The Flying Frenchman, by César

I am not an art enthusiast; I can’t really understand what the sculpture is trying to portray. It was pretty catchy though.

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.

Avenue of Stars

Bruce Lee statue

Hong Kong Island across the Victoria Harbour; I wonder what’s the boat doing there

Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower

The clock tower was part of the old Kowloon-Canton Railway Station that was built in 1910s; the clock tower itself was completed in 1915.

The railway station was moved to another area in 1975, and the building was demolished 2 years later despite protest; the clock tower was somehow allowed to stand though.

Paris city and the beautiful Seine River

Can you spot Arc de Triomphe?

Shadow of Eiffel and the Trocadéro; high rise buildings can be seen in newer area of Paris

The far point at the centre of picture is Montmartre and Basilica of the Sacred Heart

Champ de Mars

The Paris view from Eiffel Tower was amazing; the enlightening experience has sparked my interest to see a city from birds-view whenever possible in future.

Eiffel Tower look golden in early sunshine

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.

Eiffel Tower’s structural view from
the ascending elevator

History of Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower started its construction in 1887 and completed in 1889. The tower was built in conjunction to the World’s Fair in Paris in 1889, the Exposition Universelle.

The name Eiffel Tower was derived from Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the designer of the tower, who was assisted by Emile Nouguier, Maurice Koechlin and Stephen Sauvestre in constructing the iron structure.

The construction of Eiffel Tower created strong reactions from Parisians, claiming that the design was ugly and distaste to French art… but nothing could stop the construction of the tower.

Eiffel Tower was supposed to be torn down in 1909; it was initially built to be easily dismantled at the beginning. However, at that time, the tower’s antenna was heavily used for communication (telegraph) purpose, thus putting off the dismantle plan.

Besides, Eiffel Tower was already a prime tourist attraction back then, bringing in huge economic value for Paris and France… and Parisians began to accept the tower as a symbol of modernization. Given all the circumstances, the Eiffel Tower was destined to stay as a permanent icon for Paris.

(left) On the 2nd level platform of Eiffel Tower; it seemed like a sunny morning, but it was quite chilly… I was regretting that I wore just a t-shirt; (right) true color of the tower

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.

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).

Street in Latin Quarter (left) and Saint Michel Fountain (Fontaine St Michel)

Today, Latin Quarter houses many of Paris’s famous monuments, as well as modern restaurants, hotels and bistros. You can find some cheap food and accommodation here.

Eglise Saint-Séverin, the oldest standing
church on the left bank

Paris Travel Tips

In Paris, the prices for the same food might vary depend on whether it’s a takeaway, or properly served on table. This rule applies in lots of other European cities as well.

Some theories said that it’s because the land prices are costly in the region; thus when you are sitting down and occupied a space, you would need to pay more. Another more logical explanation is the high wages; you have to pay more to be served by an extra person.

Statue of Charlemagne

The name Charlemagne initially caught my attention because it sounds like ‘Saruman’, the character from movie “Lord of the Rings.”

Charlemagne and France

Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, was the emperor of the Frankish Kingdom from 768 to 814. Under King Charlemagne, the kingdom covered large part of the Western Europe.

The Frankish Kingdom was later split into 3 by Charlemagne’s descendants; one of the 3 areas was Western Francia under the control of Charles the Bald, which became the foundation for modern France.

The driver stopped midway on the journey, and pointed us to a large horse-like figure, on a hill slope distance away.

Honestly I was blurred about what he said (something about chalk), as I never read or heard anything about that prior to seeing it. I only learnt later when I surfed online, that the ‘horse’ is Cherhill White Horse, or Oldbury White Horse.

Cherhill White Horse and Lansdowne Monument

Cherhill White Horse is one of the famous chalk figures that have been carved into hillsides in England; also known as hill figures.

The figures are usually created by clearing the grass and soil on the hillside, and exposed the bedrock which is normally white chalk, a form of limestone.

There are vary reasons for carving the figures; most of the white horses are believed to be carved as a symbol of good luck.

The age of the figures varied too, from as old as Bronze Age to as recent as the past century. The Cherhill White Horse that I was seeing was created in 1780.

The figures need to be maintained to stay visible; a major restoration was carried out on Cherhill White Horse in August 2002, involving re-cutting the outline of the horse, fixing shuttering to hold the chalk in place, and resurfacing the horse with 160 tonnes of fresh chalk. [reference]

Lansdowne Monument

Nearby the Cherhill White Horse is an obelisk, the Lansdowne Monument, which was erected in 1845 by the Third Marquis of Lansdowne to commemorate his ancestor, Sir William Petty. It’s said that the obelisk is the highest point between London and Bristol, interesting ain’t so? [reference]