Paris Olympics 2024

Jeff fulfills his long time dream of judging diving at the Olympics! Read more

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Day 8
Friday, July 26, 2024 at 3:00 PM
☁️ 22 °C
Altitude: 28 m
France Pont Notre-Dame 48.856064, 2.34868348°51’22” N 2°20’55” E
Aborted Attempt to View Opening Ceremony
July 26, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
In the early afternoon, I set out to meet Jeff for lunch and scout out potential vantage points to watch the opening ceremony. Getting to Jeff was a bit of an adventure. I planned to meet him near Chatelet station, but one stop before Chatelet, an employee came onto the train and told everyone to get off. I then went to the nearest exit only to be told to go to a different one. I then decided to walk to another line to get to Chatelet. When I got to the platform, I saw another employee clearing people away from the platform. I then decided to look for another exit and walk. While walking, I googled and learned that their had been disruptions to the train network due to an unspecified sabotage.

After lunch, Jeff and I scouted the area we explored yesterday, and we found that we could no longer access the bridges, and the Seine was not accessible either. Perhaps we were naive in thinking we could view the proceedings from there. As it turns out, the bridges were used for performances. We reluctantly accepted that we would have to watch the ceremony from our hotel room. This was very frustrating because up until 6pm that day, various outlets were still reporting that the Parade of the Nations was open to the public, but information on where to view it was pretty much nonexistent. In fact, the only useful information I found was a reddit thread with one poster who explained with maps how access to each part of the Seine was organized; the poster’s advice was to abandon hope and watch it on tv.

After our aborted mission, I took Jeff back to the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, which we explored together before going back to our hotel to watch the ceremony.

In hindsight, watching the Opening Ceremony on tv was the best option anyway because the spectators could only view what was immediately visible to them, and it also rained heavily. In fact, most of the diving judges who went to the ceremony left early because of the rain. The main thing we missed out on was feeling the energy of the crowd in person. I would also have loved the see the now-legendary Gojira-Marina Vittori heavy metal-opera mashup of Ah! Ca Ira! in person.Read more
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Day 9
Saturday, July 27, 2024 at 11:04 AM
☁️ 17 °C
Altitude: 59 m
France Paris 11e Arrondissement 48.867504, 2.37632848°52’3” N 2°22’35” E
The Hood
July 27, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
I have few opportunities to eat decent Singapore food in Hawaii, so I took the opportunity to venture out to The Hood, a Singapore restaurant in the 11th arrondissement. I initially thought I would order nasi lemak or laksa, but as I approached the restaurant, I smelled Hainanese chicken rice and I decided to order that instead. The chicken rice wasn’t great because the broth needed improvement, but my teh tarik (tea) was spot on.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-hood-paris

I returned to The Hood another time with Jeff and Jill, and I ordered nasi lemak. The coconut rice and homemade sambal were really well executed. I wanted to return a third time for laksa, but my trip was cut short.Read more
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Day 9
Saturday, July 27, 2024 at 7:45 PM
☁️ 20 °C
Altitude: 51 m
France Les Halles 48.8591, 2.34627848°51’33” N 2°20’47” E
Celebrating Jeff’s Birthday
July 27, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Today, which is also Jeff's birthday, is the first day of competition for diving. Jeff texted me while I was having lunch to report that the US women's 3 meter synchronized diving pair won silver at that event. Sadly, Jeff did not get to judge this event because the judges' panels for all finals are only made up of judges from countries without competitors in that event. Regardless, this was a great birthday present for Jeff.

After I ate my lunch at The Hood, I decided to return to the hotel because I did not want to continue dealing with rain. On the way back, I scouted out an automaton called The Defender of Time and decided it would be a great pre-dinner treat for Jeff. Jeff returned to the hotel soon after I did, and we had a mini-birthday celebration with some desserts I bought.

When 5pm rolled in, we met three other judges and together we trooped back to the automation I scouted out earlier. At 6pm, the automation started moving. It featured a man fighting a dragon, a crab, and a rooster. More info here: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-defende…

After the automaton, we brought the judges to see the Stravinsky Fountain, and then we had dinner at an Indian restaurant where Jeff introduced his friends to kottu, a dish he learned to love during our trip to Sri Lanka last year.

