Paris Sights

Ten days in Paris and so much to see.  We rented an apartment in Zone 2 the district of Marais which is an ideal location.  If you are looking for an apartment Paris Rentals is one source that you can check.  The apartment gave us the option to cook meals and wash clothes.  We had already spent 13 days on a bus tour so the freedom of not having to eat in a restaurant was appreciated.  Our view from the sixth floor apartment was the roof tops and the apartment was very quiet.

 

 

The Louvre Museum and Notre-dam Cathedral were within walking distance of our apartment.  There was also great shopping and several other museums close.  The subway station was within a block and we used the subway to travel around Paris.  We purchased 10 tickets at a time which saved us a few Euro.  

 

Our biggest decision was which museums we would try to see during our stay.  We decided to purchase a Museum Pass and this was an excellent decision.   We also saved money because of the number of sights/museums we visited in four days.  You have to remember that once you activate the Museum Pass the days are consecutive that you can use the pass.

 

Here are a few museums/sights that we saw during our visit.

 

Arc De Triomphe

Climbing 258 Stairs to the top.

Unknown Soilder under the Arc de Triomphe

Museum Du Louvre

mm
Bill was surprised at the variety of artifacts that the museum housed.  We chose to spend a very little time in the Renaissance Wing and spent more time in the areas that we have not seen is previous travels.

Mona Lisa

Middle Eastern Antiquities

Museum Du Quai Branly

We enjoy Asian Art so this museum was very interesting.  The exterior of the building is a wall of plants.  Check out the picture below.  The variety of the artifacts was exceptional.  We have not seen very much from Japan or Africa so we did spend a lot of time in the collections.

Building Exterior



Japanese Collection

Eiffel Tower

This was one of my highlights of the trip.  I have always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower ever since Elementary School and I was learning about geography and sights around the world.  I must admit that the ultimate experience was seeing the Eiffel Tower twinkle at 10 pm.


From the Seine River

 

Look Up Way Up



Orangerie Museum

Claude Monet last work on these massive panels titled Water Lilies' is a wonderful representation of impressionist art.

Water Lilies

 

Rodin Museum

The Thinker

 

 Army Museum and Napoleon Tomb

Napoleon's Tomb

Army Museum Collection

Museum National De La Marine



Paris at Night

10:00 PM Sparkle

Want to see the city of love glow at night?  There are lots of ways to enjoy sunset and watch Paris light up.  One inexpensive way is to visit the exterior of the sites at sunset.  The most spectacular is the

Eiffel Tower when it starts to sparkle and should not be missed.  When we were visiting we chose to watch from across the Seine River from the balcony behind the Maritime Museum.  Get off at Trocadero on Line 6 and follow the signs to the Eiffel Tower.



 
 

Champs-Elysees and the Arch De Triumph

This is a very busy area in the day and at night.  At night the neon glows, car lights sparkle and it is bordered by the Arc De Triumph and the Obis at the other end of the two mile street.




Sacre-Coeur Basilica

Sacre-Coeur Basilica and View of Paris


View of Paris from the highest point in the city.

This is the highest point in Paris at 420 feet.  Grab a bottle of wine, a baguette with cheese and you have the making of a romantic evening sitting on the steps as the sun sets.  Drinking in public does not seem to be an issue as everywhere we went people were drinking along the river and in every park.



 Dinner Cruise on the Seine River

Doing an late cruise with dinner allows you to have a wonderful view of major sights along the river that are illuminated at night like the Notre-Dame Cathedral and Effle Tower.  We chose to have the upgraded meal and benefitted from an outstanding table with a wonderful view out of the floor to ceiling windows.  Even though we booked the day we wanted to go we did not have a major problem getting our table.

We chose the Bateaux-Mouches late dinner cruise.  You can check out their website at the link below.  They are a large company and have been doing river cruises since 1949.  We had an excellent experience.  http://www.bateaux-mouches.fr/en


Louvre Museum

Don't forget to check out the Louvre Museum pyramid at night it glows in the night sky.  One way to see all the sights is to take an evening illumination tour.






