It was nice to have a quieter day! I went on a little morning walk in the morning around our neighborhood in the 1st/4th Arrondissement area and got to see the Palais-Royal Square and the Les Halles area. After a late breakfast, we took the Metro to the Arc de Triomphe. Obviously it is big, but its actual size (about 16 stories) and girth cannot be understood until you are underneath it. It is a military monument and also houses France’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. From this central point, we strolled down the two-mile long Champs-Elysees boulevard and admired all the upscale shops. The coolest building by far was that of Yves Ste Laurent which was made to look like its luggage. After that we took a right and walked between the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, now both art museums and admired these impressive buildings. We then crossed over the Pont Alexandre III bridge and past the National Assembly building and then on towards the Hotel des Invalides which also houses the Tomb of Napoleon and still retains areas that are used to provide services to veterans. We then crossed the street to the Rodin Museum which was my favorite stop of the day. I have always admired the way he weaves two bodies together in sculpture and how he creates such expressiveness in the figures. Part of the museum was a very large sculpture garden which was a delightful place to rest. From here, we headed to Rue Cler at the recommendation of my friend who is also our French teacher. It is a cute street with many different kinds of specialty food markets and cafes. We enjoyed a mini gateau au chocolat avec glacee.
No comments:
Post a Comment