L'expérience d'Avignon: Everything in its Right Place: Paris pt. 1

I've been staring at the screen for quite some time, considering where I could possibly start with this whole Paris experience. Around 900 photos conveying experiences related only by the fact that they took place in the same city, leave me fumbling for some sort of order to the mess. Maybe I could just throw some darts and start with the first photo I hit? That would be too easy.

I guess the logical thing to do, would be to start from the beginning and give you the big picture:

Uli and I left Avignon for Paris on the 21st of October with nothing on our agenda other than arriving there in one piece. An unexpected change in plans the day before had left us with about 11 days of liberty and nothing to fill them but the city of Paris and her limitless avenues to explore. Little did we know (though we should have), these 11 days would fly by and stick us with some of the best memories of our lives.

Turns out that my friend Nathalia, with whom I spent many sleepless nights working on IR exam reviews, would be in Paris for the weekend. Not only that, but her and five other floridians would be staying in the same hostel as us. Needless to say, this was a great surprise and a good way to get started with our vacation. Playing tour-guide, I tried the best to pick my memory and show everyone a good time around the city. Thankfully we discovered an awesome boat tour of the river Seine which gave us a tantalizing perspective of the city, providing glimpses of the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Palace of Justice, City Hall; you name it.

Afterwords, we took to the metro (a love of mine) and did a considerable amount of walking to see the remaining must-see's like Sacre-Coeur, the opera, Champs Elysees, the Luxembourg gardens, and so on in just a matter of days. It was a lot to cover, but ultimately we had a great time and managed to stay in good spirits despite the freezing weather. However, soon enough the weekend took it's leave and with it the girls parted for Spain where they would continue their 'studies'.

This left Uli and I with a few more days before he would leave to visit his girlfriend in the Netherlands on the 26th. During this time, we payed a visit to the Louvre and military museum, as well as some pretty awesome churches. It was great to have a friend to share the experience with and help get acclimated to before being alone for five days, something I wasn't sure how well I'd do with in a big city. Luckily for me we had met a lovely girl named Allison who was taking a year to teach middle school english in the French public school system.

It was after Uli left that me and Allison went to the gardens of Versailles and that I met some other friends: Alice, Iris, and Liz; all really great people. Thanks to them, I was able to pass a super great vacation in Paris and discover some of the most amazing things of my life.

Well there you have it: probably the most general and vague description I can provide without whipping out fifty pages of text. I'll start the photo extravaganza with our first weekend with the Floridians. This way I don't break blogspot with all the photos. Stay tuned for more to come on Versailles and other great stuff.

The first weekend

Aboard the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse).
Currently the fastest wheeled train, reaching speeds of 200mph on the east line.
Record speed of 357mph.

Although you wouldn't know we're going that fast.
Really a great invention!

Gare de Lyon: Constructed for the World Expo of 1900
Serves TGV, RER, and Metro connections.
(Stay tuned for better photos)

I would live on the Metro if I could!

You wouldn't know it, but I'm in France.

Cold and Grey just like it should be.

Already have too many serious photos.

Again, trying to keep things serious.
What we have here is one of 27 sculptures created by Edgardo Carmona.
This Columbian sculptor was contracted by paris to create a welcoming
environment for the now growing "river tourism."

Pont Alexandre-III
First stone set by Tsar Nicolas II in 1896
A symbol of the Franco-Russe friendship.
Shown here are two Nymphs carrying the arms of France.

The reverse, this time with Nymphs bearing the arms of Russia.
Each pylon serves to represent art, science, combat and industry.

Institute de France: 1795
Manages museums and foundations of Paris

Pont Neuf:1578
Oldest standing bridge and a cultural icon of Paris.

Pont Saint-Michel

Notre Dame
Started in 1163 and completed in 1345

Iconic towers and rose windows.

First cathedral in the world to use Flying Buttresses
shown branching from the apse.

Musée d'Orsay: 1898
Originally a railway station, now a museum known for its
collection of impressionist and post-impressionist art.

Me, Uli, Katie and Molly posing with Carmona's work.

Brianna, Katie, Molly

Statue of Charlemagne, King of the Franks c.768
Constructed by M. Louis Rochet who unfortunately died before it's completion.
His brother painstakingly completed his work, but like many other landmarks today,
the Parisians hated the statue and sued the 2nd M. Rochet for 4,155f.
Now it's considered one of the more remarkable statues in Paris

Université de Paris (Sorbonne): c.1150

Panthéon: c. 1758
Originally a church, but now serves as a mausoleum.
Houses philosophers Voltaire and Rousseau along with writer Victor Hugo.

Église de la Sainte-Trinité: c.1861
Known for organist Oliver Messiaen, 1908-1992
Known for his interpretation of Birdsong.

Opéra National de Paris: King Louis XIV c. 1669

l'Église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine: c.1806
Began as a church in the 1750s, then later demolished
by Napoleon and resurrected as a monument and church to the great army.

l'Arc de Triomphe: c.1836
Constructed in honor of those who fought
in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars.
Houses the tomb of the unknown soldier, ww1.

Moulins à vent de Montmartre: c.1622
Used for milling grains, pressing wine and manufacturing goods.
Considered iconic landmarks of Montmartre.
This is one of nine I believe (not confident that I translated properly).

Basilique du Sacré-Coeur: c.1875
Located on the highest point of Paris, Montmartre.
Romano-Byzantine style.

Took this for Ben :)

Tour Saint-Jaques: c.1509
All that remains of the church de Saint-Jaques-de-la-Boucherie
Now a monument.

Statue of Blaise Pascal
Commemorating his experiments on atmospheric pressure.

Hôtel de Ville: c.1628
Houses the city's administration.
Original site founded in 1357

l'Église Saint-Gervaise-et-Saint-Portrais: c.1498
Struck by a German shell in 1918 during a Good Friday
service, killing 88 people.

l'Église Saint-Eustache: c.1532
A masterpiece of late Gothic architecture.
My favorite church in Paris.

Musée du Louvre: Established 1793
Averages 8.5 million visitors each year.
It would take about 21 full days to see everything
if you were to spend one minute at each piece.