Let another Europe trip commence!
Day one started off touring around Baltimore, Maryland at Fort McHenry which if you don't know was where our nations national anthem was birthed.
"Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, Maryland, is a historical American coastal star-shaped fort best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British navy in Chesapeake Bay September 13–14, 1813. It was first built in 1798 and was used continuously by U.S. armed forces through World War I and by the Coast Guard in World War II. It was designated a national park in 1925.
During the War of 1812 a storm flag (17 by 25 feet (5.2 m × 7.6 m)) was flown over Fort McHenry during the bombardment. It was replaced early on the morning of September 14, 1814 with a larger garrison flag (30 by 42 feet (9.1 m × 12.8 m)). The larger flag signaled American victory over the British in the Battle of Baltimore. The sight of the ensign inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem "Defence of Fort M'Henry" that was later set to the tune To Anacreon in Heaven and become known as the Star Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States."
This is a replica of the original flag that was flown the morning when Francis Scott Key penned those famous lines that would become our national anthem, the flag is 30' x 42'.
Next stop was Paris. After an overnight flight, ate some much needed food and hit the streets. Waited in line for two hours to barely make it into the catacombs before the close.
On the Catacomb website it states:
"The Catacombs, which form a veritable labyrinth beneath the very heart of Paris, were created in the galleries of the former quarries whose stone was used to build the capital.
Situated twenty metres below ground, the ossuary contains the remains of millions of Parisians, transferred there gradually between the late eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries as graveyards were being closed because of the risk they posed to public health. The first of these was the cimetière des Innocents graveyard in 1786 in what is now the district of Les Halle.
In the long maze of dark galleries and narrow passages, visitors can see a tableau of death with bones arranged in a macabre display of high Romantic taste. The alexandrine verse "Arrête, c'est ici l'empire de la mort" [Halt, this is the realm of Death ] above the entrance to the ossuary is just one of an extensive series of maxims, poems and other sacred and profane passages giving pause for thought during the tour. This unusual site movingly brings the history of the Parisian people back to life and takes visitors on a timeless journey."
Enjoying the Eiffel Tower
Next onto Marrakech, Morocco and Barcelona, Spain
love following your journeys!
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