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Showing posts from December, 2013

Notre-Dame : windows and roof

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{ Mar 2012 - Paris, France }

Notre-Dame : the facade

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{ Mar 2012 - Paris, France }

Our Lady of Paris

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{ Mar 2012 - Paris, France } That's the translation for the name of this gothic cathedral, the famous Notre-Dame de Paris. The first time I came across this name and cathedral would be the Disney's animation The Hunchback of Notre Dame! From one end of Île de la Cité , we walked by Sainte-Chappele (did not manage to get in) and La Conciergerie (where prisoners were kept during the French Revolution, including Marie Antoinette). We were met with this imposing symmetrical gothic facade. There were lots of people on the square in front admiring the facade. We were mesmerised by the front and was so excited, that we went straight in! The inside of the cathedral was as beautiful as the outside - from the nave, the apse, the organ, the alter and the chandelier hanging down from the ceiling. And of course, we went up to the roof and towers to see some of the older bells and the gargoyles! They all looked different with different positions. It would definitely have been a better

Place Dauphine in Île de la Cité

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{ Mar 2012 - Paris, France } A small little island right in the middle of Paris and surrounded by the river Seine - that's Île de la Cité. It is considered the epicentre of the city, and it is where the famous Notre Dame Cathedral is on. Wanting to start our exploration of Paris on our first day , we started on the other side of the island. We reached it via Pont Neuf, where we were instantly met by the statue of Henry IV right in the middle of the bridge. Pont Neuf means "New Bridge" but it is now the oldest standing bridge in Paris. From here, we took some steps down to the River Seine, and had our first stroll along the river bank. Just a few steps from there, we walked into an open triangular square. This small, quiet and charming Place Dauphine is a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city if you ever needed to wind down. Just to think that across the river bank, are all the traffic and people in the metropolitan Paris. W

First day in Paris

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{ Mar 2012 - Paris, France} Before I started to plan the trip to Paris, I was never a Paris kind of girl. When I think of Paris, I thought of those classy Parisian ladies with their Chanel bags and stilettos. I am not one of those, and while France was in my list of country to visit, I never really yearned to go. That is, until I started seeing photos of miniature Eiffel Tower , started watching French movies (love Audrey Tautou!) and read about living and travelling in France. That probably started in late 2010, started planning the trip to Paris (and around) in late 2011 and was there in spring 2012! When I reached Paris, I probably caught the Paris syndrome. It caught me by surprised just how beautiful and mesmerising it was. I kept telling myself and my boyfriend then (now, husband), "We are in Paris!" While I expected it to be pretty, the real thing was more than I expected. There was just something about it, something that I can't really pinpoint even till n

Animals, rocks and sand in Kangaroo Island

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{ Australia Feb/Mar 2009 - Day 7 & 8 - Kangaroo Island, South Australia } The first day in Kangaroo Island was spent with a lighthouse, honey farm, fish and chips and small tiny penguins. The remaining two days had more lighthouses, limestones, rocks and sand with lots of animals thrown in between. Woke up in the morning at the Emu Bay Holiday Homes and getting acquainted with the area we spent the night. Arrived very late the night before and the whole area was pitch black! And before we know it, we had to leave! Oh well, that's the thing about road trip around a big island - you can't really stay put in the same place. We drove to a nearby town to a simple brunch and coffee. First stop for the day is to the most charming little square-shaped lighthouse, Cape Borda. We went there just in time to see the historic cannon being fired - specially for just the two of us! Yes, it was pretty empty when we got there. There were the old lighthouse keepers cott