Paris - Aug 17

Today was going to be a take it easy day.  A short visit to a lesser museum and then lounge about.  The lesser museum that I chose was Musee de L'Armee, an army museum.  My thought was... what could be so interesting that but an hour it would take...  How wrong was I!

It was amazing!  I spent the day there.  They had enough weaponry and armor and swords and... to equip an army.  If it could wreak havoc it was in this museum.  

You could see the advances in armor technology through the Middle Ages.  You could also see how at times the armies were on the bad side of technological advances.  Kind of like that saying...  too bad for you bringing a knife to a gun fight!

Some interesting weapons that were an attempt to get an edge on the opponent...

Three barreled pistol in case your opponent has a tendency to move left or right.  Or in case you have been partaking too much wine and you are seeing double or triple, aim for the one in the middle. 😊

What well dress horse doesn't go into battle with a hundred pounds of steel draped about it.

Or in case you feel a bit paranoid, why not bring a portable hand canon.  Yes this was a pistol.

Or this one... you shouldn't throw rocks...  The canonball was made of stone.

And here was a good one.  What religious zealot wouldn't want a cross that has a removable dagger.  Comes in handy when the preaching doesn't find a receptive audience.

And here is one that is for the person who wants to make sure they put their opponent down.  The sword second from the left has a trigger mechanism that protrudes from the blade.  It is so that at a point where you have run him through the gun barrel is triggered to fire a shot into him.  Double deadly...

That was only the Middle Ages weapons... Then there was the more modern weaponry.  That was when man got more serious about death.

The Gatling gun debut late 1800s.  The precursor to the machine gun but extremely deadly in its introduction to the battle field.

Then a couple of adaptations to guns to give them longer firepower...

And here is a strange attempt to increase range.  The apparatus in the center is a grenade thrower.  It is much like the crossbow concept of the Middle Ages except the grenade part.

The picture below is hard to see because of reflexion but it is a good example of trying to overcome adversity.  It is a trench rifle from WWI.  If you stuck your head up to aim and shoot, you were likely to get it shot off.  So the invented a second stock to hold the rifle and a set of mirrors to aim the rifle.  The rifle itself would be up above the trench but the soldier would be safe down in the trench. 

After all that military stuff, had to go visit the tomb of Napolean.  

It is a huge crypt for such a small man.  But I do think that something this big was required for the ego of the man...  You had to be impressed by the elaborate size and scope of the display.  It was befitting of a pharaoh of Egypt less the pyramid.

And to wrap the day up, two additional things:

First, a find as I traveled the neighborhoods...

A beautiful square and fountain, the Saint Sulpice square in Latin Quarter.  It was so impressive that I had to stop and spend some time.  There was no one else there.  So it must be an overlooked gem.

And lastly, Saint Michel (Michael)...

It is a gorgeous fountain but it is on the Main Street near Notre Dame.  The beauty is lost when you have to fight the crowds and the homeless element that is there.  But if you can get past some of those it is one of the great fountains of Paris.  That and its namesake is a draw. 😊

Michael... gods enforcer over evil!  😳