Jakarta, Istanbul, Santorini, Cinque Terre, Monaco, Paris, Malaga, Dubai...

[Cruiser Elite]

Thanks cas - we will be in Istanbul in a week - so if I can only drag myself out of a Dublin pub long enough to digest your info.

 

[casanovawa]

Istanbul is amazing, especially if you're a bit of a histroy buff or even if you just enjoy looking at beautiful things CE... There are other things in istanbul to do that I didn't do on this trip but on a previous one like the Topkapi Palace and the national history museum or whatever its called as well, so enjoy your time there...

 

[Cruiser Elite]

the national history museum or whatever its called

This one maybe:

Hagia Sophia Museum |

Actually have a plethora of info on the sites to see courtesy of 2 native Istanbulites.

 

[casanovawa]

Was thinking of the Istanbul Archaelogical Museums just near the Topkapi Palace...

Istanbul Archaeology Museums - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Looks like you are set for everything to see and do there...

I also previously did a day trip down to Gallipoli which was interesting...

 

[casanovawa]

An thanks Buzz...

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Istanbul is amazing.................even if you just enjoy looking at beautiful things CE...

Oh I do - yes I do - and I have the bruises on my upper arms to prove it!

 

[casanovawa]

Paris – An amazing city that draws me back – Part 1

Paris is one of those cities that I love to visit and just walk around, take photographs and visit some of the amazing sites of the city.

Yes I know the Parisians have a bit of a reputation, and I have had one or two runs ins with the locals, but nearly all of my interactions with the locals have been pleasant and courteous in my several visits to the city which has made me happy to return.

On this particular visit I flew into Orly airport, Paris’ second airport located 13km from downtown and after negotiating the baggage carousels I was reasonably quickly on a train heading towards my accommodation which I had chosen for convenience sake near the Gare du Nord train station.

After settling in and unpacking it was time to be out and about doing some exploring.

A quick subway ride had me down near Les Halles where I was able to exit and then walk towards the Palais du Louvre, home of the world’s most visited art museum.

The Louvre Palace was originally a fortress built by Philip II in the 12th century, but served as the residences for the French monarchy for several hundred years being altered often throughout the middle ages.

In 1546 Francis I renovated the site in French Renaissance style although modifications and construction continued, slowed only when Louis XIV chose Versailles as his residence in 1682.

When Louis XIV moved out there were various suggestions for converting it to a public gallery and in 1750 it held a display of pieces from the Royal Collection.

After the French revolution, and the deposing of the monarchy, in 1793 it was transformed into a public museum.

After having a stroll around the open ground of the Cour Napoleon (Napolean Court) with its iconic glass pyramid (completed in 1989) rising above its entrance, it was time to take a stroll down through the Tuileries Gardens.

Created by Catherine de Medicis as the garden of the Tuileries Palace in 1564, these were eventually opened to the public in 1667, and became a public park after the French Revolution.

After strolling through the gardens and stopping to sit and contemplate life at the octagonal Grand Bassin, it was time to go a bit further to the Place de la Concorde (where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lost their heads to the guillotine).

Several times I’ve seen photos of brides and grooms being taken in this location and once again there were bridal photos being taken.

Turning to the right it’s a quick walk down to La Madeleine, a Roman Catholic church in the 8th arrondissement. Having been the location of several churches down through the history of Paris, this structure was originally build as a temple to the glory of Napoleon’s Grande Armee, but after the fall of Napolean King Louis XVIII determined that the structure would be used as a church.

Built in the Neo-Classical style and and inspired by Roman temples, the church also has some pretty flower beds at the front of it.

After having a look around I retraced my steps and then went down to the right bank of the Seine and continued walking down it enjoying the views until I reached the Trocadero.

From there it was a walk to the Arc de Triomphe to admire it before hopping on the subway to head out to Montparnasse to go up the Montparnasse skyscraper for some amazing views of Paris.

The tower was the tallest in Paris from 1973 until 2011. I had purchased a ticket from an earlier visit to Paris and not gotten around to visiting it and as it had a couple of years validity I was able to arrive and jump the queue waiting to buy tickets before joining a much shorter queue waiting for the elevators up.

So just like its quicker and easier to buy a ticket to go up the Eiffel Tower online it’s also a good idea to try and get one of these tickets from a hotel to visit the Montparnasse skyscraper. Some of the views of the city were amazing as the sun set and then as night came over.

After a long day it was time to head back to the accommodation for dinner and then turning in.

Paris – An amazing city that draws me back – Part 1 | Life's To Be Lived.com

 

[casanovawa]

Paris – An amazing city that draws me back – Part 2

I had decided to go out and visit the Palace of Versailles (or Chateau de Versailles), the former hunting lodge which Louis XIV turned into an amazing palace and became the location of the French Court from 1682 until the French Revolution in 1789.

So I quickly worked out the trains that would be required to get me out there (RER C) and after breakfast got underway

For over the top luxury, beauty and decoration in room after room, it would be hard to match and it has served as the inspiration for several residences of other monarchs.

