Paris...wonderful Paris!

Only a month late in posting...I'm getting better! I thought before we headed out next week for our 10 day cruise of the Eastern Med, I should try to get caught up with our blogging so I can start posting about the cruise as soon as we get back. There are so many places we have on our "must see" list, that I'm afraid we won't get them all checked off before we leave next year! One of those places that we wanted to go was Paris for obvious reasons- the culture, history, food, art, food, architecture, and did I mention food??? For our 2 year anniversary, we went to Paris for four AMAZING days- a total dream come true!

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The weather started out against us the first two days with constant drizzle and gray skies, but on day 3 the rain seemed to stop and the sun came out right when we got to Notre Dame! Karl and I are serious travelers and had an intimidating itinerary which had us going 12 hours straight each day! I couldn't post all the pics, but I at least covered our favorite places.

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Parker seemed to enjoy the city (at least everyone seemed to enjoy him!), but he did sleep through most of the trip in his backpack carrier! One day I'm sure he'll be upset that we took him when he was too little to remember it.

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I actually posted the pictures in reverse order, so we're basically starting from the end back to the beginning.

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The view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe. It was wonderful to look down the Avenue des Champs-Elysess and the Rue St-Honore from the top of the arch- the view just takes your breath away! In this area are some of the best cafes, gardens, and shops in all of Paris.

Before we went up to the top, we stopped to buy a painting from a vendor on the street. I had always pictured Paris as a place where you can walk down the street and watch artists paint some of the most famous landscapes in the world...and I was right...so we bought a beautiful oil painting of the Eiffel Tower from a guy named Pierre! The Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre. It took walking up waaaaay too many stairs, but the payoff was fantastic when we reached the top and saw this magnificent church. Outside the monumental church were street painters, dancers, and street performers- we sat and watched a dance troop as we just took in all that was around us.

Parker playing with Karl outside Notre Dame...not a lot of 9 months old can say that!

Paris is the spring...simply stunning.

Parker, Karl, and I on the Pont Neuf (I obviously wasn't ready for this to be taken). This is the oldest bridge in Paris, as it was started in 1578, and it was the first bridge not to have buildings on it.

Our family in front of Notre Dame. It was even more beautiful than I had imagined! The first stone was laid here in 1163 and it was 170 years later than it was actually completed. It is a true Gothic masterpiece from the Rose windows to interior/exterior grandeur (no hunchback sightings though).

Karl and I have traveled enough now in Europe that I have seen too many churches to name, but it was in Paris that I found the most beautiful one to date. Sainte-Chapelle is absolutely magical and has been hailed as one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of the Western world. The church is made up of 15 stained-glass windows (50 ft tall each) that portray over 1000 religious scenes. Anyone coming to Paris MUST visit here!

As beautiful as this picture is, it doesn't even do it justice- you just have to experience it in person.

Parker and I in the entrance to the Musee du Louvre.

Not every baby gets to practice his walking skills surrounded by works by da Vinci, Michelangelo, Gericault, and Rembrandt!

Since Da Vinci Code is one of our favorite books/movies, we had to make a stop where the two pyramids meet...I wonder if she really is underneath here.....

As fantastic as the Louvre was, Karl and I actually enjoyed the Musee d'Orsay much more. It was here that we saw Monet, Whistler's Mother, Manet, Renoir, and Delacroix. The museum is actually a renovated train station and is home to many of the Impressionist art in the world.

The Tomb of Napolean Bonaparte inside the Dome Church.

Okay look closely from left to right and you'll see the Dome Church, The Thinker statue by Rodin (nestled in the bushes in the middle), and the Eiffel Tower.

The Thinker at the Musee Rodin- I never knew this was in the middle of a garden full of Rodin statues and the Gates of Hell.

Does this really need explaining?

Parker playing in the grass at the Eiffel Tower. We stayed about two blocks from here, so whenever we had downtime, this is where we hung out.

Perfect.