The Eiffel Tower wasn’t actually the first place I visited in Paris, but since it’s the city’s most famous landmark, it seems appropriate to start here. The Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889 for the World’s Fair, which coincided with the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Even today the Eiffel Tower is an impressive structure, which shows what an incredible achievement it was when it was built. At the time, it was the tallest structure in the world, standing nearly twice as tall as the Washington Monument in the United States, the previous record holder. The Eiffel Tower is one of the most visited paid monuments in the world, with hundreds of millions of people having visited it over the years. Visitors can take elevators up the tower for some incredible views of Paris. The lines weren’t too bad when I visited, but it was still the end of winter and a bit chilly outside, so I can imagine they get much longer during the spring and summer.
There’s no better view of Paris than from the top of the Eiffel Tower! Both times I visited, I reached the top at night, so I’d still love to see what Paris looks like from up there during the day. Like many European cities, central Paris is filled with historic buildings and landmarks, while the outskirts become increasingly modern. There are several prominent buildings and places of interest visible from the Eiffel Tower. The large park above is the Champ de Mars, which stretches out directly in front of the tower.
Something I don’t remember seeing during my first visit was this room near the top of the tower. Gustave Eiffel had a private apartment built for himself inside the tower. Rather than using it for lavish parties, he hosted distinguished guests there, including Thomas Edison.
Lastly, on the way down I couldn’t help but notice this woman’s hair caught between the elevator shaft and the floor. It looked like it had somehow gotten caught and ripped out. Ouch!
The Seine River winds through the heart of Paris and is where many visitors will spend much of their time. An incredible number of landmarks and historic buildings are located along the river, and taking a river cruise is something I probably should have tried. Dozens of bridges cross the Seine throughout Paris, with beautiful buildings lining both sides. Below is a photo of one of the neighborhoods I came across while exploring the city center.
It’s hard to believe, but during my early travel days nearly 15 years ago, I visited the Louvre Museum, one of the most famous museums in the world. I’ve learned to appreciate museums much more as I’ve gotten older, but during my first visit it was more about seeing what all the hype was about than genuinely wanting to explore the museum. During my second trip to Paris I didn’t return, so these photos are from my first digital camera and unfortunately are about all I have to offer. I’d definitely like to go back and see famous artifacts such as the Code of Hammurabi, the medieval remains of the original Louvre fortress, and countless artifacts from ancient Egypt, the Middle East, and beyond. I was at least smart enough during my first trip to take photos of the famous Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa!
I don’t have many respectable photos from my first trip to Paris since I wasn’t interested in photography back then. I did decide to post this one, though, which shows my best friend Chavez, whom I served with for five years in the Marines. In the photo above, he was pretending to be attacked by a local inside one of the bars we visited. We happened to visit during a very low point in French-American relations, and the atmosphere was noticeably different from what I experienced years later. When I returned to Paris, everyone was incredibly welcoming. It’s amazing how much can change in 15 years!
During my second visit I explored the city’s main botanical garden, the Jardin des Plantes. Since it was the end of winter, the outdoor gardens weren’t at their best, but it was still a nice place to walk around. Above you can see part of the grounds and a statue honoring Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, the influential French naturalist who oversaw the garden during the 18th century.
While I generally dislike visiting places in North America or Europe during the winter when there isn’t any snow, I ended up in Paris after taking advantage of already being in Europe for work. Although most of the trees were still bare and the weather wasn’t as warm as I’d like, there were plenty of signs that spring was beginning to arrive in the city!
Fortunately, the Jardin des Plantes has several large greenhouses filled with tropical plants, so not only can you find greenery throughout the year, but you can also escape the cold for a while. One of the greenhouses maintains a hot and humid tropical environment, with elevated walkways that let you climb higher and get a view into the upper canopy.
There were even some birds flying around, along with a few lizards and insects inside the tropical greenhouse. None of them wanted to be photographed, however, so I had to stick with the plants. It was really nice to escape the winter weather outside and see some color. Above are some dark green tropical ferns, while below is a polished section of petrified wood showing off its natural colors and patterns.
