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| View from Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie Photo credit goes to my darling girl |
Wandering through Parc de la Villette in Paris, I spotted a giant gazing ball off in the distance. Against the overcast sky, it looked like a bubble with its edges barely delineated against the clouds.
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| Mirror ball |
We had found La Géode, an enormous, mirrored, geodesic sphere, similar to EPCOT's iconic Spaceship Earth but with a highly reflective surface. At 36 meters (118 feet) in diameter, it is covered with 6,433 stainless steel triangles and is the equivalent of a 12-story building.
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| A selfie in one of the equilateral triangles with 1.2 meter (3.6 foot) sides. |
Paris is famous for its Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Louvre and other historical buildings. I found this very modern structure quite refreshing and this park to be where I felt surrounded by locals instead of tourists.
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| Can you spot the people at the bottom center of this photo? See the red architectural folly off to the right? I call it "Stairs to Nowhere." |
Completed in 1985, La Géode is an 400-seat Omnimax theatre showing IMAX films, 3D films, satellite concert events, and broadcasts of the New York City Metropolitan Opera. It is connected to Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie which is the largest science museum in Europe. Inside the museum is Cité des Enfants, a children's museum perfect for kiddos who have had enough of looking at art and churches and want some hands-on activities.
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| La Géode |
IF YOU GO:
- The nearest Paris Metro stations to La Géode are Corentin Cariou on Line 7 and Porte de Pantin on Line 5.
- From Tuesday to Sunday, movies are shown every hour from 10:30AM to 8:30PM. Mondays are flextime.
- See the La Géode website for admission prices and to purchase tickets.
- The Café de La Géode offers salads, sandwiches, quiches and desserts. Peruse the menu.
- Make sure to wander around Parc de la Villette or visit the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie and the Cité des Enfants.
This post is part of "Travel Photo Thursday" on Budget Travelers Sandbox and "Oh the Places I've Been" on The Tablescaper. Check them out for more around-the-world travel inspiration.
