VISIT TO EUROPE - FRANCE - PARIS - EIFFEL & NOTREDAME

CHAPPIDI ABHIRATH REDDY
C/O COL GKS REDDY

Secunderabad - 500015





Eiffel Tower

          The Eiffel Tower (French: La Tour Eiffel, [tuʁ ɛfɛl]) is an iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris, named after the engineerGustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Erected in 1889 as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair, it has become both a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest structure in Paris[10] and the most-visited paid monument in the world; 7.1 million people ascended it in 2011. The tower received its 250 millionth visitor in 2010.

          The tower stands 324 metres (1,063 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-floor building. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed theWashington Monument to assume the title of the tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building inNew York City was built in 1930. Because of the addition of the antenna atop the Eiffel Tower in 1957, it is now taller than the Chrysler Building by 17 feet (5.2 m). Not including broadcast antennas, it is the second-tallest structure in France, after the Millau Viaduct.

          The tower has three levels for visitors. The third level observatory's upper platform is at 279.11 m (915.7 ft) the highest accessible to the public in the European Union. Tickets can be purchased to ascend, by stairs or lift (elevator), to the first and second levels. The walk from ground level to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the walk from the first to the second level. Although there are stairs to the third and highest level, these are usually closed to the public and it is usually accessible only by lift. The first and second levels have restaurants.

          The tower has become the most prominent symbol of both Paris and France, often in the establishing shot of films set in the city.

The Visit to the Tower

          Tickets were booked in advance for visit to Eiffel Tower on 09 Sep 2013. Unfortunately, the weather was totally packed up with heavy rain and clouds completely covering the Top Floor view point. We took a chance and went up, but the visibility in third floor (Top Floor view point) was just 3 to 5 ft. We did manage to take a few snaps, when the weather cleared slightly for a few minutes

In the lift, going up to the third floor of the Tower

The weather was completely packed up with visibility of just 5 ft

The Tower Inauguration data at the view point

A closeup of the Inauguration Data

A snap of the city landscape, taken when the weather cleared up a bit

Another view of the landscape across River Seine

A view of Nepoleon's Tomb (Les Invalides)

An open top Tour Bus of Paris

Pictures of the Tower from the Ground

          We tried to take some snaps of the Tower, after coming down, but the upper half of the Tower was hidden in the clouds and the area around the lower portion was hazy. Hence we decided to make an attempt again on 10 Sep 2013.

A view of the Tower from Champ de Mars

The Base of the Tower from Champ de Mars

The Southern Pillar of the Tower

Notre Dame Cathedral - 10 Sep 2013

          Notre-Dame de Paris (IPA: [nɔtʁə dam də paʁi]; French for "Our Lady of Paris"), also known as Notre-Dame Cathedral or simply Notre-Dame, is an historic Roman Rite Catholic Marian cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris,France.[2] The cathedral is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and among the largest and most well-known church buildings in the world. The naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass are in contrast with earlier Romanesque architecture.

          As the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Paris, Notre-Dame is the parish that contains the cathedra, or official chair, of the archbishop of Paris, currently Archbishop André Vingt-Trois.[3] The cathedral treasury is notable for its reliquary which houses some of Catholicism's most important first-class relics including the purported Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross, and one of the Holy Nails.

          In the 1790s, Notre-Dame suffered desecration during the radical phase of the French Revolution when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. An extensive restoration supervised by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc began in 1845. A project of further restoration and maintenance began in 1991.

 A view of the Cathedral from the Entry Gate

A view from the Courtyard - Self & Sirisha, my second Daughter

A closeup of the Cathedral from the front Gallery

The entry & exit of the Cathedral from the Gallery

Main Entry to the Cathedral which is now closed

The Pulpit of the Cathedral

A closer view of the Pulpit

A side view of the Cathedral from across River Seine

The Crypt

          The archaeological Crypt under the Parvis de Notre-Dame de Paris was built to protect the ruins discovered during the excavations that began in 1965, conducted by the Commission du Vieux Paris (Archaeology and Architecture History Department). The crypt was opened in 1980 with the aim of presenting elements from the successive buildings constructed on the site from Ancient times to the 19th century.

          The archaeological Crypt is located under the Parvis and accessed by staircases opposite the cathedral, near the Police Headquarters / Préfecture de Police.

