Adventures in England: Paris

Last week we caught the channel train to Paris. The train went under the English Channel and across the French countryside before we arrived.

Me and Becca on the train

Paris was amazing and we did heaps of great things. Here are a few of my favourites:

1. Place de la Concorde

The place de la Concorde is a square in Paris between the Arc de Triumph and the Tuileries Gardens. It was the square where the guillotine was set up during the French Revolution so it is the place where Marie Antoinette and her husband were beheaded. When we arrived at the Place de la Concorde, my sisters and I saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time. We also saw the Arc de Triomphe. In the centre of the Place de la Concorde was a huge Egyptian obelisk, set up in Victorian times to distract people from the square's grisly history.

our family at the Place de la Concorde

the Obelisk

Place de la Concorde with the Arc de Triomphe behind

2. Montmartre

The hill of Montmartre is the highest point in Paris and was the home of many artists including Van Gogh. At Montmartre we visited the beautiful church of Sacre Coeur, positioned on top of Monmartre with a great view of the city. We also saw the 'je t'aime' wall (a wall covered with 'I love you' in all the languages of the world), a square with heaps of artists there painting portraits of tourists, and the Moulin Rouge (Red Mill). We had gelatos, too!

me at the top of Montmartre

in front of the house where Van Gogh lived

3. The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower was designed by Gustave Eiffel for the Paris World Fair. The tower was meant to be temporary but became permanent instead. For 41 years it was the world's tallest man made structure! When we visited the Eiffel Tower, I climbed to the second level with my family and took a lift to the top. The view was amazing. I even saw a hot air balloon!

climbing the Eiffel Tower

at the very top!

4. The Louvre

Once a palace, the Louvre is a magnificent art gallery with over 30,000 artworks including the Mona Lisa. When we visited the Louvre we saw many famous artworks: the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and heaps of other great things!