France pictures post later
Paris in the Spring time (DD, May'08)
Here he is, in Europe! TeranUSA who was last seen flying a single engine Katana back home, is now in France. Could not let TeranWorld have all the fun on his global pursuit with Eric, could we? The Ds were generous to let Teran tag along- spring time in Paris and Ireland can't be more gorgeous!
2597: This is a picture with Teran in front of the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is 984 feet tall and was built in 1889 to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the French Revolution. It was supposed to be demolished twenty years later, but people loved it, so it was allowed to survive. In hot or cold weather it can shrink or grow up to 6 inches. About 4 million people visit it a year. Now, your gnome makes it 4 million and 1!
2612: This is taken across the street from the entrance to the Louvre--at the Louvre Antique Market (I bet you thought everything in the Louvre was already an antique, right? So did I! But there are some they sell--and some they don't!). The Louvre is a pretty famous museum housed in a palace that was started in the 1300s. Besides all the art and scupture, the walls and ceilings--everything about the architecture--is also a work of art. And they hold fashion shows there (you know the ones you only hear about on TV?) in January and June.
2613: Teran is in front of the Palais Royal (Royal Palace), built in the 1600s. It was originally built for Cardinal Richelieu (you might know of him from reading about the Musketeers). After he died, Louis the XIV was moved into the building with his mother (she was regent, meaning he was too young to rule so she had temporary ruling power). Eventually Louis moved out to Versailles and left his brother Philippe to live there. He made it into a a party house, and eventually (because the police were banned from being there) the place became a spot for all kinds of bad behavior and revolutionary ideas. Today, it houses government offices and this courtyard, which is a bizarre artistic design of black and white pillars of varying heights poking up through the courtyard (in some spots you can see them extending below, too!). They don't seem to fit the design of the building, but maybe they fit the odd history?
2631: Teran looks very small because we couldn't get it any higher, but you can see how big the statue of Joan of Arc is. The statue stands in an important place (Paris has lots of Places--not like a place in English, but more like a spot--center, park, opening--where something of interest exists. You probably know all about Joan of Arc who was burned at the stake in 1431 when she was still quite young. She claimed to have had a vision, and her example and dedication (and her death!) renewed the French will to win a war with England that had been going for 100 years! Today, when people in France want to rebel or start a demonstration, it often starts in this square (place), with Joan of Arc seeming to encourage the fight.
2632: We thought this was a cool shot. Teran here is in Place de la Concord. In the background, you can see the Tour Eiffel, but here you can see (closer) the obelisk that someone in Egypt (some Pasha) sent to France in exchange for a clock for his mosque. Some exchange! The obelisk is 3300 years old. Before it was in this very large Place (again, not a place--but a spot), there was a statue of Louis XV on a horse. Then, during the revolution, this was a big place for the guillotine--some 1300 people lost their heads on this spot. Now the Place is at one end of what's considered the most famous street in the world: The Champs Elysee. Embassies and gardens surround it--and there's lots of traffic swirling around, too, as you can imagine. Your gnome had plenty of company when he visited the Place.
Au vior
-Tasting the flavor of places across the globe,Teran and Pepper (aka Kasey)
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