The Palace’s Hall of Mirrors, which is still used on ceremonial occasions, was also the location of the signing of the peace treaty of the Franco-Prussian War which heralded the unification of Germany in 1871.

The Palace has some amazing gardens that are well worth a look at and a walk down to the Grand Canal.

A note – on the first Sunday of each month from November to March entry to Versailles is free, although you would want to get there early as half of Paris seemingly turns up to visit.

After spending the day looking around the Palace and estate I took the train back to Paris and that night I decided to go up the Eiffel tower for another look around the city. This was booked online which saved with lining up and the costs for an adult is €9 to go to just the 2nd floor and €15 to go all the way to the top.

Again the views of Paris at night were simply spectacular. I took a few photos down the bottom of the Tower as well.

After coming down I took a trip on the subway out to the Grande Arche at La Defense which I had wanted to come back and visit for some time. The arch was completed in 1989 and is located at the end of the axis running along the Tuileries Gardens and the Champs Elysees including the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, Place de la Concorde and Arc de Triomphe de I’Etoile .

After that it was time to call it a day and head back and turn in and prepare for my last day in Paris.

Paris

 

[casanovawa]

Paris – An amazing city that draws me back – Part 3

For my final day in Paris I decided I would go and have a look at some of the other sites of Paris, including the Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Montmatre, that I either hadn’t visited or it had been quite a few years and I wanted to reacquaint myself.

Giving it its full name, The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris is built on a hill in the in the highest part of the city. A minor basilica the building was started in 1875 and finished in 1914.

The inspiration for the building was the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War as both a national penance for the excesses of the Second Empire and the socialist Paris Commune of 1871 and the moral decline that was seen as one of the reasons for the French defeat.

After climbing up several flights of stairs (and avoiding some of the scammers trying tricks with bracelets) I reached the front and entered. Maybe read up on it if you’re planning to visit the landmark, but just don’t hang around or engage with the groups of guys on the steps and take no nonsense from them.

I had a good look around and sat and contemplated the interior of the building, and then when the attendants who were continually telling everyone to be quiet and to not take pictures weren’t looking quickly snapped a picture of the inside before leaving.

After this and some lunch it was time to take the subway out to the Luxemburg Gardens in which is situated the Luxemburg Palace where the French upper house Senate meets and it’s also the residence of the President of the Senate.

There are a nice set of gardens to enjoy and only a short walk from a couple of sites I was interested in, one was the Church of Saint-Sulpice and the other Pantheon.

Saint-Sulpice is a Catholic Church on the east side of the Place Saint-Sulpice in the 6th arrondissement (administrative district) founded in 1636 and it is the 2nd largest church in the city after Notre-Dame Cathedral.

The other landmark was the Pantheon in the 5th arrondissement. This was originally a church dedicated to St. Genevieve (the patron saint of Paris) by Louis XV after he survived an illness in 1744.

In 1791, after the French Revolution, the National Constituent Assembly ordered that the building be changed from a church to a mausoleum for the interment of great Frenchmen giving it the name the Pantheon.

The tombs of some of the most distinguished citizens of France, 70 men and 2 women, are in the crypt beneath the building. These include Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Émile Zola, Jean Moulin, Louis Braille, Alexandre Dumas, Jean Jaurès, Marie Curie and Soufflot, its architect.

The masterpiece of the construction is its triple dome that is demonstrated by a model within the church. Via a pendulum hanging from this dome, in 1851, physicist Léon Foucault demonstrated the rotation of the earth although a replica of this has been removed during the restoration works.

Unfortunately this time around the dome was undergoing maintenance and restoration and so it was covered on the outside, but the inside of the beautiful former church was still open to the public to view and even after visiting it several times I still think it looks amazing inside.

After stopping and getting a pastry to enjoy from a Parisian café I decided to just spend the rest of the afternoon and evening visiting some of the places I like to take photographs of including the Centre Pompidou, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre again and Notre Dame Cathedral.

After that it was time to head back and collect my things as with a 7am flight out of Charle de Gaulle airport the next morning I had decided to go and stay at a little hotel only 10-15 minutes from the airport by bus.

So it was off to the Gare du Nord train station for the ride out to the airport for what I thought was going to a relatively calm getaway the next morning, but turned out less so!!!

Anyway, Paris… I’m sure I don’t need to sell you on the good points of going to one of the premiere tourist cities in the world, but it really is just a an amazing place if you love architecture, history, photography, food, people watching, shopping and any number of other activities.

I had visited 3-4 times before so I had already previously seen some of the places I saw on this visit plus I got in a few new ones. With 3 days there are always things you can’t fit in so there are numerous other sites that I didn’t include this time but have seen before (if you’re wondering why some are missing or why I didn’t go and see this place or that etc).

You could easily fill up a week or more going and seeing the sites of Paris, or allow a couple of visits to experience everything it has to offer.

But put it on your to do list soon so you can enjoy the experience – and then start planning your next visit back.

Paris