floridatjej

Alla inlägg den 24 juli 2022

Av EvaLena Hallgren - 24 juli 2022 07:51

Good morning in Guignicourt, ............yes you try to pronounce that city name

We were supposed to stay in Reims, the Champagne capital, but because of the Tour de France, there's no available spot to be found. We tried Epernay a town close by where they wanted to squeeze us in but Mom declined so now we're here in Guignicourt.................

Paris was preparing for the arrival of the bikers so we wanted to make sure we left before all the crowds arrived.

 


Mom sure has a way of choosing the wrong dates for visiting Paris. The last time she was here was July 14 many years ago, and that's the French national day, and needless to say, the streets will be packed with people.

So, since Paris has all these environmental zones we parked Lucy in Versailles 

 


Another place where I wasn't allowed to put as much as a paw inside the gates? What happened to the dog-loving French people?

Louis XIII built a simple hunting lodge on the site of the Palace of Versailles in 1623 and replaced it with a small château in 1631–34. Louis XIV expanded the château into a palace in several phases from 1661 to 1715. It was a favorite residence for both kings, and in 1682, Louis XIV moved the seat of his court and government to Versailles, making the palace the de facto capital of France. This state of affairs was continued by Kings Louis XV and Louis XVI, who primarily made interior alterations to the palace, but in 1789 the royal family and capital of France returned to Paris. For the rest of the French Revolution, the Palace of Versailles was largely abandoned and emptied of its contents, and the population of the surrounding city plummeted.

 


Napoleon Bonaparte, following his takeover of France, used Versailles as a summer residence from 1810 to 1814 but did not restore it. When the French Monarchy was restored, it remained in Paris and it was not until the 1830s that meaningful repairs were made to the palace. A museum of French history was installed within it, replacing the apartments of the southern wing. Mom zoomed in with her camera to see how incredibly ornate this is

 

we were told we could visit the park if we walked around the palace, Thank You but no thank you ............if we aren't good enough to visit....................oh well 

The palace and park were designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979 for their importance as the center of power, art, and science in France during the 17th and 18th centuries. 

Louis XIV, also known as Louis the Great or the Sun King, was King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest recorded of any monarch of a sovereign country in history.

We know a guy in America that would be green with jealousy, but he's no sun king because he's faking the tan

 

Across from the palace were the Royal stables which were built in anticipation of the move of the Court and government to Versailles. The project was managed by architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart and was executed by an army of laborers in record time: in just three years, from 1679 to 1682. Louis XIV’s contemporaries were amazed by the scale and majesty of the stables, whose location, opposite the Palace, testifies to the important role of horses in the representation of power during the Ancien Régime

   



So we left Lucy in Versailles and took the train to Paris

 

I heard that Paris is the "city of romance" and sure enough, I just made it off the train when I met a gorgeous girl and we could have hit it off if it wasn't for Mom dragging me away

‘Je t’aime’ .......what could have been

 

For centuries Paris has been one of the world’s most important and attractive cities. It is appreciated for the opportunities it offers for business and commerce, study, culture, and entertainment; its gastronomy, haute couture, painting, literature, and intellectual community especially enjoy an enviable reputation. Its sobriquet “the City of Light” earned during the Enlightenment, remains appropriate, for Paris has retained its importance as a center for education and intellectual pursuits.

 

 

We walked along the Seine  (777-kilometre-long (483 mi) long river) and there were so many statues and ornate buildings we don't know how to keep them all apart.

rejected for the 1900 Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair), the Grand Palais is topped by a huge 8.5-tonne art nouveau glass roof. It hosts some of Paris’ biggest art exhibitions, but its role as a 2024 Olympic venue will see it close for renovations from January 2021 to mid-2024.

   


 

.The best-known structure in Paris must be the Eiffel tower named after its designer, Gustave Eiffel, it was built in 1889 for the World's Fair. It took 300 workers, 2.5 million rivets, and two years of nonstop labor to assemble. Upon completion, the tower became the tallest human-made structure in the world (324m) – a record held until the 1930 completion of New York's Chrysler Building. A symbol of the modern age, it faced opposition from Paris’ artistic and literary elite, and the ‘metal asparagus’, as some snidely called it. The French people can be a little snobbish.........


 


It was originally slated to be torn down in 1909. It was spared only because it proved an ideal platform for the transmitting antennas needed for the newfangled science of radiotelegraphy.

 


Sporting six different colors throughout its lifetime, the tower has been painted red and bronze since 1968. Work is underway to strip the previous 19 coats and apply the yellow-brown shade originally conceived by Gustave Eiffel, giving it a new golden hue in time for the 2024 Olympics

 

Again no dog is allowed to go up in the tower.............what happened to the dog-friendly French people?

A beautiful bride having her pictures taken by the river.



The Pont Alexandre III is a deck arch bridge that spans the Seine. It connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower. The bridge is widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in the city, and has been classified as a French monument history since 1975.

In the background are The Invalides

 

 


Ornate is an understatement there are so many statues and figurines everywhere, even a Florida lizard in gold

 


Four gilt-bronze statues watch over the bridge, supported on massive 17 meters (56 ft) masonry socles that provide stabilizing counterweight for the arch, without interfering with monumental views. The socles are crowned by restraining Pegasus.

 

The nymph reliefs are at the centers of the arches and memorials to the Franco-Russian Alliance. They are both executed in hammered copper over forms.

 

 

 

there were so many statues on this bridge to admire

 

   

 

 

   

Les Invalides ( "House of the disabled"), is a building containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building's original purpose. The complex also includes the former hospital chapel, now the national cathedral of the French military, and the adjacent former Royal Chapel known as the Dôme des Invalides, the tallest church building in Paris at a height of 107 meters. The latter has been converted into a shrine of some of France's leading military figures, most notably the tomb of Napoleon

 

 


on a pillar under a different bridge stood this guy. Not sure what he's up to, but he looks a little spooky.

 


Trying to hide a construction site with tarps that have pictures of trees is genius we thought.


 


If anything rivals the Eiffel Tower as the symbol of Paris, it’s this magnificent 1836 monument to Napoléon’s victory at Austerlitz (1805), which he commissioned the following year.

It was his intent to honor the great French army in some way; a force that he deemed invincible considering they had conquered most of Europe.

It’s interesting to note that the day its commission was ordered was also Napoleon’s birthday. A secret gift to himself, perhaps

 

This intricately sculpted triumphal arch stands sentinel in the center of the Etoile roundabout - arguably one of Europe’s most chaotic traffic spots. Lucy isn't allowed here now but it would have been interesting to try it out again...........Mom did drive through here in 1980 something and she told me it takes no fear just go with it and hope for the best.

 

Today the Tour de France bicyclist should be arriving here..............so glad we aren't there

This mighty lion is my favorite so far

 

 

 

The petite palace, we didn't think there was anything "petite" about it.

It's an art museum but most likely no dogs allowed so we didn't even bother to go up the steps.


   

It's starting to rain and it's getting late, we're both tired so even if we only covered a little drop of what Paris has to offer we decided to call it quits and took a taxi back to Versailles and Lucy. 

We were both sound asleep within minutes .

As I mentioned, we are now relaxing in Guignicourt.............maybe even two nights just to recoup from the big city


The temperature is in the eighties at night and nighties during the day so we're ok now.


Wet kisses to ya all

Henry



 

 

 

 

 





 














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