Another famous landmark in Paris is Notre-Dame Cathedral, one of the best-known churches in the world and a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture. Construction began in 1163 and continued for nearly two centuries. As impressive as the cathedral is today, you can only imagine what people must have thought when they saw a building of this scale hundreds of years ago. I regret not going inside during my visit, but there was an insanely long line that probably would have taken up half my day!
I can’t say Notre-Dame is the most beautiful cathedral I’ve seen in Europe. I think the Duomo in Milan or the cathedral in Cologne are even more impressive. What makes Notre-Dame so special, though, is its massive scale and incredible history. Above is a photograph of one of the famous Gothic gargoyles overlooking the cathedral.
With so many people visiting Notre-Dame, the pigeons in the area have become very accustomed to people and being fed by them. You could feed the pigeons here, and they would practically attack you trying to get the food, like they’re doing to the girl above. Unlike Piazza San Marco in Venice, where pigeons can completely overwhelm the square, there weren’t nearly as many of them here.
Security was noticeably heavier during my second visit to Paris than it had been during my first. Armed soldiers and police could be seen around major landmarks and other sensitive locations throughout the city. The two soldiers above were standing near the entrance to Notre-Dame.
Speaking of security, one place I visited was the site of the Charlie Hebdo attack just weeks after it occurred in January 2015. The attack became a major international event and sparked widespread debate over freedom of expression, religious offense, and extremism. Two Islamist gunmen attacked the offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo after the publication had repeatedly printed controversial depictions of the Prophet Muhammad. Twelve people were killed in the attack, including several prominent cartoonists. When I visited, there was still a heavy police presence in the area, along with graffiti and memorials supporting the victims on nearby buildings. The photo above shows some of the artists who were killed, while the photo below shows several Charlie Hebdo magazine covers.
On to happier subjects! I didn’t really appreciate French food until my second visit to Paris. The first time I went to France I was probably too young to care much about quality food or pay attention to all the great cuisine around me. While I’m still not a fan of some of the more unusual French foods, such as escargot or foie gras, I don’t think anyone can deny how good a French breakfast can be! The photo above is of my breakfast on my first morning in Paris. Below is a photo of a bakery, where I couldn’t resist stocking up on chocolate and pastries.
While walking down the street I saw these in a store window and was certain they were macarons. I’m sure they were intentionally designed to resemble them, but they’re actually little bars of soap. I regret not buying some!
Markets are always another interesting place to check out while traveling. This one seemed to be a smaller neighborhood market that I randomly came across while exploring central Paris. There was fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, and a large amount of seafood. Since I dislike seafood, most of the market didn’t smell too great to me!
This random photo I took shows some divers searching one of the waterways in the city. I have no idea what they were looking for, but seeing people diving into the water in such cold weather definitely caught my attention. Whatever they were searching for must have been important enough to send divers down to look for it.
I’m equally unsure what was happening here. I repeatedly saw city workers open valves along the streets and allow water to rush along the gutters. At the time I had no idea why they were doing it, but it was apparently part of Paris’s longstanding system of using non-potable water to help clean streets and gutters.
One of Paris’s most unique attractions is the Catacombs, part of a much larger network of former quarries beneath the city. The Paris Catacombs contain the remains of millions of people whose bones were transferred underground when the city’s cemeteries became overcrowded. Although the underground quarry network extends far beyond the official Catacombs, entering unauthorized sections is illegal. Above is one of the long underground passageways I walked through after descending the spiral staircase into the Catacombs.
Inside the underground passages there are also sculptures and other structures carved directly into the stone. I’m not sure I understood the story behind this castle-like carving when I visited, but it was one of several unexpected sights I came across underground.
Once you enter the ossuary itself, you’re surrounded by an incredible number of human remains. The Catacombs hold the bones of an estimated six million people, stacked along the walls of passageways deep beneath modern Paris.
Some of the skeletal remains are arranged into elaborate patterns, like the strange column in the photo above. Most of the remains I noticed seemed to be skulls and long bones. Despite the millions of bones down there, I don’t recall seeing a single hand or pelvis. I once mistakenly thought the Paris Catacombs were the result of some medieval catastrophe such as the plague, but their actual history is more recent. Beginning in the late 18th century, remains were transferred from overcrowded and unsanitary Paris cemeteries into abandoned underground quarries, eventually creating the enormous ossuary that exists beneath the city today.
