Now you’ve had a tour of London over the last two weeks, let’s continue our journey and hop onto the Eurostar high-speed train to get to Paris. Do you have your tickets ready?

Two and a half hours later and we have arrived at the capital of France. Ah, Paris – the city of love, beautiful for its many sights, culture and language!

Top on the list of legendary sightseeing destinations in Paris is definitely the Eiffel Tower. Soaring at 300m tall, the Eiffel Tower is a wrought iron lattice tower on the large public greenspace of Champs de Mars. A famous landmark everyone associates with Paris, the Eiffel Tower is the site of many marriage proposals and thus, has also become a symbol of love. The tower designed and built by Gustave Eiffel did not, however, receive much “love” from the people of France when it was first constructed in 1887. It was deemed too ugly since it was designed by an engineer and not an architect. Rumour has it that one architect hated the Eiffel Tower so much that every day at lunch, he would go to a place where he couldn’t see the tower – underneath it!

Champs Elysees, which connects the monumental Arc de Triomphe (Arch of Triumph) with public square Place de la Concorde, is considered one of the most recognisable avenues in the world. The 1.88km avenue is lined with museums, theatres, restaurants, shops, and pavement cafes. The Arc de Triomphe is a massive triumphant arch representing the various victories of the French army under Napoleon Bonaparte.

The Louvre Museum is the world’s largest art museum and houses some of the world’s finest art pieces including famous masterpiece, Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci. The museum, housed in the Louvre Palace, is in itself an impressive work of art. It was built in the late 12^th to 13^th century under King Philip II and expanded by other monarchs throughout the centuries into the impressive sight it is today.

The Palace of Versailles is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the greatest achievements in French 17^th century art. The palace with 2,300 rooms spread over 63,154 metre squares was the principal royal residence of France from 1682 until the start of the French Revolution in 1789. The palace was stripped of all its furnishings after the French Revolution but many of the items have since been returned and many rooms have been restored.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to admire the beauty of the Notre Dame Cathedral as it caught fire two years ago (April 2019). The massive blaze, which took 500 firefighters some 12 hours to put out, destroyed the roof and spire of the cathedral as well as artwork, religious relics and other irreplaceable treasures. Restoration works are currently ongoing with completion expected in 2024.

 

Words to learn:

legendary – famous and with many stories told about them

sightseeing – the activity of visiting famous or interesting places in an area

soaring – rising high in the air

wrought – worked into shape by artistry

lattice – a framework or structure of crossed wooden or metal strips

associate – to connect with something else in one’s mind

deem – to come to think or judge

monumental – serving as a monument, also great in importance or size

massive – exceptionally large

triumphant – characterised by victory

masterpiece – a work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship

monarch – a king, queen, or emperor

principal – main

restored – return to former condition

spire – pointed structure on top a tower

irreplaceable – cannot be replaced

restoration – bringing back to a former condition

For more than 20 years, students and adults have been learning Cambridge English at ILTI. Get in touch with us to see how you can embark on this learning journey by calling 010-395 3067