Palais-Bourbon, Arrondissement 7, Paris
We headed off on this damp morning towards the Eiffel Tower. A straight forward enough walk, just need to watch the map for a few key intersections to turn at. Being Paris, there is no grid system, mayhem reins.
Eiffel Tower
Located in the Champ de Mars park, the Eiffel Tower stands out in the relatively low Paris skyline. I can just imagine in 1889 when it was built, it would have been an impressive sight. It still is. We approached from the south-east end of Champ de Mars, and got our photos from a distance, before moving progressively closer. Of course, taking more photos on the way. We made it to the base, took a few more photos and were then on our way to our next destination. That is correct, we didn’t try going up the tower. Too many people mixed with too many stairs and a stroller, it wasn’t worth the hassle.
Invalides
Our next stop as we worked our way back home was to Invalides. Invalides is impressive in its grandeur, and there would be an awesome angle for photos from the middle of Ave du Marechal Gallieni, except it’s a busy road. Alas we headed in anyway, our target was the Relief Map Museum. If you have a stroller, best to carry your baby as the cobble stones here are rough. Invalides is also ticketed. If you have an infant, you’ll need to get a ticket to cover them, it is still free. After taking more photos inside the courtyard we headed to the Historical Charles de Gaulle Museum Space.
While I’m not of the vintage to fully appreciate Charles de Gaulle, it seems he is a popular historical figure with the French. He was the French president 1959 to 1969 and oversaw the rebuilding of France post WW2. This space requires the English headset to fully understand.
After this we went to the Ancient Arms from Saint Louis to Louis XIV Space, covering the military equipment between the 13th and 17th centuries. This included armour, weapons, flags, charts, maps and firearms. The most impressive was the chest armour that received a direct hit from a cannon ball. Which goes without saying, was fatal.
Then onto the Relief Map Museum, an under visited space if models are your thing. It’s hard to fathom how old these are. Constructed between 1668 to 1870 these were tools used to develop strategic strategy for battles or fortifications. The relief maps were rendered out of date with modern warfare implementing firearms with increased range.
This then wraps up the day’s activities.
Musee D’Orsay
Returning another day to this area we went to Musee D’Orsay. A Pleasant walk along the Seine lead us to the front doors. Here were able to jump the lines by the virtue of having a stroller. Believe me it’s not always a virtue once inside and having to deal with the stairs and elevators that make no sense.
Here we mostly came to see the architecture but decided to visit a few notable paintings. Such paintings include a self-portrait and La nuit étoilée by Vincent van Gogh. Then the huge range of impressionist paintings by Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Édouard Manet and, Paul Cézanne.
Read more about our Paris trip, such as Arc de Triomphe, Latin Quarter, Montmartre and, Versailles.
October, 2019
