e x H I L A R A T I N GDAY 1-5
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Finally we are about to land after 9 hours. "Let the Journey Begin". We took the bus from the airport to the hotel. Arrived to our destination, started walking towards the hotel, and we were face to face with Arc de Triomphe. We must say it was a monumental moment.
After we got situated and had our first meal in Paris, we have decided to go to the Monceau Park to relax and enjoy our first day. The park consisted of ruins around the pond, people relaxing, sleeping and kids playing soccer. Since the sun was going down, we have decided to walk around the area and noticed La Defense from a distance, the modern reflection of Arc de Triomphe. So we came up with a brilliant idea to walk from our hotel. We guess our perception of distance and scale was a bit distorted after the jet lag and not sleeping for 24 hours. We thought it was only a mile away but turns out to be around 4.5 miles.
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Met up with family members, went around the neighborhood and enjoyed the fresh fruits. Afterwards visited the Basilica of the Sacre Coeur (left). The church was located on top of the hill. When you go up to the top of the steps, it sets you up for the one of the most beautiful view of Paris. We were not able to take pictures inside the church. Afterwards, went to Montmartre artists square mesmerized with different medias of drawings and paintings.
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Walking out the train station and seeing the Eiffel Tower was definitely one of the most amazing standing structures we have experienced. The size and the magnificent detail of the tower were filled with high grace master engineering. The tower has two characters: day and night time. The night view is filled with powerful lighting beaming across the city while the day time stands tall with grace. The surrounding is vibrant with much excitement responding to the view of the tower. At the time of completion the Eiffel tower was the tallest man - made structure in the world at 1063 ft.
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Visited the Sainte Chapelle (left) and Notre Dame (right) with our group. Those two churches were a Gothic style. They had long windows to bring in rays of
sunshine to represent light into humans life. The facades and the inside of the church were detailed with powerful designs.
sunshine to represent light into humans life. The facades and the inside of the church were detailed with powerful designs.
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Rest of the day we enjoyed ourselves exploring the city on our own. We visited the Musee d’ Orsay, which camera was not allowed. However, we were able to see great painting of Monet and others.
1-2 Afterward, we ventured toward Ecole Des Beaux - Arts to see where the origins of the art school. It was one of the most important schools for architecture. The main goal of the Ecole was to establish universal architectural morals through the study of the five orders. Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Antiquity and the French 17th century Classicism. 3-4 Continued to the Institut de Arabe du Monde to experience the facade of the building interacting with the sun light. 5-6 Last but not least the Centre Georges Pompidou, which was closed but an outstanding facade representing modern art. |
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M U S E E d u L O U V R E