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1. Musee d'Orsay
I liked it better than Louvre! The best of all were the post impressionist works by Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin and Cezanne. So amazing! It's like using tiny dots to form a figure! The most famous was of course Van Gogh's starry nights. It's so strange which artists become world renowned and whoch don't. To me it seems like it's either entirely random or the more cuckoo you are the more popular you get.
Another really popular work that I loved was Rodin's "Gates of Hell'. Brilliant piece of work. It shows hell as described by Dante in Inferno. Brutal but enchanting in a weird way.
2. Scare Coeur
Nothing very memorable about this place. It didn't have too much history associated with it. Beautiful ceiling and stained glass like in most other European Churches. It's a steep walk up to the church, so they have a funny little tram that goes up and down. I walked up of course. And the whole path towards Sacre Coeur is filled with street shops and souvenirs, hustling and bustling with activity.
3. Notre Dame
It's a gothic church, like the one in Sevilla. Huge and imposing with big arches and impossibly high ceilings.
There was a exhibit showing how the church had transformed through the centuries, that was quite interesting. It is very old..almost 800 years and it has seen so much!
4. Louvre
Well it is huuuuge and it is impossible to cover in one day. The pyramids outside are as magnificent as I had imagined them to be. The entire museum is filled with signposts leading you to MonaLisa, which is super disappointing if you ask me! It is small and has nothing remarkable about it.
My favorite was Four Seasons by Giusepe Arcimboldo.
Some other interesting ones were
Liberty Leading People by Eugene Delacroix
Consecration of Emperor Napolean by Jacques Louis David
The Wedding Feast at Cana by Paolo Caliari
There is some charm in the whole Museum, it is oozing with history, with art of course and with a spark of inspiration. If I weren't so dead tired I would've loved to spend a few more hours there:)
5. Arc de Triomphe
The walk up to the top is killing! Everyone reaches the top huffing and puffing and clutching their stomachs! But it is worth is, the view from the topis magnificent. Well that's what you believe until you go to Eiffel Tower :P
It was built to commemorate Napolean's victory in the Battle of Austerlitz. It was inspired by the Roman Arch of Titus, which I saw as well! More on that when we talk about Rome.
The arch stands as a symbol of victory and also a tribute to all the soldiers who lost their lives in the battle. People till today come down to lay flowers :)
6. Jardin de Luxembourg
My reaction was Wow! Just wow.
It is a park but like no other park I have ever seen. Sooo beautiful- the trees, the beautiful flowers and fountains. And of course the people - louging in chairs and reading or playing ball, having dance classes, meditation classes, racing plastic boats in the pond or just kissing. It was as Parisien as it gets. Just beautiful This was an unexpected little gem for me and I loved every second of it.
7. Eiffel Tower
The best for last! Man, is it huge.
However big you are picturing it right now, it is bigger than that. I can aassure you. There is nothing very aesthetic about it when you look at it up close. But the size and the magnificence, oh boy it's breathtaking! And at night, it is enthralling. Once every hour, it "twinkles' for a couple of minutes. I was there three good hours so I could witness it thrice!
The queue to get on top is huuuuuge. And you will probably take the most expensive elevator of your life. One stop at floor 1, view is sexy! The champs elysees, the several bridges across Seine, the Arc de Triomphe, the beautiful and charming Paris laid outfor your eyes to take in. But when you get all the ay to the top by the next elevator. My oh My! I didn't want to come down ever! You can see Paris at your feet. It gave me goose bumps.
But it is soooo damn crowded. You are always nudging people when you walk and you can never get a photo alone. Still, one of my best moments in Europe! :D
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