The Beauty Of Paris, France!

Paris has seen quite some history, and it has been a miracle that the major buildings which are literal landmarks of that history have not been destroyed during world war II as the Germans attacked the city in June 1940.

The Louvre

The Louvre was build around 1190 as a defensive fortress by king Philippe August. It was then transformed into the modernized dwelling (a chateau) of François I before becoming the sumptuous palace of the Sun King, Louis XIV. It became a museum in 1793.

In the early 19th century the Louvre saw some interior transformations for an improvement of space for the artwork. And exterior transformation and extension underwent in the mid 19th century.



President Francois Mitterand started the Grand Louvre Project in 1981, and an ultimate modernization and extension of the present Louvre was born with an open new wing which was used to house the ministry of finance. During this last modernization of the Louvre the famous glass pyramid was born.

Arc De Triomphe

The Arc De Triomphe is a commemoration of Napoleon's victories commissioned by himself. The construction of the arc started in 1806 and was complete only 30 years later in 1836.

The Arc de Triomphe is located at the very top end of the Champs-Elysées, in the center of the Place Charles de Gaulle, also called "la place de l'étoile", because of the 12 avenues merging together there and forming a gigantic star (étoile).


You can climb the 234 steps of the Arc de Triomphe (there is no elevator) and get to the platform where you can observe a superb view of the Champs Elysees and much of the city.

The Arc is positioned in such a way that it is facing the Champs Elysees and can be seen at the extreme opposite end of it when you are standing by the Obélisque.

The Arc The Triomphe was built in honor of the French Army under Napoleon to celebrate his victory. Its four massive piers are decorated with scenes from the revolutionary era.

The top of the Arc de Triomphe offers a grand panoramic view down the Champs Elysees and beyond.

Beneath the Arc de Triomphe is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that honors French soldiers from both World Wars.

The Eiffel Tower



The Eiffel tower was built in commemoration of the centenary of the French Revolution for the World exhibition of 1889. The construction started in 1887 and it took some 300 steel workers to build the giant tower that is now over looking the whole city of Paris.

There were 700 proposals submitted for the special construction and Gustave Eiffel was unanimously chosen as it included a petition of some famous names which included Guy de Maupassant, Emile Zola and Charles Garnier, architect of the (Opera Garnier) in Paris.



The Eiffel tower has three stories and is 300 meters high, 320 with its antenna, and weighs 7,000 tons. The Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world until 1930. Its height varies up to 15 cm depending on the temperature. The tower is taller in the summer as its metallic structure expends in the heat.

The First Level of the Eiffel tower is up 360 steps by stairs or can be accessed with the elevator. The first floor has a small audio-visual museum showing historical film footage of the tower.

The Second Level up 359 steps from the first level includes a fine french food restaurant which offers a superb panoramic view of the city.

The Third Level is a platform which offers the best view of Paris, as nothing is higher than you are when you are standing there.

The tower was supposed to be demolished in 1909 as its permit expired since it was an exhibition temporary building. It is its antenna that saved the tower from being destroyed because it was used for multiple purposes including the military.

To protect the Eiffel tower from rust it has to be repainted every 7 years. It takes 50 to 60 tons of three graded paint to cover the 200,000 square meters of iron. It takes 25 painters working for 15 months, 1500 brushes and 5000 sanding disk.

Even though from afar the tower appears to be gray in color it is painted with several shades of brown.

Designed To Stand

At the time the tower was built many people were shocked by its daring shape and Eiffel was criticized for the design and accused of trying to create something artistic with no regard to engineering security. However, Eiffel and his engineers, were renowned bridge builders who understood very well the importance of wind forces and knew that if they were going to build the tallest structure in the world they had to be certain it would withstand the wind. Therefore the primary concern of Gustave Eiffel was wind resistance.



Eiffel designed the tower in such a way that it is mathematically calculated and gives an impression of strength and beauty which has lasted up to our days.

