We dropped by Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe for a short photo session on our way back from the Seine cruise tour to our hotel.
Arc de Triomphe at night
If I was given the time, I would have climbed my way to the top, which I heard has an excellent panoramic view of the city, especially on the famous Avenue des Champs-Élysée.
Too bad it was our only visit to Arc de Triomphe; we had only a short stay in Paris and the famous monument was not the tour’s priority.
The Arc de Triomphe was commissioned in early 19th century to commemorate Napoleon’s victory at the Battle of Austerlitz, but only completed decades later; Napoleon was already dead before its completion.
Today, the arch honours those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars, and also includes the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the monument.
The Paris Arc de Triomphe is the most famous of its kind, but the largest Arc of Triumph is in Pyongyang (North Korea), which was built in 1982 and was deliberately built to be larger than the Paris one.
We boarded on a cruise to tour Seine River at 830pm. I was a bit sceptical about the night tour at the beginning; my perception was that a day tour would be more fitting to see Paris… but after the tour, I was totally convinced that it was a right choice.
Pont-Neuf, which means ‘New Bridge’, is ironically the oldest standing bridge in Paris (left);
Musée d’Orsay (The Orsay Museum), formerly a train station, now an art museum
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After visiting Notre Dame, we wandered into Latin Quarter (Quartier Latin) to have our dinner. I got a crêpe jambon-fromage-oeuf (crepe with ham, cheese and egg), which was absolutely yummy.
Latin Quarter is one of the oldest sections of Paris, located at the left bank of Seine. The name Latin Quarter came from the widely used Latin language by the Sorbonne’s Latin students during Middle Age. (Sorbonne is the common name for University of Paris).
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The Statue of Charlemagne is located just outside Notre Dame de Paris.
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A few more pictures taken at Notre Dame de Paris. You can read my stories about the cathedral from my previous post instead.
Lovely stained-glass windows seen from the inside of the cathedral
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October 9, 2005 | Tags
Churches and Cathedrals,
Gothic Architecture,
Historical Sites,
Notre Dame de Paris,
Photos and Pictures,
Random Experiences,
UNESCO World Heritage,
Visit Europe,
Visit France,
Visit Paris
After a short break at the hotel, we hopped on to our bus again and headed for our first travel destination in Paris… the Notre Dame (Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris).
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