A view of the Roman era Ruins in the Crypt

Another view of the Ruins in the Crypt

The Ruins in the Crypt

Note:- Information about the places given in this blog is Courtesy Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia  

MY COLLECTION - ALBUM NO 1 - INDIAN REPUBLIC COINS - RUPEES TEN & ANDAMAN COINS

CHAPPIDI ABHIRATH REDDY,
C/O COL GKS REDDY,

Secunderabad - 500 015.

          India declared independence on 15th August 1947. India was partitioned into three parts. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh (former East pakistan). India was declared as Republic in 1950. India introduced it's own coinage,on 15th August 1950, all of which have Ashokas (the greatest Mauryan Emperor) Lion Capital motif (described in First coinage of India). All the coins and currency notes of modern India have this four-lion symbol on it.

          Indian Republic continued with the old monetary system used by the British Empire as legal tender for almost 10 years after Independence, where in a Rupee consisted of 16 Annas / 64 pice. India adopted a decimal monetary system only in 1957 where, One Rupee consisted of 100 Paise (Naya Paise). After posting my collection of coins minted by Indian Republic from Aug 1950 to Dec 1956. (Old system coins of Indian Republic) 1 to 5 Naya Paise coins, 10 & 20 Naya Paise coins, 25 & 50 Naya Paise Coins and One Rupee coins, Two Rupee Coins, Five Rupee Coins, I am now posting my collection of Ten Rupee Coina and Andaman & Nicobar coins

Ten Rupees

Ten Rupees – Cross Roads – 2006 – Bi-metallic

Ten Rupees – Std Coin - 2008

Ten Rupees – Homi Bhabha Birth Centenary – 2009

Ten Rupees – 75 Years of RBI – 2010

  

Ten Rupees – New Rupee Symbol – 2011

 

Ten Rupees – 60 Years of Indian Parliament - 2012

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

          These seven 2011 dated Fantasy Coins are themed around Fauna of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. These are minted in private foreign Mint and the mintage is believed to be around 10,000 coins in all. These coins are meant for Coin collectors only and NOT meant for commercial circulation. These coins do not come in the purview of Counterfeit coins, as defined in the Indian Coinage Act of 1906.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands – Twenty Rupees – Nautilus -2011

Andaman & Nicobar Islands – Ten Rupees – Dugong -2011

Andaman & Nicobar Islands – Five Rupees – Indian Wild Boar -2011

Andaman & Nicobar Islands – Two Rupees – Coconut Crab -2011

Andaman & Nicobar Islands – One Rupee – Kuhl's Flying Gecko -2011

Andaman & Nicobar Islands – Fifty Paise – Stork-billedKingfisher -2011

Andaman & Nicobar Islands – 25 Paise – Andaman Clubtail Butterfly -2011

Note - Some of the images of coins in my collection, have been taken from the Gallery to the extent available, to save on time & effort involved in photography & editing

MY BUCKET LIST - VISIT NORTH EAST INDIA - ASSAM & ARUNACHAL PRADESH - I

CHAPPIDI ABHIRATH REDDY

C/O COL GKS REDDY
Secunderabad - 500 015

All of us have some dreams / small wishes in life, which when unfulfilled keep getting added to our Bucket List, from time to time. So do I have, my own Bucket List with a number of small unfulfilled wishes, to be fulfilled before finally kicking the Bucket. Three such wishes remained unfulfilled for a long time.

(a)  To Visit Foreign Countries. As a child, I was fascinated with foreign countries and imagined them to be, some far away Fairy Lands and wished to visit as many countries as possible. But unfortunately my dream remained unfulfilled, as I chose Armed Forces as my profession and I was NOT one of those bright boys, who were sent on UN Assignments. However, I can say with certainty, that my dream was partially fulfilled, as I visited neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and China (Tibet) albeit border areas only, during my long career in the Armed Forces. And visited my children in UK, immediately after my retirement in 2007. I hope to further fulfill my dream in the near future, as preparations are in full swing to visit all the European countries in Jul / Aug 2013.

(b)  To Own Ancient / Old Coins of India. This dream / wish largely remained unfulfilled till my retirement, since as a child, I did not have the requisite finances and as an adult, neither had the inclination nor time, due to demands of profession and family commitments. However, I went all out after retirement and today I own almost 450 to 500 Ancient / Old Indian coins, starting from Janapadas (Old Indian states, 400 to 200 BC), Kushan Dynasty to British Empire Coins. But there is a long way to realize my dream.

