PARIS

Paris: who has not dreamed of visiting and spending time wandering around Paris, the “City of Love”, walk its little streets and grand boulevards, and see the monuments that make Paris famous the world over. Paris offers, more than any other city, a rich mixture of history, art, culture, architecture and variety in a single city. Leaving behind you the Arc de Triomphe, built by the Emperor Napoleon the First, head down the Champs Elysees and have a look at the shops and boutiques that make up this street, as well as the small and large Palaces built by aristocrats, who were executed during the French revolution. At the end of the Champs Elysees you will come to the Place de la Concorde with its huge granite Obelisk taken from the Temple of Luxor in Egypt. Another place to note is the Place Vendome, where there is an original statue of the Emperor Napoleon the First. This spot is ringed by the most luxurious and expensive shops in Paris as well as the best hotel, the original “Ritz”. At the end of one of the nicest streets in Paris the “Rue de la Paix”, you will see in front of you another marvel of the 19th century, The Paris Opera House, the largest in the world. Far more than a museum, the Louvre is a living encyclopaedia showing everything from Ancient Egyptian art to classical art. Mixing the old and the new, its architectural structure of the Louvre is remarkable, as you cannot fail to notice while you make your way through the hundreds of rooms seeing things on your way such as the “Venus de Milo” and “Mona Lisa”. Complementing the collection in the Louvre, the Musee d’Orsay displays the art of a different era, in this case the second half of the 19th century up to the start of the cubist era. Go into the very heart of Paris onto the “Ile de la Cite”, the island in the River Seine where the Cathedral Notre Dame stands. This building is renowned worldwide as one of the most magnificent examples of Gothic architecture anywhere. It was this that inspired Victor Hugo to write his novel, “Notre Dame de Paris”. On the other side of the bank of the river you will find the “Conciergerie”, the last stop before execution for people such as Marie Antoinette or Charlotte Corday. Also, stop by the last resting place of the ashes of Napoleon at Les Invalides and have a look at his mausoleum. When you come out you will be able to get a good view of the winning entry for the 1889 Paris Exposition, and what has become one of the symbols of France, the Eiffel Tower. If you choose to visit the Eiffel Tower you can eat at one of the restaurants on the tower which offer an unprecedented view of the city of Paris.