Day 2- Paris, France

Friday, December 27, 2013 

Today we woke up early and went to Musee d' Orsay, the most beautiful impressionist museum. The history of the museum is quite unusual. It is located in the center of Paris next to the riverbanks of the Seine, which was transformed from a train station into a museum in 1900. The museum displays collections of art from the period of 1848 to 1914.  Below are some of the famous pieces from the likes of Monet, Van Gogh, and Renoir, that we were able to see:

         

Vincent van Gogh
"Self- Portrait"

                                                                                   

The top of the museum was filled with my favorite artist, Claude Monet.  I loved seeing his wonderful works, particularly the water lilies.  Another interesting part of the museum was the beautiful clock that took up half of the wall. 

                         

                

                  (Inside what was the old train station)

                           

( The clock that took up half of the wall)

 Afterwards, we took a cab to the Arc de Triomphe.  The construction of the Arc was ordered in 1806 by Napoleon, the French Emperor.  However, Napoleon never saw the completed Arc because he died in 1821, and the Arc was not completed until 1836.  We had a very windy day when we climbed to the top of the Arc.  Our view of the Eiffel Tower and Champs-Elysees, one of the most expensive streets in the world, was great. 

                

(Video at the top of the Arc)

 After our tour of the Arc de Triomphe, we got a quick snack, which for me was the delicious crepe with Nutella and banana.  Apparently, Nutella is all the rage in Europe as people seek it out for all desserts.

(Large Amounts of Nutella)

                           

 

After our snack, Richard, Leslie, and I walked to the Lock Bridge (Pont de l' Archeveche) just past the Notre Dame Cathedral.  On our way there, Rich and I bought a lock from a street vendor and wrote our initials and the year on it as we walked to the bridge.  The Lock Bridge has been a place for couples to seal their love and affection with each other in the city of Paris by attaching the lock to the bridge and tossing the key into the Seine River.  We like to think that our hearts will be forever be in Paris!  The romantic part of the vacation was successfully completed!

 

(writing on the lock)

           

           

            

              

     

As nightfall quickly came, at 5:00 p.m., we decided to walk into the shop filled with hand-made toys, ornaments, and music boxes.  The owner was one of the nicest ladies I had ever met, as she expressed her joy of speaking with Americans.  In this store I bought my parents a handmade wooden Parisian solider, a memento from Paris that could adorn their tree for many Christmases.  We headed back from the shop towards the hotel to have a wonderful dinner, followed by a night cap at the bar where we shared our thoughts of the days day's events.