Bus Tour of Paris

One of the first things on our tour on Thursday morning was the Paris Opéra - as it was only a couple blocks from our hotel. It is a grand landmark designed by Charles Garnier in the Neo-Baroque style, it is regarded as one of the architectural masterpieces of its time.

The Grand Palais is a large glass exhibition hall that was built for the Paris Exhibition of 1900.

The Dome Church is part of Les Invalides in Paris, France, which is a complex of buildings in the city's 7th arrondissement containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building's original purpose.

The buildings of Les Invalides house the Musée de l'Armée, the military museum of the Army of France, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, and the Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine, as well as the burial site for some of France's war heroes

The Arc de Triomphe is at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. The triumphal arch honors those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. On the inside and the top of the arc there are all of the names of generals and wars fought. Underneath is the tomb of the unknown soldier from World War I.

Here's a shot of the Eiffel Tower from the bus. The tower was built for the 1889 Paris Exposition

A new type of souvenir item first appeared at that Exposition in 1889, a palm-sized glass globe featuring the Eiffel Tower as the center piece with a ceramic base and fake snow.

One of the things I wanted to get on this trip was a snow globe with the tower, and voila, here it is!