France
5 Reasons to Visit Paris: Postcard Perfect Shots in France
Kiss your loved one under the Eiffel Tower .
Brush up on your French and take a trip to the French capital city of Paris. You have to know at least a few key phrases in French to put yourself right in the middle of Parisian settings that have so often been featured in many movies. Be très chic when you experience gay Paree in all its fame and splendour.
Here are five reasons for you to love Paris:
Historic Monuments – Most popular among the landmarks of Paris are the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower and the Sacré-Cœur Basilica (or Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Paris). These sights are often included as part of pre-paid passes that tourists can purchase ahead of time. Since these sights are among international tourists’ list of must-see places, these historic landmarks can get really crowded.
Fashion and Shopping – Paris is one of the world’s fashion hubs comprising the Big 4 along with cities as London, Milan, and New York. Plan your trip right around the time when the bi-annual Fashion Week events are scheduled and catch a glimpse of the next season’s fashion on the runway. Bring your pocketbook for some high end couture shopping in the 8th arrondisement or in the boutiques that line Canal St. Martin and at the Palais-Royal.
Get a bite of authentic macarons.
French Cuisine – Ditch the French fries and go for authentic French cuisine served in bistros and restaurants around Paris. Put the French culinary reputation to test as you sample the fine cuisine in some of the most luxurious locales as Hotel Ritz and the Hotel de Crillon. Be ready to shell out oodles of money at these glitzy dining places, though.
If French fashion is identified as haute couture, its gastronomic department is considered haute cuisine. Foie Gras, Pommes duchesse, Coq au vin, Crème brûlée, Eclairs, macarons, Tarte Tatin, the list goes on.
For the budget conscious, street side delicacies and fair offerings will give you a good sampling of the more common French gustatory fare.
Opera Theater – Visit the largest Parisian opera houses and choose from their mixed repertoire of classic and modern ballets and operas. Historic Opera Garnier and Opera Bastille along with Opera Comique and Theatre Lyrique should be in your opera theater itinerary while in Paris.
Not Just in the Movies – Take the time to go and see places in Paris that have been featured in one or several Hollywood films. The Eiffel Tower, the Moulin Rouge dinner theater, and The Louvre are just some of the places that you might already have “visited” during your trips to the movies. The Seine River is a must-see too! Get to ride an excursion boat to see more of the historic city.
Our old P&S Camera didn't do the Arc justice, we'll definitely go back!
Ooopsss…make that 6 reasons! Disneyland Resort Paris – Let the kid in you out and be a child once again at Disneyland Resort Paris…enjoy the company of Mickey and friends, tour Sleeping Beauty’s castle and enjoy the magic that is Disneyland in the city of the most romantic language. There are a lot of new rides and attraction so be sure to book not one but at least two days for you to enjoy everything!
The tourist scene in Paris can be quite busy especially when there are international events happening in the city. It would be a good idea to plan your trip to Paris early on and get your bookings ahead of time – you want to beat the long queues during peak tourism season. You might also want to take a look at buying pre-paid passes that already serves as your entry card to a list of tourist attractions in Paris. Finally, don’t forget to take a reliable camera with you to capture the beauty that is Paris.
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Parisian Birds
On our way to the Louvre we passed by a number of churches, restaurants, statues and fountains. The fountains and other forms of water installation seem to be useful for the birds…they get to drink and bathe there. And what do you know,what I thought of as maya when I was a child were all-over the place!
I said “I thought of” because I grew thinking that the former (until 1995) Philippine National bird are the ones pictured below. Well, no one corrected me then and perhaps we all thought that these are the real maya. Researching though lead me to understand that these are actually Eurasian Tree Sparrows, which can be found mostly in Southeast Asia, some subspecies in America and of course Eurasia where it got its name but as said I saw them in Paris – in September and in Germany also during autumn and in Vienna last spring.
I read somewhere that they are called German Sparrow as well. 
sparrow
By the way, the real maya have reddish brown feathers with a black head. It is rightfully called Black-headed Munia which also gained the name maya pula (red maya) to differentiate them from the Eurasian Tree Sparrow.
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The Louvre revisited
Some years ago we visited the Louvre…I was really delighted. It was a dream come true for the wannabe painter in me. As a kid, I’ve always admired the works of great artists as Monet and Van Gogh…then of course I only get to see their works on books and encyclopedias.
