Following my schedule as a tourist, I got up early in the morning and took the beloved, magical Métro.
In the snap of a finger, I arrived at the Hôtel des Invalides, where Napoleon I rested in peace.
Les Invalides is now home of the French Army Museum, which consists of several small museums. I was particularly fascinated by the interesting windows.
The highly decorated Golden Dome covers the tomb of the emperor, as expected.
Walking into the Hôtel, you could see a spacious courtyard.
Started as a artillery officer, Napoleon raised to the top through his military prowess.
And there was no mistake for what the letter "N" stood.
Inside the dome was in fact a royal church. In the center below the main level, Napoleon's tomb was right under the dome. His best generals were put to rest by his side in two altars. Twelve winged Nikes, the Greek goddess of victory, surrounded him to glorify his great military achievement.
On the corridors around the tomb, several sculptures further detailed his life and legacy. This one where he was depicted as Apollo, the Greek god of sun, pointing to two stones on which the famous Napoleonic Code was inscribed. Allegedly he considered the Code to be his most valuable legacy.
The glorification went on as the sculptor dressed him as an Roman emperor, i.e., a good one.
There was a whole collection of Napoleon's belongs in Les Invalides but due to renovation, only a few were shown. This was probably his most recognizable uniform, appearing in numerous paintings and sculptures.
The Musée de l'Armée had the usual stuff you would expect from a military museum but being French, they didn't forget bragging about their sense of fashion.
I found a collection of military figures especially interesting. They were organized chronologically to show the evolution of uniforms. This set was the French Army during the time of Napoleon. The figures were labeled by rank except the second from right on the top, which was labeled "The Emperor".
Another interesting set was the knights and warriors of medieval time.
Walking out of Les Invalides, I was attracted by the buildings on the other side of the river. So I started to wander a little bit to take a closer look.
Another beautiful bridge on the Seine.
The buildings that caught my eyes were the Grand Palais...
...and the Petit Palais. They located face to face on the two sides of the street.
The color gold was a recurring theme in Paris.
Interestingly I found the statue of an Englishman. You wouldn't see that often.
I kept walking until I reached a wide open space, the Place de la Concorde. Marked by a giant Egyptian obelisk in the center, Concorde was surrounded by great buildings used as luxurious hotels or foreign embassies. I was too tired to visit either one of them so I stared at the water fountains instead.
This was how it looked like at work.
After a good rest in the Concorde, I walked along the Seine upward. This was a church whose name I forgot.
It was cloudy that day so it felt a little bit chilly even to walk by the river. So I quickly gave up the idea of riding a sight-seeing boat. (Don't worry. I'll come back.)
As you walked on, you would see the houses lined up along the bank. Similar scenes back in Amsterdam, but grander.
Now if you looked back, a castle-like building would appear. That was the Conciergerie.
Now if you turned your head around, you would have a good look of my destination: Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris.
I think I should stop wasting my time introducing it here. So let's just take a closer look.
It was very popular, as expected.
Above the left gate, the sculpture was appropriately the Coronation of Virgin Mary, a popular theme for the glorification of the Virgin.
Above the right gate, the sculpture was the Last Judgment.
This was a saint who was holding his own head. I don't know who he was and what his story was.
Magnificent outside, the Notre Dame was beautiful inside, too. But I had to say it wasn't the most beautiful church I had visited. The Notre Dame de Montréal was better inside, for example. However, the story about a hunchback by Victor Hugo made it far more intriguing.
I walked around the church after coming out. If you had time and money, you could go up to the clock tower for a panoramic view, but I had neither.
The garden behind the church was surprisingly beautiful and intimate.
Then I walked north and backward for some more magnificent architectures. And what could be more grandiose than the Opera House?
Famous musicians were enshrined on the opera house, including the gifted Mozart.
The genius Bach was also featured, though in a less prominent way. I think that's because the French thought he contributed less to opera than the others, like Verdi, Rossini, and so forth.
I couldn't get enough of it.
It was late in the afternoon and I couldn't walk anymore. So I decided to spend the rest of my time for some window-shopping. Luckily the famous Paris department store Printemps was nearby. How was the price tag? Think Macy's flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City.
It was all fancy and glamorous as expected. I was almost tempted to buy one thing or two but even if I could afford it, I couldn't bring it all the way back, given the size of my luggage and the long traveling schedule ahead. What was the thing I almost bought? A stainless espresso cup!
Once again, I returned my hostel exhausted. Like I said before, it had a great view and you decide if I lied or not.
Now let's fast forward one day to the last scene I saw in Paris, the Gare de Lyon, where I took a TGV train to the sunny city on Côte d'Azur, Nice!
