewhere that is worth spending time in is The Place de a Concorde and the Parks between it and the Louvre. I've already mentioned the Obelisk that stands in Place de a Concorde, but not that this was the site where a Guillotine was erected by the Revolutionary Government during the Revolution. The first execution was none other that the displaced monarch, King Louis XVI. (Later, others such as Marie Antoinette shared King Louis' fate.)
The Gardens here are always busy, locals and tourists sit around the fountains or under the trees (which are lined up perfectly), playing chess, talking or just admiring the view. I'd love to return soon with a sketch book, or just my notebook; I found it easy to draw inspiration from the surroundings.
I last stop was again the Eiffel Tower, this time I climbed it; well - took the elevators (the stairs were closed). I stopped at the first observation deck for some spectacular aerial views, and then rode the second elevator to the top. The views are awesome, and you can really see how uniform and symmetrical centre Paris is. As the light fades, and the Tower lights up, the city two begins to light up. I got plenty of pictures!
Tomorrow we head out to Versailles, before returning to Paris. There is still much more for me to explore.
au revoir pour maintenant
Carl.
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