Notre-Dame Cathedral

Wanting to see the Notre-Dame Cathedral light up check out the weekend when they have a light show on the front.  Check the local tourist office for day and time.


Evening Cabaret

We choose to attend the late show at the Lido on Camps-Elysees. This was a fantastic show with a variety of dance routines as well as comedian, acrobatic act, ice skating, ballet and a sword swallower.  

The show is constantly changing and very entertaining.  The only warning is be careful what you order for drinks.  If you order pop it will cost you a small fortune and is not included with the cocktails.

You can book the tickets on your own and ride the subway. Or you can pay a higher price through a ticket agent as they will need their cut of the sale.  The subway was easy to use and we felt very safe at 2 AM.

Day Trip to Chateaux de Chambord, Chenonceau and Loire Valley

We booked a bus tour to the Loire Valley and to see Two Chateaus and taste wine.  This was a long day and very rushed.  You will spend a minimum 5 hours riding on the bus for a 9 hour tour.  Even though you are on the bus a lot it gives you an opportunity to see the area south west of Paris.



Chateaux Chambord

Double Spiral Staircase

The estate of Chambord is a Unesco world heritage site.  This Chateaux is a fairy tale castle with many spires and domes.  There is a double spiral staircase in the centre of the Chateaux.  This Chateaux was not used very much as it was very cold and difficult to heat.



After a tour and short visit on our own we are off Chateaux Nitray a small family owned vineyard.  We gathered for a wholesome lunch of roast chicken, potatoes, salad, goats cheese and apple tart with lots of wine to clear the pallet during each course.  Our host also took time to explain how to correctly taste his wine.

 



Chateau de Nitray

The last stop is Chateaux de Chenonceau which is famous for being built over a river.  During the second world war the Germans were on one side of the Chateaux and the allies on the other and the only way to cross the river was through the Chateaux.

Chateaux Chenonceau

 Wine produced on this estate.

The ride back to Paris was uneventful.  We made good time, sometimes the traffic is so bad that the trip can take an extra hour.

 



 

Day Trip to Reims

If you have time you can easily take a day trip to Reims in the province of Champagne.  To get to Reims you can take a train from Gare de I'Est or the east train station accessible by subway.  Book your ticket as soon as possible.  Ticket price goes up as you get closer to the day you want to travel.  The ticket you purchase will also identify the train car and seat that you have been assigned.  This is a 45 minute train ride and you get to see the country side between Paris and Reims.



Reims Cathedral

There is a lot of history in Reims.  The Cathedral where the kings were crowned is a UNESCO Heritage sight.  It is easy to find and is within walking distance of the train station or take the Tram.  Buy a Tram ticket from the dispenser at the stop.  There is a small tourist information booth just outside the Reims train station that can provide a map of the town and information regarding the historic sights.



Stain Glass Windows

 

Joan of Arc

You will also find a wonderful sculpture of Joan of Arc in the church as she was a significant person in this community.
During WWII the community protected the stain glass and the artifacts.

At the end of WWII the peace treaty was signed by the Germans on May 7 in Reims.  You can visit the war room that housed General Montgomery and where the treaty was signed.  There is a video that is worth watching with English subtitles so that you understand the significance of the war room.  The Sanctuary Museum is located in a School on the opposite direction of the Cathedral from the railway station.  You can easily find this museum with a short ride on the Tram.  Tram tickets are good for 1 hour and you can use for a return trip if you are within the hour of activation.



i

War Room with Names on Chair Backs



Copy of the Peace Treaty WWII

Another highlight in Reims are the numerous Champagne Houses within walking distance of the train station.  Champagne can only be made in the province of Champagne and they must follow very strict guidelines.  The Chalk Caves in the area are ideal for the storage of the wine.  We visited two different Champagne producers.

Martel is a small family run business and provided an excellent English tour.  You get to sample three different champagnes for a reasonable price.