(c)   To Visit Recruiting Areas of my Troops. This dream could not be realized till this year, in spite of my best efforts, due to various reasons. I was commissioned into Assam Regiment in Jun 1975 and could NOT serve even for a day in the North East, where my troops come from. In fact, I could go across River Brahmaputra, only twice during my long career in the Regiment. Once when I was attached to Assam Regiment Centre (ARC) at shillong for Pre - Young Officers Course Training, immediately after my commission in Jun 1975 and second time, when I was invited by Commandant ARC for Final Farewell Dinner, just a few days prior to my retirement in Mar 2007.

      I could not visit my Regimental Centre in between, even after having commanded the unit for four years, during which time Two Biennial conferences and a Mini conference for COs were held. During the first Biennial, Corps Test Exercise was ON and my unit was Corps Reserve Bn. All arrangements, including Air Ticket booking for second Biennial were done, but unfortunately, my second in command met with an accident just a few days prior to my departure and the unit was deployed in a sensitive sub sector of J&K. And I missed the Mini Conference, as heavy Fire Fights, including Medium Arty and Rocket fire were in progress in the sub sector, and the enemy was targeting even the unit’s Adm Base, where No Bunkers were available.

      Hence, I was elated, when my Parent Unit, moved to the Forbidden Lands of  the North East, for the first time in Mar 2012; almost 27 years after raising. I planned to combine my long awaited visit to all the NE States, with unit’s 28^th Raising day celebrations, scheduled during Feb 2013. My plans got further fillip, on learning that, three of my company commanders, who subsequently commanded the unit and a fourth CO, who came from outside and commanded the unit, were all serving in various appointments in the NE and my then IO was presently commanding my parent unit. The raising day was 11 Feb 2013 and I booked my Air Ticket to Dibrugarh (Nearest Airport to unit) for 09 Feb 2013 and planned to tour the NE till 02 Mar 2013. Once again, I got a shock on 01 Feb 2013, when the unit got orders to move for Op Alert till 08 Mar 2013 and they were forced to celebrate raising day in the Op Area.

      CO apologized profusely, though it was none of his fault and he requested me to visit the unit from 10 to 13 Mar 2013. Thus I re-scheduled my programme from 10 to 30 Mar and postponed my Air Ticket from 09 Feb to 10 Mar 2013.

Finally My Dream Fulfilled

            Finally, I realized my dream of visiting the Recruiting Areas of my Troops, by touring  NE from 10 Mar to 30 Mar 2013, thereby deleting the item from My Bucket List . I intend to present the details of my long cherished dream, on D – Day basis with Photographs.

Visit to Assam & Arunachal Pradesh Incl Unit Loc ( D– Day to D + 3)

          Arunachal Pradesh /ˌɑrəˌnɑːtʃəl prəˈdɛʃ/ is a state of India. Located in northeast India, Arunachal Pradesh borders the states of Assam andNagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Bhutan in the west, Myanmar in the east and the People's Republic of China in the north. Itanagar is the capital of the state. China claims most of the state as part of Tibet and calls the disputed area South Tibet.

          Arunachal Pradesh means "land of the dawn-lit mountains". Literally it means "land of the rising sun" (Sanskrit: Arun: Sun, Pradesh: state, province or region) in reference to its position as the easternmost state of India. It is also known as the "Orchid State of India" and the "Paradise of the Botanists". It is the biggest of the group of eastern states commonly known as the Seven Sister States. Like other parts of Northeast India, a majority of the people native to the state are of Tibeto-Burman origin. A large and increasing number of migrants have reached Arunachal Pradesh from many other parts of India, though no reliable population count of the migrant population exists, and percentage estimates of total population accordingly vary widely. Arunachal Pradesh has the largest number of regional languages among Indian states.

            D – Day (10 Mar 2013)

(a)   I packed my stuff on the previous evening and reported to the Airport almost an   hour and a half before the scheduled departure of the Flight. Took off for Kolkata by Indigo Flt GE 351 from Hyderabad at 0940h and landed at Dibrugarh at 1420h, after catching connecting Flt GE 205 from Kolkata. As I came out of the Airport, I saw the Sub Maj waiting with his protection party. We straight away started for the unit located somewhere astride the famous LIDO Road, passing through Tinsukia and Mahadevpur in Assam and Namsai in Eastern Arunachal Pradesh, reaching the unit by night fall.

