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| Fontaine des Mers/Paris/ G sutton 2012 |
There are two fountains beside the Luxor Obelisk in the Place de la Concorde, Paris, France. The fountains were completed in 1840 when Louis-Philippe was king.
26 January 2020
Fontaine des Mers Place de la Concorde Paris France
There are two fountains beside the Luxor Obelisk in the Place de la Concorde, Paris, France. The fountains were completed in 1840 when Louis-Philippe was king.
Obelisk from Luxor in Paris France
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| Obelisk/ Paris/ G Sutton 2012 |
The Obelisk is an Ancient Egyptian obelisk taken from the Luxor Temple and currently located at the Place de la Concorde, Paris, France.
Notes
It stands 75 feet high and is made of yellow granite.
The hieroglyphs say good things about Ramses II
It is more than 3,000 years old.
There is another one like it still at the Luxor Temple in Egypt.
It was placed at its current location 25 October 1836.
Muhammad Ali Pasha, Ruler of Ottoman Egypt exchanged it for a French clock.
The fountains on the side date from the time the obelisk was placed on the pedestal.
Arc de Triomphe Paris France
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| Arc de Triomphe 1996 |
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| Arc de Triomphe 2012 |
The Arc de Triomphe was opened by King Louis-Philippe in 1836. Jean-Francois Chalgrin, inspired by Rome's Arch of Titus, was the architect behind this 50 m high (45 m long, 22 m wide) structure.
The Arc de Triomphe is located at Place Charles-de-Gaulle and close to subway lines 1,2 and 6. It is open most days at 10:00 a.m.. Closing times vary by season.
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a wide avenue running between the Place de la Concorde and the Place Charles d Gaulle.
See the website: There's also an app, but I have not used it.
25 January 2020
Eiffel Tower Paris France
The lines were long and only one elevator was operating the evening we visited the Eiffel Tower so we decided to climb the steps. The view is magnificent. It's well worth the visit to this iconic structure.
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| Inside the Eiffel Tower |
Brief facts:
984 feet high and 1,063 feet to the tip.
It was built in 1889 for the 100th year anniversary celebration of the French Revolution
It took 2 years, 2 months, and 5 days to build it.
The website claims it is the most visited monument in the world.
About 7 million visitors come every year.
Tower website https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/the-monument
You can learn more and book tickets at the website.
Also, see the Tour Eiffel on Facebook
Obligatory photos
French name: la tour eiffel
Church of Saint-Pierre Caen Normandy France
The Church of Saint-Pierre is a Catholic church on the Place Saint-Pierre in the center of Caen in Normandy, which is in northern France.
The church was founded in the 900s. The current church was built between the 1200s to the 1500s.
Google map reference https://goo.gl/maps/fMNzWexZzh33Zi5s5
Recently, the church was open at 8 a.m. weekdays.
Check the website for more information: https://sites.google.com/site/saintpierrecaen/home
02 January 2020
How Well Traveled Are You
According to an Agoda survey reported in 2019, nearly 7 of 10 people surveyed had visited up to 10 different countries (68%).
Who travels the most? The UK has the largest proportion of frequent travelers with 5% having visited more than 31 destinations. Runners up were: Australia 4%, Thailand 3% and the US at 2%.
If focused on the average number of foreign destinations visited, the British visit 12 and the Australians, 10.
When focusing on travelers to 10 countries, those in the United Arab Emirates lead at 92% followed by those in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at 82%.
On a very different scale, a website called MTP for Most Traveled People focuses on visits to a list of places on earth. The count of places is huge. The top three people are Americans who have visited 883, 877, and 877 places on the MTP list. The bottom of the top 10 have been to 793 places.
Since I am writing from the US, I looked at how often Americans see the large expanse of the USA. According to IPSOS 2016 survey, the average American has visited 12 states. Florida is the #1 destination--almost half of Americans visit (48%).
Still another approach is that of the Daily Star. In 2017, Laura Mitchell reported that the average person has visited 7% of the 196 countries on the planet--that's 14%.
How many countries are there?
According to worldometers.info there are 195 countries. The UN identifies 241 countries and territories, but the US recognizes less than 200 nations.
Are you look for a list of countries? The World Population Review lists countries and populations. http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/how-many-countries-are-there/
You can also see the UN site for a list of members in alphabetical order: https://www.un.org/en/member-states/
19 November 2019
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Arkansas
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art invites contemplation on art and beauty amidst a peaceful setting in the heartland of America. It's named for the clear water spring that bubbles nearby and the artistic museum bridge, which is a part of the architectural work of Moshe Safdie. The museum opened 11 November, 2011.
I have taken my recent photos with my Lumix Camera.
Inside the museum are works of early to modern American art, which are part of a permanent collection free to appreciate courtesy of Walmart.
The museum includes a 50,000 volume library, special exhibitions, and a museum store all set within an attractive 120-acre park.
In November 2019, we saw the special exhibit, Crystals in Art.
We also saw the Infinity Mirrored Room--My Heart is Dancing into the Universe
by Yayoi Kusama.
Art continues outside on the sculpture trail.
And there are miles of walking trails, which encourage the appreciation of the natural beauty.
Travel notes
Address: 600 Museum Way, Bentonville AR 72712
Website: https://crystalbridges.org/
Audio Guide: There's a free audio guide. We had to get a replacement and the second one worked fine. Artworks included in the guide are marked by a headphone symbol.
Costs: Free parking, free admission, and free use of trails. There are fees for special exhibits. See the website for details.
Hours: Crystal Bridges is open most days, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. See the website for details.
Directions: There is a map on the website. https://crystalbridges.org/visit-crystal-bridges-art-architecture-nature-american-art/
Time to visit: It is easy to spend an entire day at the museum if you take time to see the free and special exhibits and walk the trails. We spent six hours on our last visit with only a brief lunch break. We included one special exhibit plus about an hour on the trails.
Food: There is a restaurant in the museum.
Family: It is a family-friendly setting with activities for children. See the website for details.
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| Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art |
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| Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art |
Connections
Publications (many free downloads)
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