Along the way to the restaurant, we visited another Atlas Obscura-listed site: an exterminator's shop featuring taxidermized rats. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/julien-auro…Read more
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Day 10
Sunday, July 28, 2024 at 8:45 AM
⛅ 15 °C
Altitude: 28 m
France The Louvre 48.862377, 2.32511748°51’45” N 2°19’30” E
The Louvre - Exterior
July 28, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
We prebooked 9.00am tickets for The Louvre. Here are some shots of the grounds of The Louvre from before our entry and after our exit. The most striking feature was the Olympic flame, which was housed at the nearby Jardin des Tuileries. The metallic balloon keeping the Olympic flame afloat looked almost otherworldly.

After exiting The Louvre grounds, we visited the Pont des Arts bridge, which was made famous by people leaving locks on the bridge and throwing away the key. The locks have since been removed, and the bridge has been refurbished with glass panels to discourage people from putting locks on the bridge. However, love always finds a way; we noticed a number of padlocks on parts not covered by the glass panels. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/paris-padlo…Read more
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Day 10
Sunday, July 28, 2024 at 9:20 AM
⛅ 16 °C
Altitude: 36 m
France The Louvre 48.860165, 2.33550348°51’37” N 2°20’8” E
The Louvre - Paintings
July 28, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
I deliberately booked tickets for the first possible entrance to The Louvre so we could make an immediate beeline for the most famous painting in the world.

In this entry are photos of the paintings that made an impression on me. Truth be told, I wasn't terribly interested in most of the paintings because the collection was almost exclusively made up of religious themed art from several centuries ago. The intersectionality between religion, violence, and sensuality was in evidence everywhere, and that made me uncomfortable. I was also both amused and disturbed that so many of the images were sexualized. For example, who would expect John the Baptist to be muscly and hot?Read more
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Day 10
Sunday, July 28, 2024 at 10:06 AM
⛅ 18 °C
Altitude: 40 m
France The Louvre 48.859844, 2.33726248°51’35” N 2°20’14” E
The Louvre - Greek and Roman Sculptures
July 28, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
We were far more interested in the Greek and Roman sculptures than in the paintings. There were many fine specimens on display, the most famous being Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.Read more
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Day 10
Sunday, July 28, 2024 at 10:47 AM
⛅ 19 °C
Altitude: 33 m
France Galerie du Louvre 48.860111, 2.3359248°51’36” N 2°20’9” E
The Louvre - Islamic Art
July 28, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
We spent a few minutes in the Islamic art gallery, mostly to admire the mosaics.
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Day 10
Sunday, July 28, 2024 at 12:06 PM
⛅ 22 °C
Altitude: 40 m
France Galerie du Louvre 48.860513, 2.33269748°51’38” N 2°19’58” E
The Louvre - Indigenous Art
July 28, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Our final stop was a gallery featuring art from Africa, Oceania, Asia, and the Americas. We had a hard time finding this gallery. After this, we exited the museum as we'd seen a lot and we didn't feel we needed to look at anything else in depth.Read more
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Day 10
Sunday, July 28, 2024 at 1:16 PM
☁️ 23 °C
Altitude: 50 m
France Latin Quarter 48.851711, 2.34613848°51’6” N 2°20’46” E
Latin Quarter
July 28, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
After the Louvre, we wandered over to the Latin Quarter, which is a maze of narrow streets with lots of shops and restaurants. Along the way, we spotted one Atlas Obscura site, which is a rhinoceros statue in front of the Musee D'Orsay. More here: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/rhinoceros

Our first stop was lunch at Mirama, a well-established hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant that is almost an institution in Paris. I remember Mirama fondly from my prior visits to Paris in the 1990s, and little has changed, including the roasted poultry hanging on the shopfront. I ordered a shrimp wonton noodle soup and it was spot on in terms of taste and the requisite springy texture of the noodles.