(b)  All officers were waiting to receive me at the Officers Mess, where a Flood Light Shuttle Badminton Match was scheduled between the CO and 2 I/C’s teams. In spite of my cataract problem in the Right Eye, we managed to win the first game, but the youngsters soon took control and won the remaining two games. The game was followed by drinks and dinner at CO’s Residence. 

CO vs 2 I/Cs Team Shuttle Badminton under Flood lights in progress

Ex - Gaonbura Returning the shuttle

Youngster in 2 I/Cs Team in Action

Ex - Gaonbura in Action

Moving to COs Residence, for the Hard Earned Dinner After the Game

Dinner at COs Residence

Dinner at COs Residence

Youngsters Enjoying their Dinner

D + 1 (11 Mar 2013)

(a)   The day started with a Sainik Sammelan at 0730h, organized in honour of the visiting Ex – Gaonbura (Photographs 11 to 13), followed by briefing by CO on the achievements of the unit in CI Ops in the past one year or so (Photographs 14 to 17-3). Thereafter, individual meetings were arranged with the few JCO’s and NCO’s who served with the Ex – Gaonbura and still in service (Photographs 18 to 18-3).

Meeting the JCOs and NCOs who served with Ex - Gaonbura

Meeting the JCOs and NCOs who served with Ex - Gaonbura

(b)  Unit Bara Khana was Organised at 1100h, to enable Ex – Gaonbura to meet and personally interact with the JCO’s and Jawans (Photographs 19 to 25-4). Ex – Gaonbura was taken around the company Cook houses and unit lines while food was being served to the troops (Photos 26 & 27). After Bara Khana, Ex – Gaonbura presented Battalion Farewell Mementoes to some of the Jawans proceeding on retirement, followed by singing of regimental song and finally presentation of Gift to the Jazz Band NCO (Photos 28 to 35).

Ex - Gaonbura with Officers & JCOs at Bara Khana

Ex - Gaonbura Singing the Battalion Song with Unit Jazz Band

Interacting with the Jawans

Interacting with the Jawans

Sub Maj Presenting the Battalion Cap to Ex - Gaonbura

(c)   In the AN, a drive along the LIDO Road, up to  Parshuram Kund was Organised, wherein Ex – Gaonbura visited the Transit Camp, Parshuram Kund Mandir and Navayuga Constructions Dam site across Lohit River (Photos 35-2 to 35-8)

Talking to the Camp JCO at a Transit Camp somewhere Astride LIDO Road

PARASURAM KUND:

          Parasuram Kund, a place of pilgrimage is situated on the bank of the river Lohit at about 24 Kms from Tezu. It is also known as 'Prabhu Kuthar', the origin of the 'Kunda' viz. Parasuram Kund is associated with Parasuram's matricide. The history goes in brief that one day Renuka, mother of Parasuram went to Ganga for having bath and bringing water. But delay in bringing water made the Rishi Jamadagni, the husband of Renuka very angry as it was already getting late for the mid day worship. He asked the sons to kill her. None of his six sons except Parasuram could oblige. Parasuram chopped off the head of his mother indeference to the wishes of his father, but as a result of crime handle with his axe got struck to his hand. Jamadagni was very pleased with him for carrying out his orders and told Parasuram to ask for a boon.

           Parasuram prayed for bringing his mother back to life, then enquired as to how to get rid of the crime of matricide. Jamadagni granted it and his mother got her life back and told Parasuram to visit " Brahma Kund" to wash off the sin. Parasuram came to the Brahma Kund, in Lohit District of Arunachal Pradesh for holy dip in the kund. Religious people, saints come to this kund on Makarsakranti which falls on the 14th January every year. The Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh extends all possible arrangements / help for the annual pilgrimage.

Praying at Parshuram Kunj Mandir

Chief Priest tying the Holy Thread

In Front of Parshuram Kunj Mandir

Meeting with Mr Reddy, Chief Accts Offr, Navayuga Constrs, Dam Project on Lohit River

Note:- Information about the places given in this blog is Courtesy Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia