Paris in Pictures

The Mona Lisa--the one painting I really wanted to see while at the Louvre...I wish being pregnant would have gotten me through the throng of people elbowing and jostling, but it didn't. I finally ended up throwing a couple of elbows myself and plowing my way to the front. The crowds get so tight to see her that they have personnel who open the ropes in front and let people filter out rather than have people trying to work their way back out through the throngs. After I saw her, I spent the rest of my time at the Louvre at their Starbucks, drinking fruity/tea slushy drinks and nursing my sore feet.

One gallery at the Louvre--this place is immense. I think a serious art lover could conceivably spend a day in each wing of the museum, about a week in the Louvre.

The Louvre, with I.M. Pei's famous pyramid in the center. The area beneath the pyramid is all underground guest services, gift shops, Starbucks, etc. The Louvre started life as a palace.


The Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. Talk about throngs of people! I expected to be completely bowled over by Versailles, but I really wasn't. Don't get me wrong, it is worth a visit and it's incredibly beautiful...maybe I'm just getting immune to palaces and castles, having visited so many of them. It was super-crowded here too, especially in some of the smaller rooms. I saw plenty of examples of my favorite types of tourists: (a) using flash photography when there were constant signs and reminders not to use flash to preserve the artwork and antiques (maybe this is leftover angst from The Breakers?); (b) videotaping everything (seriously, do you go home and watch 48 hours of tape?); and (c) not even trying to dress like the locals (ie: wearing your DeKalb seed corn cap--and I have nothing against seed corn caps, but hello...you're in France, leave your cap on the farm, OK?).

Versailles...I was quite pleased with this shot

Versailles--Front "yard"

I have such difficulty in getting night photos to turn out. This is the only one that turned out decently. We took a cruise on the Seine, left at around 10:00 p.m. I highly recommend taking a night-time cruise on the Seine to anyone headed to Paris. It was absolutely stunning and tres romantique! If we ever end up in Paris again, I will put this high on my list of priorities, but I think I would try to do a cruise with supper. There's also a restaurant on the first observation platform of the Eiffel Tower that looks amazing...

View from the second level observation deck - Eiffel Tower

Don't ask--the person taking my picture told me to "do something" and this is what I came up with! But a good shot of my cute red dress and the babe.

Detail of ironwork

The Rose Window at Notre Dame...of course, my photography does not do justice to the absolutely brilliant stained glass at the cathedral. It is hands-down the most beautiful cathedral I've been privileged to visit in Europe.