Top Attractions of Paris France - Jardin du Luxembourg Luxembourg Garden

The Jardin du Luxembourg is probably the most popular park in Paris. The park, situated near the Latin Quarter, offers a lot of variety and attracts all kinds of people, from students and parents with children to tourists.

Jardin du Luxembourg

The 22.45 hectare large park (about 55 acres) can get pretty crowded when the sun comes out. Students come here to rehearse their courses, neighbors come here for a stroll and like with all great places in Paris, there are always plenty of tourists. But despite its popularity, the Jardin du Luxembourg is plenty enjoyable and a welcome relief from the crowded Parisian streets.

History

The park was originally owned by the duke of Luxembourg, hence the name. The domain was purchased in 1612 by Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henry IV. After the king was murdered in 1610 she decided to move out from the Louvre to a new residence.

Marie de' Medici was of Italian descent and had spent her youth in Florence at the Pitti Palace. The Boboli garden at this palace was the inspiration for the Jardin du Luxembourg. 

 

She commissioned Salomon de Brosse with the construction of a new palace and had the garden laid out in Italian fashion. At the time the garden was quite small due to the existence of a Carthusian monastery to the south of the palace. Despite the insistence of Marie de' Medici the Carthusians refused to leave and the garden stretched no further than the current octagonal pond.

Almost two hundred years later, during the French Revolution, the Carthusians were forced to leave when revolutionaries confiscated the monastery. This paved the way for a significant expansion of the gardens and a redesign in a more French style. Baron Haussmann, during his massive urban renewal of Paris in the mid nineteenth century, nibbled at the edges of the park, but it is still one of the largest green spaces in the center of Paris.

The Park

 Relaxing in the park

Orangery

In the middle of the park is a large octagonal pond, known as the Grand Bassin. Here, children can rent small boats. The Jardin du Luxembourg boasts many other attractions for children such as a puppet theater, pony rides, a merry-go-round and a large playground.

Around the pond are nice lawns, paths, and some of Paris's most beautiful flower beds, all laid out in a geometrical pattern and enclosed by a balustrade. Numerous statues adorn the park. This is also one of the parks where you can simply get hold of one of the many chairs and take it to the exact spot where you want to sit. The park is also popular with chess players and jeu de boules players. There's also a tennis court, a music pavilion and an orangery in the park. Right behind the orangery is the Musée du Luxembourg, a museum that is only open for temporary exhibitions.

Fountains

The Jardin du Luxembourg features several noteworthy fountains. The most famous one is the Fontaine Médicis, a romantic Baroque fountain designed in the early seventeenth century. 

 

 

Fontaine Médicis

It is located at the end of a small pond at the northeast side of the park. A central sculpture group shows the Greek mythological figure of Polyphemus who observes the lovers Acis and Galatea. It is flanked by allegorical figures depicting the rivers Seine and Rhône.

Very few people realize that there's another fountain, the Fontaine de Léda, at the back of the Fontaine Médicis. This fountain was created in 1806. A relief shows a mythical scene with Leda and Zeus disguised as a swan. 

 

Fontaine Delacroix

 

 

There's a third fountain on the other, west side of the palace. It honors the French painter Eugène Delacroix and consists of a rectangular basin with six jets. At the center is a tall pedestal with a bust of the painter. Sensual allegorical statues of Time, Glory and Genius stretch from a plinth towards the bust.

At the southern end of the park, in an extension known as the Jardins de l'Observatoire, is yet another fountain, the Fontaine de l'Observatoire. The monumental fountain was created in 1873 by Davioud, Carpaux and Frémiet. The centerpiece of the fountain shows a globe supported by four women, each representing a continent.

Statues

 La Liberté

There are almost seventy statues and monuments scattered around the park. Among them are twenty statues of French Queens, including Marie de' Medici. The patroness of Paris, Sainte-Geneviève, is another woman whose effigy you can find here. Many of the statues in the Jardin du Luxembourg honor famous (mostly French) people, from politicians and scientists over sculptors and painters to poets and composers like Chopin and Beethoven. Other statues depict animals or are inspired by mythology, such as the Dancing Faun.

