Saturday, February 4, 2012

Coming Attractions: Paris

The day after I arrive in the lovely city of London, Dana and I hop a Eurostar train midway through the day and head in the direction of France. We're staying for a weekend in Paris (just missing Valentine's Day by two or three days!) and I'm compiling a list of things that could possibly be interesting. First of all, to get them out of the way, some of the more obvious ones:

- The Eiffel Tower (48.8583N, 2.2945E) How original. Built in 1889 for the World's Fair, it's Paris (and for that matter, France's) most famous landmark.
- The Arc de Triomphe (48.8738N, 2.2950E) Also very original. Commissioned by Napoleon and finished in the 19th century, it was the largest arch in the world until a knock-off was constructed recently in Pyongyang.
- The Louvre (48.8620N, 2.333686E) The most-visited art museum in the world. Contains the Venus de Milo, the Mona Lisa, and so many more iconic works of art. It originally opened near the turn of the 19th century.
- Parisian Catacombs (48.8337N, 2.3322E) The catacombs of Paris hold the remains of approximately six million people who perished in the 12th century and onward.
- Musée des Arts et Métiers (48.8658N, 2.3554E) Parisian museum of arts and crafts. Specifically, the Foucault Pendulum, which was the first experimental proof that the earth rotated.

Now, a few from the depths of Atlas Obscura:

- Fragonard Museum (48.8127N, 2.4221E) One of the oldest museums in Paris, opened in 1766, which is quite similar to Philadelphia's Mutter. Made up of the collections of Honore Fragonard, a physician who was declared a madmen for his flayed figures and displays of pathology.
- The "I Love You" Wall (48.8847N, 2.3388E) A 400+ square foot wall covered in lava tiles that each bear the words "I love you" in a different language.
- Arènes de Lutèce (48.8450N, 2.3527E) The remains of a Roman amphitheater inside Paris proper. Said amphitheater played host to the gladiatorial and animal fights that Rome was famous for. Since its rediscovery, it has been restored, the 17,000-person and 2,000-year-old piece of history standing as a marker of the city's past.
- Musee de Plans-Reliefs (48.8546N, 2.3124E) Starting from as far back as 1668, the French monarchy created over a hundred models of various cities a territories that were used by military planners.
- The Room of Endangered and Extinct Species (48.8433N, 2.3637E) Part of the Grand Gallery of Evolution, this room showcases over two hundred animal species that have been pushed to the brink of or past the brink of extinction over the years.
- Mini-Paris (48.7772N ,1.9634E) A miniature model of Paris meticulously built over twenty years by a single man.
- Pomze Paris (48.8750N, 2.3169E) A restaurant that resembles an Iron Chef competition with the special ingredient "apples." Over 120 apple-inspired dishes. Features the motto of "Let yourself be tempted and enter the world of apples."

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