The photos below are what we saw.
Our
plane arrives from Tahiti as part of a normally scheduled 2-hop
flight to Paris. This was a Boeing 777. For an
intercontinental flight, it was not too bad. The seats were
marginally comfortable but time seemed to pass quickly.
We
arrived in Paris around 5pm local time and went to our
hotel. The setting sun gave us a reasonable view of the
Paris skyline. We had dinner at a close bistro and then
crashed.
Next
morning, we headed out to take in the sights. The outside of
the Marriott hotel was on a tree-lined boulevard that was right
next to the Metro.
Our
first stop was the Army Museum and Napoleon's Tomb. Along
the way we had some frivolous moments. I am not sure what
was said, but it must have been pretty funny.
Napoleon's
Tomb is inside a large chapel, the domes are visible in the photo
above. The building in the foreground is the state hospital.
I
got Michele, Jim and Kathleen to pause for a group photo.
Inside
the chapel structure were some awesome statues. Note the
lion heads on his boots.
The
altar inside the church was spectacular. Note the spiral
columns made of dark marble.
The
carvings in the side alcoves were intricate.
The
back-lighting made this a difficult shot, but thankfully I have
access to Adobe Lightroom to help get rid of the excessive
highlights from the outside window. This is Napoleon's tomb
(or so it is labeled), although I doubt that his remains are
actually inside.
The
domes of the cathedral had detailed frescoes.
I
am loathe to admit, but I do not know who Mr. Vauban was or what
part he played in French history. Sadly, in Paris, nothing
is free and internet access is included in that list of costly
extras that tourists have to pay for.
A
more detailed view of the altar and the spiral marble columns.
The
dome above the altar had another detailed set of paintings.
Detailed
marble work of the access to the altar area.
The
crypt area below the altar had this coffin like structure.
Despite the labels on the marble sarcophagus, I might believe that
Napoleon's remains are in this wooden coffin.
The
perimeter of the crypt area was lined with detailed statuary.
High
above were more paintings.
From
the tomb area, we went to the adjoining Army Museum and saw this
WWI tank
The
internal courtyard of the museum was cobblestone and large
indeed. Above, Kathleen takes a photo of a portion of the
building.
There
were a number of antique cannons in the museum that represented
many phases of the French military. This one had the symbol
of the French king, a fire-breathing salamander cast into the
barrel.
At
the breach end of the canon, I noted these symbols, which are
likely Roman numerals for the date of manufacture.
These
symbols appear to be Arabic indicating that this cannon may have
seen service in one of the French colonial areas like Algeria.
We
went to the upper floors of the museum to see more antique
hardware. One section of the museum had old breast-plates
that date back to medieval times. This breast-plate is from
the Battle of Waterloo and the fellow wearing this had a really,
REALLY bad day. The cannon round went straight through, and
the wearer clearly did not survive.
After
saturating on French colonial military memorabilia, we headed out
into the city. The front of the Army Museum had nice ornate
gates.
Note
the intricate details cast into the cannon barrel.
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Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2013,
all rights reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.