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Paris, France - July 1995

  • chrissihuf
  • Jul 16
  • 4 min read



Brief History/Information

When you say “Paris”, everyone automatically knows what you're talking about… FRANCE! Paris is the capital and largest city of France, and is known for its history, art, fashion, architecture, and culture.

Paris’ history goes very far back. 3rd century BCE, it was first settled by the Celtic tribe known as the Parisii, from whom the city gets its name. 52 BCE, the Romans conquered the settlement. By the 10th century, construction of landmarks such as Notre-Dame de Paris began. 1789, was the French Revolution and Paris was the center of the revolution that overthrew the monarchy and transformed France into a republic.



Paris, France


What we did

We checked out of Nice to take an 8:45pm train to Paris. We purchased a sleeper car in advance and it did not disappoint! The sleeper car was great. Two beds, sink, water, AC, and room for luggage, and locks on the door. We arrived in Paris at 7:30 AM.

We stayed at the Hotel Opera Cadet. It easy walking to the metro. We went to Cimetière du Père-Lachaise. We looked for 45 minutes and finally found Jim Morrison‘s grave. The cemetery has huge tombstones dating me back to the 1600s. We then went by metro to the Louvre Museum, walked around and then wound up at Notre-Dame Cathedral, they have paintings and sculptures from the 1500s. We also took the metro to the Eiffel Tower. We paid to walk up to the first level, which is a n amazing view. We went to Hôtel des Invalides, and saw Napoleon‘s tomb.  We were exhausted but walked to Arc de Triomphe, a monument honoring those who fought for France. It’s on a busy intersection that 12 streets run into it. We paid to go on top and look at the site, took elevator up and had to walk down. We looked for a place to eat and saw Hard Rock Café! The food doesn’t matter, what matters here is the ICE COLD AIR CONDITIONING and the huge pitcher of ICE WATER! 


July 14, 1995. It is Bastille Day which is Independence Day for France. It commemorates the 1789 storming of the Bastille prison, which catalyzed the French Revolution. The parade goes from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde. They had all kinds of troops, marching and uniformed, men on horseback, Air Force fighters, helicopters and planes flying, tanks, and other vehicles driving. After the parade, we walked to Place de la Concorde where there were about 1300 beheadings. We walked to Grand Palis and Petit Palis. Once we left the palaces, we went past blue to Jardin du Luxembourg a great park with mountains and people. Our last day in Paris, we went to Louvre Museum. We went to the Venus Milo first and then to the Mona Lisa. We walked through all three wings saw Napoleon’s third apartment, old Greek sculptures, and Egyptian mummies and sculptures. Egyptian stuff was the best so colorful and old we were there about three hours. Our train left for Madrid at 8 PM.


Major Attractions

  • Eiffel Tower – completed in 1889. Standing at 330 meters, this iron marvel offers breathtaking city views. Advance tickets for the summit or second floor are highly recommended to skip long lines Eiffel Tower Tickets.

  • Louvre Museum – The world's largest art museum and home to the Mona Lisa.

  • Arc de Triomphe – A monument honoring those who fought for France. Commissioned by Napoleon, it sits at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. You can climb to the top for a spectacular, geometrically aligned view of the city.

  • Champs-Élysées – One of the world's most famous avenues.

  • Place de la Concorde - Paris's largest public square, located at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées, connecting it to the Tuileries Garden. Originally named Place Louis XV, it is the site of public executions during the French Revolution, including those of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

  • Notre-Dame Cathedral - A masterpiece of French Gothic architecture on the Île de la Cité. Fully restored, its stained-glass windows and iconic towers remain a top draw Notre Dame Tickets.

  • Musée d'Orsay: Housed in a magnificent former railway station, it boasts the largest collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces in the world.

  • Sainte-Chapelle: Located near Notre-Dame, this 13th-century royal chapel is famous for having some of the most stunning, floor-to-ceiling stained-glass windows in the world.

  • Montmartre & Sacré-Cœur: Wander the cobblestone streets of this historic 18th-century artist quarter and visit the gleaming white Sacré-Cœur Basilica, which sits at the highest point of the city.

  • Jardin du Luxembourg: A tranquil 17th-century park on the Left Bank featuring tree-lined promenades, statues, and the beautiful Medici Fountain.

  • Grand Palis  - a historic exhibition hall and museum complex in Paris, built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle

  • Petit Palis - a fine arts museum in Paris, built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition, housing the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts with collections spanning from antiquity to the 20th century, including French paintings (Monet, Cézanne), sculptures, and decorative arts, all within a stunning Beaux-Arts building featuring a beautiful inner courtyard garden.

  • Le Marais: One of Paris's oldest districts, famous for its hip boutiques, historic architecture, and the beautiful Place des Vosges square.

  • Hôtel des Invalides - a large complex housing museums and monuments related to French military history, originally built by Louis XIV as a hospital and retirement home for war veterans. It contains the Musée de l'Armée (Army Museum), one of the world's largest military museums, and the Dôme des Invalides, a church containing the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte, making it a major landmark with its iconic golden dome. 



Versailles, France


What we did

We went to the metro and picked up train, it took about 40 minutes to get there. We walked up to it in amazement, went to tour a which is Queens and Kings department, Hall of mirrors and battle history rooms. Unbelievable inside all marble ceilings painted from the 1500s beautiful cathedral and a room that has paintings and busts of all great battles and heroes starting from 432 A.D. After the tour we walked behind Versailles to the gardens. Walking up to Versailles is all cobblestone and you need to be careful where step because you might slip.


Major Attractions



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