Thursday Thirteen #63

#7 - Thirteen Photos from Caylynn's Trip to Paris last weekend

I had a great time in Paris, running a 20km race and meeting a bunch of ladies from the women's Runango forum.
You can find more details on my race here, and more photos from my trip to Paris here. Over the next few days, I'll also be posting more pictures, and stories, about our trip.

The Eiffel Tower: Conceived in 1889 by Gustave Eiffel, the Eiffel Tower was supposed to be the temporary master piece of the Worlds Fair, which marked the centennial of the French Revolution. But it was not dismantled as foreseen, and for over 40 years, it was the tallest building of the world, with a height of 301.80 m. Consisting of 18,000 elements, linked by 2 million rivets, it has become one of the most famous monuments in the world and the symbol of Paris.


Obelisk of Luxor at Place de la Concorde: The center of the Place de la Concorde is occupied today by a giant Egyptian obelisk decorated with hieroglyphics exalting the reign of the pharaoh Ramses II. It once marked the entrance to the Luxor Temple in Egypt. The viceroy of Egypt, Mehemet Ali, presented the 3,300-year-old Luxor Obelisk to France in 1829. King Louis-Philippe had it placed in the centre of Place de la Concorde in 1833. The red granite column rises 23 metres high, including the base, and weighs over 250 tonnes. Missing its original cap, believed stolen in the 6th century BC, in 1998 the government of France added a gold-leafed pyramid cap to the top of the obelisk.


Hôtel des Invalides/Tombeau de Napoléon: In 1670, Louis XIV - the Sun King - founded Les Invalides near what was then called the Grenelle Plain. An old soldiers home, it was funded by a five year levy on the salaries of soldiers currently serving in the army at that time. Les Invalides houses the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) in the crypt under the golden dome.


L'Arc de Triomphe: The Arc de Triomphe stands in the centre of the Place de l'Étoile, at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. Commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon, shortly after his victory at Austerlitz, it was not finished until 1836. The monument stands over 51 metres (165 feet) in height and is 45 metres wide. It is the second largest triumphal arch in existence. Beneath the Arch is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and an eternal flame commemorating the dead of the two world wars.


Musée d'Orsay: The museum building was originally a railway station, Gare d'Orsay, constructed for the Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans and finished in time for the 1900 Exposition Universelle to the design of three architects: Lucien Magne, Emile Bénard and Victor Laloux. It was the terminus for the railways of southwestern France until 1939. Today it holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography.


Paris Opera House: The opulent Opéra de Paris Garnier was designed by Charles Garnier for Emperor Napoleon III. It is the most important symbol of the 19th century Second Empire baroque style. Construction of the opera building started in 1862, but it wasn't completed until 1875, partly because an underground lake was discovered during construction. The small lake still exists under the opera building. It was the hiding place of the 'Phantom of the Opera' in Paul Leroux's famous play (and in the musical based on that play by Andrew Lloyd Webber.)


Le Pétit Palais: The Petit Palais was created for the Universal Exposition of 1900 as a city museum in which to showcase the works bought from the yearly Salons. Most of the collection is the legacy of Auguste Dutuit. Among this collection you can find ancient artifacts, medieval objects, rare manuscripts and books, Dutch paintings from the seventeenth century.


Notre Dame Cathedral: The Cathédral Notre-Dame de Paris is considered by many to be the most beautiful and the most famous monument of the Ile de la Cité. Construction of Notre-Dame de Paris began in 1163 during the reign of Louis VII. Pope Alexander III laid the foundation stone. The idea to replace the Romanesque church occupying the site - the Cathedral of St. Etienne (founded by Childebert in 528) - was that of Bishop Maurice de Sully (who died in 1196). Construction was completed roughly 200 years later in about 1345.


The Louvre: The Louvre currently contains one of the world's most famous and most important art collections. It is famous for holding several of the world's most prestigious works of art, such as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, The Virgin and Child with St. Anne, Virgin of the Rocks and Alexandros of Antioch's Venus de Milo.


Palais de Justice: The Palais de Justice is located in the Île de la Cité in central Paris, France. It is built on the site of the former royal palace of Saint Louis. It houses various courts, including the Paris correctional court. It also houses the Conciergerie, a former prison, now a museum, notable because Marie Antoinette was imprisoned there before being executed on the guillotine.


The group of us running the race: Martina, Ammi, Magali and Caylynn



Caylynn (me) approaching the 12km mark of the race



Caylynn (me) at the end of the race, with her finisher's medal around her neck (everyone who finished the race received a medal).


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