Sunday, August 16, 2009

Paris








We had a whirlwind tour of Paris. Notre Dam was the most beautiful church. It took over 200 years to build and you can see why. The rose windows are fantastic. Everything inside was so beautiful.
We had a lovely dinner in the Eiffel Tower and then a lovely evening boat ride all around Paris. The Eiffel Tower lights up in the evening and then on the hour thousands and thousands of lights sparkle all over, it was breathtaking.
The Louve is fantastic, the architecture alone was worth the trip. It used to be the main palace for the royalty in Paris until Louis the XIV moved out to Versailles. We did do a quick trip into the Louve to see The Mona Lisa and Venus d' Milo.
Versailles was unbelievable. Such opulence you can understand why the french people got a little upset about how the royalty were living when they were all starving.
We saw the French Statue of Liberty and the beautiful flame sculpture for Princess Diana very close to the tunnel where the horrible car accident occurred that took her life. Our guide informed us that, "The French fully believe she was murdered!" I think I believe that , too.
We went to the Musee d' Orsay where all the french impressionists are. To stand in front of Monet's, Renoir's and, Vincent Van Gogh's sunflower pictures and of course my favorite Edgar Degas was something I can't even explain. Edgar Degas' sculpture of a ballerina brought actual tears to my eyes. My children think I am crazy for getting so emotional, so I sent them to another room so I could enjoy the moment alone.
My children did their best to make me crazy on this trip. I know museums and architecture are not that impressive to young boys, but I think sometime in their future they will look back on this trip and remember what amazing things they saw. How many people have stood in front of the actual Mona Lisa? Or a Vincent Van Gogh?
The French people were very friendly. I had always heard they were rude to American's but I didn't not see that at all.
The boys liked the food the most. We spent a lot of time eating bread and croissants. It think I miss that the most. Croissants here in America just don't taste the same.
It was an amazing trip.


3 comments:

Monica said...

WOW*WOW*WOW!!!!!!!!! I'm soooooooooooooooo envious!!!!!!!!
Glad you had fun! And thanks for stopping by!
By the way, love your furry boy (and French croissants, of course!)!:)
Monica.

Claudia said...

Beautiful photos, Mer! Now I am craving a croissant. Sitting here with my bee stung ankle elevated. It is all swollen and very, very itchy. Miss you.

Lena said...

It sounds lovely! I've never been to France, but my son has, and he loved it, although he was on the coast and missed Paris. He said next time, he will definitely spend time there. He went with his ninth grade class to France, Italy and Spain in 2001, right before the WTC bombing. I think having experieced being an American abroad right before that event gave him more of an appreciation for how Americans are viewed in other places. He was treated kindly in France and Italy, but rudely in Spain, so gained an awareness that we aren't always as well liked as we might think.

I think your boys will really appreciate this opportunity more and more as they become older. Some of my most meaningful trips have included seeing special pieces of art.

Lovely photos!