Intense foot pain may be Mandi's most lasting memory from our next
section of the trip, but I had a great time! We saw the Arc du Triomphe
erected by Napoleon and then walked down the famous Champs Elysees to
the Louvre. The walk took much longer than expected, especially since
we had been walking all day already.
It was quite windy.
Gateway of the Petit Palais, an exhibition hall built for the World's Fair in 1889.
The Place de la Concorde, where Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI were beheaded. The palace is in the background.
3500 year old Egyptian obelisk from Luxor
The Louvre
We finally
made it to the Louvre, and it was so worth it. We got in free since we
were under 26 and since we came in the evening the lines were minimal.
We had the place almost to ourselves for the most part. We saw lots of
famous pieces and got lost in the Egyptian wing. We both wished we
would have had more time, as the museum was truly amazing.
Entrance to the Louvre
Great thinkers from left to right: Freeman, Plato, Aristotle, Socrates
The Venus de Milo
The Mona Lisa had intense security.
The Raft of the Medusa
Liberty Leading the People
Coronation of Napoleon
Egyptian hieroglyphics
Ancient Akkadian
Babylonian statues
Ancient Babylonian
The Code of Hammurabi, one of the most ancient law codes in the world. You would not believe the trouble we had trying to find this thing. Mandi was so tired I had to leave her at the front and go find it myself before the museum closed.
Inscriptions on the Code of Hamurabi
The Eiffel Tower
The next
morning, before heading off to Versailles, we finally got around to
seeing the Eiffel Tower. Originally constructed for the World's Fair in
1889, the Tower is of course the icon of Paris. But the people hated
it when it was first built--they thought it was hideous. Nowadays, one
can't picture Paris without it, but it's funny to think that it's only
123 years old. What did people think of when they thought of Paris
before that, I wonder?
Our four day trip to Paris was supposed to be a slow and relaxing time of strolling along by the river and lingering at cafes. But then we got there and realized we couldn't pass up the opportunity to see everything that Paris had to offer us. So we crisscrossed the city on the Metro line and made the most of it.
The downside to the whole experience was the time of year. The sun didn't set until well after ten o'clock, so we never truly got to experience the City of Lights when the lights were on. Oh well.
Notre Dame
The cathedral of Notre Dame was smaller than I expected, but had an excellent atmosphere. No hunchbacks in sight, but there were lots of interesting gargoyles. Notre Dame sits in a great location, on an island in the river Seine at the heart of the city. The place definitely had a different feel than the Roman cathedrals, but I can't put my finger on why.
Sainte Chapelle
Built by Louis XI in the 13th Century and subsequently restored to its current state in 1855, faithful to the original plans. This was a two-story chapel built as part of the royal palace. The ground floor held a smaller and less glorious chapel for the servants while the ethereal upper floor was for the royal family and nobility. It was regarded by those who saw it as "a gateway to heaven," due to its glowing, colorful stained glass windows, stretching high up onto an arched ceiling. The windows depict scenes from the entire Bible, with a rose window featuring the book of Revelation at the back. The chapel was built to house relics obtained from Constantinople (the crown of thorns and a piece of the True Cross, allegedly), which cost three times as much as the chapel itself. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip--truly spectacular.
A fountain in the Luxembourg Gardens
Inside the Pantheon. This building jumped between religious and secular use for a long time, finally settling as a public building commemorating the heroes of France. Voltaire, Rousseau, and the Curies are buried underneath.
Montmartre
Named after the martyrs who died here, this hill is a rather unique neighborhood of Paris. It feels like a village rather than a part of the city, and has a much more rustic and quaint atmosphere. Montmartre was our favorite part of the city; we loved the small roads filled with cafes and boutiques. Painters abound in this area as well.
The Sacre Coeur Cathedral, on the Montmarte hill.
A famous site once frequented by the literary elite, now a nightclub. Pity.
Not in Montmartre. Still cool.
The Seine River
The river Seine is the lifeblood of Paris. No other European city is so tied up with a river. All of the public buildings, monuments, bridges, and mansions line the banks. We took a boat cruise down the river, and while it was quite chilly it was still enjoyable. This was our first sighting of the Eiffel Tower. See a bit of the cruise below.
Continued in Part II: The Louvre, the Arc du Triomphe, and More!
We took a cruise across the Firth of Forth, the huge bay of Scotland, and stopped at an abbey situated on an island in the middle of the water. Inchcolm island has been occupied since the 12th Century, and possibly before. There was a medieval monastery and, more recently, World War fortifications built to protect the Forth from raids. Watch our video for a short tour and more history:
This is it! The day we thought would never come--the final installment of our Rome adventure! This final day was completely taken up with two things: the ruins of Ostia Antica and the gardens of the Villa d'Este.
Ostia Antica
One of the most extensive and well-preserved ruins in the world, Ostia Antica was a Roman port town, so it was a bit seedier than similar ruins like Pompeii. Also, no volcano. We didn't get a guided tour so I'm sure we missed a lot, but here are some of the highlights.
The main temple
Pots for grain storage
Ruins of the synagogue
4th Century baptismal font
Another temple
The theatre
Villa d'Este
Once the estate of the grandson of corrupt pope Alexander VI, the Villa d'Este is a symbol of all that was wrong with the Church during the Renaissance. But it is also a stunningly beautiful piece of land, and now that it's been opened to the public instead of power-hungry cardinals, it's a must-see attraction. Built onto the forested hillside of the town of Tivoli, the grand estate boasts even grander gardens, with hundreds of fountains and lush greenery overlooking a sunlit valley. This was one of the highlights of our trip to Rome, and one of the most beautiful places we've ever been.