After eating, we started making our way to the Catacombs, which was a 45 minute walk away. Along the way, we stopped at the Parthenon, and we also stopped to view some fountains and statues at the southern edge of the Luxembourg Palace grounds.

After the Catacombs, we ducked into the Denfort Rochereau Metro station and made our way back to the Latin Quarter because we missed a couple of Atlas Obscura sites. Exiting at St Michel station, we spotted a creperie and we stopped for a nutella and banana crepe. Sadly, we did not enjoy this spot as the staff weren't friendly with us, probably because we rebuffed their efforts to get us to order an alcoholic beverage. We quickly ate our crepe and left.

Our first Atlas Obscura site turned out to be just next to Mirama: a sundial designed by Salvador Dali. We then wandered the area a little bit before hitting a second Atlas Obscura site: Shakespeare and Company, a bookstore. I was surprised to see people lined up outside, and I was happy to see a thriving independent bookstore because their counterparts in the US are struggling.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/salvador-da…
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/shakespeare…Read more
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Day 10
Sunday, July 28, 2024 at 3:56 PM
☁️ 25 °C
Altitude: 67 m
France Catacombs of Paris 48.83392, 2.33241548°50’2” N 2°19’57” E
The Paris Catacombs
July 28, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
There has been limestone quarrying under Paris since Roman times. However, as Paris grew, the underground quarries became a hazard to the stability of the city. Eventually, engineers started building tunnels in an effort to stabilize the area.

At the same time, cemeteries in Paris, notably the Holy Innocents Cemetery as well as smaller church cemeteries, were becoming dangerously overcrowded, leading to improper burials. Many cemeteries effectively became mass graves, which in turn led to public health concerns. There were stories of rat infestations, bodies surfacing during rain, and people collecting human fat to make soap.

The city eventually closed down the cemeteries in the center of the city and relocated the remains into the tunnels, mostly between 1787 and 1814. Today, it is the resting place of around 6 or 7 million past Parisians. Only a small portion of the crypt is open to the public.

I purchased tickets for the Catacombs last week. After the Latin Quarter, we made our way to the 14th arrondissement where the Catacombs are located. To get to the tunnels, we descended a flight of steps until we were 20 meters underground. Then, we walked through the tunnels and viewed the crypt. Within the crypts, there were plaques to show when and where the remains came from.

Overall, this was a fascinating excursion. But, it got a little boring towards then end because there are only so many ways to stack bones and skulls artistically. Jeff also had a challenging time because of his height.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/catacombes-…Read more
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Day 11
Monday, July 29, 2024 at 10:48 AM
☀️ 23 °C
Altitude: 60 m
France Paris 13e Arrondissement 48.825336, 2.36264248°49’31” N 2°21’46” E
Quartier Asiatique
July 29, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Today, Jeff judged his first (and hopefully his last) final of the Olympics, the men's 10 meter synchro. The judges panels for finals and semifinals are made up of judges from neutral countries, and this may be the only final without a US competitor.

While Jeff was judging, I took the opportunity to visit the Quartier Asiatique (Chinatown), which is located in the 13th arrondissement. Paris' Chinatown is reputedly the oldest one in Europe. Back in the 1990s, my friends brought me here for dinner. I recall it being rather nondescript. True enough, when I walked along Avenue d'Ivry, I saw lots of restaurants, but I did not see a Chinatown gate or any traditional Buddhist temples. Not surprisingly, the establishments were mostly Vietnamese, with some Laotian and Cambodian restaurants thrown in for good measure.

The beating heart of Paris' Chinatown is the Olympiades complex, a large and somewhat nondescript mall. The facade of the mall was deceptively low key, but once inside, I saw a rabbit warren of shops and restaurants, including Tang Freres, which is a well known supermarket chain founded by Laotian immigrants. I went into the supermarket and bought a number of snacks. I then wandered onto the rooftop plaza and came across a little gem - a temple set in what would ordinarily be a retail space. Wandering in, I heard the elderly temple staff speak Teochew, which is my father's dialect. I had a wonderful conversation with them in a mix of Teochew and Mandarin. I learned that they are ethnic Teochews, and they fled Cambodia for France during the upheaval of the 1970s. Rather tellingly, they replied “Kampuchea” in Mandarin when I enquired about their geographic origins.

