WanderLex

Category: Paris

  • The walk from Notre Dame to Arc de Triomphe

    The walk from Notre Dame to Arc de Triomphe

    After our Louvre visit, we made our way to Notre Dame Cathedral and saw a snaking queue which we’re accustomed to already. This is after all the famous cathedral known for its classic Gothic style architectural details and stained glass. Perhaps the movie – “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” had also given a boost to its publicity too. Surprisingly, the admission is free which possibly adds up to the insanely long queue…sigh…better luck next time?

    Notre Dame

    Notre Dame Paris

    Sculptures

    There’s this Point Zero Marker found on the cobblestones is considered to be the exact centre of the city. The distances to all other French cities are measured starting from this compass star. It’s believed to bring good luck if you make a wish while standing on it, no harm trying right? Point Zero can be found at the square in front of Notre Dame.

    Paris Point Zero Marker

    We also check out the Archaeological Crypt of Notre Dame but as you can see from the pictures, there isn’t much to see inside…luckily the entrance fee is covered by Paris Museum Pass.

    Archaeological Crypt

    Archaeological Crypt

    No luck at Sainte Chapelle either…just look at the queue!

    Sainte Chapelle

    So instead, we check out Conciergerie which is a former prison.

    Conciergerie

    Walking along Seine River, we made our way towards Champ-Elysees direction.

    Seine River

    Nice Fountain

    Column

    The beautiful Grand Palais and the nice statue of Winston Churchill with his famous quote – “We shall never surrender”.

    Grand Palais

    Winston Churchill

    Then we came across the ornate Pont Alexandre III which was named after Tsar Alexandre III of Russia. The bridge itself is an amazing work of art decorated with beautiful sculptures, and we can see the beautiful dome of Les Invalides from there.

    Beautiful Pont Alexandre III

    Pont Alexandre III

    Pont Alexandre III Column

    Les Invalides houses the French military museum and famed for being the burial site of Napoleon Bonaparte.

    Les Invalides

    Invalides Dome

    Invalides Sculptures

    Invalides Sculptures

    Invalides Square

    Finally we made it from Notre Dame to Arc de Triomphe. And my, Arc de Triomphe roundabout is one hell of a busy and chaotic place – never attempt to cross the road! Always use the Metro underpass leading to Arc de Triomphe instead. But we were exhausted and decided to have a nice dinner along the crowded Champ-Elysees Boulevard instead.

    Arc de Triomphe

    Peekaboo Fiat

    Dinner

    Dinner

    Wifey started her shopping rituals right after dinner, which means I didn’t get the chance to check out Arc de Triomphe… Well, at least I get to see it being lighted up before I leave Paris the next day.

    Arc de Triomphe Paris

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  • A Labyrinth of Art in the Louvre

    A Labyrinth of Art in the Louvre

    Visiting Louvre Museum in Paris has become a cliché for anyone travelling to Paris. Hence, I’m barely surprised by the lines at its entrances when we were there. Since this is one of the world’s largest museums. One could spend one whole day here but barely scratches the surface. What we are talking here is a massive area of over 650,000 square feet displaying tons of art pieces! The whole place is like a labyrinth which I see it as the ultimate place for a game of hide-and-seek LOL.

    Louvre Paris

    Glass Pyramid

    Building

    Around

    Arc de Triomphe de Carousell

    Of course, not everyone is arty-farty kind, yours truthfully included. Spending a bulk of travel time in a museum does not add up for me. But if you only want to visit one museum in Europe, let it be Louvre Museum.

    Even knowing that the place is gonna be huge, I’m still found myself overwhelmed by the vast area of the museum and it’s tricky to move around with the given Louvre map. The 3 wings which form a U-shape are Denon, Sully, and Richelie. Plus the different floors in each wing complicate things a bit further. And is it humanly possible to completely cover all the exhibits? I wonder.

    Inside the museum

    Inside the museum

    Like everybody else, one of the main objectives to visit Louvre was to catch a glimpse of Mona Lisa. The masterpiece of Leonardo da Vinci is up right there among the famous paintings in the Louvre. So we started with the Denon exhibition wing and was greeted by the famous Greek god Nike aka Winged Victory of Samothrace at these stairs.

    Winged Victory of Samothrace

    Upon reaching Mona Lisa, there were a massive amount of people trying to get a close-up shot or selfies with her.

    Monna Lisa

    Close Up

    Though my visit was more of a blitz, I am totally amazed by the sheer size of the museum and its priceless art collections. Can’t say I like them all since Art preference is very subjective. But here are some paintings which kinda stood out for me.

    Painting

    Painting

    Painting

    Painting

    Painting

    Painting

    And of course, some of the sculptures…

    Sculpture

    Sculpture

    Sculpture

    Sculpture

    My favourite place of them all is the exquisitely decorated Napoleon III Apartments at Richelieu exhibition wing. And I find it as opulent as the Chateau of Versailles, but maybe on a smaller scale.

    Napoleon Apartments

    Napoleon Apartments

    Napoleon Apartments

    Napoleon Apartments

    Entering via Carrousel du Louvre

    Most people will seek to enter via the Louvre Pyramid main entrance, which is why the queue is always the longest there. If you are visiting Louvre via the Metro, alight at Palais Royal РMus̩e du Louvre. Which you will see the underground shopping mall РCarrousel du Louvre. The mall is directly linked to the Louvre, so just follow the signage until you see La Pyramide Invers̩e aka the inverted pyramid. The queues here are usually shorter compared to the one at the main entrance.

    Queue

    Window view

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