Paris, France 6/30 -- 7/8/2011 [Paris Gallery] [Back to Photo Page] [Slide Show]

Paris, the capital and the largest city in France, is situated on the river Seine in northern France. Paris was the largest city in the Western world for about 1,000 years, prior to the 19th century, and the largest in the entire world between the 16th and 19th centuries. Two thousand years of history and seven centuries of artistic brilliance have made Paris a city rich in architecture, ancient and modern complement each other flawless.  According to the latest survey from Economist Intelligence Unit in 2010, Paris is the world's most expensive city in which to live. With about 42 million tourists per year, Paris is the most visited city in the world.

Getting there ...

We decided to rent an apartment in Paris instead of staying in a hotel for our trip.  Because we missed our connecting flight in London (due to some luggage issue by Virgin Atlantic...), we arrived at the apartment very late at night that we needed to pay an additional 50€ penalty.  The apartment is located in the central Paris (on boulevard Malesherbes, not far from Champs-Elysées) with a short walk to 2 different Metro stations.  There were many shops, restaurants, bakery, and grocery stores around the apartment that made us feel like we were living like a local Parisian for a whole week.
We stayed in Paris for total 7 nights, and continued our 2nd half of the trip to Tanzania, Africa on July 8.

[July 2/3] [July 4/5] [July 6/7]

July 2 ...

• Sainte-Chapelle, Ile de la Cite
  Begun some time after 1239 and consecrated in 1248, Sainte-Chapelle was commissioned by King Louis IX of France to house his collection of Passion Relics, including the Crown of Thorns - one of the most important relics in medieval Christendom.  The most famous features of the chapel, among the finest of their type in the world, are the great stained glass windows, for whose benefit the stone wall surface is reduced to little more than a delicate framework. Fifteen huge mid-13th century windows fill the nave and apse, two-thirds of which are original, depict 1,113 scenes from the Old Testament and the Passion of Christ.

• Notre-Dame de Paris
  Notre Dame de Paris ("Our Lady of Paris") is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in France and in Europe.  Construction began in 1163 during the reign of Louis VII, and effectively completed around 1345. Over the construction period, numerous architects worked on the site, as is evidenced by the differing styles at different heights of the west front and towers.

• Eiffel Tower
  At 321 meters (1054 ft) high, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure in the world until Chrysler Building was constructed in New York in 1930.  A masterpiece of engineering, Gustave Eiffel's tower has become a world symbol of Paris, and is probably one of the most photographed landmarks in the world.
  The line to take the elevator up to the 2nd level of the tower was extremely long and soon after, Iris got restless and was complaining about the long wait. After two hours of waiting, we finally boarded the elevator. The elevator had two levels and each level could fit about 40 people. Iris was excited and liked the way she could see the ground getting smaller and farther. At the second level, we looked at the view and then got on another elevator to the top of the Eiffel tower. The top was windy and the view was even more fascinating. We stayed up for a while to walk around the tower to look at all different directions of Paris. When we got back down, we all agreed that it was worth the long waiting to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

            After dinner, I went back to Eiffel Tower in the evening for the night view.  It was still very crowded like in the afternoon.

July 3 ...

• Eiffel Tower in the morning
  I went to the Trocadero area in the morning to take more shots of the Eiffel Tower and its surroundings.

• Palais Garnier -- Opera National de Paris
  In 1860 architect Charles Garnier was commissioned by Napoleon III to build an opera house for the imperial capital.  The facade and exterior are covered in sculptures of great composers and allegorical figures representing spirits of music and dance, and the marble and gilt inside is almost oppressive in its excess. 
  We took the guided tour which include a general visit of the theatre with a presentation detailing its history, its architecture and the different activities that take place within it.  The classic luxury of the golden and red theater seats is definitely worth a visit for music lovers like us.

• Place Vendome
  After lunch (we actually found a very nice Chinese restaurant with delicious dim sum), we walked around the streets of Paris, home of the fine foods and high fashion that make Paris the work capital of luxury for two centuries.

• Eglise de la Madeleine
  The main purpose of this Paris trip was to attend the El Camino Youth Symphony concert at Eglise de la Madeleine in Paris.  Linus was with the ECYS international tour to Spain and France, Paris being their last stop. We arrived early to the church several hours before the concert, and was able to watch the orchestra rehearse. The acoustics in the church had too much echo and was not really suitable for a symphonic performance, but the concert was magnificent nonetheless.

[July 2/3] [July 4/5] [July 6/7]

[Back to Photo Page] [Go to Paris Gallery]