Last weekend Cameron and I took the new car out for its first long haul to Paris. The car loved driving on the autobahn as much as we do, and refuses to return to America and drive 65 mph!!
We got in late thursday night, and started friday morning off with the breakfast of champions- Nutella crepes from a stand outside our hotel. YUM! On friday we climbed the Eiffel Tower to the second platform, but I couldn't bring myself to go up to the very top- the second platform was high enough for me!
This is the view of the Champs de Mar from the second platform of the tower. The building at the end is the French military academy that Napoleon graduated from at the age of 15 (still has bullet holes from WW2 occupation) and the park was originally used as a training ground for the cadets, but was totally packed with picnics and frisbees while we were visiting.
Us at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower while waiting in line
On the Champs de Mar- you can see the three different platforms you can visit
This is outside the Louvre (just like the DaVinci Code...). This used to be the Palace for the royal family, and each king added a new wing, until Versailles was built and the royal family relocated. At that point it was empty except for squatters and starving artists. Eventually it was turned into a museum during the French Revolution. Not only is it a museum, but it also houses some good shops and the best bathrooms in Paris (in my professional opinion).
The Mona Lisa is surprisingly small for all the attention she receives- she is displayed behind bullet proof glass and no other piece in the building had a fraction of the attention.
This is a photo of the gardens at Versailles...
... and the building from the gardens (I'll keep Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna as my residence)
Our last night in Paris we took a romantic dinner cruise on the Seine River. It was fantastic to see Paris at night and get a glimpse of all the things we didn't have time to do in our short visit. Paris is beautiful at night, truly the "ville lumiere" or the "city of lights".
Below is a video of the Eiffel Tower during a light show!
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