France 2012 - Paris (Part 2)

(Sincerest apologies for the two-week delay in my posting.  I blame the holidays and so should you.)

le 8 à 10 novembre

Making the final drive from Rouen to Paris was bittersweet.  While we had greatly enjoyed our scenic drives through the French countryside, we were relieved to no longer have to concern ourselves with paid parking, toll roads and unspoken French traffic etiquette.  

We spotted a castle on one of our many scenic drives (this one from Paris to the Franche-Comté).  Imagine seeing this on the interstate!!!

Despite the je fais ce que je veux attitude that colors French driving, I found myself saddened by the fact that we would no longer be frequenting the French gas stations I had grown to love over the course of our trip.  The little cups of gas station café will forever remain a fond memory, as will the manner in which the French typically stop to drink it, rather than chugging it on the road.  The friendly gas station attendants became some of my favorite people on the trip, as well as the nostalgic custom of going inside to pay for your gas after you've filled your tank.

At any rate, we deposited our little Peugeot at the Hertz Station on Avenue Émile Zola in Paris before hauling our luggage through the Métro and checking in to our hotel.

This final leg of our trip can be summed up in just on sentence:  We did a lot of sightseeing.  In two and a half days, we visited the following places:

+La Tour Eiffel
This tower was originally constructed as a radio tower for the World's Fair.  Initially despised by the public for being "ugly," the Eiffel Tower was to be torn down 20 years after the exhibition was over.  However, it became a symbol of France (dare I say much of Europe?) and withstood two world wars.

Because the Eiffel Tower is one of Paris' most recognized gems, it is also one of the most touristy.  This time, I finally made the trip to the summit of the tower.  Having done so, I can honestly say it was not really all that worth it.  I would, however, urge visitors to check out the first and second platforms - well worth the price of a ticket for the excellent view!

A view upward from the second platform

+Les Champs Élysées

This is the famous street filled with high end stores where nearly no one can afford to shop.  Still, it's fun to pretend...

+L'Arc de Triomphe

This Napoleonic arch that sits at the end of the street was constructed under the emperor in the style of the ancient Roman triumphal arches.

+La Place de l'Étoile

You may recognize this famous (infamous?) roundabout upon which the arch sits from a certain National Lampoon movie. ;)

A view down Les Champs Élysées

La Place de l'Étoile and l'Arc de TriompheThis turned out to be Habibi's favorite part of Paris as he was fascinated by the smooth flow of traffic. :)

An eternal flame in memorial of the unnamed fallen soldiers of both world wars

+Le Louvre 
The Occidental world's most famous museum houses such works as the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.  (See previous post Anouchka Paints:  Trip to Le Louvre for more about this museum and its collections.)

Le Louvre -formerly the palace of French kings- is now a vast art museum complex.  It would be impossible to see the entire contents of the museum in a week, much less a lifetime!

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa (or, La Joconde)

Le Louvre complex as seen from La Tour Eiffel

+Montmartre
Paris' famous "red light" district -"Martyr Hill"- is now known as a tourist hot spot and home to Le Sacré Coeur.
+Le Sacré Coeur
This minor basilica built at the turn of the 20th century sits atop Montmartre and still holds mass to this day.

A view of the city from the top of Montmartre, the setting of a famous scene in the whimsical French film  Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain

An outdoor artists' market at the center of Montmartre

A view of the city at dusk from Montmartre

Le Sacré Coeur, the basilica at the top of Montmartre

+Notre Dame de Paris
**This baby is my personal favorite, so bear with me as I post a billion snapshots!** 
There are many famous Notre Dame cathedrals in France.  However, the most famous one (that serves as the setting of Victor Hugo's famous novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame) is the one in Paris.

The cathedral as seen from the river Seine

The two most famous bell towers in the world

Boom Shakalakalaka!  I love me some Gothic architecture!

Notre Dame may have a ghetto booty, but she's got some world-famous flying buttresses to support her backside.

The virgin (Notre Dame, a.k.a. "Our Lady") and Child in typical Gothic style
(i.e. standing in contraposto, dressed/crowned as queen of heaven,
holding Christ on the left side, gesturing with right hand, elaborate drapery, etc.)

Those gargoyles aren't just scary; they allegedly warded off evil spirits and inspired piety into the faithful...not to mention they served as great rain gutters.  (They are hollow on the inside and "spit" rain water out.)

These spiky things don't ward off evil spirits, but something
 much less scary (although much messier):  pigeons.

The interior of the cathedral

Elaborate stained glass rosace (rose window)

Lancets (the tall, skinny stained glass windows) pierce the cathedral walls, allowing more light to come in and inspiring the devout with "divine light."  Remember those flying buttresses on Notre Dame's booty?  Those bad boys are keeping this heavy structure (with so many windows!) from collapsing.

We were lucky enough to get to go inside the cathedral's bell towers.  Here is one (of quite a few) ENORMOUS bells.
No hunchback sightings.

More rain gutters...I mean, gargoyles. (View from the bell towers)

Notre Dame's construction began in 1163 and it was completed nearly 200 years later in 1345.  That's a long history, hence the bored look on this poor gargoyle's face.  (View from the bell towers)

After almost 700 years, this guy just gave up and decided to go ahead and have that snack.
At this point, he probably figured the extra carbs wouldn't hurt. (View from the bell towers)

Video of the view over the city from the bell towers...

+Le Musée d'Orsay
Sadly, we have no photos of this museum.  Once a train station, the "Orsay Museum" now is home to countless impressionist works (Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, etc.).  Lucky us, we got in for free using passes from some generous friends!



+L'Opéra Garnier
As the inspiration for Gaston Leroux's famous novel The Phantom of the Opera, this Parisian gem is something all of its own.  Although most operas are now performed at the Bastille Opera house, ballet productions are often staged here.  Beautifully ornate architecture (both inside and out) make this a sight you don't want to miss in Paris.  Plus, while we were there, a jazz band was playing and the Red Bull truck showed up and handed out free beverages.  Win-win-win.

L'Opéra Garnier

The view from the front steps of L'Opéra Garnier

Additionally, we had plenty of time to sip café, do some shopping and munch on crêpes at Breizh, allegedly the best place (outside of Bretagne) to dine of France's paper thin pancakes.

While I will never be able to recap all of the things we did during our quick stint in Paris, but I think you get an idea of some of the magic this city has to offer.  Stay tuned for a few final thoughts!