Many visitors will be surprised to see La Liberté, a miniature version of the Statue of Liberty created by Auguste-Bartholdi himself. And there's also a bit of Rome in the Jardin du Luxembourg thanks to the Bocca della Verità monument, which depicts a woman who puts her hand in the Mouth of Truth.

The Palace

Palais du Luxembourg

 

Between 1615 and 1627 the Palais du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Palace) was constructed at the northern end of the Jardin du Luxembourg.

The palace was built for Marie de' Medici, who was nostalgic about her youth at the Pitti Palace in Florence, so she asked the architect, Salomon de Brosse, to look at the Pitti Palace for inspiration, hence the Florentine style of the palace. The widowed queen did not get the time to enjoy her new palace and gardens for long as she was banished by Richelieu in 1625, before the palace was completed.

In 1794, during the French Revolution, the palace served as a prison. It also served as the headquarters of the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. The building currently houses the French Senate.

Top Attractions of Paris France Versailles Palace (Château de Versailles)

The magnificent Château de Versailles is a testimony of the Sun King's extravaganza. The Palace and its magnificent formal garden became the quintessential model for palaces in Europe.

Brief History

 Versailles Palace

 Versailles Palace

Versailles Palace and garden

Facade of the Versailles Palace

The town of Versailles sits about 20 kilometers outside of Paris. The first mention of the town and estate was in 1038, when the name appeared in a charter of the Abbey of Saint-Père de Chartres. By the end of the

11th century, Versailles was a country village enveloping a castle and the church of Saint-Julien, remaining prosperous until well into the 13th century. After the Hundred Years War, however, only a handful of people lived there.

Royal Presence

In the 16th century, the Gondi family became the rulers of Versailles and the town began to gain acclaim when future King Louis XIII visited and became enamored with the site. He purchased land in the area and proceeded to build a small brick and stone lodge there in 1622.

 Statue of King Louis XIV, Venus Room, Versailles

Statue of Louis XIV

 Ornate door in the Venus Room

Ten years later, he became the lord of Versailles and began enlarging his lodge. Soon, he purchased more land as well as Gondi's estate. Louis XIII dies in 1643.

The Sun King

In 1662, the new king - Louis XIV - took an earnest interest in Versailles. Louis XIV, also known as The Sun King, distrusted the Parisians and wanted to move his Royal Residence away from the Louvre Palace, which was at the heart of constant political turbulence. The Sun King was largely responsible for the expansion that resulted in the building that still stands today. He hired architect Louis Le Vau along with artist Charles Le Brun to carry out the work on this Baroque masterpiece, which became the quintessential model for all palaces in Europe. Famed gardener André le Nôtre was responsible for the unequalled Versailles Garden.

Royal Chapel

After Le Vau's death, Jules Hardouin- Mansart was commissioned to triple the size of the palace. Under his watchful eye, the northern and southern wings, the Orangerie, the Grand Trianon (a chateau) and the Royal Chapel were constructed. Later additions included the Opera and the Petit Trianon (a small chateau), which was built between the years 1761 - 1764 for Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour.

The French Revolution

During the French Revolution, the incredible collection of paintings, antiques, and other works of art that had been amassed at Versailles were transferred to the Louvre and other important items went to the National Library and Conservatory of Arts and Crafts. Most of the furniture, historians say, was sold at auction.

A Palatial Museum

 Royal palace

After the Revolution, Napoleon spent his summers at Versailles until he abdicated. Later, it was Louis-Phillipe who, in 1830, transformed the chateau into a grand museum, dedicated to "the glory of France." The Chapel, the Opera, and the Hall of Mirrors were preserved but many smaller apartments were destroyed to make room for spacious exhibition halls. In the 1960s, however, curator Pierre Verlet was responsible for getting some of the furnishings back and restoring a number of the royal apartments.

Today, visitors to Versailles can visit much of the interior of this spectacular palace, as well as its world-famous garden.

Interior

Notable rooms include:

• Hall of Mirrors
  The Hall of Mirrors - Some call this Louis XIV's most notable contribution to Versailles. The main feature of the hall is the seventeen mirrored arches that reflect the seventeen arcaded windows which look out onto Versailles equally- magnificent garden. Each arch contains twenty-one mirrors, for a total of 357 in all. This magnificent hall measures 73 meters long, 10.5 meters wide, and 12.3 meters high (240x34x40ft). Statues and busts line the walls. The Hall of Mirrors has always played an important role in history including in 1919, as the First World War officially ended when Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles in this hall.

