August 30th - Paris, France

August 30, 2006
Paris, France

Bon Jour bloggers! Today was a long, intense day! Let me start by saying:

To the Louvre!

We got up this morning at 7:45 to make it to the museum by 9:00 (when they open). After showering we went down to eat our free hostel breakfast…The croissant was good but the baguette and the cereal were less than desirable. At least this place had orange juice!

We took the metro to the bottom entrance of the museum. We got there just as the doors were opening and only had to wait in line for a few minutes. I thought it was kind of funny that the Louvre now has Da Vinci Code Tours. We decided to go about the museum ourselves. Our first destination was none other than the Mona Lisa. The painting is hung behind several layers of glass and pictures are no longer allowed (sorry bloggers). After spending some time in the front of the world’s most famous piece of art we decided to move on.

We remembered from the Da Vinci Code that “Madonna of the Rocks” was very close to the Mona Lisa. We found it without looking too hard. Interestingly, it was almost identical to “Virgin of the Rocks” (which we saw at the National Gallery in London). Then we went and saw the Venus de Milo. We stayed in the Louvre until we were hungry for lunch. My other favorite of the museum was the crown jewels of King Louis XV. They were incredible. I have never seen so many diamonds or such big diamonds in my life (If you get a chance look up a picture of them). They were immaculate!


For lunch we had a very Parisian moment. We ate sandwiches (on baguettes) on lawn of the Louvre, while looking at the Eiffel Tower. We met some older Americans from D.C and then headed toward the Arch de Triumph. We used our museum pass to get to the top. We climbed a LOT of stairs! In the end, it was well worth it as the view was perfect. It is amazing how all of the roads in Paris seem to lead directly to the Arch.

After our time there, B and Peter were very tired and needed a nap. I was still ready to go so I headed for the La Grande Arch (the modern looking one). On the way I discovered that my metro pass did not cover that far out. I had to sneak my way on and off the stop for the La Defense area. The entire plaza was very futuristic. All the buildings had a lot of glass and there was a lot of modern art. There was even a statue of a giant thumb!

I met back up with the Baston’s at the Hotel de Invalides (where Napoleons Tomb is located). His tomb was ridiculously large! It was in the very center of the room and made of a shinny wood. I have never seen a more elaborate burial ground.

Next, we decided it was time for dinner. We got pork sandwiches from a small vendor and took them to the grass under the Eiffel Tower. It was a surreal experience. But it made me miss my dearest Jackie even more because it was such a romantic location. It seemed as though couples were making out (or more?) all over the place! After finishing our meal we took an elevator to the top of the tower. We stayed at the top for over an hour. We watched the sunset and took enough photos to fill several albums. The view was amazing and it was really cool to watch the lights of the city come on.

We did not get back to our hostel until about 11:00. It was probably the longest day of the trip so far. I have more pictures than I know what to do with.

Thanks for reading it all! I probably forgot some stuff too…Our long day has really tired me out.