Paris on my mind - 3

Arc de triomphe is not one of my favourite things about Paris and this huge overblown monument to war is better suited as the centre of the wildest traffic area ever. But I was enthralled by the brazen driving - those little cars with their Parisian drivers fearlessly zoom from the periphery to the centre of this crazy wheel. Of course there are no lanes marked - there wouldn't be time to paint them plus you wouldn't want to disfigure the road surface.

 Always a thrill to see the Eiffel Tower from new viewpoints.

 This is at the end of the Champs Elysees which starts at the Place de la Concorde - the site of the guillotine in the Revolution.

Another monument to war but somehow so overblown, so over the top that you can enjoy its ornamental attributes.
Of course with time these monuments to the State from many years ago have become innocuous.  I must say I was amazed by the police presence and especially the presence of the machine gun toting beret wearing army personnel. Of course it is all so stylish - they all looked as if they had come from the catwalk. It was a bit surreal actually. But the old Paris with its priceless monuments from yesteryear is unique and France the state is looking after it. I saw many hawkers running away from ordinary police.
I love the Paris Metro - so well designed - so easy to follow - the lignes designated by number and colour. The main difference between navigating the Metro compared to the dear Tube is that in Paris you need to know the final destination. In London you need to know which direction is west and where is east!

 Thank you Louise Bourgeois for this beautiful work - the hands on the granite blocks

The pond at the Place de la Concorde end - the western end of the Tuileries

 The Petit Palais

 The Petit Palais is opposite the Palais Grand

 The Grand Palais

 This is a great example of Napoleon III Empire aggrandisement

 The facade of the Grand Palais

 Hotel des Invalides - museum of all things military

 Looking back towards the Grande Palais and towards the Champs Elyeeses

 Wonderfully unnatural nature

 The golden dome in the background is the roof over the tomb of Napoleon - completely over the top memorial. The alter has a version of Bernini's baldachino from St Peter's in Rome. This space really brought out the bolshie in me, couldn't wait to get out actually.

 Looking north from our hotel room

last shots from our Hotel, the little corner brasserie with the orange awning was wonderful.