A Trip to Paris

Paris! The city of love! Home to the Eiffel Tower, beautiful architecture, some of the world`s most famous museums and, of course, the Monalisa. This international city is the heart of France as political, economic, social and cultural life. In this documentary we are travelling around Paris in the hope of gaining insight into the life of the city. This is my journey. My first footsteps onto French soil, were here, at the Jardin des Tuileries This beautiful park is located between the Louvre Museum and The Palace de la Concorde, and runs alongside the river Seine. You can always find artists sketching here, This park was once considered the best kept in Europe. And it contais many exquisite statues and pieces of abstract art. After making my way through the park I discovered the Pont des Arts. As you can see, there are hundred of padlocks fixed to the bridge itself. These are called lovelocks. This is a custom by which couples fix these locks onto the bridge to symbolize the everlasting love before throwing the key into river Seine, below. I`ll soon make my way to the Notre Dame. This beautiful cathedral seizes around ten million people through its doors each year. And yet still retains an inspiring sense of calm. Intricate carvings decorate the archades of the west front. The cathedral gardins are full of sparrows looking for ocasional food dropped by tourists. This man, however, seem to be attracting a lot of sparrows as he feds them from his hand. In the twelve century, bishop Maurice de Sully decided that Paris needed its own cathedral. Pope Alexander the third laid the foundation stone in 1163, before the cathedral was completed, nearly two hundred years later, in 1345. A spiritual atmosphere fills the inside of Notre Dame, as the service took place. The Musée du Louvre was the next stop of my journey . The Louvre is one of the most famous art galleries in the world, covering a vast period from around 7000 BC to 1848. The main entrance is through the striking glass pyramid, located in the middle of the large Napoleonian courtyard. Inside the museum, there are around 35 000 works, including what is considered to be the most famous piece of art, the Monalisa. This painting by Leonardo da Vinci, is surrounded by bulletproof glass and a constant crowd of admirers. The Monalisa is located in the same room as a painting by Pablo Vienese. This painting is the largest in the Louvre, with a horizontal lenght of just under 10 meters. Other works, such as Roman art and Egyptian collection can also be found in the Louvre. As the night drew ever closer, I embark from the river cruise, along the Seine. You can see many of the Paris` s famous landmarks in these cruises, from the Eiffel Tower to the Grand Palais and not forgetting Notre Dame. The Seine river is 776 kilometers long. And is said to have a total of 37 bridges crossing over it. I was very fortunate to see the Eiffel Tower spectacular lightshow. And astonishing 10 000 light bulbs contribute to the beautiful light display. I was truly honoured to see this magnificent display. The busy lifestyle of Parisiens is very evident when walking around the streets of Paris. Where you are never too far from a mime. These busy streets contrast with the next stop of my journey, the Sacre Coeur Basilica. The Sacre Coeur meaning "sacred heart" is one of the most prominent landmarks, as it sits at the top of Montmartre`s Hill. It is a Roman catholic church dedicated to the sacred heart of Jesus. It`s beautiful eastern inspiring dome is the second heart point in Paris and the view from the top streches out to fifty kilometers. You are sure to find performers on the steps leading up to the church, like this talented harper who played beautifully. To this day, despite the constant stream of visitors, the Sacre Coeur has not lost its focus as a place of worship. Unfortunately, no photography or filming was allowed in this truly beautiful building. This building is the Centre Pompidou. It houses one of the largest collections of modern art in the world. The cylindrical external escalator can take you from the first floor to the sixth floor, where you can begin to view the exhibitions, working your way down. The square fronting of the centre is always alive with artists and musicians. This treachery dub player is attracting quite a crowd. There is a lot to see inside the Centre Pompidou, and you can always get a bite to eat into a caffe , if you are feeling peckish. The works inside clearly demonstrate the contemporary style of art. With my trip drawing to a close, I had only one place left to visit. The Eiffel Tower Standing at an impressive 324 meters tall, the Eiffel Tower finds its way into many of the city best views. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel was a French structure engineer, as well as an architect and entrepreneur, and a specialist of metallic structures. He was the designer of the Eiffel Tower. It was built from 1887 to 1889, for the Universal Exposition in Paris. The tower` s weight arives at 10 000 tones and has 18 000 metal sections, as well as 2.5 million rivets. There are three levels in the Tower, from level two at 120 m, you can get a good view of the river Seine, as well as the Sacre Coeur. But to get the best views, you need to make your way up to the summit of the Tower, at dizzing height of 280 m. Once you reached the summit, the view is stunning and on a clear day you can see up to 70 km away. The Palais de Chaillot is major businnes district of Paris, beautifully visible from the summit. You can see the river end stretching out of Paris and from this sight, people in vehicles seem to resemble miniature figures. This was a view I certainly will not forget. My time in Paris has finally come to an end. My insight into the city has led me to a new understanding of what made this place so great and the beauty that continues to draw people from far worldwide. This has been my journey, but will it be yours?