I'll give you a hint....Chunnel! Yessiree....I'm taking the train through the Chunnel to Paris! Paris!! The City of Lights! I'm so excited! I'm doing a bus tour of Paris for 2 days and hopefully a side trip to Versailles before I go back to London. I am staying in an adorable B&B in the heart of Paris. I am pinching myself to see if this is real.
The Channel Tunnel (Le tunnel sous la Manche) also referred to as the Chunnel is a 31.4 mile rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent with Coquilles, Pas-de-Calais beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is 250 feet deep. The top speed in the tunnel is 99 mph. The Eurotunnel, began construction in 1988 and opened in 1994 and at £4.650 billion (dollars???), the project came in 80% over its predicted budget!!! The idea for a link of England and France appeared as early as 1802, so after 192 years of project discussion, the task was completed. I wish the early pioneers and planners of this could see the finished product....wouldn't that be something?
Here is an on-line picture from the National Railway Museum in York of a cross-section of one side of the constructed train tunnel and the train that travels inside. They also have special cars to transport automobiles.
Tunnel train
I got up early this morning in Colchester and left for London. The traffic was very bad on the way through London so I was glad I left early. I went to the B&B that I will be staying in when I get back from Paris so that I could leave my car there. It was a short walk to the subway (the tube!), except it was raining. I only had to change trains once and then I arrived at the International Station for my trip. I had a quick lunch and then settled in my seat on the train. The trip took about 2 hours.
When I got to Paris, it was rush hour, although I have heard from my cousin, Catherine, who lived in Paris that it's always rush hour. I took a taxi to my B&B and followed all the instructions from my host to get in the building and find the key to his 6th floor walk-up! I realized after I got settled that it is a one bedroom apartment and the host doesn't live here....I have the place to myself! Awesome. I will start exploring tomorrow!!
My Apartment
Tuesday, I started my Hop-On Hop-Off L'open Tour of Paris. There are four routes and I think I can only get two done today!
Precious little boy trying to figure out the map!
I saw so many beautiful buildings today, I had a hard time remembering which one was what!! Here are the highlights:
The Locks of Love on the Pont Neuf Bridge over the Seine
Lovers go to the bridge and place a lock on the chain link fence and throw the key in the Seine.....
The Moulin Rouge
The Champs Elysees
The Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from WWI.
The Louvre
The Louvre is one of the world's largest museums that is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built as a fortress in the late 12th century. In 1682, Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his household, leaving the Louvre as a place to display the royal collection of arts. The most famous piece of art is the Mona Lisa.
The Cathedral of Notre-Dame
Notre-Dame is a historic Catholic cathedral in Paris and is considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. In the 1790's, the cathedral suffered desecration during the French Revolution. An extensive restoration began in 1845.
The River Seine
And last but not least.....the Eiffel Tower!
That is almost a postcard picture!! Named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, it was built in 1889 as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair. It is now the symbol of Paris. I treated myself to dinner in the 58 Tour Eiffel Restaurant and it was so special.
Menu
View from my table-The Palais de Chaillot
Inside the restaurant
Wednesday, I completed the bus tour with the last two routes:
Assemblée Nationale
The Assemblée Nationale is where the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic is located.
Place de la Bastille
A statue is in the Place de la Bastille where the famous Bastille once stood. The Bastille was a fortress in Paris that played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. Louis XIV used it as a prison for upper-class members of French society who had opposed or angered him. It became a symbol of fear wielded by the crown and state against the ordinary people, although the prison cells were actually not dungeons but rooms fit for "gentlemen". Prisoners were able to be incarcerated with their own furniture, clothes, books and servants and they could entertain visitors. The tour guide said that it was so corrupt that when a new prisoner was brought in, the guards were blind-folded so they would not be able to identify the prisoner and use the information to bribe his family. That most famous prisoner was the Marquis de Sade and 'The Man in the Iron Mask". It was stormed by a crowd on July 14, 1789 in the French Revolution, demolished and replaced by the Place de la Bastille.
Biblioteque Nationale France
The national library was expanded in July of 1988 by President Francois Mitterrand and is called the BNF, but is being renamed in honor of Mitterrand. All four buildings house millions of books!
Tour boat on the Seine
Lunch at a Brasserie
Crepes for dessert
A peek at 'The Thinker' in the gardens at the Rodin Museum
Palais de Luxembourg
Palais de Luxembourg was originally built in 1615 to be the royal residence of Marie de Medici, mother of Louis XIII of France. It is now a legislative building and is the seat of the French Senate of the Fifth Republic.
The Church of Les Invalides
The Church of Les Invalides is part of a complex of buildings containing museums and monuments relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans.
Paris Opera House (Palais Garnier)
Palais Garnier is probably the most famous opera house in the world, partly due to its use as the setting for the 1910 novel, The Phantom of the Opera, and the adaptation in film and on stage of the musical.
Bercy Arena (wikipedia)
Bercy Arena is an indoor sports arena and concert hall. It is noted by its pyramidal shape and its walls covered with sloping lawn. Many famous bands and singers have held concerts here as well as American football games, car races (the top has to be opened because of the fumes), skiing competitions and lots of other events.
More to come......
More to come......
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