My World Tuesday = Old, Old Slides

Professional Slides of Paris Scenes

above

Place de la Concorde

Do you remember when slides were the way to photograph your tourist attractions? At that time in America as well as Europe and Asia you could purchase in tourist gift shops commercial slides by professional photographers of the places you visited just in case your own photographs didn't develop and you thought you might never have a chance to come back to take more photos. (This was back in the day when you used film in cameras and sometimes you misplaced a roll of "shot" film.) Well anyway I must have been thinking like this on my very first visit to Paris in December 1970 because I purchased these slides. So let's take a look.

But first let me explain that Place de la Concorde which meets up with the famous avenue known as Champs -Elysees is where King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette lost their heads at the guillotine set up here during the French Revolution. The grey building below is where they spent their last days in prison before heading to the guillotine which was known as the Black Widow. After the revolution this Egyptian obelisk was given to King Louis-Philippe from the Egyptian ambassador Mehmet-Ali. This Egyptian obelisk came from the Luxor valley of Egypt and is over 3200 years old.

A Flower Stall Near the Conciergerie by the River Siene in Paris

The Conciergerie served as the main prison during the French Revolution.

The Carousel Arch

This is Not the Arc of Triumph.

This is the Carousel Arch which also celebrated Napoleon Bonaparte's victories in Europe.It was built between 1806 and 1808. Napoleon took the four gilded horses from St. Marks Cathedral in Venice, Italy. When Napoleon was finally defeated in his world conquests the original Italian horses were returned to St. Marks in Venice, Italy and these copies of the originals were placed on the arch along with a chariot and statue of Peace. This smaller arch was put up quickly so that Napoleon's returning troops would see it when they triumphantly entered the city.

The Famous Sorbonne

It was established in 1253. In 1969 the college which was the original University of Paris was divided into 13 separate universities. Jackie Kennedy Onassis studied here in the late '40s as a young college girl.

Sacre Couer Cathedral

This beautiful church was started in1870 and finished in 1914 at the time of World War I. Sacre Couer means Sacred Heart in French. This cathedral is on a high hill known at Montmartre and is located in the northern section of Paris. Montmarte, the banks of the River Seine and the the Champs-Elysees are my three most favorite parts of Paris! There is a cathedral on a high hill in Montreal, Canada that was modeled after this Sacre Couer church. It is called St. Joseph's Oratory and is a famous pilgrimage site in the New World.

The Famous Moulin Rouge (Red Windmill) in Montmartre.

This is where the cancan dance was born and where famous painters like Camille Corot and Maurice Utrillo recorded in paintings the doings of the dancers and prostitutes who frequented this establishment. From the dress of the lady in front and the style of the cars I would say this photo was taken shortly after the end of World War II.

That's all folks. Thank you for stopping by my blog. Now please visit some more My World memes by clicking on the My World sign over on the right.