Afternoon breeze in Paris

Typical architecture in Paris

So what else do we know about Paris, other than the Eiffel Tower? For those amorous people, they may think Paris is the most romantic city in the world. But for people who are interested in architecture (like myself) and scenic views (like Babah): Paris might be a good place to indulge themselves with plenty of amazing structures and beautiful landscapes.

Shortly after arrival, Babah went out and officially started his afternoon tour of Paris. He went to lots of places alone and took loads of photos. Here, I will only publish two "must visit" spots; The Louvre and Notre-Dame de Paris.

p/s: I'm not going to pretend that I know their history because I didn't do much research (shame on me). So, I will not even attempt to include any detailed information other than general infos that are already in my head.

The Louvre

For those who love arts, this might be the place you want to spend the whole day at. Unfortunately, that person was not me. Errr, although I might want to have a look at the very famous painting "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci somewhere in the gallery. But the guidebook, the research we've done and also from a very good 'source' has put us off from entering the museum.

The main reason of not entering was we didn't want to disappoint ourselves by queueing for hours with two restless kids just to get a view of "Mona Lisa" who is currently behind thick, secured (bullet proof) glass. And probably you may not even get a glimpse of her from the back of other fans.

Luckily the architecture of the Louvre and its surroundings are not of disappointment. Why don't we just take a guess how many panels there are on the pyramid? Anyone interested?

I can so imagine this building used to be a palace. It looked so majestic and on a very huge compound.

You can see for yourself the scale between the building and the people around the building. It was MASSIVE! No wonder it could house 35000 artworks easily.

Across the road, there was this arch (excuse me, I do not know its name). But it led towards Jardin des Tuileries (I think means The Tuileries garden). More photos on the garden in my next entry.

Look at the very intricate carving underneath the arch. And that was only an arch. Almost every famous building in Paris has beautiful and unique architecture (and lengthy history too).

Notre-Dame de Paris

Just another crowded historic place. But one has to admit of its elaborate but impressive design.

Another angle of Notre-Dame revealing a bit more of its buttresses. They looked like claws to me. And at night they looked like Batman's car, and sometimes looked like a space ship. You don't have to agree with me.

Spot the difference. They look symmetrical to me, but apparently there are some differences between the two towers.

The tower may not be as tall as Petronas Twin Towers, but it must have been something during the 12th century.

The facade is particularly remarkable. And if I'm not mistaken the windows featured above are stained glass, named The Rose windows.

Another tedious work of art. The above photo is to show the details of the sculpture. By no mean means I like them.