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| Paris, France |
| Ah. . .the wonder of Paris. One of the many reasons why we love Paris and go back so often is that the experience is different every time. The only way to really share this city with someone else is to discover it together. Having seen many of the sites before on visits with Laura and Jean-Marc, we were surprised to find that there was still more to discover and more importantly, visiting the sites with Beth helped us see everything through different eyes. We were able to do so much in just a few days (thank goodness Marseille has broken us into so much walking!) and spending time with laura and Jean-Marc at the end of our busy touring days was a real treat. Paris as usual, was impressive, and yes, we will be back to discover it yet again! |
| Since we live in France we did not want to look like tourists so we decided to dress like the Parisians. I mean it is the national hat after all! |
| No matter how many times we see it we are always amazed by the Eiffel Tower. Photos can't do it justice or convey the sensation of standing under this massive structure. It is kind of a weird monument when you think about it really---a giant radio-tower-like thing cutting through the sky, visible for miles. It's the feelings that this tower conjures up that makes it so special. There is just something so romantic and nostalgic about it. I suppose it's impossible to explain without sounding cheesy. . .you will all just have to go and see for yourselves. P.S. . .did I mention that we climbed all the stairs? My legs were shaking for a good hour after. |
| Above is a picture taken from the Eiffel Tower of the sprawling city of Paris and to the right is a picture of the Eiffel tower as it overlooks the Seine. Surpris, surprise. . .it was raining on our vacation. What a shocker!! |
| Although we took time for ourselves and slowly walked through the city in between all the touring, we saw so much!! To the left is a picture in the square in front of Notre Dame and to the right you can see Beth and Jess reading about the Arc de Triomphe after a long stroll down the Champs Elysee. (Doesn't that sound glamorous. . .hehe |
| Speaking of glamorous, our favorite part of Paris is Montmartre. For hundreds of years this area has been a meeting point for artists of all kinds and the heart of the "Bohemian" era. Home to the famous Moulin Rouge, this district has a really trendy yet relaxed feel about it. We like it so much, Beth and Jess had to bust out the Can-Can. |
| If Montmartre is the home for artists, the Louvre is the indisputable home for the art itself. We paid a visit to the Louvre on the Saturday and let me tell you this place should have its own airport. It is huge and I have never seen so many art enthusiats in my life. You had to fight for a prime spot in front of the works. Needless to say we felt a bit overwhelmed and decided to only visit a couple areas of the musuem. Some people spend their lives visiting the Louvre piece by piece there is just so much of see. Of course there was no way we were missing out on the Mona Lisa so we had no problems elbowing our way through the massive crowd in front of this enigmatic tableau for a few moments in the front row. Jeremy has a theory that Da Vinci told everyone it was his greatest work to just to see how popular this painting could become. I am sure he is laughing at us now as we all try and figure out what the mystery is behind her eyes. |
| Sacre coeur has an awesome view of Paris, second only to the Eiffel tower. Paris is set up like most European cities in that it is agains tthe law to build higher than a certain level in an effort to preserve the beauty of the city which makes for an incredible views. The picture on the top is of Beth feeling excited as she is surrounded by Paris after climbing the seemingly endless staircase to reach the church. The lower picture is of Jess encouraging us to reach the top. |
| We feel so lucky and at home every time we visit Paris because of Laura (Jessica's cousin n the picture above next to Jess) and her great family who have welcomed us into their home so many times and are always such gracious hosts. The above picture was taken after Laura took us to see a really fun market in Versailles. |
| They say that if you sit at a cafe in Paris long enough you will see the whole world go by. Is it true? I'm not sure but it is not hard to believe considering all the great people-watching we were able to do. People-watching is a national pass time in France and now one of our favorite hobbies. Feeling inspired to go to Paris? One recommendation---take time to sit at a cafe, have a nice chat with good friends and family and watch the world go by. I think it was my favorite part of this trip. |
| A cool thing about the Louvre is that the museum itself is like a work of art. It is one of the most amazing and dramatic displays of architecture we have ever seen and honestly, you can spend just as much time checking out the design and marble and engravings as you could trying to see every piece of art. |
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