After the temple visit, I popped into a Vietnamese restaurant for banh xeo, a stuffed crepe not commonly found in the US.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tang-freres…Read more
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Day 11
Monday, July 29, 2024 at 2:40 PM
☀️ 29 °C
Altitude: 34 m
France Parvis Notre-Dame - Place Jean-Paul-II 48.853512, 2.34815348°51’13” N 2°20’53” E
Notre Dame
July 29, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
After I ate, I met Jeff and two judges for lunch at his favorite vegetarian restaurant. I had a lassi while they ate. Jeff was still very happy at having judged his first Olympic final.

After lunch, we made our way to the Notre Dame area to view the iconic cathedral which was still undergoing repairs from the 2019 fire. From there, we wandered back to the nearby Latin Quarter because I missed an Atlas Obscura site yesterday: Paris' narrowest street. This little alleyway, Rue du Chat qui Peches, or the Street of the Fishing Cat, has an interesting mythology: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/rue-du-chat…Read more
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Day 11
Monday, July 29, 2024 at 3:37 PM
☀️ 30 °C
Altitude: 54 m
France Arc de Triomphe 48.873622, 2.29616248°52’25” N 2°17’46” E
Arc de Triomphe & Champs Elysee
July 29, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Our last stop of the afternoon was the Arc du Triomphe, after which we walked down the Champs Elysees. I'm not a shopper, and so the area didn't hold much interest for me, other than the exterior of the Louis Vuitton shop which looked like a Louis Vuitton suitcase.Read more
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Day 11
Monday, July 29, 2024 at 9:42 PM
⛅ 26 °C
Altitude: 33 m
France Eiffel Tower 48.858792, 2.29235548°51’32” N 2°17’32” E
Eiffel Tower Light Show
July 29, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
After a few hours rest, we trooped out at sundown to view the light show at the Eiffel Tower. Truth be told, I was underwhelmed because I thought I would see a repeat of the laser show from the opening ceremony. We could not access the area immediately around the Eiffel Tower because the space there has been repurposed as a beach volleyball arena.Read more
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Day 12
Tuesday, July 30, 2024 at 11:55 AM
☀️ 31 °C
Altitude: 94 m
France Sacré-Cœur Basilica 48.884312, 2.3434248°53’4” N 2°20’36” E
Sacre Couer
July 30, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
There was no diving competition scheduled for Tuesday, so Jeff organized the judges to go to Sacre Couer and the artsy district of Montmartre. While most of the party walked up the hill to the basilica, I opted to utilize the funicular to go up the hill to Sacre Couer because it was Atlas Obscura listed (https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/montmartre-…).

Once at the top, we admired the views and toured the inside of the cathedral. We also noted that the locks of love that had been removed from the Pont de Arts had been moved here.

Jeff jokingly talked about recreating some of the fight scenes from John Wick 4 on the steps alongside the funicular, but we didn't do it. In any case, I wasn't enthusiastic because of the heat.Read more
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Day 12
Tuesday, July 30, 2024 at 1:18 PM
☀️ 33 °C
Altitude: 123 m
France Montmartre vineyards 48.887005, 2.33797548°53’13” N 2°20’17” E
Montmartre
July 30, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C
After visiting Sacre Couer, we explored the artsy enclave of Montmartre before ducking into a restaurant to eat lunch and escape the heat.

After lunch, I dragged Jeff and Jill to check two Atlas Obscura sights. The first was Le Passe Muraille which is a sculpture of a man emerging from a wall. This is based on local folklore. It took a bit of effort to find this sculpture as it was tucked away on a side wall. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/le-passe-mu…

The second sight we looked for was Moulin de la Galette, Montmartre's less famous windmill, the more famous one being the Moulin Rouge. More here: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/le-moulin-d…

After viewing these two sites, we descended the hill to check out the world famous Moulin Rouge.Read more
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Day 12
Tuesday, July 30, 2024 at 2:24 PM
☀️ 34 °C
Altitude: 122 m
France Place du Tertre 48.886478, 2.33986248°53’11” N 2°20’24” E
Salvador Dali Museum
July 30, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C
While wandering around Montmartre, Jeff was stoked to find a museum on his favorite artist - Salvador Dali. In this small museum, we saw paintings and sculptures inspired by everything from science to illustrations of classic literature.

The museum also featured a wall with some of Dali's famous quotes, including "I don't do drugs, I am drugs", "I enjoy cuckolding modern art", and "The least you can ask a sculpture is not to move".Read more
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Day 13
Wednesday, July 31, 2024 at 10:50 AM
⛅ 26 °C
Altitude: 27 m
France Flame of Liberty Memorial 48.864021, 2.30088848°51’50” N 2°18’3” E
Failed Atlas Obscura Wanderings
July 31, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
Jeff spent the morning at the pool viewing the women’s 10 meter synchro finals; he was not selected to judge as there were competitors from the US. I set off from the hotel intending to hit a bunch of Atlas Obscura sites. I got to my first target - The Flame of Liberty, which also functions as a memorial to Princess Diana because she died near there - easily.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/flame-of-li…

Unfortunately, this was the extent of my Atlas Obscura success for the day. Looking around the Flame of Liberty, I saw that many of the roads in the vicinity were closed. I then realized that the men's triathlon had been postponed to Wednesday, and that the women's triathlon would also take place today. I tried in vain to get to my next target - a Jeff Koons sculpture - but I was thwarted at every turn. The silver lining, however, was that I got to witness a bit of the cycling leg of the men's triathlon, which was reminiscent of our Tour de France experience in Nice. I also got to explore some of the area along the banks of the Seine.

As I wandered around, I saw that my phone was not connected to the data network. I rebooted the phone twice, turned the eSim on and off several times, and tried unsuccessfully to manually select a data provider. I then came to the conclusion that I had run out of data, which I thought was unlikely. I needed to tell Jeff where to meet me, so I looked around in vain for a public wifi to connect to. After some searching, I gave up and concluded I needed to return to the hotel. I ducked to the nearest Metro station and took an indirect route back. I didn't try to find a more convenient Metro station because I didn't know if I could get to it.

Back at the hotel, I logged on to wifi to discover I had plenty of data left! Eventually, I was connected to the data network again; I guess the problem must have been with the eSIM. In the meantime, Jeff had contacted me and we decided where to meet, so I set off again. As it turns out, Jeff had the same issue with his eSIM but he managed to manually select a provider that didn't have connection issues.

I met Jeff and Barb at the former site of the Bastille, which now houses a monument. Jeff was hoping to find some remnants of the Bastille there, but we learned that those have been long removed. After that, we went to the Carnavalet Museum.Read more
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Day 13
Wednesday, July 31, 2024 at 5:09 PM
⛅ 32 °C
Altitude: 51 m
France Marais 48.857803, 2.36341248°51’28” N 2°21’48” E
Musee Carnavalet
July 31, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C
After meeting Jeff and Barb at the former site of the Bastille, we went to Le Marai where I showed them the Atlas Obscura sights I looked up a few days ago.

Back in May, Jeff visited the Musee Carnavalet, and he really liked it, so we made our way there. We enjoyed learning about the history of Paris at this free museum, but our favorite was a display of old signage. In the past, literacy wasn't widespread, so signage was very visual in nature.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/museum-carn…

