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Paris in Pictures: Arc de Triomphe

One cannot go to Paris without taking a stroll by all her beloved monuments.  There are so many spectacular things to see ranging from the metallic Eiffel Tower, to the numerous classic sculptures and fountains which line the parks, the gorgeously ornate churches and buildings, and of course the pièce de résistance, the Arc de Triomphe.

Commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 as a symbol of triumph and victory of his army, the Arc de Triomphe is perhaps one of Paris’ most important monuments.  Many armies have walked beneath the arch after claiming victory. Inside the arch are hundreds of names of the generals who fought and died in Napoleon’s wars. There is also The Tomb of the Unknown Solider which is illuminated by an eternal fire.  All this at the center of an enormous Parisien-style roundabout in which twelve grand boulevards come together creates a magnificent place albeit a traffic jam as well. But it is definitely worth a visit as its 284 stairs up to the top of the arch afford a spectacular view of Paris’ at her best.

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France TRAVEL BY REGION TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
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A walk through the right bank of Paris

Our first full day in Paris was spent walking. I find walking to be the best way of exploring a city old or new. I had spent six months living in Paris over twenty years ago and have been fortunate to have been back several times since then. It is a city I know and love yet there is always something new to discover and surprise. Perhaps that is why I find Paris to be one of the most magnificent, breathtaking cities in the world. You can never ever tire of looking at her gorgeous architecture, pristine parks, spectacular sculptures and delightful shops and outdoor cafes. It is a city that will never cease to captivate and stir my soul.

Here are some photos from the morning of our walk starting in the Marais and walking through the Jardin des Tuileries past the world-famous Louvre and up the Champs Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe.  This was the same walk I took many years ago as an impressionable 13-year-old girl on the first time I’d ever seen Paris. I will never forget singing the lyrics of Aux Champs-Élysées…a song I learned in French class, and making a promise to myself that I would someday live in this amazing city. That promise was kept and fulfilled eight years after I laid eyes on Paris. 

A walk through Paris….starting near the Louvre

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France TRAVEL BY REGION TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
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Rooftops

This week’s photo challenge happens to be a favorite of mine: Pattern. I adore the patterns of the brilliant rusty orange-colored tiled rooftop found in homes throughout the world. Two places in particular have my favorite styles: Southern France and Antigua, Guatemala. Here is a sample of some of the dynamic patterned rooftops I’ve captured throughout my travels.

Antigua, Guatemala

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France Guatemala TRAVEL BY REGION TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Weekly Photo Challenges
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Inspiration

“It is impossible to live without failing at something – unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default”. – J.K. Rowling

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This week has been a bit hairy so I thought I’d post some of my favorite photos of mountains I’ve hiked as they always calm my soul. Photos above from France, Nepal and Guatemala. This fall, I will be adding Bolivia to my list of great hikes. 

Stay tuned…

Adventure Travel France Guatemala Nepal TRAVEL BY REGION Trekking/Hiking
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Around le Marais

The Marais district stretching through the 3rd and 4th arrondissements has many amazing sites to see. As mentioned in my earlier post on Le Marais, this gorgeous popular district in Paris was once home to many of the aristocracy who built their famous maisons in spectacular architecture and opulence of the times. A few sites in the Marais are definitely worth your time.

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The Hôtel de Sully is a hôtel particulier, or private mansion, which was built between 1625 and 1630 for the Duke of Sully and today represents one of Paris’ finest examples of Louis XIII architecture. Although you can’t go inside, a walk around this gorgeous work of art is worth your while.

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France TRAVEL BY REGION TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
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Paris through an Olloclip lens

“Look at everything as though you were seeing it for either the first or last time. Then your life on earth will be filled with glory”. -Betty Smith

Before heading to France, I purchased an olloclip three-in-one lens for my beloved iPhone. As an avid Instagram follower, I began to notice all the incredibly cool travel shots with funky angles. I asked a fellow Instagrammer and blogger, 2Summers, who told me about the olloclip. The olloclip is a quick-connect lens solution for the iPhone 5, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and iPod touch that includes fisheye, wide-angle and macro lenses packaged all in the size of large gum ball. For the size of the lens and the price ($69.99), it is an amazing little lens that is so easy to carry and convenient, that it beat dragging around bigger lens for my “real” camera as I walked for hours upon hours in Paris.

Here are some of the shots I got with my olloclip. I didn’t take as many as planned since I used my main camera way more than my iPhone, however, these shots should give you a feel for what this little guy can do. Pretty amazing, huh?

The first three photos are all taken out of my hotel room window in the Marais, looking down at the street below and the last two are in lovely Montmartre. (Note: I didn’t take any pictures with the macro lens yet, just the fish eye and wide angle).

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France TRAVEL BY REGION TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
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Le Marais

Tucked away in the 3rd and 4th arrondissements of Paris’ Right Bank lies the magnificent, historic Le Marais.  Literally translated as “The Marsh”, this district of Paris is where the aristocrats moved and built their ornate “masions” over former marshland as Paris blossomed in the 17th century. The historic gorgeous maisons of the aristocracy remain, as well as the sensational Place des Vosges and other noteworthy sites. Yet by the 19th and early 20th centuries, a new presence entered the area as the nobility moved out: The Jewish Community who were later pushed out and tragically persecuted during the Nazi era and the Vichy regime.

