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