(touristic article)

“I am not a complicated girl…I just want to run away with you…fall in love and eat ice creams in Paris” (M. Faudet)

To come to Paris and not visit these attractions is tantamount to an esthetic crime. Moreover, the list of standard monuments, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, must be supplemented with new and unusual places. Here I want to talk about the attractions that I like the most.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Probably, Notre Dame de Paris – one of the most magnificent buildings in all of France. The appearance of the cathedral alone is worth a lot: the unique architecture in the Gothic style and the gloomy atmosphere enveloping the building completely. The height of the bells is almost 70 meters, and the weight of the largest bell is 13 tons.

The architectural decoration of the cathedral deserves special attention. First of all, I mean the cryptic chimeras cracking on the towers of a building. Or one of the nails with which Jesus was nailed to the cross. One cannot but mention the largest organ of the country, which is stored there, in Notre Dame. Do not forget about the masterpiece paintings and chef-d`oeuvre sculptures presented to the cathedral as gifts.

The Eiffel Tower

The first thing that pops up when thinking of Paris is the Eiffel Tower. To visit Paris without looking at it is simply impossible. Yes, there are many tourists who come to France just only for its gorgeous grandeur.

Near the Eiffel Tower, you can not only take pictures but also go on a tour inside this arty construction. It has three floors:

* 1st floor – a restaurant with gourmet cuisine and several rooms;

* 2nd floor – also a restaurant and a part-time observation deck, from the height of which the panorama of the whole French capital is visible;

* 3rd floor – another specially equipped observation deck, but already from a 300-meter height, giving greater bird-eye visibility.

By the way, in the evening, the tower lights up with thousands of flashing lights. A bewitching sight!

The Louvre museum

It is the Louvre that stores the largest art collection of the world that has turned into an invaluable treasure, which the whole world admires still now. The museum building is divided into two parts: the old and the new. Between the buildings of the modern and historic Louvre, there are two squares and the Carousel.

In the Louvre itself, you can see such masterpieces as:

Nika of Samothrace, Mona Lisa, Venus of Milos, the statue of Ramses II, the sculpture Bound prisoner, the collection of French art, Stella Hammurabi, Vermeer painting – Lacemaker,  Napoleon III apartments…

The Triumphal Arch

The symbol of the French victory in the Battle of Austerlitz, the Arc de Triumph, was erected in December 1805 by the order of Napoleon. The fifty-meter building not only unites the architectural ensemble of the Louvre, the Great Arch and Place de la Concorde but also stores the names of 128 battles won by France and 558 officers of this country. Inside the arch is a museum, in its span, there is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and above there is an observation deck from where you can see the unique Paris and its “Triumphal Way” – several buildings, avenues and monuments that are located on one axis.

Of course, these are not all the main Parisian attractions that you can visit while having a trip to this ‘City of Lights’. If we consider all of them, then it will take a lot of time. But in my opinion, these are the most fine-looking and fascinating places in France which I want to see with my own eyes…Ah! Paris…Amour…Paris…Toujours…And if you have the same wanderlust inspiration, you should not hesitate, you should just buy tickers and book a hotel! As J. Renard says, “Just add three letters to Paris, and you have paradise!”