A Few More Things From Paris

 I saw so much in Paris, I wanted to show you a little more.  This is the famous Moulin Rouge (red windmill).  Inside is a theater where they put on a dancing show.  We went to see it and it was amazing!  

Near the Moulin Rouge is Montmartre.  In this part of Paris, on top of a very high hill stands Sacre Coeur.  Sacre Coeur is a large cathedral built in the early 1900's.  After you climb a lot of stairs, you are at the highest point in Paris...and so are a lot of other people!  You get an amazing view of the entire city from up there, so people gather to watch the sunset here every night.

One day, we heard a lot of noise coming from the street by our hotel.  When we went to see what it was, we found ourselves in the middle of a giant parade!  Hundreds of people in all kinds of costumes were part of the parade that celebrated Carnival (a yearly celebration).

We also went to a wax museum.  This is a museum where artists make wax sculptures of famous people.

Click here to go to the museum's website!

They look so real!  Here are some pictures of me with Pele, Obama, and Elton John.

Paris is full of so many fun and beautiful things.  Everywhere you go, you are amazed by what you see.  Here are some more pictures I took.

Finally, here a a couple videos of the castle of Versailles.  The first if of the Hall of Mirrors inside the castle.  The second is of a fountain show outside in the gardens.

Bastille Day

July 14 is a very important day in France.  It is called Bastille Day, and is similar to our 4th of July.  Bastille Day is important because it marks the anniversary of the start of the French Revolution.  On July 14, 1790 the storming of Bastille took place.  The people in France were not happy, and wanted a new form of government.  So, the marched on The Bastille (a prison holding many political prisoners) and destroyed it.  This put the French Revolution into motion, which gave them a new type of government.  So,every July 14, giant fireworks displays are put on all over France along with parades and lots of celebrating.  

I was at this beach in Nice to see the fireworks.  People sat on the beach and watched the fireworks being shot off from two boats in the water.  There was also music, food, and lots of fun!  Here is a video of the fireworks.

These last two pictures are of a giant parade in Paris on the morning of Bastille Day and fireworks over the Eiffel Tower.

Paris--The Castle of Versailles

Versailles is a royal castle that is just outside of Paris.  Versailles was built in 1682 by King Louis XIV of France.  In that time in France, the king had absolute power over the country and could do whatever he wanted.  King Louis built this enormous castle to live in, and the kings of France lived there for three generations.

The castle is huge, and the gardens surrounding the castle are even bigger!  It was amazing to see what kind of luxury they lived in.

Around 1789, the French Revolution began.  King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette had to leave the castle.  While the king and queen lived in this type of luxury, many of the common people of France were dying of starvation.  They were also having to pay taxes to the king to pay for everything he wanted.  This made the people very mad and led to a revolution.  The king and queen tried to escape the country, but were captured and beheaded.  This put an end to the French monarchies (that means having a king and queen), and a new type of government was put in place.

Portrait of Marie Antoinette

Paris--The Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame

Last week, I spent the week in Paris.  Also, my mom came to visit me there!  Paris is an amazing city with so much to see.  The picture above is of my mom and me in front of the Eiffel Tower.  Paris is called the "City of Lights" because of all the lights at night.  After dark,  the Eiffel Tower is lit up every hour with beautiful sparkling lights.

 The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 when the World's Fair was being held in Paris.  After the fair was over, the city wanted to tear it down!  But they were convinced by the engineer who built the tower that it could be used for a radio tower.  Good thing that they kept it up, because it is now one of the most famous symbols of France and one of the most visited places in the world!

Paris is a very old city.  It is full of beautiful, old cathedrals (very large catholic churches).  The most famous cathedral in Paris is Notre Dame.  The construction of Notre Dame started in the year 1160.  It is an amazing and very detailed cathedral. 

The last picture is of the famous gargoyles that can be found all over the top of Notre Dame, and are said to protect the cathedral.  If you would like to learn more about Notre Dame or the Eiffel Tower, you can visit these websites!

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/engineering/eiffeltower.html


http://www.squidoo.com/eiffel-tower-facts-for-kids

 http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/spip.php?rubrique94

Escargot

French food is famous all around the world.  Escargot (don't pronounce the "t") is a French delicacy, and it's snails!  Above is a picture of the snail alive.  They cook them and put sauce on them.  Then, you get them out of the shell and eat them.  The other day, I tried it for the first time.  Here is a picture of my plate.

And, here is a video of me eating them!

Tour de France

Two days ago, the annual Tour de France started on the island of Corsica.  The Tour de France is a bicycle race that was first started in 1903, and is very popular here and around the world!  Every year, about 20 teams of 9 riders each participate in the race which lasts 23 days.  During the 23 days, the riders cycle all over France (and sometimes other countries in Europe) being tested on their speed, mountain climbing, and overall performance.  Here is the route they are taking this year.

Yesterday, the cyclists were passing through Nice, so I went to check it out.  It was quite an event!

 

It seemed like the whole city was shut down for the race.  Streets were blocked off, and there were people everywhere excited to see the racers.

Before the racers arrived, there was a giant parade that came through their route.  All sorts of cars and floats came through throwing prizes to the crowd. Mickey Mouse even showed up!

I didn't get very many prizes...haha.  When the racers finally arrived, it turned out that they were doing the speed part of the race.  They sped by so fast, I couldn't get pictures!  This is a picture of some cyclists that were riding for charity before the real race.  

The Tour de France will continue for around the next three weeks.  If you would like to see pictures of the racers, or follow the race, check out this website!

 http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2013/us/