Paris - the most romantic city
Paris is the capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the French: Région parisienne. Paris has always been described as one of the most romantic cities in the world with sites such as the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, and other great date spots. Paris probably has more familiar landmarks than any other city in the world, so lets review a few of them.
Paris Climate: Spring and fall are the most temperate. The middle of summer can get rather hot and uncomfortable, which explains why many Parisians abandon the city to the tourists during August. Because of the ocean influence on Paris, a mid-summer downpour is not uncommon. Though the Paris area has some of the lowest rainfall totals in all of France, you may still want to pack a small umbrella.
Public Transport: The Paris subway system, called the metro, is one of the wonders of the city, part of its folklore, and a tourist attraction in its own right. It can whisk you across town in minutes, in safety and comfort.
Major Attraction:
-
The Eiffel Tower: The Eiffel Tower became a figure so much a symbol of Paris which it is quite difficult to see one without thinking of the other. This is one of the world's most recognizable monuments (and the best-known monument in all of Europe), and it is breathtaking to behold.
-
Notre Dame: the Notre-Dame is the most famous of all cathedrals. The gothic masterpiece is located on the Île de la Cité, a small island in the heart of the city. The site of the Notre dame is the cradle of Paris and has always been the religious center of the city. The Notre-Dame Cathedral has several large rose windows; the northern 13th century window is the most impressive. The massive window has a diameter of 13.1 meter.
-
Arc de Triomphe: In the middle of the Place Charles de Gaulle, at the border of the 8th, 16th and 17th arrondissement stands one of the greatest arches in history: the Arc de Triomphe. Climb to the top for one of the best views of Paris. This monument is devoted to one of France's most fearless leaders, Napoleon Bonaparte. A visit to the Arc de Triomphe gives visitors a chance to see this architectural wonder, as well as a fabulous view and photo vantage point on the Champs Elysees.
- Louvre Museum: The Louvre is immense, and one could spend a week exploring its exhibits. One of the largest and most visited museums in the world, and possibly the most famous of them all. The Louvre's most popular piece is Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa." It was established in 1793, and is one of the oldest museums in Europe. The latest addition to the Louvre was the glass pyramid entrance, one of the finest examples of a combination of modern and historic architecture. The glass pyramid allows the sunlight to come in on the underground floor.
- Sacré Coeur: The Sacré-Coeur Basilica is one of Paris's major tourist draws. The majestic building is located on top of the Montmartre hill. Above all, Montmartre is known for its many artists who have been omnipresent since 1880. The massive building has managed to keep its beaming white color even in the polluted air of a big city like Paris. When it rains, the stones react to the water and secrete calcite, which acts like a bleacher.
- Centre Pompidou: Centre Pompidou in Paris is the perfect attraction for those interested in modern art and architecture. Centre Pompidou, in fact, is the third most visited Paris attraction with about 5.5 million visitors a year. The Centre Pompidou is home to one of the world's most important museums of modern art, the MNAM, but it also contains a very popular library, a bookshop, a movie theater and a panoramic terrace. The first and top floor is used for large expositions. The museum has one of the most important collections of modern art. Its more than 59,000 works cover a broad spectrum of 20th century arts. The square in front of the Centre Pompidou, the 'Place Georges Pompidou' or 'Place Beaubourg', is very popular. The large crowds are animated by mimes, street portraitists and entertainers.
Mona Lisa: Apart from Eiffel Tower Paris is also famous for Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece Mona Lisa which is presently the property of French Government, and is hanging in Musée de Louvre, Paris.
History of Mona Lisa: Mona Lisa also known as La Gioconda (la Joconde) is the 16th century oil painting on popular wood by none other than the archetype "Renaissance Man", Leonardo da Vinci. It was year 1503 in which Leonardo da Vinci began painting Mona Lisa. It was completed in four years according to Vasari. This Mona Lisa image was not well known until the mid-19th century. It began getting recognition only after the emergence of Symbolist movement, which incorporated the ideas about the feminine mystique. Critic Walter Peter made serious observations in 1867 about Mona Lisa. He expressed his views by describing the figure in the painting as a kind of mythic embodiment of eternal femininity, who is "older than the rocks among which she sits" and who "has been dead many times and learned the secrets of the grave.
The significance of Mona Lisa: This painting of Leonardo da Vinci is renowned to whole world for its aesthetic part. It was pyramid style which Leonardo craftily applied for painting Mona Lisa. This painting was one of the first portraits to depict the sitter before an imaginary landscape. The most enigmatic and most sought after factor in the painting of Mona Lisa is its smile. This is understood that her smile has a number of things hidden. The most starking feature is that a viewer finds different shades in her smile. In late 2005, Dutch researchers from the University of Amsterdam scanned the image through"emotion recognition" computer software developed in collaboration with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The revelations of the software were very interesting. It found that the smile to be 83% happy, 9% disgusted, 6% fearful, 2% angry, less than 1% neutral, and not surprised at all!
Paris combines the stunning beauty of its rich historical legacy with intense cultural, academic, scientific, commercial and business activity. When you are visiting Paris there are two things you just can't afford to miss, the Eiffel tower and Mona Lisa.
(Sources: gofrance.about.com, india-crafts.com, paris.org, aviewoncities.com)