Today the Eiffel tower is one the world's most visited site by tourists. If you get on the elevator that will take you up to the third floor you will experience a very unique sensation of flying upward to the sky living the ground far under. If you have a fear of heights, though, I do not recommend that you do so.

Le SacréCoeur



Le Sacré-Coeur is a very famous church located in a a very popular area of Paris, Montmartre. Monmartre is the famous spot where artists painters are gathering on side walks and cafes since 1880. To this day Montmartre is a real market place for artist painters who are selling their art on the sidewalks.

The name Montmartre, an area around a hill in the 18th arrondissement, north of downtown Paris, is said to be derived from either Mount of Martyrs or from Mount of Mars. Until 1873, when the Sacré-Coeur was built on top of the hill, Montmartre was a small village, inhabited by a mostly farming community.

The Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Heart) was built in Romanesque style.
The massive building has managed to keep its beaming white color even in the polluted air of a big city like Paris. This can be attributed to the Château-Landon stones which were used for the construction of the Sacré-Coeur. The stones with which the Sacré-Coeur was built are very special and react to to water by secreting clacite, which act as bleacher. So, every time it rains the stones of the Sacre Coeur are getting their whiting bath. this doesn't mean that mother nature doesn't need a bit of help once in a while. The Sacre Coeur was cleaned in the late 1980's and it's true whiteness was more beautiful then ever.

Notre Dame



Next to the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, Notre-Dame probably is the most easily recognizable building in Paris. Built between 1163 and 1300. It took over one hundred years for the Gothic masterpiece to be completed.

The 102 feet high building is a masterpiece of sculpture and prodigious design.

In the inside you can admire the numerous windows and works of art. 255 steps will take your to the famous square shape towers through the"Gallery of chimeras", which was added during the course of the restoration program that began in 1845.

Notre Dame is also famous for its numerous gargoyles and funny-looking chimeras where a gird had to be added to stop people jumping down, since suicides had been reported of individuals jumping from the Cathedrale.

Once you're there, take another 147 steps and you will be able to see the huge Cathedrale bell named Emmanuel. The bell weighs 28,000 pounds and is very impressive.

If you know about Victor Hugo's story "The Huntchback Of Notre Dame this site will without a doubt remind you the famous story.

See My Lens On Victor Hugo

The Métro opened it doors on July,19 1900, its first line being from Porte de Vincennes to Porte Maillot. To this day this line is called line number 1. Yes, the Métro of Paris is over 100 years old, and part of Parisians lives. Just as it's the case in New York City, Parisian travel much faster with the subway than by car.

Fulgence Bienvenüe was the engineer in charge of the construction of the metro (subway). Architect Hector Guimard Was the designer of the entrances (Picture above) as it can still be seen in some of the oldest places in Paris such as the entrance at "Les Abesses" in Montmartre.

The Parisian subway has 199 km (124 miles) of track, 15 lines and 368 stations (not including RER stations). 87 of these stations are interchanges between lines.





Every building in Paris is within 500 metres of a métro station.

The Subway includes 700 hundred trains which transport roughly 6 million people per day.

The Metro of Paris employs 15,000 people, who have a very strong voice when their demands are not met since they have the power to immobilize the huge city by not running the trains.

Note: The RER is a subway on its own within the subway. It includes 5 lines called A, B, C, D and E.
These lines are express lines connecting Paris centre to surrounding suburbs at an extremely fast pace.

Paris counts many museums. including the largest museum of the world, Le Louvre. If you want to see it all, it will take you more than a day to do so. For this reason, the Louvre has guides which will indicate you what are the most interesting pieces you might want to see, such as "Mona Lisa" for example.

Le Musee Du Louvre



The musee of Le Louvre is hosting the most prestigious artists such as, Leonardo da Vinci from Italy with his famous "Mona Lisa" painting and other paintings and drawing. Eugene Delacroix painter from France, Rembrandt famous painter from Deuchland and much more.

