Original Walking Tour

I know this is a tad bit late, but late is better than never!

My walking tour began at the Champs Élysées/L'Arc de Triomphe.  The Champs Élysées is really fun because there is always something going on!  There are tons of expensive stores, restaurants, bars, exclusive clu

bs, and movie theaters.  The Champs Élysées is one of the most famous streets in the entire world, so it's awesome to be able to say that I have strolled along the Champs Élysées!  The Arc de Triomphe is arguably one of the most recognized sights in Paris.  Let me just say that the Arc is WAAAAYYY bigger than I thought it would be, which seems to be a trend with my impressions on Parisian monuments.  The Arc de Triomphe was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 after winning a battle at Austerlitz against Russian/Austrian forces.  The Arc was not finished until 1836.  Napoleon's body was carried under the Arc de Triomphe while en route to Les Invalides to be buried in 1840.

After seeing the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Élysées, I walked down Avenue de Wagram.  Wagram is a long, tree lined street, with a lot of shops with apartments above.  Next, I stopped at Place de Ternes.  At the Place de Ternes there are a couple of really cool 

outdoor florists.  The flowers were beautiful and I was really tempted to buy some, but maybe I'll go back and buy some flowers for my host here in Paris.

After Place de Ternes, I walked down Boulevard de Courcelles, another residential, upscale street.  I stumbled upon a really pretty church called Saint Alexandre Nevsky on Rue Pierre Le Grand, off of Blvd. de Courcelles.  I tried to find some information about the church online, but I couldn't really find anything.  I think I read that it is a Russian Orthodox church, which is pretty rare in Paris.  But it is a pretty church and there aren't many churches in the area, so it was cool to see one!

I continued on down Blvd. de Courcelles and ended at Parc Monceau, my favorite park ever!  It is fun to see French people just hanging out and relaxing.  The park was designed by Louis Carmontelle and was designed to be similar to an informal English garden.  The park has an interesting history, but it's too long for me to discuss in this already lengthy blog/walking tour.

I had a good time doing my solo walking tour.  I love the area because it is not very touristy and it is really family oriented.  There are tons of families and kids around, just playing and relaxing.  It is a lot more laid back than the touristy areas and it gives me a better, truer sense of being a Parisian.  I wanted to add more pictures, but it made the post ugly.  Sorry this was a little late!