15 & 16 August: weekend with Mark Ewings

We had a busy weekend as "tour guides" for Mark Ewings (my niece's husband).   He's currently working near Zurich, in Switzerland.  He took the train to Paris and we met him at Gare de Lyon.  He'd never been to Paris before, so it was a whirlwind, two-day tour.
Here are some of the highlights .....

SATURDAY 15 AUGUST

Mark at the Arc de Triomphe

We climbed the 284 steps to the viewing platform at the top of the arch.  Phew, but it was worth it!  We could see many of the wide, tree-lined boulevards of Paris.

We then went to Trocadero, where this great view of Paris's main attraction (Daryl and David) was taken by Mark.

From the Eiffel Tower, we walked west beside the River Seine.  It was funny to look back and see these different icons from France and Australia:

We walked along the Île des Cygnes (Island of the Swans), a long, narrow island in the middle of the River Seine until ...

... until we came to The Statue of Liberty.  It was given to Paris in 1889.  There are three or four other replicas in Paris and other parts of France.

 Here's a better view:

Determined to show Mark as much as possible in two days, we continued on our journey.
Next stop, Les Invalides.  It's a huge military complex, including museums and monuments.  It was built as a hospital and retirement home for aged and unwell soldiers in 1670.  A chapel was added in 1679.  The dome on top of the chapel can be seen from many places in Paris. A large space for the tomb of Napoleon I was built under the dome and Napoleon's ashes were transferred there in 1840.

We left the grounds of Les Invalides and walked back toward the River Seine.  You can see the magnificent Pont Alexandre III  --  Alexander III Bridge  --  in the distance.

This wonderful bridge took us from Les Invalides area, across the River Seine, to the Champs-Élysées quarter.  It has art nouveau lamps, cherubs, nymphs and winged horses at each end. 

SUNDAY 16 AUGUST

Mark pointing to our apartment.  It's in a GREAT spot, opposite Rueilly Park.  The road is for pedestrian traffic only, so it's wonderfully quiet at night.

First stop today:  The Pompidou Centre (or the "inside-out" building) for modern art, and the Stravinsky Fountain

Then we discovered the Gothic church, Saint-Merri, built between 1500 and 1550.  The bell tower has the oldest bell in Paris, cast in 1331.

We walked down to the River Seine and crossed over the river to Ile de la Cité and Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the most well-known churches in the world.

Notre Dame was one of the first buildings in the world to use the 'flying buttress' (exterior supports).

It was then time for lunch, and what better place than one of the many cafés over-looking the River Seine?

After lunch, it was off to walk around the grounds of the Louvre.  Mark's 2-day visit didn't allow time to go inside.  (We'll do that next week when Katrina and Stéphane arrive.)

From the grounds of the Louvre, we walked into Jardin des Tuileries (the Tuileries Gardens).

Here's an aerial shot (taken from the internet) so that you can see how immense they are:

From there, we walked to Place Vendôme (the central column is being 'renovated' so it's temporarily covered).  In the building at Number 3, Napoléon married Josephine.  Today, the square is full of fashionable boutiques.

This fast-paced tour for Mark then took us to the Opéra Garnier.  (See the blog entry for Friday 14 August.) 

Then to Place de la Bastille

 Daryl's sandals finally gave up the ghost, and he had to tie his sandal to his foot!

From Place de la Bastille, we walked to Place de Vosges.  It's the oldest planned square in Paris.  It was built by Henri IV from 1605 to 1612.  The famous French writer, Victor Hugo, lived here from 1832 to 1848.

This young harpist was brilliant and I couldn't believe the sound, the volume, from one instrument.

The pace of the two-day tour just about wrecked us all, but it was great to have Mark with us.  He had to get the train back to Switzerland.  He arrived at his apartment close to midnight and had to work the next day!