Tim and I originally planned to take the train back to Paris the next morning, but being the awesome people they are, our family drove us into the city and dropped us off at our hotel. (After stopping at a patisserie on our way, of course.)
We wandered around for a while before heading to Napolean III's apartments. Oh.my.goodness. These pictures are of me...in heaven.
I asked Tim for the tiara on the right. LOVE. :-)
We caught a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower through one of the windows...
What is really shocking is how AMAZING the other art in that room is, but I doubt most of these people got the chance to see it!
We visited the armless wonder, Aphrodite - also very popular.
Oh, and they have monks chanting the entire time...yeah...sweaty, tired, and monk music - WIN! ;-) The museum was really interesting and we enjoyed the juxtaposition of our visit to the Louvre.
After our short visit there, we walked to the Arc de Triomphe. Tim just told me we have to walk to the top...
Of course the view was COMPLETELY worth it!
And we had fun taking pictures with the setting sun...
We were starving by this point, so we went in search for dinner on the Champs Elysees. Normally this would be easy, but it was late, so we opted for some Parisian fast food at Pommes de Pain.
On our first trip to Paris in 2007, Tim got to explore the Louvre with my parents, and I ran through it like a maniac to see the Mona Lisa with some of my classmates. This time around, I was not making that mistake again! After unloading our gear at the hotel, we jumped on the subway and headed down to the museum.
The line was pretty long, but I knew that we wanted to get a museum pass and I thought I had read that they were available in the mall under the museum. So, silly me, I left Tim in line and went exploring. I found the shorter underground entrance, but by the time I got back to Tim, he was at the front of the line to get in - so we went that way. (TIP: Skip the line in the pavilion and go to the underground entrance - shorter line and in the AC!)
Of course we had to go back to the Mona Lisa and she was as popular as ever...
I could go on all day about the art in the Louvre, it truly is amazing and we were exhausted from walking around all afternoon. BUT we had more to see, so we powered on and found this beauty...
...Centre Georges Pompidou.
This museum is unique, not just because it's the museum of modern art in Paris, but also because it's built to look like it's inside out. All of the plumbing and electricity are on the outside! The long, clear tube going up the front is the escalator that takes you to the museum. Here's the thing about a glass tunnel on the west side of a building...it's REALLY hot on a summer evening!
After our short visit there, we walked to the Arc de Triomphe. Tim just told me we have to walk to the top...