Today, Le Marais is one of the hippest, architecturally beautiful arrondissements in all of Paris.  Tree-lined streets are dotted with gorgeous boutiques, swank cafes and beautiful restaurants that offer the traveler a real Parisien experience. Furthermore, Le Marais’ proximity to so many wonderful historic sites not to mention the Bastille, Place des Vosges and Rue de Rivoli, the premier luxury shopping street, make it a perfect place to base oneself for a stay in Paris. If you want to experience Parisien life in all its splender and authenticity, Le Marais is the place to be.

Here are some pictures from this gorgeous arrondissement, starting with a view from our lovely hotel room in Le Marais.

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France TRAVEL BY REGION
Paris, France Doors
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The Doors of Paris

“Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life”. – Eleanor Roosevelt

In Paris, which is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, I found myself always craning my neck and looking up. Up at the gorgeous architecture and the overly ornate doors that withhold centuries of history. Perhaps my borderline obsession with doors is the mystery of what lurks behind. Or else it is just the amazing diversity and beauty of them. Who knows, but for whatever reason I found myself unwilling to stop taking pictures of them. I was fascinated by each and every door I saw, old, new, plain or ornate.

Here are a few of the doors that captured my imagination the most.

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France TRAVEL BY REGION TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
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Bon Voyage! A week in France….

“Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find them.” – Roald Dahl

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Today I’m leaving for France and I’ll be honest, I can hardly contain my excitement, anticipation and joy. France holds a special place in my heart. I lived there twenty years ago twice, once in Paris as a student at the Sorbonne and the next year in Marseille doing a business internship at the age of 22.

I blossomed in France. I became a woman. The world was at my footsteps and I will always look back at my time in France as one of excitement, discovery, growth and joy. It was one of the best times of my lives, yet thankfully I have many other times that have also qualified for equally as great.

This trip will also be extremely special because not only am I going to revisit all of my most favorite, memory-ladden places, I will also be taking this trip with two extremely special people in my life: My mother and my sister.  Looking back now, although we have traveled a lot as a family I don’t believe we have ever taken a trip just the three of us.

Meanwhile, my wonderful dad is coming (in the place of my mother who has graciously watched my children for the last eight years while I’ve traveled with my dad) to help “babysit” the kids while my husband works. Should be an interesting time. I’ve already typed up five pages of detailed instructions. Looking over at the list, it is no wonder I’m always tired!

While I’m away, I am going to try my hardest not to blog. Instead, I’m going to focus on soaking everything in…the beauty, the architecture, the food, the people, and lovely fantastic Spring in Paris and Provence. I am convinced I will beat my record of 800 photos in a week. What do you think? I’m thinking it will be over a thousand.

So in the meantime, while I’m away, if you are missing my blog you can keep abreast of my pictures and trip via two other sites that I will be updating. You can follow me along on facebook and Instagram where I’ll be posting some of my favorite pics….

Thirdeyemom on Facebook

Thirdeyemom on Instagram

Here is a sample of my site…I’ve become a little addicted to Instagram lately as I love looking at photos so if you know any good ones to follow or you have an account, please let me know.

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I will also try to post one photo a day from my trip on my other photoblog, thethirdeyeworld. Thethirdeyeworld is the sometimes ignored and overlooked little sister of thirdeyemom. If you haven’t checked it out before, please feel free to do so and subscribe!

Sadly, this blog will be left alone with no posts until I get back! I promised myself I wouldn’t waste anytime inside my hotel room writing a blog post when I could be out enjoying France. So stay tuned! 🙂

A bientôt! 

France TRAVEL BY REGION
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The stilted homes of Roatan

Author’s note: This is my last piece on my recent trip to Honduras. To read more posts in this series  click here. The post below is a continuation of my day tour of the Garifuna villages on the island of Roatan).

After our visit to Punta Gorda, we drove to the other side of narrow Roatan to visit another beautiful traditional Garifuna Village, the community of Oak Ridge. Oak Ridge is quite unique as the entire village is built around a large bay and is a fishing community. It has been termed “The Venice of Roatan” which I find a little humorous however it is definitely worth a visit to this picturesque town.

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It was raining and there was no way I could ever have gotten a better shot of Oak Bridge than this one that I found on http://www.2backpackers.com (which is an awesome blog by the way).

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A taste of Machuca in Punta Gorda

Author’s note: This post is part of my series on my recent trip to Honduras. To read past posts on Honduras, click here.

On my last day in Roatan, one of the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras, I took a half day private island tour. I decided to take the tour as opposed to lounging around on the beach because I truly wanted to learn more about the unique Garifuna culture and heritage that makes this island so fascinating.  As much as my body and soul wanted to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the resort at Barefoot Cay, a stronger inherent urge within my mind was begging me to do something more cultural than laying in the sun. Thus, despite my longing to do absolutely nothing for a day, my active mind got the best of me and I booked a five hour private tour with one of the island’s best locals, Ray Anthony.

Honduras TRAVEL BY REGION