When I returned to the hotel after my aborted morning explorations, I purchased some treats for us to celebrate our anniversary; we met on July 31st, 2000 and this marks 24 years together. We celebrated this milestone that evening after returning from our day out.Read more
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Day 14
Thursday, August 1, 2024 at 12:22 AM
⛅ 24 °C
Altitude: 43 m
France Rodin Museum 48.855598, 2.31553748°51’20” N 2°18’56” E
Musee Rodin - Sculpture Garden
August 1, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Our first stop of the day was the Rodin Museum, which housed a comprehensive collection of the famous sculptor’s works. We started in the outdoor sculpture garden and enjoyed the many sculptures there, in particular Rodin's most famous work - The Thinker. Other highlights included the Gates of Hell, and a series of six sculptures dedicated to the Burghers of Calais who gave their lives to save others.Read more
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Day 14
Thursday, August 1, 2024 at 12:51 PM
☀️ 29 °C
Altitude: 48 m
France Rodin Museum 48.855503, 2.3156748°51’20” N 2°18’56” E
Musee Rodin - Indoor Display
August 1, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
After exploring the sculpture garden, we heading to the indoor exhibit, which focused on how Auguste Rodin sculpted various body parts, in particular hands, and how his figures conveyed movement. There were also some paintings, and, rather inexplicably, a small collection of paintings by other artists such as Van Gogh.Read more
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Day 14
Thursday, August 1, 2024 at 1:12 PM
⛅ 29 °C
Altitude: 33 m
France Invalides 48.857956, 2.31308748°51’29” N 2°18’47” E
Musee de l'Armee
August 1, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
Our initial plan was to explore the Luxembourg Gardens, but while we were at Musee Rodin, I was distracted by something shiny - the dome of Les Invalides, which also includes the Musee de l'Armee on its grounds. We made our way there and spent a few hours exploring.

We first explored the Army Museum, which showcases France’s military campaigns over the centuries. The exhibits included a bewildering array of uniforms, weapons and equipment. In the basement of the museum was a special exhibit on Charles de Gaulle, and on the top floor we had a Duels exhibit, which is a fun space with different kinds of duels from the old fashioned fencing duels right down to tennis, arm wrestling, and video games.Read more
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Day 14
Thursday, August 1, 2024 at 2:53 PM
☁️ 30 °C
Altitude: 45 m
France Les Invalides 48.85495, 2.31255848°51’18” N 2°18’45” E
Les Invalides
August 1, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C
Exiting the Army Museum, we walked to the next building - Les Invalides - to view Napoleon’s tomb. Other military figures, including Napoleon's younger brother, are also interred there. The angels guarding the tomb are listed on Atlas Obscura: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/napoleons-a…Read more
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Day 14
Thursday, August 1, 2024 at 4:54 PM
☁️ 30 °C
Altitude: 27 m
France Paris 48.851433, 2.3516848°51’5” N 2°21’6” E
Memorial des Martyrs de la Deportation
August 1, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C
After the Army Museum, we had lunch again at Mirama, and then we made our way to the nearby Ille de la Cite. When we reached the island, we made a beeline for the eastern tip of the island to visit the memorial to people who were deported to concentration camps in World War II. It was a very sobering exhibit.

Per Atlas Obscura, this site was previously utilized as Paris' first morgue. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/la-morgue-d…Read more
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Day 14
Thursday, August 1, 2024 at 5:14 PM
☁️ 29 °C
Altitude: 29 m
France Pont Neuf 48.857182, 2.34110848°51’26” N 2°20’28” E
Ille de la Cite
August 1, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
After our visit to the Memorial des Martyrs de la Deportation, we made our way westwards across the Ille de la Cite to check out several Atlas Obscura sites. The first site had a cute backstory. In 1225, two doves nested in the area. Unfortunately, the building collapsed, trapping the female inside. The male dove never left her side, and so the residents freed her and reunited the pair.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/maison-de-l…

Our next stop was the Pont Neuf, the first bridge in Paris. Here, we looked out for some mascarons (ugly faces) on the side of the bridge. These mascarons represent mythical creatures. The park next to the bridge was also the site of the execution of the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar. More info on the two sites here:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mascarons-o…
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/execution-s…

Along our way to Pont Neuf, we walked past the Conciergerie, which is the prison where Marie Antoinette was held while she was awaiting her eventual fate. It is also the venue for Gojira's and Marina Viotti's now-legendary heavy metal-opera mashup of Ah! Ca Ira! at the Opening Ceremony.

After viewing this site, Jeff wanted to track down the remains of the Bastille. He researched and found that some of the remains are at Park Henri Galle. We took the Metro to the park and tracked it down. Interestingly, there was also a couple with two teenage kids looking for the same thing.Read more
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