Paris

As anyone can imagine, Paris was wonderful. We did not know what to expect other than the traditional "sites" that we planned to visit. We arrived in Paris at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning and immediately jumped into the sightseeing extravaganza ... not stopping until the moment that we left on Wednesday afternoon. There are many things to see ... some more famous than others. Although we enjoyed the well known landmarks (Eiffel Tower) and museums (Louvre), Amber's favorites were a little more obscure and off-the-beaten path.

And so we'll give you our Top 10 ...

# 10 Rick Steve's Travel Books- We couldn't have done it without him!!!


#9 Chateau de Versailles - As I mentioned, we arrived in Paris at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. After making our way to a taxi went straight to our hotel (which was wonderful!!!) and then hopped on the Metro just a few minutes later with hopes of making our way to Versailles. Little did we know that this would be one of the biggest (and most exhausting) sights in Paris. Our first trip on the Metro would have been wonderful ... had they not closed down the line that went to Versailles! We ended up getting into a cab with two other strangers we met on the Metro (who happened to speak English, thank goodness) and eventually made our way to the Palace. Touring the Palace was rather surreal... this is THE place where Louis XIV lived (check out his bed in the pic) and the epitome of taste and culture for hundreds of years. It is beautiful and ornate but by the time you see the Palace, Little Place, Summer Home and Cottage ... (at least for us) it was a little over the top. The movie Marie Antoinette (starring Kirsten Dunst) was filmed on location there. This picture is from the Palace looking out onto the gardens some of the Gardens. The large reflecting pool at the very far end is a mile long (if that gives you any perspective as to how HUGE this place is!


#8 Musee de L'Orangerie - This was Amber's favorite place in all of Paris. The museum was closed down for 6 years for renovation and reopened in May of 2006. It was specifically designed to house Monet's Water Lily paintings. Each one depicts a different time of day so he had several of them set up at once and would move from canvas to canvas as the sun changed positions. We didn't realize the enormity of those paintings ... 6 feet high by 50+ feet long. They was ginormous!


#7 Louvre & Musee d' Orsay- Probably two of the most well known art museums in Paris. They each have amazing collections ... from the Mona Lisa and Babylonian ruins to the French crown jewels and the Venus de Milo... there is something for everyone. We took our time in each museum but didn't see half of what they have to offer. From our experience, we favored the Orsay a bit. The museum is in what used to be a Metro/Train station and the architecture itself is beautiful. The Orsay also has a very large collection of Impressionist work ... it's like flipping through the pages of a Art History book ... but you are seeing the actual paintings themselves.


#6 Notre Dame - As you can tell by the picture, the cathedral was very impressive. Almost every inch of the inside and outside was decorated with some architectural feature or artistic rendering. There were statues and reliefs and busts and carvings and spires and flying buttresses and... well, it was very impressive. We visited on a Sunday afternoon and inside they were celebrating some sort of Mass. At first it seemed like we were intruding, but they had the pews roped off and the worshippers ignored the mobs of tourists that slowly shuffled down one side, around the back of the altar, and back up towards the exit. The cathedral is lit and night and is just as beautiful as the daytime. No hunchbacks to be seen, though... and Michael was disappointed about that. :)

#5 Arc de Triomphe - Built by Napoleon as a monument to French military victory. Much larger in person that we thought it would be. We climbed a narrow, winding staircase to the top where you have a great view of the city (see below for the panorama pic with the Champ-Elysees going up the middle). It's also a great place to watch the insane French drivers try to traverse the huge traffic circle that surrounds the Arc.

#4 Eiffel Tower - It is just a wonderful as it looks in the pictures, especially at night when it lights up every hour. Other than being amazed at it's size, we were very impressed with how it was built. I think we were both amazed at how it was built in 1889! We also learned that one of the best ways to see the Eiffel Tower is by taking an evening cruise on the Seine River ... the boats are usually full of tourists but it is well worth it. The views from the top level are just eye-popping, but from that height the buildings look like models and the people look like ants (see panorama pic) so you actually get a better view of the city from the second level.



#3 Crepes and Cafes - Eating a crepe in Paris makes you feel French. We still aren't sure what a crepe is (is it a pancake? an omlet?) but you can get one filled with anything from spinach to strawberries. We also enjoyed a few cafes that seemed to be more authentic than the mainstream tourist junctions (thanks again, Rick Steves). If you ever plan on spending time in Paris ... remember that they dine at a much slower pace than we do ... once you adjust it actually is very enjoyable! (And if you don't actually ask for the bill, they will never bring it... a lesson learned the hard way.)

#2 Long Walks - One of the great things about the Rick Steves book is the many walks that it plans out for you ... they can cover historical landmarks, shopping/entertainment districts, museums and all sorts of other things. Lots of interesting sights and shops and of course plenty of quality people-watching. We took almost all the walks that his book recommended (the shortest is 2 hours in length if I remember correctly, the longest is around 6 hours). Thank goodness we had some comfy walking shoes! :)

#1 Seeing the world together - Other than our honeymoon, this was our first big trip together and we've realized just how much fun it is to experience new sights and cultures together. But we still looked forward to getting back to sleeping on our own pillows in our own bed in our own house. It's good to go abroad but its also good to be home!