Our first full day in Paris; we had a very busy and fun day. For starters, we walked around 14 miles :) We definitely paid for it the next few days but it was a good sore because we got to see a lot! Our little hotel served a traditional French breakfast (baguette,
nutella, hot chocolate and fruit) which was good and after that it was
out for the day. We decided that the Louvre was only a 15 minute walk
away so why not hoof it. We got there and I was excited to see my BFFs
(the illegal vendors that try to sell you Eiffel Tower key chains).
However, on Fridays they have a deal where after 6 people under 26 get
in free so we decided to come back in the evening instead.
From there,
we went and enjoyed the Tuilliaries. Immediately upon getting there, we
got scammed on by a lady. I was so excited! Probably not the typical
reaction. Anyway, the person picks up a ring from the ground and asks if
it's yours. When you say no, they say, "I think it's gold!" and try to
sell it to you. We ignored her, but I so was excited that what I'd read
about actually happened to me! The Greek statues in the Tuillaries were
beautiful. Pieter's favorite was one that had a hippopatamous eating a
croccodile carved into the frieze.
We then walked to the Place de la Concorde, which is an Egyptian obelisk
that Napoleon pulled down and brought to Paris to display. In bronze,
they describe (with pictures) exactly how they brought it
back, because after all, if you pull off something big why not brag
about exactly how you did it...twice on the statue. Anyway,
then we saw the American Embassy and the hotel next door where Benjamin
Franklin met with the king during the Revolutionary War and the USA was
recognized by a foreign power for the first time.
Then we walked along the Champs d'Elysee up to the Arc de Triumphe. It
was a fun walk and they had all sorts of new car show rooms along the
way for Pieter to drool at. We got to see the apartment where Thomas
Jefferson lived with Sally Hemmings when he was the ambassador. It
started raining about halfway so we ducked into Sephora (where Pieter
found a cologne he likes) and some other stores to stay dry. At the end,
we climbed to the top of the Arc de Triumphe and oh my what a great
view of the city! Thank goodness it was worth it after all those steps!
At the top, they have memorials to soliders that have died in each
French conflict (represented by palms on the wall). Speaking of the view
of the city, Pieter got to see how crazy the giant 12-entry, multilane
roundabout around the Arc is. (I learned that French insurance companies
fault any accident that happens there 50-50). We actually saw someone
who tried to cross the street instead of using the underground walkway
get hit and then get treated by an ambulance crew. Sad day.
From there, it was back down the Champs de Elyees with a stop
at the Grand Palais and Petit Palais which were built for the 1900
World's Fair. We went and saw the art exhibits at the Petit Palais.
Then
it was on to the Louvre where we spent 3 hours just trying to take as
much in as we could. The Mona Lisa actually wasn't as crowded as usual
(though I still think it's overrated). Other highlights were the ancient
Louvre Palace, Assyrian bearded statues, Egyptian art, Venus di Milo,
and Code of Hammurabi. Then, it was back to the hotel to crash! Though I
did stop for a Nutella crepe for dinner on the way back! Yum!
No comments:
Post a Comment