Ahh Paris...

On Saturday Greg and I minus the kids went on a day trip to Paris. We took an army sponsored tour on a travel bus down. Greg has been before but I really wanted to go. We will have to go back with the kids there is just too much to see in one trip. We never made it to the Palace main or the military infirmary. We drove by them and they were breathtaking with their splendor and opulence. We started the day with a two hour bus tour with a local. It was informative and gave us the lay of the city. We cheated and brought our GPS to help us navigate the city on foot. Thank goodness because we got lost a few times. Which wasnt always bad, one of the times we got lost we found this alley way full of unique shops and cafes'. We had lunch at a great little one that featured fondue. The cheese was scrumptous and they brought trays of breads, meats, and potatos for dipping. The wine was so smooth and I made sure to bring a bottle home with me. We snacked our way thru the city on Crepes' , crouissants, and wines. I can't wait to bring the boys back and see the rest. Below are some pictures that I liked the best though we took a bunch of them I will show you the rest in person when next I see you all. Hope you enjoy.... and check out the end of the month when we head to the Netherlands for the tulip fests.

Of coarse we saw the Eifel Tower. It was raining when the bus stopped so we didnt go up as the line was about 3 hour wait time and time was of the essence to see more. Impressive but not as tall as it seems in pictures.

This is the famous Arc de Triomphe built by Napoleon in 1806 to celebrate his triumphs in war. At his funeral his body was passed under it and has now become a tradition for heads of state to do the same. It also contains the tomb of the unknown soldier. We had to see if from the bus it was raining at the time.

This a fountain near the square where Marie Antoinette was beheaded

This is the Palace of Justice. It stands on one side of the Pont Neuf Bridge , Paris's oldest bridge built in 1604 joining the right and left bank of the Seine River. Anyone remember what movie that featured the bridge? Scene was from Bourne Identity. All along the river there are metal boxes where every saturday you can buy and trade rare books, magazines, posters and small trinkets. All of the government buildings are old palaces beautiful in archetecture and detail. Oddly enough most of them are military schools and hospitals, which cracked Greg up considering the French's weakness for war.

These two are the Luxeomburg Palace and gardens. In the garden is one of three staue of liberties that are in France. The gardens were a favorite of Hemmingway's and a gift to the city from Napoleon III. They are huge and contain a carosel, fountains, an enormous playground, horses and of coarse the palace.
A tiny Statue of Liberty

The two below are of the courtyard of the Louve and the gardens.. see the giant spider?

These were all taken inside the Louve. Like the Smithsonian it would take literally days to see it all. Since we only had the one day we did the speed walk tour and saw all the highlights like Venus de milo, Mona Lisa which was much smaller than you think and of coarse the pyramids inverted into the ground and the one in the courtyard.
venus de milo Mona Lisa


After we left the Louve we walked 4 K to Notre Dame it sits on an island between the canal and the Seine river

Notre Dame was beautiful as you can see I loved it!

These were all taken in side Notre Dame. This was by far my favorite of the places we saw yesturday. It was breathtaking inside and out! It was built in the 12th century and famous for the Hunchback story. The view coming up on it from the bus was fabulous. Inside it was quite and inspired a feeling of peace. I lit a candle of prayer for my dad. Some of the pictures are not clear it was dark and the camera was having problems focusing. But I put them on here anyway because it didnt take away the beauty. The inside was enormous and was lit by candles everywhere. I dont think I have the adequate words to really describe it. Hope you enjoy

This is the opera house in the daytime
The roof was copper and all the gold really

glimmered!

This is one of the lightpost outside the opera house. They are different ships carved out of stone.

This is the Opera Garnier designed in 1875. This is where our day in Paris started and ended.Farwell Paris we will be back!