 

 Hall of Mirrors, Versailles Palace

Detail of the Hall of Mirrors in the Versailles Palace

Corridor in the Versailles Palace 

Royal Chapel, Versailles Palace

• 

   Ornately decorated ceiling, Versailles Palace
  Chapel of Versailles - The current chapel of Versailles is the fifth at the palace. Construction began in 1689 and was completed around 1710. It features a "tribune" on the same level as the royal apartments, overlooking the nave, where the kings would sit when they attended mass. The architecture is a combination of Gothic and Baroque. Many of its features resemble cathedrals of medieval times, including the gargoyles and pointed roof, but other features are more reminiscent of the era in which it was built, including colored marble tile floors, columns, and carved pillars.
• The Grand Apartment - Originally known as the Apartment of the Planets (the 7 salons of this apartment each featured a painting of a planet),
  
  

  
  The Queen's bedroom

• this was King Louis XIV's apartment. While the entire apartment and all its salons are amazing, most notable are the ceilings, painted by Painter to the King, Charles Le Brun and his team of artists.

 Salle des Gardes, Versailles Palace

• Royal Opera - The auditorium of the Opera is fashioned entirely from wood, making it one of the most acoustically "live" theaters in the world. Though it was a court theater and not meant for a huge public audience, it seats more than 700. Gold, pink, and green dominate the decor for the Opera, which wasn't constructed until 1770. It was first used for the wedding ball of future king Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette and boasts a unique mechanical system that raises the floor to the level of the stage. Today, it is still used for concerts and operas.

The Garden

 

 Geometric Garden

 A row of statues in the Versailles Garden

 Le Buffet d'Eau, Garden of the Grand Trianon, Versailles

At 100 hectare (about 250 acre), the garden of the Versailles Palace is Europe's largest palace garden. It was created in the 17th century by landscape gardener André Le Nôtre who designed what could be considered the quintessential formal French garden. The garden is laid out in a geometric pattern of paths, bushes, flowerbeds and trees. Le Nôtre also drained the swampy, sloping terrain and created a series of basins and a large canal, known as the Grand Canal.

Latona Fountain

Dragon Fountain, Versailles 

Flowers and fountain at Versailles

 Ceres Fountain, Versailles

 

 Neptune Fountain, Versailles

Pyramid Fountain, Versailles

Apollo Fountain, Versailles

 Deux Amours et une Fillette

 La Garonne, Versailles

Several fountains adorn the basins. The most famous are the Latona Fountain - with a statue of the goddess Latona - and the Apollo Fountain - named after the sun god and depicting the Sun King riding a chariot. There are several other fountains in the garden, such as the Neptune Fountain. The fountains were installed to entertain the many guests invited to the lavish parties organized by King Louis XIV.
Another noteworthy decoration in the garden is the Colonnade, a circular row of marble columns, designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart.

Petit Trianon -Versailles Palace

 La France Triomphante, Versailles

There are also a couple of smaller palaces in the garden: the Grand Trianon and the Petit Trianon. Some 10,000 people worked in the Versailles Palace, so privacy was minimal. Hence King Louis XIV ordered the construction of the Grand Trianon, a palace almost as luxurious as the main palace where the king could escape the formalities of the court and arrange rendezvous with his mistress. His successor, king Louis XV later built the smaller Petit Trianon for the same reason.

London top attractions (Buckingham Palace)

Buckingham Palace, one of several palaces owned by the British Royal family, is one of the major tourist attractions in London.

History

 Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace seen from St. James's Park

Buckingham Palace Gate

 Detail of the Buckingham Palace gate

The original building was constructed as a countryhouse in 1705 by the duke of Buckingham, John Sheffield. King George III bought the house in 1761 for his wife and had it altered by William Chambers.

In 1826, King George IV asked famed architect John Nash to expand the house - then known as Buckingham House - into a palace. Meanwhile St. James's Palace was still the principal palace used by the royals for ceremonies and receptions.

