Le Louvre Paris France

Le Louvre is a must see museum in Paris. The grand palace, which houses the museum, dates from the 1100s. The palace was the royal residence until 1870. Inside are vast collections of works from ancient civilizations as well as art from the Middle Ages until 1848. See the website for much more detail: louvre.fr

There are special exhibitions and events, which are on the website. The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays as of the date of this post. It is open other days at 9:00 a.m. and closes at 6 or 9:45 p.m. on other days.

There is an entrance fee. Details can be found at the website. It is one of the places included in the Paris Pass.

It is located at 75058 Paris. The close metro is Palais-Royal Musee du Louvre lines 1 and 7

The nearby Tuileries Gardens are open at 7 or 7:30 a.m. depending on the time of year.

Of course, no visit is complete without seeing the Mona Lisa, which can be hard to see when busy.












And there's so much more to see-- a few examples of pictures.















I didn't see enough- I hope to return.

Sacré-Cœur Basilica Paris France

Sacre Couer Paris/ G Sutton 2012

Sacré-Cœur (Sacred heart of Jesus) is a Basilica on Montmartre (Mount of Martyrs) in Paris, France. The hill was an ancient place of worship for Druids and then for the Romans and their gods. Christians also built religious places on this hill.

The current church was built in the 1800s. The official website describes the style as Romano-Byzantine.

In addition to visiting the basilica, the mount offers a variety of eateries, interesting shops along the nearby streets, and great views of the city.

My photos were taken 9 March 2012.

Paris from Montmartre/2012/ G Sutton

Paris view from Montmartre/ 2012/ G Sutton

Fontaine des Mers Place de la Concorde Paris France

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.

Obelisk from Luxor in Paris France

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

Arc de Triomphe 1996

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.

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.

Inside the Eiffel Tower

The tower is made of wrought-iron and located at Champ de Mars, 5 Avenue Anatole, in Paris. It is named for the engineer, Gustave Eiffel.

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

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/

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.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Connections

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My Books   AMAZON     GOOGLE PLAY STORE

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   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton

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Publications (many free downloads)

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton   (PhD)     

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Shakespears Globe Theatre London England

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre is by the River Thames in London. Visitors can see plays and other events at the Globe Theatre and the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.

Tours are available and there's food and drink at the Swan Bar & Restaurant.

The Globe is close to Southwark Bridge and a short walk from the train stations of Blackfriars and London Bridge. Several bus routes serve the area.


Address
21 New Globe Walk
Bankside
London SE1DT

Globe website

See more places at VISIT LONDON ENGLAND

My website is suttong.com

MARBLE ARCH LONDON ENGLAND

The Marble Arch was designed by John Nash in 1827. It was part of the state entrance to Buckingham Palace. It was relocated to its current setting at the junction of Oxford Street, Park Lane, and Edgware Road.

The arch is based on the design of the Arch of Constantine in Rome and the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in Paris.


See more London Places at VISIT LONDON ENGLAND

See my website: suttong.com

MIND the GAP
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Golden Carousel London England

The Golden Carousel is on the South Bank of the River Thames between the London Eye and Hungerford Bridge. It is a traditional English carousel with painted horses.

You might like this fun and informative guide to British words and phrases

Mind the Gap on AMAZON  and  GOOGLE

 

Here is the website for the Golden carousel

See more Things to Do and Places to see at VISIT LONDON ENGLAND

My website:  suttong.com

Harrods of London England

Harrods is an incredible department store on five acres on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The store focuses on high-end goods but you can buy some reasonably priced souvenir items, including a Harrods' bear.

Online information in 2019 indicated there were 330 departments and 23 restaurants. It is the largest department store in Europe.  Harrods employs over 5000 staff from 50 different countries to serve up to 300,000 visitors a day from all over the world.

The London store was founded by Charles Henry Harrod in 1849 as a grocery shop. The current store was built in 1905. In 2010, the store was purchased by Qatar Holding.

The central escalator is a favorite spot to visit and take photos.

Another favourite location is the food hall on the ground floor.

A Harrods bear is a popular souvenir--especially in a famous green Harrods bag.

Check out the lower level.

I noticed some impressive Lego sculptures too.

Notes
The "Egyptian Escalator" is a fabulous place to see. There are stairs, other escalators, and lifts (elevators).
They do have toilets for customers throughout the store.

There are many cafes and restaurants throughout the store.

You might like this fun and informative guide to British words and phrases. 

Mind the Gap on      AMAZON       and     GOOGLE

 

For more information and photos of London go to VISIT LONDON ENGLAND

My website suttong.com