Paris

Days 4 and 5 - Paris

According to my father if you spent 10 seconds looking at each piece of art in the Louvre, it would take approximately 15 years to see the entire collection. We had two days in Paris. Let's just say it wasn't time to see much; however, we did get to visit the Louvre for several hours, we spent a morning at Versailles, we saw Notre Dame, we took an evening stroll on a hillside overlooking the city, and we ate a delicious baguette and a few crepes.

Of course, you can't go to Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower, but our stop there was quick, because we feel it is a bit overrated.

The Louvre was amazing and overwhelming. It was great to have my father there with us to provide the context and history of so many works of art--it is much more meaningful that way. We each had some favorite pieces. Jen is partial to the work of a French artist named Jacques-Louise David, and the pieces by Vermeer (You may know him as the artist portrayed in Girl with a Pearl Earring) were absolutely beautiful. The Mona Lisa, which I had never been partial to myself, was much more impressive in person, that is, if you didn't mind the horde of Japanese tour groups compacted around it.

Jen, my Dad, and my Sister standing in front of "The Raft of the Medusa" in the Louvre.

Versailles was also a great stop. The sheer size of the palace is breathtaking. We found the interior to be interesting, but somewhat underwhelming. Once again, the throngs of tourists detracted from the experience indoors. The real treasure was found outside. The gardens at Versailles were phenomenal. They are so immaculately kept, and they are on such a grand scale, that when you look out over them it feels as if you are standing before a looking glass to another world. We got a pretty good picture of the grounds, but it really doesn't do the garden justice.

Heading out to the gardens, with the rear of the palace in the background.

View of the garden at Versailles from the top of the stairs.

Our hotel in Paris was an older hotel situated on the edge of the red light district. It wasn't the most romantic side of Paris, although our tour director assured us that the red light district's bark was worse than its bite (I think that sounds a little more kinky than he intended). Luckily, in addition to the red light district, our hotel was also situated a block from Montmatre, one of the largest hills in Paris, which really was a romantic place to take a walk and view the city's skyline.

The Moulin Rouge in the heart of the red light district (just down from our hotel)

At times Jen and I wondered whether Paris would be more aptly named the "City of Urine" than the "City of Lights," because it was entirely too common to be hit with an unexpected whiff of urine smell. However, in the end Paris was an amazing city to visit.