Traveler's Closet: France

Showing posts with label France. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Omaha beach, Normandy

If you watched the Movie Saving Private Ryan,

you would remember the 20minutes opening sequences of the movie.

It was filmed in County Wexford, Ireland near the town of Curracloe.

However it provide an excellent feel for what conditions on the beach must have been like

on the day of 6 June, 1944.

Omaha Beach is the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of

German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II.

Omaha Beach is located on the coast of Normandy, France.

Pictures were taken on April 10, 2009

High plateaus, rocky cliffs, and sandy bluffs...

Features that are so beautiful to the eyes were nothing but an obsticle course

to the US troops during invasion of Normandy.

"Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon the Great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months.

The eyes of the word are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you...

I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in battle.

We will accept nothin less than full Victory !" -Dwight D. Eisenhower

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a city state on the French Riviera "Côte d'Azur". It is surrounded on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about 16 km (9.9 mi) from Italy. Its area is 1.98 km2 (0.76 sq mi) with an estimated population of almost 35,000.

Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium

Monaco in a frame...

Palais Princier (Prince's Palace)

Statue of François Grimaldi

Monday, May 9, 2011

Place Masséna, Nice

The Place Massena is the heart and soul of Nice as well as its geographic center.

Conceived to cover the Peillon river, Place Massena was constructed from 1832 to 1850. The architect, Joseph Vernier, modelled the Italianate porticos that fringe the square on the Rue Rivoli in Paris.

Promenade des Anglais, Nice

This wide, palm-lined pathway runs along the Mediterranean for several miles

between inviting Nice beaches and a busy boulevard.

Turn one way and you see a hypnotic expanse of blue sea,

turn the other and you are dazzled by the bright lights of a large city.

Beginning in the late eighteenth century, many members of the British upper classes began to spend their winters in Nice, drawn by the pleasant climate and beautiful beaches.

The original Promenade des Anglais was financed by Lewis Way, an English minister.

Completed in the 1820s, the palm-fringed Promenade des Anglais provided the perfect path

for a leisurely stroll along the Mediterranean.

Before long this quiet walkway was dotted with hotels and apartments.

Pictures were taken on May 7, 2011

Hotel Negresco

Hotel Negresco is one of the oldest and most revered historic hotels in France.

Hotel Negresco edges Baie des Anges (Bay of Angels) in Nice and was constructed in 1912.

Today, it is not only one of the most famous Nice hotels, but also an important historical landmark.

Often described as a living museum, it is perhaps one of the most interesting of all historical buildings in Nice. It is filled with everything from Renaissance paintings to modern works of art,

exhibiting owner Jeanne Augier's great love the art world.

Bikini: Victoria's Secret

Like many other French Riviera beaches,

the Nice beaches are covered with galets, hard round marble-like pebbles.

The rocks have been worn smooth by the sea, but I wished I brought some padded mat.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Château de Versailles, The Queen's Hamlet

A rustic retreat built for Marie Antoinette.

Marie Antoinette and her ladies liked to spend long periods of time here, dressing as milkmaids and shepherdesses, pretending to live a quiet and simple life, away from the intrigue of life at court