Bart Bear's Blog

Here's more of the images from the Oldies' 2007 trip to Paris. Of course they left me behind that time but they will definitely have to take me next time. Going through their photos I have found 3 things that I just have to visit and explore. First off, there's the Eye-full Tower. Just look at that maze of steel girders and imagine how much fun a small bear could have climbing among that lot. Mind you, the Oldies had different reactions when they went up to the viewing decks. Mum loved it and got Dad to take lots of photos of her with Paris in the background. Dad doesn't like heights and always had one hand clinging to a frame while he was taking the photos. Then there's Napoleon's tomb. I am a bit uncertain about Uncle Nap (as my Grandad used to call him) because I don't really like people who cause wars. However, I am fascinated by military machinery and Napoleon's tomb is part of the French Army Museum so I will have to visit the place. It certainly looks great at night, all lit up. The thing that I have to check out most are the Gargoyles! The Oldies bought me back a small one and he's kind of cute, but he doesn't know much about the big ones on the Parisian cathedrals and museums. Are they really as gruesome as they look? What do they think about while they sit up there on the gutter? Do they aim the streams of water onto unsuspecting tourists? I've just got to climb up to the roofs of Paris and interview some of them.

Labels: France, Paris

Here's a photo of one of the places the Oldies visited on their big trip. It is the chateau at Chambord in France. It is a strange building with the most peculiar structures making up its roof line. Dad says that the architect must have been on happy-juice when he designed the place. It is the largest chateau in the Loire valley and was built by King Francois I in the early 1500's. When the Oldies were there it was early morning and the chateau was covered in fog. It looked like a haunted castle in a gruesome fairy story, but nothing happened and the Oldies survived.

Labels: France

Here's the front of the big cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. You can see the back of it in the picture three posts below. This is one of the cathedrals that the Oldies rave about when they are telling friends about their big (bearless) trip. Notre Dame was one of the very first Gothic cathedrals to be built. Construction started way back in 1163, but not completed until 1345. It was one of the first buildings to use external flying buttresses, the prop-things you can see in the picture of the back. These allowed the builders to make the walls higher and thinner without them falling down. During the French Revolution a lot of the fittings and art was destroyed or stolen. Today, it is very impressive inside (so they tell me). There are lots of statues and stained glass and a huge pipe organ. The only problems visitors have is that thousands of people visit it every day, so you get shoved around a lot. There are also lots of pick-pockets around. I keep telling the Oldies that a guard-bear in the handbag is essential; they really do HAVE to take me next time.

Labels: France

Here's another great photo from the Oldies' big trip. During their stay in Paris they went for a trip along the river at night. The river is spelt "Seine" but it sounds like "Sane" when you say it. This photo is looking towards the back of Notre Dame cathedral on the Isle de la Cite. You can see the way the river splits to go around the island and one of the dozens of bridges that cross the river. The bridges are all low, so the boats that go along the Seine have to be low to fit under them. On the left of the picture you can see the top of the Eiffel Tower and the beacon light rotating on the top of it. The only thing missing when this picture was taken was a certain small bear. That had better not happen again.

Labels: France, Paris

Guess what this spikey thing is? It is the missing obelisk from the temple at Luxor. Way back in 1835 the King of Egypt swapped it with the King of France for a big chandelier and a clock. I will show you where they ended up later. The obelisk is right in the centre of the Place de la Concorde in Paris. This is where lots of people had their heads chopped off during the French Revolution. Nobody has their heads chopped off there now, but lots of people get married there. Mum amazed a French tour guide one night by reading some of the heiroglyphs on the obelisk for him. I guess he didn't know that some Mums and small bears can read things like that. Next time these oldies of mine go to places like this they can take me along and book me through customs as livestock. I need to be there to help.

Labels: Egypt, France

One of the places that the oldies visited was this great house. It is the Chateau de Chenonceau and was obviously built by somebody who had the same tastes in houses as small bears do. It has been here on the river Cher in France since 1513 and has fantastic gardens all around it. It is so old that the tiles on the floors are so worn away by thousands of feet that they (the tiles) are worn hollow. Imagine a house across a river! You could go fishing without ever having to go outside, just drop a line from your window. Drawbridges at both ends so you can keep unwanted visitors away. Steps down to little docks where boats are tied up waiting. I would love to live in a place like this. Of course Mum would be extra tough trying to stop me from falling into the river, but that might mean that I would have to be taught to swim. Actually, there are no records of small bears at Chenonceau, but as there were lots of famous French ladies that lived here over the centuries I reckon there must have been a few. Dad says that there used to be big fierce bears in the forests around the chateau but there aren't any there now.

Labels: France

One of the places the oldies stayed for a while is Paris. The most spectacular thing in Paris is this thing, the Eiffel Tower. At night it is all lit up with coloured lights and sparkles. The oldies visited it during the daytime and went up to the second observation deck, then went back at night and had dinner at the first floor resterrornt. They were there during the Rugby World Cup semi-finals and there was a large football suspended in the centre of the tower. The night they took this photo, England was playing France. Now Dad only ever barracks for two teams, the Aussies and whoever is playing against the Poms. Needless to say, the Poms won. They should pay Dad to follow them around and cheer for the opposite team. Actually, when they go back to Paris they had better take me because I really want to parachute (maybe that's Paris-chute) from the top of this. And I still say its name should be the Eyefull Tower because it really is a great eyefull.

Labels: France, Paris