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Bella Italia 2018Bella Italia 2018
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Bella Italia 2018

August - November 2018
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We came. We saw. We loved! Read more
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  • Bella Italia 2018
    Day 4

    Musee d'Orsay, Paris

    September 2, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    We had an early start today as we headed over to the Orsay Museum to have a wander around before it opened and to enjoy another French breakfast at a nearby cafe. As a result we were first in line and managed to avoid the crowds again.

    The building is as much a work of art as the pieces on display inside it. It is magnificent!

    The Orsay Museum was originally built as a railway station and was inaugurated in 1900 for the World Fair. The building included a luxurious hotel and grand reception room. With the modernisation of trains the station was gradually abandoned. In 1977 the French government decided to transform the building into a museum and in 1986 the Musee d'Orsay was inaugurated.

    We enjoyed a couple of hours admiring the variety of works of art on display and the building itself. Standing on the inside and looking out through the large clock was amazing. I have discovered that as much as I admire a lot of the classics, Van Gogh, Renoir and Degas, I enjoy the unusual and interesting pieces just as much.

    It was a great start to our day.    Read more

  • Bella Italia 2018
    Day 4

    Les Invalides, Paris

    September 2, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Next on the agenda for today was a visit to Les Invalides. Unfortunately a lot of the building was roped off for construction reasons but we did get to see Napoleon's tomb inside the circular crypt, under the golden dome.

    The building itself was amazing and Napoleon's tomb was huge. They certainly did things in grand style - the bigger the better. Even though we have seen a few amazing historic sites already we were still oohing and wowing over everything.

    It was a quick visit and a nice respite from the hot sun. We also enjoyed a delicious lunch at the cafe on the grounds before heading onto our next location.    Read more

  • Bella Italia 2018
    Day 4

    Pont Alexandre III, Paris

    September 2, 2018 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    On our way to the Arc de Triomphe we crossed the Pont Alexandre III, the Alexandre III bridge. This bridge is widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in the city and it certainly is. I don't know if you can call bridges beautiful but that word describes this bridge perfectly.

    The bridge is decorated with exuberant Art Nouveau lamps, cherubs, nymphs and winged horses at either end, and was built between 1896 and 1900. It is named after Tsar Alexander III, who had concluded the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1892.

    We also got some pretty great views of the Eiffel Tower from here and of course I had to take a few more photos of the famous Paris icon.    Read more

  • Bella Italia 2018
    Day 4

    Champs-Elysees, Paris

    September 2, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We continued our "stroll" up the Champs-Elysees, admiring the beautiful Parisian homes, amazing storefronts and even come across a shop just for me - DS World - Debi Shaw World. Even better was the fact there were some seats along the way to sit and rest our weary feet, and admire the surroundings, of course.

    The highlight of our walk up the Champs-Elysees was the Dior shop that looked like it had been shrink wrapped in a bright graffiti pattern. It definitely stood out in contrast to the traditional Parisian buildings.    Read more

  • Bella Italia 2018
    Day 4

    Arc de Triomphe, Paris

    September 2, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Feeling very feet sore it was a relief to finally reach the Arc de Triomphe. Seeing it brought back so many memories from my Year 8 French lessons. I couldn't believe I was actually standing in front of it. Luckily I had done a little research and knew we had to walk under the road to reach the Arc de Triomphe, not risk our lives like some idiots trying to cross the extremely busy ring road.

    Measuring 50m tall and 45m wide, the Arc de Triomphe is the most monumental of all triumphal arches. It was built between 1806 and 1836 with its main purpose being to celebrate the victory of Napoleon. At the base of the Arch stands a torch and every evening at 6:30 pm it is rekindled to recognise the sacrifice of an unknown French soldier who gave his life during World War I, whose body is buried there.

    Thankfully we were able to get to the top in the lift and did not have to climb the 284 steps. The lift itself was amazing as it was a semi circle shape. Very unique and a bit claustrophobic, but I would have put up with anything so I wouldn't have to climb the stairs. I don't think my feet would have held up to the challenge at this stage.

    The views from the top were breathtaking and we could see the entire city spread out below. I loved the contrast of the leafy avenues against the white of the buildings. It was also a great view to some of the spectacular gardens built on top of the buildings. How on earth they built them there is beyond me. And of course, another great view of the iron lady, the Eiffel Tower.

    I was glad we managed to make our way here to experience the views, and to recall some school day memories.    Read more

  • Bella Italia 2018
    Day 4

    Place du Trocadero, Paris

    September 2, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We then made our way to Place du Trocadéro, site of the Palais de Chaillot. It is in the 16th arrondissement area of Paris, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower. The hill of the Trocadéro is the hill of Chaillot, a former village. From here you get the best views of the Eiffel Tower.

