Once Great England

England had at one time been the greatest nation on earth. Today, her status as the greatest nation is long gone. Still, England still has a long list of "The Most" and "The Oldest".

England still has the most prestigious universities in the world. The Commonwealth Games is reckoned to be only second after the Olympic Games. UK Westminster system of government is still an envy of many nations and a model for many aspiring upcoming democracies.

England may have the greatest football clubs in the world but nobody really believe they can ever win a World Cup. England last won the World Cup in 1966 some 48 years ago. Thomas Cup created by the British, is one of the oldest and most prestigious badminton competitions. Yet hardly anyone will ever believe that a British team can ever win this Cup again. For Wimbledon Tennis, a Briton had not won for 77 years since 1936 until 2013 when this record was finally broken. Andy Murray won this trophy. There is some truth that England is in the decline.

The British Monarch has traditionally been the Defender of the Faith but this would most likely change now that Britain is no longer a Christian-majority nation. Prince Charles had also declared that if he ever becomes king, he would change the title of the Defender of the Faith to become the Defender of the Faiths. Could this be the source of her decline?

Still, England is a great country to visit. Her rich history, great architecture, beautiful landscape and diversity is still a magnet to many people and I am no exception.

We stayed at the Marriot London County Hall the night before we flew back to Singapore. This hotel used to be the headquarters of London County Council and later the Greater London Council before it was sold to private investor. It is on the south bank of Thames River just north of Westminster Bridge.

We managed to capture beautiful shots of the London Eye as it is just next to the hotel.

Paris Food Culture

Before coming to Paris, I have heard a lot about French food and how French love eating. Of course, like any other country, one can find Paris food that caters for cost conscious diners as well as for people who yearn for the best.

In Paris, there is even a difference in the price depending on how you eat your food - sitting down or standing up. We tried both.

Eating while standing under shaded area saves the "sitting charge".

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We were recommended by the staff in the hotel where we stayed to dine at Au Port Du Salut which is not far from the Pantheon. This is a restaurant set in an old building with very French atmosphere. There is even a male pianist who sings to entertain diners while they are eating. Staff were friendly and they did not hesitate to help taking photo for diners.

The Pantheon, Paris

Besides "Hunchback Notre Dame", Victor Hugo also wrote many other novels but none more well known than Les Miserables. Most admirers of this novel would admit they have either seen the movie or the musical rather than having read the actual novel itself.

Victor Hugo died in May 1885 and his remains is buried in the Pantheon, a mausoleum where distinguished French citizens are interred. His recognition as a giant in literature and a statesman could be seen from the outpouring of national grieve during his unprecedented funeral. Two million people lined the street from Arc de Triomphe to the Pantheon to join in the funeral procession.

Another surprise I discovered was the interment of Marie Curie in this mausoleum. She was born a Pole but later moved to France. For her research in Radioactivity, she was awarded the Nobel Price. She won the Nobel Price in Physics in 1903 and later the Nobel Price in Chemistry in 1911. Upon her death in 1934, she was buried along side her husband, Pierre Curie in a small place called Sceaux, about 10 Km south of Paris. Some 60 years later in 1995, both her remains as well as her husband's were transferred to the Pantheon. Marie Curie had many First's. The first woman to receive the Nobel Price, the first woman to receive Nobel Price twice and the first woman to be buried in the Pantheon.

Crypt where the deaths are interred.

Notre Dame de Paris

The fact that Notre Dame de Paris or commonly known as Notre Dame Cathedral has been preserved so well up to today, much credit should be given to Victor Hugo who wrote the novel, "Hunchback Notre-Dame". It was said that he wrote the story with the intention of drawing the attention of the French people to the value of French Gothic architecture which was very much neglected and unappreciated at that time.

The intricacy and framing of this building is best appreciated by looking at the model in display.

The Louvre, Paris

To me, the Louvre was something alien until the launch of the movie, The Da Vinci Code. It was almost overnight that everyone suddenly knew about the glass pyramid, a globally recognized icon. Unfortunately, the book also generated a lot of false information and untruth about the Louvre.

True to its claim, this 220 years old museum which opened on 10 August 1793  is truly massive. We spent half a day and could hardly cover one quarter of what's on display.

Left: Mona Lisa. Right: Venus de Milo.

Practically, everyone who came to this museum looked out for Mona Lisa. The crowd was just too massive and there was simply no time to pause and to appreciate it. Everyone just took snap shots from wherever position he or she could manage to reach. We were the more aggressive lot and we squeezed and were partly being carried along by the crowd behind to reach the front row. Some said that this painting was not the "Original" but who cared!

Surprisingly, the statue of Venus de Milo also attracted a massive crowd. I could only conclude that there are just no shortage of people who yearn for love and beauty - elements what Venus de Milo is supposed to represent.

Marble sculpture of Sleeping Hermaphroditus.