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Built by the engineer Gustave Eiffel in 1889 for the Universal Exhibition, the Tower is 320 metres high, made from 7,000 tonnes of iron, and consists of 1652 steps. From the top (third level) one can enjoy the view of Paris in a radius of 70km, which is amazing at night! Starting from year 2000 the Tower lights up with thousands of sparks for 10 minutes every hour in the night.
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 From the Top |
 Statue of Eiffel |
 Sparkling! |
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 Place de la Concorde |
 River Seine |
 Arc de Triomphe |
This is the work of Chalgrin (1806-1836), in honour of the Napoleonic armies. Underneath lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a symbol of the 1914-1918 war, watched over by the Remembrance Flame which is rekindled every evening. It stands 49 metres high. From the top, one can enjoy the view of the 12 radiating avenues that form a star shape. One of the avenues is Champs-Elysees, renowned as the world's most beautiful shopping street.
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This is a masterpiece of Gothic art, built between the years 1163-1345. Many a historical events were held here, including the trial to rehabilitate Joan of Arc in 1455, the coronation of Napoleon 1 as Emperor in 1804 and the celebration of the Paris Liberation on August 26 1945. It also serves as the "origin" of France -- the French road network distances are calculated from the Cathedral's square, which is considered "km 0",
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 La Sainte Chapelle at the back |
On our way from Notre Dame to Chatelet Metro Station, we came across Leon Lai 黎明! He was shooting the movie 不死情迷 with the Japanese star 瀨戶朝香. They were posting for some journalists in a coffee shop, apparently having finished the work for the day. We were prevented from taking photos of them. However, Leon did turn his face to us, letting us take some better shoots of him, before getting on his car!
 After posting for journalists |
 We were prevented from taking photos |
 Side view of Leon! |
 Leon getting on his car, turning his face to us. |
 Leon, closer look! |
 Leon comfortably in his car, awaiting departure! |
 瀨戶朝香 |
The construction of this beautiful white church was a national will following the defeat of the 1870 Franco-Prussian war. Owing to the invasion by Germany, the construction was not completed until 1919, after the French victory.
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 A view of Paris from the church. |
The Grand Louvre, the former home of the kings of France, consists of 4 levels, with the collections divided into 7 departments, representing almost all the major civilisatoins: (i)Oriental antiques and Arts of Islam, (ii)Egyptian antiques, (iii)Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiques, (iv)Sculptures, (v)Objets d'art, (vi)Paintings and (vii)Prints and Drawings. The glass pyramid, realized by Leoh Ming Pei貝聿銘in 1989, leads us to the Reception Area of one of the largest museums in the world.
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 On exit to Metro |
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 Mona Lisa |
 Venus de Milo |
 The Winged Victory of Samothrace |
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This hollow, 110 meter sided cube, made in a single block and reinforced by enormous structures which are the framework of the buidling, needed 10 years to complete. Surrounding the structure is Paris' business area, comprising skyscrapers of the modern architecture. Buildings of all shapes can be found here, be it spherical, retangular, rhomboid etc. There's also an iMax cinema.
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The underground transport system in Paris consists of 15 lines with a total of 375 stations, covering almost anywhere in Paris. It is claimed that one can find a Metro station within every 500 meters! The Metro system is notorious for its smell and complexity in finding the correct line and direction. Surprisingly, perhaps after experiencing the London Underground system or such advanced "warnings", we find the Paris Metro easy to handle. At least we never asked for direction!
However, there's some unforgettable memory.... I became the target of a local French pick-pocket. He snatched my digital camera from the outside pocket, which was exposed, of my coat. Luckily.... really very luckily, my hand felt his pick-pocketing, and I immediately snatched my camera back--from HIS hand! He even said "what happened" in French! It was daytime, with not many passengers in the train... If I knew French.. if it were my homeland, I would have taken him to the police! At least I would let the passengers around know what he was trying to do! I consider myself as lucky, since tourist are usually easy targets for pick-pockets. Had I paid less attention to my pocket, as I sometimes did, my dear camera would have been gone!
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We crossed the English channel by coach. An 8-hour journey!
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The food in Paris is really cheap and good! For around HK$75 per person you can have a 3-course dinner in a nice French restaurant! For a little bit more you can taste the all-too-famous Bourg (French snail, around HK$44 for 6) or a big basket of Moules (mussels, around HK$80). And remember you would be eating in an authentic French Restaurant! We had dinner in the area near the Metro station Les Halles, where we found quite a number of restaurants and fast food shops. Of course one cannot leave Paris without trying their croissant and French loaf.
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March 2001 |
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