Posts Tagged ‘Paris’

If you are a regular reader to Tripandom, you will probably know we love a Disney story, and we haven’t done one for a while so Today is Disneyland Day – Paris Style. The Disneyland Paris Space Mountain is an amazing indoor rollercoaster ride and is one of the parks premier attractions. Featuring a Jules Verne themed adventure based on his From the Earth to the Moon book the coaster consists of a 1.5 g uphill launch at just under 70 km per hour and a sidewinder and corkscrew. All set to a synchronized on board audio theme composed by Steven Bramson the five vehicles can take 25 people each on a 2 minute ride. The Coaster rises over 45 metres and travels 1000 in the breath taking adventure. The building itself is a masterpiece of Disney design, being over 61 metres in diameter and 43 metres high it dominates the Tommorowland section of the park. The ride has recently gone under a huge makeover and has been renamed Space Mountain Mission 2.

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The Trocadero is a huge sandstone monument on across the river from the Eiffel Tower in Paris and is one of the best places to get some magnificent photographs of the tower. The Trocadero was originally built in 1867 for the World Fair, along with the Eiffel Tower, originally to commemorate the Battle of Trocadero which was in Southern Spain back in 1823. The building was replaced with what we have today in 1937 which was also built for an Expo, the Exposition Internationale of 1937. The building uses a modern classical style, with a hint of art deco it was designed by architects Louis Hippolyte Boileau, Leon Azema and Jacques carlu and features two wings which form a wide arc, which actually sit over the original foundations. The building is features some magnificent sculptures and artwork and inside is home to a naval museum (Musee national de la marine), the Musee de L’Homme which is a ethnology museum on the right wing while the left wing has the Musee national des monuments francisas and the Theatre national de Chaillot. One chilling piece of Paris’s history was the Trocadero was the place Adolf Hitler was photographed during his tour of the city after it fell to the German’s during the Second World War. Read the rest of this entry »

After a shaky start Disneyland Paris is now one of Europe’s premier attractions and is going from strength to strength. There’s quiet a few new attractions to celebrate the 15th anniversary and an addition of some new rat friends. Yes that’s right- Remy and his brother Emile from the hit Pixar Disney film Ratatouille have joined the crew at Disneyland Paris much to the delight of young and old. They are adorable- the mouse better watch out- these rats might just steal the show. They make daily appearances in the parks and of course can be found in the many gift shops.

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To celebrate the bicentenary of the French Revolution in 1989 La Grande Arche was commissioned as a modern interpretation of the Arc De Triomph which is Paris’s most important war monument. The Grande Arch was designed by Danish Architect Johann Otto Von Spreckelsen and is a nearly perfect cube with a height of 108m a depth of 112m and width of 108m. The huge concrete structure is covered in marble from Italy and glass. Inside the arch houses an exhibition centre, government offices and viewing platform with views across Paris. Visitors rise in a glass lift which runs along a very impressive scaffolding like structure in the centre of the structure.

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The Flame of Liberty or Flamme de la Liberte is an actual full size replica of the flame held by New York’s Statue of Liberty. This beautiful gold leafed statue was erected in 1987 while the New York statue was undergoing restoration. The flame was given by the International Herald Tribune newspaper to mark its Centennial. Today the flame has become a focal point and shrine to Diana the Princess of Wales who died along with lover Dodi Al-Fayed when their Mercedes Benz crashed in the nearby Pont de l’Alma Road tunnel 10 years ago today.

Although not an official monument to the Princess, visitors flock around the world to lay flowers and messages to the much loved and remembered Princess, the Flame has become one of Paris’s most visited monuments.

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The Moulin Rouge is probably the most famous of all the world’s cabarets dating back to 1898 it is remembered for its legendary showgirls and more recently remembered in the Baz Luhrman film staring Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman.

In the daylight the Moulin Rouge is a bit of a disappointment its a shabby old place and it sits in one of Paris’s seedier areas which is jammed packed with strip places and sex shops, but at night when the lights come on the Moulin Rouge building comes alive with it’s neon lit windmill and signage.

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When you think of Paris you think of the Eiffel Tower, Poodles, French Sticks, Cheese, the Moulin Rouge and of course the Notre Dame Cathedral. This magnificent Gothic cathedral dates back to 1166 during the reign of Louis VII and was completed around 1345. The cathedral is so important to Paris that all distances from Paris are measured from a stone in front of the Notre Dame This stone is known as Point Zero. The cathedral is open to the public daily between 7:45AM and 6:45PM except during mass times and there is a great little market outside the Notre Dame selling religious artifacts, books and food.

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Like the Eiffel Tower the La Basilique du Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre is one of Paris’s most known structures. Built over 40 years and opening in 1919 this breathtaking Catholic church is one of the worlds most stunning and beautiful. And the spectacular views of Paris are absolutely amazing night and day.
As this is one of Paris’s most popular attractions there are many people who try to prey on the unaware tourist. Pickpockets are everywhere so are people trying to tie string around your finger only to charge you for cutting you loose. These people are best ignored, and most of the illegal souvenir sellers are overcharging, buy your trinkets in the local streets below.

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