londonllama

This was definately my favorite church I’ve visited in Europe, far surpassing Paris’s Notre Dame and even the Vatican in beauty and awe inspiring potential. I can’t really explain it… St. Peter’s in Rome is much larger, significant and more ornate but there is just something about London’s Catheral that made my visit here more enjoyable. Walking in just literally takes your breath away, seeing the incredible interiors and chandeliers, and when you begin to embark up to the top on your first landing, the famous “Whispering Gallery,” looking down on the nave and seeing the tiny tourists and worshippers, you realize that you haven’t seen anything yet! I loved climbing the dome- it was one of the highlights of my trip. Outside, the view is just as amazing, especially considering that during the Second World War most of the area around the Cathedral was rubble. Today, though, the contrast between the modern cityscape and the magnificent white baroque church make for a fantastic experience that one will not soon forget! When you re-enter the dome to get to the final level, you pass through a room where you can look through a small glass piece and you realize you are standing right over the top of the dome! It is absolutely terrifying but makes you realize how trully enormous this building is! The secondview is even better than the first! London may have been my least favorite city I’ve visited, but its central church is a sure winner indeed!

The top of this famous French monument easily has the absolute best view in Paris, in my opinion. We went at night just before it closed and it was one of the most breathtaking vistas you can ever imagine. Seeing the cars circling the flood-lit Arch and elegant buildings, looking down the traffic-clogged but somehow timeless Champs-Elysees towards the Louvre and in the distance the floodlights of the Eiffel Tower pierce the sky… this is Paris at its grandest. From here you really get a sense of how genious the actual plan of Paris is, for it’s as if all of the famous avenues of the capital radiate from this single monument. Also, from atop the Arch you can experience the entire Axe-historique from the Louvre Pyramid through the Tuieleries down the Champs-Elysees under the arch and all the way to the new modern Arch in La Defense on the opposite horizon. Standing here was one of my favorite memories of Paris and I believe it is an absolutely essential experience to have even for the most time constrained visitor to Paris.

The top of this famous French monument easily has the absolute best view in Paris, in my opinion. We went at night just before it closed and it was one of the most breathtaking vistas you can ever imagine. Seeing the cars circling the flood-lit Arch and elegant buildings, looking down the traffic-clogged but somehow timeless Champs-Elysees towards the Louvre and in the distance the floodlights of the Eiffel Tower pierce the sky… this is Paris at its grandest. From here you really get a sense of how genious the actual plan of Paris is, for it’s as if all of the famous avenues of the capital radiate from this single monument. Also, from atop the Arch you can experience the entire Axe-historique from the Louvre Pyramid through the Tuieleries down the Champs-Elysees under the arch and all the way to the new modern Arch in La Defense on the opposite horizon. Standing here was one of my favorite memories of Paris and I believe it is an absolutely essential experience to have even for the most time constrained visitor to Paris.