Paris (Do you have any museums?)

For those who are considering traveling to Europe for the first time there are several cities that come to mind immediately as must see locations.  Every American should visit London to see the influence the English civilization had on our great nation.  Everyone should visit Rome to see the remains of the once great Roman Empire.  But for most, and understandably so, the first stop is Paris.  Paris is a city filled with history that rivals any major city in the world.  The capital of the many forms of France since 508 A.D., Paris has been an established city since the times Julius Caesar was conquering most of Europe.  Since that time, especially since the 16th-18th Centuries, France rose to be one of the most powerful empires in the world, and one that helped us as a band of colonies defeat the British and win our independence.

Getting to Paris is about as easy as any city in the world.  From Atlanta or New York, you can hop a direct flight to Charles de Gaulle Airport.  From the airport there are numerous options for getting into the city.  There is the train from Terminal 2 that will take you to several major stations in the city.  The cost is about 10€, and takes about half an hour to get to the city center.  Another option, and one we use, was called the RoissyBus.  For about the same price as the train, you get a much less crowded ride that drops you off at the Paris Opera metro station.  Once you get into Paris, their metro system is extremely well run and will get you to any point you need in the city in a matter of minutes.  

The first mistake many travelers make when they arrive in Paris is to make a dead sprint to the Eiffel Tower.  While the tower is beautiful, and worth a visit, it is crowded no matter what time of day you go, so if you looking for something to do you may as well go to the museums while they are open during the day and visit the tower at night while everything else is closed.  Our first stop was Les Invalides, a collection of museums housed together in the heart of the city.  Home to the Musee de l'Armee, the military museum of France, and several smaller museums, Les Invalides is best known as the resting place of the controversial 19th Century ruler of France, Napoleon Bonaparte.  Napoleon rose to power following the French Revolution, and quickly set up an empire that was as dominant as the one he had helped to overthrow.  The tomb they have built for him rivals anything you will see in the world built for any former world leader.  The tomb itself sits in the center of Romanesque rotunda, and sits atop a giant slab of granite.  Napoleon is not the only person buried there either, in fact he is not even the only Bonaparte buried there.  His son, Napoleon II, who died in Austria as a young man, is buried nearby.  Napoleon's brothers Joseph and Jerome, whom Napoleon made kings of Spain and Westphalia respectively, are also there.  Anoter prominent figure buried there is Ferdinand Foch, the supreme commander of Allied forces in World War I. While you are there tour through the military museum and see the evolution of weaponry and armor from primitive, to ornate, to functional.  The decorations that were placed on ancient sets of armor, or early rifles borders on insane, but shows how they viewed war as a gentleman's sport, and you always had to look good no matter what the event.  Of course you need a gun that fires three directions at one time. 

The big one that everyone wants to see is The Louvre.  Let me give you a tip, and please let what what you are reading sink in, you need to get there early, and you need to get the museum pass to get in.  Paris, like many large cities, has created a pass that allows for travelers to get into their local sites for one flat rate fee.  While the cost may seem high at first, if you plan on being an active traveler and are going to more than about three sites the cost is worth it.  Where you really find the pass is worth it is when you get to crowded museums.  The Paris Museum Pass allows you to walk directly up to the door and walk right into the museum, bypassing the nearly hour long wait for most people who show up and try to buy their own ticket.  The time you will save is worth it.  The Louvre is quite possibly the most famous museum in the world, and is an immense series of former palaces connected together to form one of the largest museums in the world.  While me telling you what to see would be ridiculous in a place so big, there are of course the sites everyone flocks too.  Since we got there as the museum was opening, and since our pass got us walk in admission, we were able to sprint to the Mona Lisa and have about five minutes alone with her before the throngs of humanity filled the room to stare into her eyes.  You may also want to check out the Venus de Milo, the ancient statue of the Greek goddess created sometime long before the time of Jesus Christ.  The statue Winged Victory (Nike) is another classic Greek sculpture that pictures a headless goddess spreading her wings in a triumphant pose.  One that I found intriguing was Liberty Leading the People, the iconic image of a half-naked Lady Liberty leading the people during the July Revolution of 1830, another of France's often revolutions against their monarchs.  Check out the ancient Code of Hammurabi, the nearly four thousand year old set of Babylonian laws carved on a basalt stone.  These organization of laws still provides the basic framework for much of the world's legal system.  Along the way you will also see ancient Assyrian, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art.  You can easily spend the entire day in here, easily, and do so if you are enjoying it.  After about six hours we were wiped out from the many miles of walking you will do seeing everything, but it is well-worth the effort.

Now that the night is coming on, make your way towards the Eiffel Tower.   Built as the centerpiece of the 1889 World's Fair by Gustave Eiffel, the once temporary tower has stood as an icon of Paris for more than a century.  The tower is open until 11:00pm each night, and has plenty of dining options for those who would like to dine in one of the iconic locations in the world.  Getting to the top of the tower itself involves standing in line, often for quite some time, then riding an elevator to the main landing before riding up to the top on another modern elevator that gives you a view of the city as you ride.  Please plan on this taking a while, there is no reason to be upset with standing in line for an hour or more.  While it is not fun, since this is one of the most visited sites in the world it should be expected.  Wendy and I played a game of who could make the most ridiculous faces until other people began staring at us, I won.  We had the good luck of coming on a day when many of the employees of the park had gone on strike, which seems to happen quite often in France.  The few employees that were working could only operate one elevator, so once we got to the top we had to walk down the entire tower instead of riding back down.  This walk gives you a unique chance to marvel at the construction of this monster, and how impressive it is that it has stood for so long.  Another tip, beware of pickpockets while you are standing around.  There are gypsies every where hoping to distract you while one of their friends lifts your wallet.  While there are plenty of police around, they cannot protect everyone that is there.

While a list of museums in Paris could go on for days, there are some key ones that are worth the trip including the Musée d'Orsay, the impressionist art museum across the Seine from the Louvre.  For art lovers there are also specific museums to Rodin and Picasso.  For history lovers, if the Louvre and Les Invalides didn't take care of your history itch, try the Carnavalet Museum, one dedicated to the ancient history of the city of Paris itself.  No matter where you go you will have a great time.  With so much to see I do recommend planning wisely and not making it up as you go.  On our next post I will share some ideas on other sites in the city like the must see cathedrals and palaces that seem to be on every corner.