Miscellaneous Parisian Architecture

Love the old Parisian Architecture!... random shots from around the city.

The Triumphal Arch

If it's your first trip to Paris, I would recommend marching down Champs-Élysées as Napoleon, Nazi Germany, and the Free French forces did after military victories. The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a street in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Champs-Élysées is arguably one of the world's most famous streets, and is one of the most expensive strips of real estate in the world. Several French monuments are also on the street, including the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde. The name is French for Elysian Fields, the place of the blessed dead in Greek mythology. According to a much used description, the Champs-Élysées is la plus belle avenue du monde ("the most beautiful avenue in the world").

The Arc de Triomphe (in English: "Triumphal Arch")  de l'Étoile is one of the most famous monuments in Paris. It stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle (originally named Place de l'Étoile). The Arc de Triomphe honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. There is also a beautiful view of the city from the top of the monument.

Following its construction, the Arc de Triomphe became the rallying point of French troops parading after successful military campaigns and for the annual Bastille Day Military Parade. Famous victory marches around or under the Arc have included the Germans in 1871, the French in 1919, the Germans in 1940, and the French and Allies in 1944 and 1945. A United States postage stamp of 1945 shows the Arc de Triomphe in the background as victorious American troops march down the Champs-Élysées and U.S. airplanes fly overhead on 29 August 1944. After the interment of the Unknown Soldier, however, all military parades (including the aforementioned post-1919) have avoided marching through the actual arch. The route taken is up to the arch and then around its side, out of respect for the tomb and its symbolism. Both Hitler in 1940 and de Gaulle in 1944 observed this custom.

Parisian Statue

Random statue found while wandering back to apartment in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. 

Creepy Statue in Los Angeles

For some reason, this statue creeped me out. I didn't like the look on the guy's face... and it kind of looks like he's growing a third leg in the mid-section. 

Magical Garden

When I was staying in Bali, this is what greeted me every time I returned to the villa. It was like I was walking into some type of magical garden. It almost doesn't seem real... 

A Spitting Tiger

In this image, a tiger is spitting into the mouth of a frog (water sporadically came out of the tiger's mouth). I'm not too sure if this is supposed to symbolize something... or where the water was coming from (although, I had a few unsanitary ideas). However, I thought it was best to NOT drink the water... or touch it. 

Temples at the Shaolin Monastery

The temples at the Shaolin Monastery are very beautiful... bright/vibrant colors, intricate carving details, and textures aged to perfection. Each building has its own unique features, but is in unison with its surroundings. These are a few photos I took while walking around.

Stone Creatures

At the top of each building at Shaolin Monastery, little stone creatures stand guard. Each creature has unique features and they are positioned at the building's four corners. I couldn't quite understand why they were there or what their significance was... but they appeared to be acting as guards to scare away evil spirits. 

So You Want to Learn Kung Fu... Statues at the Shaolin Monastery

During a work trip to Northern China, I was lucky enough to take a detour to the Shaolin Monastery (aka Shaolin Temple) in Henan province. The Shaolin Monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is famous for Shaolin Kung Fu! It was a pretty awesome place to visit (apparently, it's every Chinese kid's fantasy to learn kung fu here). These are a couple photos I took of the various statues on the property.