The Flying Frenchman is a sculpture created by the late French sculptor César Baldaccini. The monument is located at Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, nearby the Clock Tower. It was donated by the Cartier Foundation to Hong Kong in April 1992.
I am not an art enthusiast; I can’t really understand what the sculpture is trying to portray. It was pretty catchy though.
Avenue of Stars (星光大道) is located along the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui. The avenue is Hong Kong version of Hollywood Walk of Fame… honouring celebrities that have contributed to Hong Kong film industry over the years.
I am not really fond of checking the hand prints of celebrities. For me, Avenue of Stars is simply a great place to see Hong Kong Island across the sea.
Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower is a famous landmark in Hong Kong. There is nothing spectacular about the clock tower, it’s probably the historical value that made it into an important monument.
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Panoramic view of Paris, from the 2nd level platform on Eiffel Tower…
2nd day in Paris… we had an early bus tour around the city before arriving at Eiffel Tower (La Tour Eiffel) at around 9.30am. The queue wasn’t very long; we waited for around 15 minutes and managed to squeeze into the elevator and get to the 2nd level of the tower.
There are 3 levels of platforms that are opened to public, and the entrance fees ranged from 4.50€ to 11.50€ for adults (using the elevator); level 1 and 2 is accessible by stairs (over 600 steps) as well, and with cheaper entrance fees. [Entrance fees reference]
The 2nd level platform (~115 metres) offers the best view of Paris, and the perfect range for photographs. [Read my next post for photos of the panoramic view of Paris] The 3rd level is probably too high to see the city in details.
Eiffel Tower is arguably the most visited landmark in the world; it has been visited by 229,623,812 visitors since its opening in 1889 until 2006. [Reference]
The tower (including its antenna) is 324 metres high, and was once the tallest building in the world; it is still the tallest building in Paris.
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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.
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.
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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