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 Place de la Concorde Obelisk History Right in the heart of Place de la Concorde stands something that feels a little out of place. A giant ancient Egyptian monument. Yep. Paris looked at its elegant fountains, fancy buildings, revolutionary history, and said, "You know what? This needs a 3,000-year-old rock from Egypt." And that's exactly what it got. This is the story of the Luxor obelisk, a massive stone needle that once stood in front of a temple in Luxor, Egypt, and somehow ended up in the middle of Paris traffic. Let's rewind about 3,300 years. Back in ancient Egypt during the reign of Ramesses II, a guy who loved statues almost as much as he loved himself, two massive obelisks were carved out of a solid granite piece. We're talking about a single block of stone over 20m tall, weighing around 230 tonnes. No trains, no trucks, just ancient engineering and probably a lot of very tired workers who supposedly received free Egyptian bread, accommodation, and medical care. And oh, uh, free beer.  These obelisks were placed at the entrance of the Luxor temple, standing like giant welcome signs, except way more intimidating. Luckily, on my last trip, I was in Luxor and took this picture that shows a missing obelisk to the right of the entrance.  From this vantage point, in front of the pylon, the obelisk on the right is missing. I mean, gifted to France. Fast forward to the 1800s. Egypt under the rule of Muhammad Ali Pasha decides to gift one of these obelisks to France. Yes, gift. Imagine giving away a 230 tonne ancient monument today. That's like gifting someone the Eiffel Tower because you're cleaning out your garage. France, of course, says, "I'll take it." But there was just one problem. How do you move a 3,000-year-old 230 tonne stone pillar from Egypt to France without, you know, dropping it into the Mediterranean? Enter the ultimate 19th century engineering flex. The French built a special ship, basically a floating box. designed specifically to carry the obelisk. They had to lower it carefully in Egypt, drag it to the Nile, float it to the sea, sail it across the Mediterranean, then bring it up the Seine River to Paris. All of this took years. One of the many challenges was getting the obelisk onto the ship. The engineers decided instead of trying to lower the obelisk onto the onto the deck where it might slip and smash the deck, they said, "Let's open the front of the boat and slide the obelisk in." Then we just need to rebuild the front of the ship. And with this process, there's another bonus. With the obelisk below deck, the ship wouldn't have to worry about passing under the bridges as it approached Paris. Honestly, it's kind of amazing they didn't just give up halfway and say, "You know what? You can keep it." Finally, in 1833, under King Louis-Philippe I, the obelisk arrived in Paris, but it wasn't erected in Place de la Concorde until 3 years later, 1836. Why? Well, King Louis deemed the base pedestal not politically correct. It depicted baboons in their natural state, not wearing clothes. So he contacted Egypt and said, "Could you send more granite? We need to design a new base. The base you see now outlines all the engineering required to transport and raise the obelisk." So King Louis really only half solved his politically correctness issue. With the new base, Parisians and tourists would not be subject to the naked baboons at Place de la Concorde. Why only half solved, do I say? Most tourists who visit Place de la Concorde also visit the Louvre where the original baboon laced base resides. This is the original base of the obelisk in Place de la Concorde from 3,300 years ago.  Baboons are significant in Egyptian mythology. One role is to guide pharaoh's body to the afterlife (also see wall in King Tut's tomb). In return for the obelisk, France gifted Egypt a copper clock - that has never worked. Looks like all the expert transport engineers were assigned the obelisk part of the exchange. Oh, and remember how there were originally two obelisks in Luxor? France technically got both, but after realizing moving one was already a massive headache, they politely declined the second one in 1981. Smart move. So, next time you're in Paris having your croissant, standing at Place de la Concorde, take a second to look at that towering stone because that's not just a monument. It's a testament to engineering knowhow. There are now more Egyptian obelisks outside of Egypt around 30 than inside of Egypt. Some gifted, some taken. The one in Place de la Concorde holds a special designation as it is now the oldest monument in Paris!
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 INIU 20000 mAh 45W Power Bank
If your phone battery drains faster than your patience at the airport, then this tiny brick might just save your day. Today we're checking out the INIU 45 watt portable charger, a compact power bank that touts dual device support, fast charging, and even a flashlight. We will do an unboxing and then we'll take a look at the pros and cons. Unboxing First thing it says, scan the barcode on the seal sticker. And that way we can see if this is authentic. After scanning the barcode or QR code on the box using our Amazon app on the smartphone, we get the nice green check mark. Product is valid. To check the battery level, we will just press the the power button on the side and we get the power level in percentage. So, one of the big selling features of this device is that you can charge up to three devices at once. "Simultaneous. What do you think of that?" Right, you have the USB-C port, a USB-A port, and the lanyard USB-C for the third device. The USB-C ports are the only ones that support fast charging on this power bank. When you charge multiple devices, the device does split the power between all of the devices. And again, just a reminder, only the USB-C ports support fast charging. Double click the power button and you get a nice bright flashlight. Nothing says I'm a prepared traveler like having your own mini spotlight or at least something to help you find that snack you can't find in your cycling handlebar bag. So, let's go through some of the pros. Pro #1 First off, the 45 watt fast charging capability. That's great for smartphones, for tablets, and even some lightweight laptops. It has enough juice to charge a smartphone a couple of times, not just once. Pro #2 The next pro is that it can charge up to three devices at once. Right, we have our two ports on the side and the lanyard. This is perfect for creators or travellers like cyclist carrying multiple gadgets. Pro #3 Next pro is the accurate LED display. From the side button, there aren't blinking bars. you get a real percentage and the percentage will blink when you're recharging the charger itself. And for that, I would use the the lanyard that's attached to get, you know, fast charging if it's available. Pro #4 Next pro, of course, it's compact, lightweight with that built-in cable. It's easy to toss into a sling bag or a (cycling) jersey pocket, and you never need to search for a USB-C cable. Pro #5 And the last pro, that built-in flashlight. Surprisingly useful because if your smartphone's battery is drained down to zero and that's what you were using for your flashlight, now, with a double tap of the power button, we have a portable flashlight. Now, let's go through some of the cons. Con #1 First off, this is not for power hungry laptops. It's strong, but it's not meant for big laptops that need 60 to 100 W. So, if I'm traveling with my laptop, I'll try to power that up not with this power bank, but with a power adapter through a wall socket. So, for this, it's more for lighter charging like, you know, a smartphone, ear-pods, that kind of thing, or an iPad. Con #2 Next con, it is a bit thick. Let's compare it to a standard eyeglass case. So, it's thinner than that, but it's big. There are thinner ones on the market, but again, you have to find that sweet spot, right? The thinner ones are probably less wattage or less milliamp hours, so they they won't last as long, and you need to find one that's right for you. So, again, for me, this is right. Con #3 And the last con is that built-in flashlight. So, it is a pro and a con. It's a pro in that it's really useful if you need a flashlight. The con is as you grab the device, the power is right where you grab this device. And so, it's very easy to have double-tapped and turned on the flashlight inadvertently. Conclusion My final verdict, the INIU 45 watt 20,000 mAh portable charger. It's honestly one of the best midsize power banks for travellers, cyclists, commuters, or anyone carrying more than one device. It's reliable, fast, it's portable, and it packs a few surprises like that flashlight. So, if you want to check it out for yourself, there's a link down below. INIU 20000 mAh 45W Power Bank |
AuthorCycling enthusiast looking for adventure and researching the best accessories to help get there. Archives
June 2026
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