No, The Gold Dome Is NOT Our Apartment

Our apartment is a block away from a nice grassy area where dogs and people are actually allowed to walk and sit, a rarity in Paris. Most of the grassy areas are fenced off and "interdit" even to people. The few where people are allowed are usually "interdit" to dogs. But this is a huge area called Esplanade des Invalides, on both sides of a boulevard, where Mom and I sit for awhile on our way back from our daily adventure.

Les Invalides is best known as the tomb of Napoleon, but nearly a hundred years before Napoleon's sarcophagus was installed there by Louis Phillipe in 1861, Louis XIV had it constructed for indigent veterans. The long, low part of the building served as lodging for the former soldiers and was completed in 1674. By the end of the 17th century, up to 4000 pensioners lived there - a veritable city within a city.

In 1677 Jules Mansart designed the dome and church which were divided into two parts, the royal chapel and the church St. Louis des Invalides for the soldiers. The two spaces were opposite and open to each other so Louis could view the altar and his soldiers at the same time.

The red porphyte sarcophagus of Napoleon weighs 4 tons and sits on a base of green garnet. Observers look down at it from a balcony.

There are also four military museums in the complex with the newest building inaugurated in 2008 for "L'Historial Charles de Gaulle."

Below is a link to a YouTube video of Les Invalides.

http://youtu.be/mEUUh7MRdj8