It is said that it will take you 3 full days to visit the entire museum. And during tourist season the line many easily be 3 hours long.

Le Musée D'Orsay



The Musée D'Orsay was transform into a museum from a train station, La Gare D'Orsay (The Orsay Train Station) which gives the museum a very special look.
The, Gare d'Orsay, was constructed for the Chemin de Fer from Paris to Orléans in 1900.

By 1939 the station's short platforms had become unsuitable for the longer trains that had come to be used for mainline services. After 1939 it was used for suburban services and part of it became a mailing center during World War II.

The Gare D'Orsay was used as a set for several films, such as Kafka's "The Trial" adapted by Orson Welles. The station's closed on January 1,1973.

In 1977 the French Government decided to convert the station to a museum. The conversion works took place from 1980 to 1986.

The work involved creating 20,000 sq. m. of new floor space on four floors. The new museum was opened by President François Mitterrand on December 1, 1986.

Le Musée Des Arts Et Métiers



The musée des Arts et Métiers (museum of arts and occupations) is located in the heart of Paris's 3rd arrondissement, the museum was created in 1794. It is made up of seven principal sections, presented in chronological order which are, Scientific Instruments, Materials, Construction, Communication, Energy, Engineering and Transports.

The specialty of the museum is a collection of master piece devices invented by people who became famous for their life changing inventions such as, Lavoisier's gasometers, the cinematograph device by the Lumière brothers, Watt's steam engine or Volta's first invention of the battery to name a few.

Le Musée Rodin



Le musée Rodin opened its doors in 1919 and it is a collection of all of August Rodin's Art. The collection includes no less than 6600 sculptures, 8000 drawings, 8000 photographs and 7000 art effects. The museum receives some 700 000 visitors per year and it is among the most important French museums.

Rodin was a sculptor ahead of its time who enjoy sculpting characters that were not considered as "standard" at the time.
Some of these famous sculptures are "L'Homme au nez cassé" (the man with the broken noze) and "Le Penseur" (the thinker). Both very famous sculptures of Rodin.

Le Musée Grévin



The Grvéin museum is a wax museum and one of the oldest of Europe at that. It was founded in 1882 by Arthur Meyer, a journalist for Le Gaulois, and named for its first artistic director, caricaturist Alfred Grévin.

The Musée Grévin actually contains some 300 characters arranged in scenes from the history of France to modern life.
Some of the famous figures you can see there are Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, and Pope John Paul II.

Le Fouquet's



One of the most famous if not THE most famous restaurant in Paris is "Le Fouquet's" which opened its door in 1899. Le Fouquet's is located on the Champs Elysées at the corner of rue Saint-Georges.

Le Fouquet's is a restaurant where movie stars and media celebrities come in droves and where you can meet some of them if you happened to be there.

The last time I had the pleasure to dine at this most fancy restaurant was in 1992 and a meal there was about 250 francs per person, the equivalent of about $50. Today you can enjoy a fine diner at Le Fouquet for about 170 Euros ($200).

Les Deux Magots



Les Deux Magots is a very popular restaurant in the St. Germain Des-Prés area. Its legendary terrace was the meeting-point for great writers and thinkers staying in Paris. One of them was Ernest Hemingway.
Les Deux Magots restaurant/café is one of the most well known place to dine in Paris and throughout the world. It offers a splendid view of Paris with its panoramic window all around the dining room.

La Tour D'Argent



La Tour d'Argent, located Quai La Tournelle, in Paris, is the oldest restaurant which has had the aristocrats as guests all the way back to the 16th century.
La Tour d'Argent is a 3 star Haute Cuisine and luxury meals restaurant which has been owned by the same family for about a century.

For dinner, men guest must wear a tie.

La Seine



City Hall



L'Obélisque



L'Elysée (The president's home)



Champs de Mars



Pont Alexandre III



Place de L'etoile