To you my Love -Paris. Day Deux - Part 1

Paris, from its magnificent avenues to cobbled streets are thoughtfully and beautifully laid out. Its almost as if she were created to be an object of beauty and elegance to be admired and desired by every soul that touches her soil .

 Beauty here is not an afterthought, but carefully woven into the very fabric of Paris -she enchants and enthrals every which way you look and one is somehow drawn into her very depths unwittingly.
The monuments of Paris stand out for their sheer magnificence. In comparison most London attractions seem over priced and a bit gangly - one is tempted to think that they remain attractions due more to some historical significance, colonial or otherwise, rather than demure beauty. I'm visiting London later so it will give me an opportunity to see if my previous impression still holds good or if there are any redeeming factors--As of now, I am in love--with Paris!!!

On our second day we decided to explore the bits of Paris closest to us. Hopped on the Hop-on-Hop-off tour bus for a short ride before hopping off in the direction of the Pantheon.

The Pantheon

 At first when I heard of the Pantheon I thought I must be mistaken--for surely isn't the Pantheon in Greece? 
Oh no--the French have their very own piece of Greece right in the heart of the city. 
The Pantheon was built in honour of Saint Genevieve the patron saint of Paris under aegis of King Louis XV around 1744 by the architect Soufflot who sadly didn't live to finish it. 

It is one of the greatest neoclassical monuments.Its façade is fashioned after the Pantheon in Rome and hence the striking similarity. After the French revolution it also became a Mausoleum. Its use has changed several times in past few hundred years in accordance with the political and religious climate of the time.
Within its walls is a reconstitution of Foucault's 1851 experiment as seen in this picture.

For me the best part of the Pantheon was the underground crypt. It was hauntingly beautiful. The lighting was just right offering a warm glow that reflected on the light coloured stone walls. And it made for some beautiful pictures too. I was really surprised  at how good the pics came out to be honest!
As I said earlier the pantheon is also a Mausoleum and considered to be a great honour to be interred within its walls. Rousseau and Voltaire are surprisingly laid to rest just opposite  each other and take pride of place in the first chamber of the underground crypt. I say surprisingly because when alive their views and philosophy did not necessarily see eye to eye!

Rousseau's tomb

Voltaire's Statue and tomb

The Jardin du Luxembourg is quite close to the Pantheon and our next stop was these breathing lungs of Paris.

 Its one of the Public parks of Paris and is the garden of the Luxembourg Palace. Its a great open public space with greenery, a fountain and views. As far as gardens go I cant say that I was overly impressed by the variety of the foliage as far as I saw! But its a nice bit of space in a fantastic city --great for relaxing on a sunny day and having a picnic as can be seen by the many just sitting around and chatting.
From the Jardin we took a walk back to our hotel for a short rest. A lil bit of rest in the middle of the day, especially when you are with kids, gives everyone the chance to catch their breath and rest those achy legs. AND especially when you are going to tackle the Eiffel Tower later in the day!