Grand Palais and Le Petit Palais

Three years ago, when we were here, we kept passing the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais.  They are very ornate structures.  They are exhibition halls, special event venues and museums.  Construction of the Grand Palais began in 1897 as part of the preparation for the Universal Exposition of 1900.

We contacted Michele to see if she wanted to go with us and we agreed to meet at 2:00pm.
One of the exhibits at the Grand Palais was a photography exhibit by Seydou Keita.  He was a self taught photographer from Bamako, French Sudan starting out with a Kodak Brownie camera given to him by his uncle.  The way he staged his photographs and posed his subjects, and the quality of his prints rapidly secured Keita's reputation.  In 1963, after independence when French Sudan became The Republic of Mali, he was hired as the official photographer of Mali.  He is now considered to be one of the 20th century's greatest portrait artists.

We enjoyed seeing his work but were a little disappointed not to be able to tour the entire palace.
The Petit Palais across the street and the nearby Pont Alexandre III bridge over the Seine were also part of the Universal Exposition of 1900.

The Petit Palais is open to the public, so we crossed the street.  It is beautiful from floor to ceiling.

Both of the structures are architectural wonders.  We stopped for a cold drink, visited for a while and headed back to the Metro by way of the Tuleries.  We caught sight of the "Big Wheel", the Ferris Wheel.

That brought back memories from the past.