Riddling Racks

Our second visit was to Taittinger Champagne.  This is a much larger establishment with miles of chalk caves created in the past by Monks and were used during the second world war as a bomb shelter.  The site previously had a Basilica on the land and the monks had made Champagne in the caves below the church.  This tour was less personal and but an excellent choice to compare the two different producers


Champagne Wine Storage Area




 



Day Trip Chateau De Versailles



Front Gate

Our first day trip was to Versailles.  It is easy to get to Versailles by using the subway and taking the C train out of the city.  After a short train trip you reach the train station and walk about three blocks to the gates of Versailles.  We made sure that we would arrive before the crowds and arrived by 9:30 am.  We then booked a tour of the Kings apartment and the Opera house.  Tours can be booked online ahead of time but we were not sure about our arrival time.

The guided tour was excellent and I would recommend that you take a tour.  The Opera house is amazing.  It was designed so that the floor of the audience can be raised to one level and balls could be held in the same space.



Opera House

Once the tour ended we went through the rooms open to the public.  The Museum Pass covers the entrance fee to the Chateau De Versailles. 

One of the many fountains.

View of the gardens from Chateaux

From the palace we entered the gardens which are free when the fountains are not working.  If you go when the fountains are working you will need to pay extra to enter the gardens.  It would be fantastic to see the fountains if they are anything like the fountains at Peterhof Palace in St. Petersburg Russia.




We made our way to the Grand Trianon Chateaux which is included in the Museum Pass and is a 30 minutes walk from the palace.  This private retreat was built so that the King and Queen could escape from the court.







What a great day trip and an easy 30 minute trip back to Paris.  The Chateaux is only 10 Km from Paris but when it was built it seemed much further travelling by horse and carriage.






Garden side of palace.

Caens - Normandy Beaches

 

This was an interesting tour visiting the Canadian Battlefields and seeing where my father landed on D-day and Bill's grandfather had been during World War I.  Until you see the number of young men who lost their lives during the two World Wars you have no idea the loss that was endured.  This was a very emotional time during our tour.

Watch the attached Video for an synopsis of our Canadian Battlefield tour with Insight Vacations.   This was a special trip with Dr. Jody Perrin from the University of Manitoba.

https://vimeo.com/128127527




An excellent museum maintained by Canada.

 

Beach that the Canadians came up on D-day

German Gun that defended the beach area.

One on the many Canadian Grave yards maintained in northern France.

Netherlands 70th Anniversary

Amsterdam to Arnhem

On May 4, 2015 we traveled to the Canadian War Cemetery in Holten to celebrate the Liberation of Holland.  The ceremony was held in the cemetery. Prime Minister Stephen Harper spoke and the Princess of Holland was in attendance.  The town of Holten celebrates every year and the children lay flowers on the graves of the soldiers who died in the second world war.  Each child is also responsible for keeping a soldiers grave cared for thus helping generations to remember what these men did for their country.

Holten Cemetery Ceremony

Poppies are dropped at the end of the ceremony.

After the ceremony we travelled to Arnhem and saw the "Bridge too Far".  During this bridge was too far for troops to get to and gain control of the river crossing during WWI. 

On May 5 the Netherlands celebrates the official end of World War I.  The town of Wageningen holds a celebration and parade.  The town of Wageningen is significant as the peace treaty was signed between the allies and Germany which ended WWI.  There is an eternity flame across from the hotel were the treaty signed.  The liberation parade winds through the city centre and consists of army vehicles, veterans, numerous military regiments and bands.

During the evening we made a trip to Deventer for their Tattoo.  The evening performance was held in a football (soccer) stadium.  There were several bands from Holland and two pipe and drum bands from Canada.  The most unusual band rode bicycles and played their instruments at the same time without running into each other.  This was outstanding!!  The evening was topped with a fireworks display that easily surpassed some of our July 1 fireworks displays.



From Arnhem we leave the Netherlands for Belgium to the town of Burges.