Day 3- Paris, France

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Today was coldest day in Paris but surprisingly that only meant it was in the low 40s, which was much warmer than Georgia at the time.  However, I'm sure our pictures made it seem like it was freezing given how bundled we looked, but in France it was more of the culture to dress for the cold unlike Americans who just throw on a jacket or scarf to get in the car, especially us southern folks.  Nevertheless, we woke up early for the much anticipated trip to The Louvre.  On a normal day, people usually wait in line for an average time of 1-5 hours depending on the day and season, but Leslie, my mother-in-law, purchased a "Paris Pass" for each of us, which is much like a fast pass at any amusement park (an instant pass to the front of the line).  We went through a separate door just like we did at the impressionist museum by only waiting a minute or two to go through security. 

The Palace surrounding the Louvre

Going into the Louvre

I did not know what to expect, nor was I aware of the history surrounding this museum, but I was very much surprised by the large building that surrounded the iconic pyramid shaped entrance.  Little did I know the Louvre itself was that large building.  The Louvre was a former royal palace located right next to the Seine river.  It originated back to the medieval period and was the actual seat of power in France until Louis XIV moved the monarch to Versailles in 1682.  The Louvre is a Paris MUST, although I actually preferred Musee d'Orsay.

It would take a person 14 days to actually take in all of the exhibits inside the Louvre, but when we entered, we had specific exhibits that we wanted to see.  We walked directly towards the Roman and Greek mythology rooms, which I would highly recommend.  Being able to stand next to statues that were chiseled thousands of years ago with such precise detail was an amazing thing to see up close.  Richard's highlight, along with the other thousand spectators that day, was the famous Venus de Milo, which was created in approximately 323-331 BC.  We also saw other famous statues of Hercules, Athena, and Hermes to name a few. 

 

The next section we went to was the top floor where the one and only Mona Lisa was on display.  It was given an entire wall, which was protected by a glass barrier from the ground to the ceiling, given security like no other painting in the entire museum.  The most surprising part of seeing Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece was trying to get close enough to take a picture through the massive crowds of people.

A little blurry from the glass protecting the painting 

                                         

The painting across from the Mona Lisa- "Napoleon Coronation"

After seeing the Mona Lisa, we went to the ancient Egyptian room where we saw detailed sarcophaguses, Egyptian tools and art, and an authentic mummy, very exciting to see in person.

A REAL mummy!

We spent around 3 hours touring the museum, and then became hungry once again.  This time instead of a dining in a cafe for lunch, we decided to visit our favorite street vendor where we enjoyed toasted baguettes with fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil, and Richard had his Crepe Poulet Frommage (Spicy Chicken and Cheese).  Yum!  As soon as our bellies were full, we used our Paris Pass to take the free double decker bus tour.  It was nice change of pace as we were able to rest our feet from all of the walking we had done that day.  The bus tour was guided, warm, and offered a great opporunity to see and hear about all of the history along each street of Paris, such as the Opera house, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, and lastly the Eiffel Tower.

As our tour came to an end, we went back to the hotel to change for dinner. Like always, we would walk to a cute cafe, have a glass of wine, and be graciously served freshly sliced baguettes with every meal (one of the major things that I miss).

Precious little bike used as decoration!

After dinner we walked through the streets, and I was drawn to a beautiful assortment of colorful macaroons. Of course, when in Paris buy anything and everything that consists of food because nothing will ever taste as fresh and these macaroons were no exception.  This was one fabulous day.

The most delicious one was the raspberry flavor, yum!

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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.