This is the Arc Di Triumph, it was commissioned by Napoleon and honors all the men and women who have fought in the French Armed Forces. They have a tomb of the Unknown Soldier and everyday at 6pm there is a changing of the guards to honor all of those who have died for France. We actually saw the ceremony the first day we were in Paris.
This is Sacre Coeur, the Church on top of the hill. From here you can look over all of Paris. It was a hike, but worth it.
This is one of the many photos I took after I climbed to the top of Notre Dame on Easter. The Gargoyles were awesome and looked eerily like the ones in the Disney movie - coincidence, I think not.
More gargoyles!
Eiffel Tower sparkling at night. It sparkles for 5 minutes every hour, it is breathtakingly beautiful.
The Eiffel Tower at dusk, right when the lights turn on.
This is our version of a piggy-back ride. Thank God Nicole is so light, otherwise this would not have been possible.
Saint-Sulpice Church. I really wanted to see this church because it was used in the filming of the Da Vinci Code.
View of Paris from atop Notre Dame.
Versailles Palace, its much bigger than this, I just couldn't get it all in one photo.
Picnic at the Luxembourg Gardens. It is definitely a hot spot for young people of France.
Notre Dame on my first day in Paris.Day One: A Day of Walking
Today we woke up early, after arriving late the night before, and walked as much of Paris as our feet would allow. We started at Bastille Square, then headed to Notre Dame, Luxembourg Gardens, the Louvre, the Arc Di Triumph, and ended at the Eiffel Tower. Lets just say it was exhausting. Notre Dame was beautiful and much larger than I expected. We then had lunch and laid around in the Luxembourg Gardens. The Louvre and the Arc di Triumph met my expectations, but the Eiffel Tower definitely exceeded my expectations. It was magnificent, particularly at night when it was lighted.
Day Two: Versailles and Eiffel Tower
Today the four of us, Nicole, Maja, Renata and I, headed to Versailles. We waited a while in line to get our tickets and then spent four or five hours touring the buildings and the grounds. I wish all the gardens would have been in bloom, but the grounds were still impressive because of their immense size. It was amazing to walk in the rooms that Marie Antoinette walked during her reign as Queen of France. On the way back to Paris I got stuck in the Metro station. I was captured in a tiny plastic box thing. It was actually really funny. I had to find someone who spoke english to help me get out of my little pickle. That night we went to the Eiffel Tower and had some wine, well the girls had wine and I had a beer. It was a good night.
Day Three: Louvre/Luxembourg/David
We woke up early in the morning and headed to the Louvre. The Louvre is overwhelming. It is so large that it could take up to a week to actually see everything. I made a point to see the most famous things, the Mona Lisa, statue of the Nike etc. But I spent most of the time in the Roman and Ancient Egypt exhibits. After spending a few hours in the Louvre we headed to Luxembourg Gardens for a picnic. I then met up with David, a friend from high school, and headed up to Sacre Coeur. It is a famous church at a high point in Paris that looks over the city. It began to rain so Nicole, David and I headed to a local cafe for snacks and drinks. That night Nicole, David and I went out to dinner and walked around the Bastille neighborhood.
Day Four: EASTER/Notre Dame/Musee Dorsay
Today I woke up early and made my way to Notre Dame. None of my roommates wanted to join me on my early excursion, but I felt as though I needed to see Notre Dame on Easter morning. I got there about 45 minutes early and waited in line to climb to the top of Notre Dame. Although the 400+ steps were tiring, it was all worth it in the end. The view was fantastic, the weather was great, and the sound of the organ playing during mass while I climbed the steps was beautiful.
I then headed over and met up with my roommates at the Musse Dorsay Museum. This museum is housed in a refurbished train station and is located across the Seine river from the Louvre. This was my favorite museum so far because it held a large amount of pre-impressionist, impressionist, and post-impressionist art. Meaning, I saw my Van Goghs, Monets, Manets, Renoirs, Signacs, Degas, and Sisleys. It was awesome.
After conquering the museum, we did a little tourist shopping, the girls had gelato, and we then met up with David for Easter dinner. As a result of peer pressure, I ate an Indian meal for dinner. Surprisingly, I consumed it all without complaint, I actually kind of liked it. This is a big deal. It was a long day so I crashed after dinner.
Day Five: Final Day
We woke up, packed our bags, dropped them off at our hotel office and hit the streets. We had most of the day to walk around, so that is what we did. We practically repeated day one. It was a nice way to wind down and see most of Paris before we had to fly home. The trip as a whole was quite successful, the weather cooperated, and the experiences I had were priceless.
I will return to Paris one day, I know it.
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