King George IV as well as his younger brother and successor King William IV both died before the palace was completed. Queen Victoria was the first to reside in the palace. In July 1837, three weeks after her accession to the throne, she moved from Kensington Palace, where she grew up, to the new Buckingham Palace.

The palace was expanded in 1850 with a new east wing. The wing added a large number of rooms to the palace, including an expansive 40 meter (131 ft) long ballroom. The monumental facade of the east wing was built in 1913 by Aston Webb. It is this facade, facing the Mall and St James's Park, which is now known by most people.

Royal Family

 Victoria Memorial and Buckingham Palace

A part of the palace is still used by the Royal family. A flag is hoisted each time the Queen is in the Palace. The palace is not only home to the royal family, there are also a number of staff members living here. The palace has about 600 rooms, including a throne room, a ballroom, picture gallery and even a swimming pool.

Some of these rooms can be visited during a couple of months in the summer - when the Royal Family is not in the palace - including the lavishly decorated State Rooms: the Throne Room, Green Drawing Room, Silk Tapestry Rooms, Picture Gallery, State Dining Room, Blue Drawing Room, Music Room and White Drawing Room are all part of the tour around the Buckingham Palace.

Another interesting part of the palace that is open to visitors is the Queen's Gallery, where works of art from the royal collection are on display. The palace's stables, the Royal Mews, can also be visited. Here you'll find a number of royal horse-drawn carriages.

Queen Victoria Memorial

Right in front of the building is the Queen Victoria Memorial, 

 

Changing of the Guards

 

designed by Sir Aston Webb and built in 1911 in honor of Queen Victoria, who reigned for almost sixty-four years.

Changing of the Guard

The changing of the guard takes place daily at 11 o'clock in front of Buckingham Palace.
A colorfully dressed detachment, known as the New Guard, parades along the Mall towards Buckingham Palace and during a ceremony replaces the existing, Old Guard. The ceremony, which is accompanied by music played by a military band, always attracts throngs of onlookers.

 

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10 Top Tourist Attractions in India(2)

5-Harmandir Sahib 

The Harmandir Sahib, better known as the Golden Temple is the main tourist attraction in Amritsar, and the most important religious place to the Sikhs. Construction of the temple was begun by Guru Ram Dast in the 16th century. In the 19th century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh the upper floors of the temple were covered with gold. It’s a stunning temple, and always full of thousands of pilgrims from all over India, excited to be at a place that they usually only see on television.

4-Jaisalmer 

Located in Rajasthan’s remote westernmost corner close to the border with Pakistan, Jaisalmer is the quintessential desert town. The yellow sandstone walls of the “Golden City” rise from the Thar desert like a scene from the Arabian Nights while the Jaisalmer Fort crowns the city. Uncontrolled commercialism has dampened the romantic vision of Jaisalmer, but even with all the touts and tour buses, it remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in India.

3-Ajanta Caves 

The Ajanta Caves are rock-cut cave monuments dating from the 2th century BC. The magnificent Ajanta caves were abandoned around 650 AD and forgotten until 1819, when a British hunting party stumbled upon them. Their isolation contributed to the fine state of preservation in which some of their paintings remain to this day. The well preserved murals depict everything from battlefields to sailing ships, city streets and teeming animal-filled forests to snow-capped mountains. The city of Aurangabad is the gateway to the Ajanta Caves as well as the equally spectacular Ellora Caves.

2 -Varanasi 

 

Situated on the banks of the River Ganges, Varanasi is sacred to Hindus, Buddhists and Jains and also one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. In many ways Varanasi epitomizes the very best and worst aspects of India, and it can be a little overwhelming. The scene of pilgrims doing their devotions in the River Ganges at sunrise set against the backdrop of the centuries old temples is probably one of the most impressive sights in the world.

1-Taj Mahal 

The Taj Mahal in Agra is an immense mausoleum of white marble, built between 1632 and 1653 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife. Called “a teardrop on the cheek of eternity” it is one of the masterpieces of Mughal architecture, and one of the great tourist attractions in India. Besides the white domed marble mausoleum the Taj Mahal includes several other beautiful buildings, reflecting pools, and extensive ornamental gardens with flowering trees and bushes.

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