Paris, France
Traveling has always been a dream of mine and after my wedding last year, my husband and I got to go on our first travel adventure together. Our Honeymoon! In this post I am going to share some photos, history, and fun facts from our Honeymoon in October of 2017. We went to France, Italy and Greece, but lets start with a look into our time in Paris, France. (My friends and I will be sharing more of our travel adventures in this "Travel Ventures" catergory on the Heir Talk blog. So stay tuned for more posts coming soon.)
Here is a look into our trip to Paris, France.
Champ Elysee and Arc De Triomphe
This Arc was gorgeous and the view from the top was insane. The Arc is the center of Paris so from the top you can literally see how everything flows from there as far as the way the city is design. Avenues literally draw out of the arc. It truly is beautiful.
The construction of the Arc de Triomphe was ordered by Napoleon, the French Emperor in 1806. It was designed by Jean Chalgrin. Napoleon wanted to honor the Grande Armee, which was the name of the French army at that time. The Grande Armee had conquered most of Europe and was then considered invincible. After his Austerlitz victory in 1805, Napoleon said to his soldiers : "You will return home through arcs of triumph". The names of 128 battles of the first French Republic and Napoleon's Empire are written on the white walls under the vault together with the names of the generals who took part in them. The construction of Arc de Triomphe was completed in 1836, long after Napoleon's death in 1821.
Beneath the Arc is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. ( See the first Picture below) It has an eternal flame that burns in memory of the dead who were never identified in the wars.
The Louvre Museum
We are both history lovers so we enjoyed this beautiful museum. Did you know that it is the worlds most visited museum? Its full of amazing historical art and is home to famous pieces like Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. If you have never been it is on the top of our list of places to visit for sure.
This is the "The Winged Victory of Samothrace." It is a 2nd-century BC marble sculpture and is alson one of the most celebrated sculptures in the world. H.W. Janson described it as “the greatest masterpiece of Hellenistic sculpture.”
My husband and I love history and we were so excited we got to see the Worlds most celebrated sculpture.
The Eiffel Tower
One of my favorite and most romantic parts was seeing the Eiffel Tower. During the day it is nice but at night during the night shows when its all light up and sparkling it is beautiful.
In 1889, Paris hosted an Exposition Universelle to mark the 100-year anniversary of the French Revolution. More than 100 artists submitted competing plans for a monument and the winner was; Eiffel et Compagnie, a consulting and construction firm owned by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel. While Eiffel himself often receives full credit for the monument that is named after him, it was one of his employees—a structural engineer named Maurice Koechlin—who came up with the concept. This metal beauty was meant to be a temporary exhibit but ended up being one of the most visited places in Paris. It is a site to see for sure and will continue to be.
FUN FACT:
It is repainted every 7 years and is kept up to continue to razzle and dazzle in the beautiful city of lights.
Notre Dame
This Medieval Catholic Cathedral is the prime example of French Gothic Architecture. This church is owned by the French state and ran by the Catholic church. The current Archbishop of Paris is Michel Aupetit. This beautiful and world renown church is a must see when traveling to Paris.
You see that beautiful web like design in the middle of the pictures of the church. On the inside it is a beautiful stained glass rose design . It's called a Gothic Rayonnant style. It was added in the 13th century to the north and south portals of the church.
Panthéon
Panthéon was originally built to be a church dedicated to St. Genevieve who was said to have saved Paris through mass prayer. It now stands as a monument and burial in Paris. Panthéon is used to bury the prominent French figures. Buried in Pantheons necropolis are Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Émile Zola, Jean Moulin, Louis Braille, Jean Jaurès and Soufflot, its architect. The Panthéon is a beautiful display of Neoclassical and Gothic architecture.
FUN FACT:
Did you know that a horrible rumor spread in 1814 that Voltaire's remains were stolen by religious fanatics and thrown into a garbage heap? 83 years later in 1879 those rumors were put to rest when his coffin was opened to revealed that his remains were still present. Talk about tales from the crypt.
Burials in the Panthéon were a way to celebrate the lives of prominent French figures, however this list seemed to be limited only to men. It wasn’t until 1995 that the Panthéon broke tradition and entombed physicist and chemist Marie Curie for her contributions to the study of radioactivity. Her husband, a physicist Pierre Curie, is also buried in the Panthéon.
FUN FACT:
Léon Foucault proved that the earth rotates at an axis by demonstrating it in the Pantheon. He build a huge iron pendulum and in 1851 through his experiement he was able to prove that the earth rotates at an axis.
Covered in impressive art and so much history the Panthéon could put some museums to shame. All in all it is a must see while visiting Paris.