Paris
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Christmas in Paris: City of Light – Part 1
Paris is known as the ‘City of Light’ due, originally, to its leading role during the Age of Enlightenment. More recently it claimed this name by becoming one of the first European cities to adopt gas lighting. And each year at Christmastime it reclaims it yet again when its streets glow with yuletide splendour. I was fortunate to spend Christmas there recently and stayed in a lovely little apartment just off the wonderful market street of Rue Cler in the 7th arrondissement – borough.The days are short in Paris during this festive season. Here, the city is wrapped in a blanket of darkness by 4:30 in the afternoon. So it…
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Sisters of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a New York icon known around the world. She stands as a shining beacon on Liberty Island, offering the hope of sanctuary to the tired, poor ‘huddled masses’. For decades, she was the first concrete sight of the American dream for millions of immigrants entering the United States. In fact, her real name is ‘La Liberté éclairant le monde’ – ‘Liberty Enlightening the World’. Liberty in Paris But did you know that she has a European sister? It’s true! She can be found in the middle of the Seine in the heart of Paris. While the original statue was a gift from France to the…
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The Triumphant Arc de Triomphe
At the top of the Avenue des Champs Élysées stands the majestic Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile, Napoleon’s grand monument to his many military victories. It is a mesmerizing sight, one that I have difficulty taking my eyes off when I am nearby. Fortunately, on one of my recent visits to Paris, I had the opportunity to admire it often as my rental apartment was just a few hundred metres from it. And while I had admired it from a distance before, this time I took a much closer look. As a novice looking at the Arc from street level, one might wonder how that is possible to get up…