In the snap of a finger, I arrived at the Hôtel des Invalides, where Napoleon I rested in peace.
Les Invalides is now home of the French Army Museum, which consists of several small museums. I was particularly fascinated by the interesting windows.
The highly decorated Golden Dome covers the tomb of the emperor, as expected.
Walking into the Hôtel, you could see a spacious courtyard.
Started as a artillery officer, Napoleon raised to the top through his military prowess.
And there was no mistake for what the letter "N" stood.
Inside the dome was in fact a royal church. In the center below the main level, Napoleon's tomb was right under the dome. His best generals were put to rest by his side in two altars. Twelve winged Nikes, the Greek goddess of victory, surrounded him to glorify his great military achievement.
On the corridors around the tomb, several sculptures further detailed his life and legacy. This one where he was depicted as Apollo, the Greek god of sun, pointing to two stones on which the famous Napoleonic Code was inscribed. Allegedly he considered the Code to be his most valuable legacy.
The glorification went on as the sculptor dressed him as an Roman emperor, i.e., a good one.
There was a whole collection of Napoleon's belongs in Les Invalides but due to renovation, only a few were shown. This was probably his most recognizable uniform, appearing in numerous paintings and sculptures.
The Musée de l'Armée had the usual stuff you would expect from a military museum but being French, they didn't forget bragging about their sense of fashion.
I found a collection of military figures especially interesting. They were organized chronologically to show the evolution of uniforms. This set was the French Army during the time of Napoleon. The figures were labeled by rank except the second from right on the top, which was labeled "The Emperor".
Another interesting set was the knights and warriors of medieval time.
Walking out of Les Invalides, I was attracted by the buildings on the other side of the river. So I started to wander a little bit to take a closer look.
Another beautiful bridge on the Seine.
The buildings that caught my eyes were the Grand Palais...
...and the Petit Palais. They located face to face on the two sides of the street.
The color gold was a recurring theme in Paris.
Interestingly I found the statue of an Englishman. You wouldn't see that often.
I kept walking until I reached a wide open space, the Place de la Concorde. Marked by a giant Egyptian obelisk in the center, Concorde was surrounded by great buildings used as luxurious hotels or foreign embassies. I was too tired to visit either one of them so I stared at the water fountains instead.
This was how it looked like at work.
After a good rest in the Concorde, I walked along the Seine upward. This was a church whose name I forgot.
It was cloudy that day so it felt a little bit chilly even to walk by the river. So I quickly gave up the idea of riding a sight-seeing boat. (Don't worry. I'll come back.)
As you walked on, you would see the houses lined up along the bank. Similar scenes back in Amsterdam, but grander.
Now if you looked back, a castle-like building would appear. That was the Conciergerie.
Now if you turned your head around, you would have a good look of my destination: Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris.
I think I should stop wasting my time introducing it here. So let's just take a closer look.
It was very popular, as expected.
Above the left gate, the sculpture was appropriately the Coronation of Virgin Mary, a popular theme for the glorification of the Virgin.
Above the right gate, the sculpture was the Last Judgment.
This was a saint who was holding his own head. I don't know who he was and what his story was.
Magnificent outside, the Notre Dame was beautiful inside, too. But I had to say it wasn't the most beautiful church I had visited. The Notre Dame de Montréal was better inside, for example. However, the story about a hunchback by Victor Hugo made it far more intriguing.
I walked around the church after coming out. If you had time and money, you could go up to the clock tower for a panoramic view, but I had neither.
The garden behind the church was surprisingly beautiful and intimate.
Then I walked north and backward for some more magnificent architectures. And what could be more grandiose than the Opera House?
Famous musicians were enshrined on the opera house, including the gifted Mozart.
The genius Bach was also featured, though in a less prominent way. I think that's because the French thought he contributed less to opera than the others, like Verdi, Rossini, and so forth.
I couldn't get enough of it.
It was late in the afternoon and I couldn't walk anymore. So I decided to spend the rest of my time for some window-shopping. Luckily the famous Paris department store Printemps was nearby. How was the price tag? Think Macy's flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City.
It was all fancy and glamorous as expected. I was almost tempted to buy one thing or two but even if I could afford it, I couldn't bring it all the way back, given the size of my luggage and the long traveling schedule ahead. What was the thing I almost bought? A stainless espresso cup!
Once again, I returned my hostel exhausted. Like I said before, it had a great view and you decide if I lied or not.
Now let's fast forward one day to the last scene I saw in Paris, the Gare de Lyon, where I took a TGV train to the sunny city on Côte d'Azur, Nice!
Comments