Les Invalides

Given that I live a stone's throw away from Les Invalides, it was a bit of a crime that I hadn't been there yet! A key reason for my negligence might be that the beautiful building houses an army museum - not very high on my list of places to spend a Saturday afternoon. However, given the amount of times that Napoleon Bonaparte, the Battle of Waterloo and Charles de Gaulle have come up in my French lessons, it was time to redress the balance. Tally-ho!

 

Vu que j'habite à deux pas des Invalides, c'était une crime que c'est la première fois que je suis allée cette année. La raison clé pour mon négligence était peut-être le fait que le bâtiment sert d'une musée de l'armée - pas le lieux le plus évident à passer un samedi après-midi. Cependant, le Générale Napoléon Bonaparte, la Bataille de Waterloo et Charles de Gaulle figurent si régulièrement dans mes cours de français, que c'était grand temps que je redresse la situation. Allons-y!

A portrait of Louis XIV, The Sun King.

The English love to talk about Napoleon's "short man syndrome", but I've been told often enough that the great man wasn't as little as we suppose. However, given that this was apparently one of his uniforms, I beg to differ - it's tiny! I think I would struggle to get into it, so for my dignity's sake I'm certainly not convinced that he was actually an average sized guy... This is his horse, stuffed for us to admire. Lovely..!

 

Les anglais adorent rigoler à propos du "complexe napoléon", mais on m'a dit pas mal de fois que l'homme n'était pas si petit que l'on suppose. Cependant, ceci était apparemment une de ses uniformes, je ne suis pas du même avis. C'était minuscule ! Je pense que j'aurais du mal à rentrer dans la veste. Je ne suis pas du tout convaincu qu'il était du taille moyenne ! Ceci est son cheval, empaillé pour que nous puissions l'admirer. Charmant...!

 

 

Napoleon's Tomb....

....looks like chocolate.

 

I've only showed you the sections on Napoleonic history, and I hope to go back to learn more about World War I and II. It's free for European students below the age of 26 with a piece of identity. When it's just around the corner and this beautiful, there's no excuse!

Je ne vous ai montré que les sections sur l'histoire Napoléonienne, et j'espère d'y retourner pour apprendre plus sur La Première et Deuxième Guerres Mondiales. C'est gratuit pour les étudiants Européens de moins de 26 ans, avec une pièce d'identité. Quand il se trouve à 5 minutes de chez moi et quand il est si beau, il n'y a pas d'excuse ! 

 À Bientôt !

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Maybe it's Because I'm a Londoner

So, after a half-hearted blogging attempt over the holidays, I'm back on track with some London fun for those of you who live in the capital or who are hopping across the channel for a city break. A French friend came to visit me, and we split our tourist trail over several days, managing to get in nearly all the sights that London has to offer! It was a whirl-wind tour, so hop aboard for the ride...

1. First stop, Charing Cross. Whilst you're here, take the opportunity to wander around the fountains & climb one of the famous lions around Nelson's Column, see the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery (for free!). Take in a free lunch-time concert in St. Martin's in the Fields, and stroll along towards Leicester Sq, Picadilly Circus and Covent Garden, which are all only a few minutes away.

2. Hop along the train towards Waterloo - or walk, it's not far! Enjoy a stroll along by the river: see if you can spot The London Eye, Westminster, The Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, the Hayward Gallery & skatepark and The Royal Festival Hall.

3. Our gloomy day brightened up as we crossed the Thames. Keep an eye out for the 'walkie-talkie' and the 'cheese-grater' new skyscrapers, as well as Blackfriars Bridge just by the Globe Theatre. Cross the Millennium Bridge to see St. Paul's & its famous 'Whispering Gallery'. HMS Belfast (the camouflaged boat you can see below), Thames River Boat tours.

4. If you continue along the river, you'll end up passing by Sir Francis Drake's ship: 'The Golden Hind', and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Once you're nearing London Bridge, head to Borough Market on a market day for loads of free tasters (see Southwark Cathedral below) & buy a yummy lunch for not many of your Great British Pounds. 

  5. Instead of paying £25.00 to climb the Shard, why don't you head across London Bridge to Monument? It's only a short walk to the famous tower built by Christopher Wren, the celebrated English architect who designed St. Paul's Cathedral. It's £3.00 for adults, £2.00 for students and just £1.00 for children, and after huffing & puffing your way up 311 steps you get a lovely view of London. The story behind the design of Monument, built in memory of the tragedy of the Great Fire of London of 1666, which started in a bakery in the nearby Pudding Lane, is fascinating.

6. After a long day of sight-seeing, crash in a traditional British pub, my favourites are The Station Hotel in Hither Green, The Princess of Wales in Blackheath, The Sylvan Post in Forest Hill or The Horniman at Hays Galleria.

Many more walking tours of London to come...

À Bientôt !

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Paris from my Phone

À Bientôt ! 

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