War and Cabaret

To add to the growing list of sites of Paris, we visited Les Invalides (officially L'Hôtel national des Invalides). This site is a complex of buildings that include the Arms Museum and the burial site for many French war heros, most notably Napoleon Bonaparte. Louis XIV started the project for the site as a place for old and unwell soldiers in 1670.

The museum is an impressive collection of various military pieces from different wars, piece types and periods. The suits of armour for both men and horses is impressive and there are many canons that line the walls of the court yard or hallways. It's definitely worth a visit to see all the artifacts they have on display. This was a really pleasant surprise considering we didn't realize there was all these artifacts and went to visit the tomb of Napoleon. Napoleon's tomb is a sight to behold... found in the dome portion of the complex, it is a huge red (quartzite) sarcophagus on a green (granite) base set in the center of the lower floor with a circular balcony on the ground floor.

The ceiling of the dome

Our evening continues in the Montmartre district when we visit Moulin Rouge. That's right! The source of the French can-can and cabaret. Dinner and a show is what we had in store for the evening. Photos and videos are forbidden by patrons so I didn't get a chance to take any but there's a video the establishment's put together about the show that they have currently going "Feerie". The hyperlink isn't available through youtube so here's another preview:

It's such a energetic show that is literally non-stop and complete with feathers, sequins and a dinner. Oh and miniature horses; 6 of them prance around the stage! Most certainly worth checking out if you've made the stop in Paris!