Part 2 of the epic Paris adventure - today we'll be focusing on two locations in close proximity of each other - Pont Alexandre III and Les Invalides. Just a heads' up - there are differences in cloud formation for the Pont Alexandre III pictures, and that's because I went to Pont Alexandre III twice.
Pont Alexandre III was also the very first place I visited when I went to the main city area (Montmartre - the place I covered in the previous post - is slightly out of the main city area). The Pont Alexandre III is actually a deck-arched bridge that was built between 1896 and 1900, and features Art Noveau lamps, cherubs, nymphs and other intricate details. And it's also regarded as one of the most ornate bridges in the world. It's been used as a filming location for a number of movies (including my favourite - A New Kind of Love (1963) - where one of the characters is mistaken for a man right on this bridge!). And here it is - in its full glory.
Here are some pics of the decorations on the bridge - these included lions, children, and many others. All these were really well maintained - and right in the middle of the bridge, there was a very prominent sculpture - Nymphs of the Seine.
One of the four "fames" (restraining Pegasus). These "fames" were located on all four corners of the bridge and were made of bronze. The main intention of these were for decorative purposes - and the pillars on which they are on actually provide support to the bridge.
Oh and I also caught a glimpse of the iconic Tour Eiffel - from Pont Alexandre III! More pics to that later - we actually CLIMBED up the Tour Eiffel...and felt so great after that :)
Ended up on the other side of Pont Alexandre III, and decided to head to the Grand Palais (full name - Grand Palais des Champs-Elysees) and Petit Palais area - both of which have been turned into art museums.
The first thing I spotted on the Grand Palais - this gorgeous sculpture right in front of the glass roofs.
And here is the facade of the Grand Palais! On the day we went, it was closed, so we didn't get to go in. But being able to photograph the ornate details on the building itself was such an enjoyable experience! The Grand Palais was originally constructed to house artwork - and has been so, even up till today. It was briefly used as a military hospital in World War I and then as headquarters for the Parisian Resistance in World War II. Apart from that, it usually functions as an art centre. Well - its gorgeous exterior reflects the amount of artistic creativity and effort put in to build and maintain it!
Lovely Corinthian order columns on the facade - and some other fascinating details behind these columns...and around the building itself. Up till today, I'm still so fascinated by the beauty of this building, and I really don't mind going back to Paris to photograph this building again!
Another beautiful landmark worth photographing is the Petit Palais - just directly opposite the Grand Palais. The Petit Palais was actually built around the same time as the Grand Palais - and was also originally meant for art exhibitions. The Petit Palais was designed by Charles Girault. When we went - there was an exhibition going on - and the queue was so long!
Needless to say - I was also fascinated by the details on the Petit Palais - especially the beautiful gold gates!
Ah yes - there we go - the Carl Larsson exhibition, which was being held in the Petit Palais. I actually caught a little glimpse of the interior of the Petit Palais, and was totally fascinated by the beauty of it all!
Was quite a risky move - but I went to stand in the middle of the road separating the Grand Palais and Petit Palais - to take a pic of Les Invalides...this shows how close all these landmarks are, in relation to each other. And that made it really easy for us to find our way around, especially in this part of the city!
Ah yes - Les Invalides in its full glory! Check out the beautiful golden dome! I took these pics while walking across the Pont Alexandre III, to get to Les Invalides. Zoomed in with my telephoto lens as I was curious about this gorgeous landmark, and the first thing I noticed was the golden dome!
Les Invalides is officially known as L'Hotel national des Invalides (literally translated as The National Residence of the Invalids), and is dedicated to war veterans who risked their lives during the war. This building was originally used as a residence for war veterans and also housed a hospital. Now - there's a war museum housing weapons and artillery, from the 13th century all the way to World War II. The war museum was established in 1905.
Les Invalides was one of the most beautiful buildings I've seen ever. Construction began in 1671, initiated by King Louis XIV. In fact - I noticed that some of the decorations on the building commemorated King Louis XIV. He was also known as the Sun King - and this was actually reflected on one of the decorations on the outside of the building (third picture from this caption).
Oh yes - the lighting definitely worked in my favour that day, and I got the soft effect I wanted for the building :) Kind of contrasting to the original purpose of the building...but I really like soft lighting. So there we go! Needless to say - more pics of the details! I always look out for details on these beautiful buildings.
Some of the weapons from the war museum - featured in full glory in the courtyard of Les Invalides. The last time I saw such weapons was when I went to Vienna last year and visited the Vienna War Museum - that's another beautiful building, with a really impressive collection and interior design.
The courtyard of Les Invalides. At the opposite end of the courtyard (directly opposite from where I was standing at that time) was the iconic gold dome which I was so fascinated over...as well as a statue of Napoleon standing at a window. The tomb of Napoleon is also situated in Les Invalides.
While walking across the courtyard to the chapel of Les Invalides, I was fascinated by these decorations near the roof...so out came my zoom lens.
Oh yes - I've recently been fascinated with staircases as well. This staircase was situated near the Les Invalides chapel. More staircase pictures coming up - when I feature Arch du Triomphe, and Dijon pics - in the near future.
Here's the front facade of the Les Invalides chapel - and this was where the iconic gold dome was situated (as you can see, I'm actually really fascinated by that gold dome!). This chapel is known as Chapel of Saint-Louis-des Invalides, and was built in 1679.
Outside the chapel - there were these immaculately-trimmed hedges, and it formed some kind of maze. So I had a walk through it.
And that sums up my Pont Alexandre III and Les Invalides photos! In the next post - be prepared to be mind-blown by the Opera Garnier - yet another landmark in Paris, and a must-see for musicians (for very good reasons that will be revealed soon). I may actually have to dedicate more than one post for the Opera Garnier as that was the best place I've ever visited!