    We had some time to kill before our scheduled spot for the Eiffel Tower so we made the most of the grassy areas and shady trees to take some time out and rest for a while, after we had taken a “few” more photos of Eiffel Tower of course.    Read more

  • Bella Italia 2018
    Day 4

    Eiffel Tower, Paris

    September 2, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    After a relaxing rest in the park, very Parisian like, we headed over to have a nice stroll through the Champ de Mars, the well-known gardens in front of the Eiffel Tower. What a disappointment, we were horrified at the condition of the gardens. Basically there was very little grass, what little there was was worn down from so much foot traffic and there were dusty dirty paths everywhere. AND the most disgusting toilets we have ever experienced. Not impressed at all and very sad to see it such a state. It was not pleasant to be in.

    So, instead of enjoying a stroll we decided to play French tourists and enjoyed some delicious crepes at a nearby cafe, which ended up being a very nice way to spend the afternoon while waiting for our Eiffle Tower time slot.

    Finally we made our way to the Eiffel Tower and boy were we impressed. It certainly lived up to the anticipation. We took the lift up to the summit and I have to admit the ride up was a bit daunting. We even contemplated not going further than the second level but realised there was no way we could not go all the way to the top. Once we were there it was amazing. The views went on forever. Unfortunately it was too crowded for Brad to get on bended knee and propose again.

    By the time we made our way back down we had only a small wait until the nightly light show began and it was worth the wait. While we have loved the sites we have seen today, we were very happy to finally make our way home and rest our feet. It had been a very long day - but an amazing day. We love Paris.    Read more

  • Bella Italia 2018
    Day 5

    The Louvre, Paris

    September 3, 2018 in France ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Today was one of the days I was really looking forward to, although I don’t think my feet were - it was going to be another big one. First up for the day was a visit to the famous Louvre Museum. We had heard so much about the line-ups for the Louvre, even with prepaid tickets, that we made sure we were there bright and early. We were so early in fact, that there was only one other person there when we arrived, and funnily enough, he was from Sydney. It was great to be able to photograph and admire the Louvre without the thousands of tourists surrounding it and we enjoyed chatting to other people in line while we waited. It made the waiting time go quickly.

    It wasn't until we were in the Louvre that I realised how huge the actual museum was. The origin of the Louvre dates back to the 1200s and the buildings are just as impressive as the art on display. Once a royal residence, it became a museum in 1793 during the French Revolution and is now home to artworks dating from the 7th millennium BC to the 1850s. The collections are displayed on five levels, in three interconnecting wings and it was very easy to get lost.

    First stop was of course to see the most famous of all art, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. And she did not disappoint. The Mona Lisa has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world". It is also one of the most valuable paintings in the world. It holds the Guinness World Record for the highest known insurance valuation in history at $100 million in 1962, which is worth nearly $800 million in 2017. Once again, we were very lucky with regards to the crowds and didn't have to line up to see the painting up close.

    Next stop was the famous statue, La Venus de Milo. Discovered in April 1820 on the island of Melos in the Cyclades (Greece), the statue is believed to depict Aphrodite, goddess of Love, known to the Romans as Venus. This masterpiece of Greek marble sculpture, whose sculptor is unknown, is dated from about 120 BC. It is so hard to fathom that works of art from so long ago are still around today for us to admire.

    After visiting the main iconic pieces of art, we enjoyed some time wandering through the Louvre and admiring the many other masterpieces on display. There were quite a few random pieces that I really liked, that took me back to my high school art classes. I think the Louvre is one of those places you could visit every time you go to Paris and you will always discover something you haven’t seen before. It was an amazing way to start the day.    Read more

  • Bella Italia 2018
    Day 5

    Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris

    September 3, 2018 in France ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    After a stop for a late breakfast/brunch we made our way to the Centre Georges Pompidou, commonly known as the Pompidou Centre. The Pompidou Centre is Europe's largest modern art museum whose exterior and interior are almost equally absurd and surreal.

    The exterior uses an “inside out” design with large pipes on the building’s facade, and the inside consists of some quite conceptual outside-the-box modern art. The inside-out exterior moved the building’s functional appliances out of the main space and into the open air so that the galleries inside could have more room to work with. To spice things up even more, the building’s appliances were colour-coded: blue for heating and cooling, green for plumbing pipes, yellow for electrical wiring, and red for the escalator (which, of course, is located on the exterior of the building too).

    The works of art on display inside certainly match the exterior of the building although there are some pieces that make me wonder who decides what is classed as art that is worth displaying. While I found some pieces quite bizarre I did enjoy seeing works by Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Vassily Kandinsky. Brad enjoyed finding the more risque pieces.

    And the added bonus was the views of Paris as a backdrop to the sculptures on display on the outside patios. It was a cool place to spend an hour or two.    Read more

  • Bella Italia 2018
    Day 5

    La Fontaine Stravinsky, Paris

    September 3, 2018 in France ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Just outside the Pompidou Centre is the whimsical public fountain called the Stravinsky Fountain (La Fontaine Stravinsky in French). It is ornamented with sixteen sculpture pieces, moving and spraying water, representing the works of composer Igor Stravinsky. It was created in 1983 by sculptors Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle, and is quite a surprise to see amongst the traditional French buildings and churches.

    I also loved the huge mural painted on the side of a nearby wall in contrast with the old traditional church. Certainly something different to see.    Read more

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