My favorites later on included Picasso, Dürer and Klimt; this time I’m able to see some of their works up close. Yet, there are still so much more to explore.
Jesus’ temptation
I’ve often mentioned my interest in the arts on my other blogs. I enjoy interviewing artists, interpreting their work and hearing their own interpretation too — something I haven’t done for a long time now…and visiting the Louvre wouldn’t make this possible. So there we were able to enjoy the silence and the beautiful colors of the Louvre even for a few hours. I’d definitely love to go back!
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Paris – Eiffel Tower
We weren’t very fortunate when we visited the Eiffel Tower. 
It was raining…not much but still, the sky was gray and it’s not so picturesque with such a background. What the heck, nothing can stop us from seeing the famous Tour Eiffel. Rain or shine we braved it and took even a few shots from below, from the front but not above. 
Can’t remember if the lift then were stopped but we waited yet we were not able to go up….
Paris is of course, deserves another visit. Hopefully the next time it would be with blue skies too!
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Paris – Louvre Museum
Musée du Louvre, Richelieu Wing
The present-day Louvre has been the result of a series of successive building projects completed over the past 800 years. Wikipedia page. It is located on the Right Bank in the 1er arrondissement between the Rue de Rivoli and the Seine River, the same river that flows to where the Eiffel tower is.
Home to many notable works of art and perhaps the most visited museum in the world, the Louvre used to be a palace under the reign of Philip II.
We arrived in Paris coming from Marne La Vallee via RER at the Opera Station, hubby brought his navigator so it didn’t took us much time to find the museum. We had some photo op on the way, which I will upload in the following posts.
Antiquaires
An antique dealer’s shop opposite the Louvre. We were quite ecstatic seeing this, we actually thought that this is the musem. lol.
Walking a bit further and to the front of the antique shop is a courtyard, turns out that is the French consulate. Opposite is the entrance to the Louvre.
Musee du Louvre
The inscription at the entrance of the Louvre Museum caught my eyes immediately. The French Rennaisance style easily seen as its influence. I’ve forgotten now how much we paid for the entrance…though we had to wait a bit in line before we got in, one could just awe at the magnificence of this vast infrastructure.
Dad and son1
That’s hubby and son1 by the (Half) Pyramid at the courtyard. The pyramid is the main entrance to the Louvre itself. The main lobby is actually below the ground.
Daughter by escalator
View from inside the pyramid, though this is when were going up already. Escalators and elevators are available for use.
Winged Victory of Samothrace
That’s Niké en chiton ionique. Also called the Winged Victory of Samothrace. It is one of the surviving masterpieces of Hellenic sculpture despite its significant damage. Believed to date from 220-190 BC. This sculpture stands at the Daru staircase, which is the perfect spot for such a work of art.
Just got tired…
nose gone
Greek sculptures–severed head. Either the parts were lost or the sculptor intended it that way, since during that certain era, sculptors would make less visible parts of statues, also body parts are made separately then assembled together.
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Venus de milo, famous for missing arms and hands
Gold ceiling
Painting on the ceiling…this could be of Roman origin. The most extensive royal abode I visited with gold plated on wall edges is Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace, its ballroom’s ceiling is also painted but without gold in it so I was in awe at this display…I sadly forgot now where this one actually came from.
Sphinx of Tanis
Great sphinx of Tanis. This is one of the largest sphinxes outside Egypt. According to archaeologists, certain details suggest that this sphinx dates to an earlier period – the Old Kingdom (c. 2600 BC).
Mona Lisa
La Joconde, The Mona Lisa. Perhaps the most famous painting in the world, a portrait by Leonardo da Vinci of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo, that has been finally established as a fact just this month. The La Joconde has been subject to many critics and research and at one time; a robbery. Thus, it has been displayed at the museum’s Salle des États inside a purpose-built, climate-controlled enclosure behind bullet proof glass. A wooden rail prohibits the viewers from coming too near the painting. But the guards were so kind to have let us go past it, really thankful!
(This Photo is courtesy of the Free online photos.)
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Paris – Disneyland Resort – Disney Village, Open Souvenir shops
This installment is about the Disney Village, the only park which is free. It is especially built for tourists who only want Disney items for souvenirs and giveaways.
Enjoy the sun-up, sun-down photos. =)
Everything Disney. – Rainforest Cafe.
Disney Fashion Boutique. – Mickey…again.
Disney Store.
Planet Hollywood.
C on a Corvette. – A outside a store.
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