Paris

Hi All,

Today marks the beginning of the 4th full day here in Paris. Rothenburg seems like an eternity ago, not to mention Rome. Our days have been completely packed, from before sunrise to after sunset. We've walked all over this city, seeing site after site. When we return home, we often just crash after a couple minutes. It's been great.

We arrived in Paris after another all-day train ride (which coincidentally had us go through Belgium for a fee as all trains were booked up). The hotel is in a great location... however our room is the size of a matchbox with a toilet attached. The hotel is right off this main street "Rue Cler." It's filled with small shops selling fresh fruits, bread, pastries, meats, as well as groceries, restaurants, and gift shops. Needless to say Rue Cler has been our one stop shop for most everything.

On our first day we visited the Louvre and found that Paris after Christmas is apparently packed. Most of the museums in Florence didn't allow photography which was a bummer at the time, but we now understand why. Its as if the paparazzi have arrived :) Between us and the Mona Lisa stood 50 feet, filled with people snapping pictures. It kinda took away from the whole experience leaving us with a sour impression of the Louvre. We weren't ever allowed to just enjoy the art, which was disappointing.

From there we walked through the gardens, through the Champs Elysees and up to the Arc de Triomphe. This was fun -- to see all the busy Parisians going to and fro as we made our way up the hill. The Arc was very impressive, and we went to the top to see a great view where all streets seemed to converge to us.

The next day came early, and we took the short train to Versailles. This was the "vacation home" for the king and queen (Louis XIV - XVI) to get away from all the stresses of being... king and queen. I think what was most impressive about this was the vastness of the estate. The rooms themselves weren't *that* huge, but there were many. It felt like a vacation home. And the "back yard" was gardens as far as you could see.

After that we visited the small island on the Seine River. Notre Dame... how can we describe it? Beautiful, grand, breathtaking. We went inside and just sat to take it all in. Its crazy to think this church took 200 years to build, generations added to it in the hopes that their children would live to see its glory. One of the highlights of Paris. We walked around and visited the Deportation Memorial, and the Roman Crypt. That was a big day.

Yesterday saw us in the gardens of Rodin, which housed the famous "Thinker." It was a very relaxed, pretty setting. We ate lunch in the Tuileries Gardens outside the Louvre, then headed to the Orsay. I enjoyed the art in the Orsay the most so far. Much more open and free flowing than the Louvre (and less crowded), it was the smaller rooms with Monet that were most pleasing. We also saw some great works of art by Van Gogh and Renior (but the paparazzi were there again). We actually re-visited the Louvre again to try to find some prints to buy (its free with our Museum Pass), but it was the same -- no luck on the Mona Lisa.

So today is the last day here -- New Year's Eve. We have a couple small things to see, laundry to do, and then to the Eiffel Tower for the countdown to 2008! It should be fun. Tomorrow is London, and the final leg of our journey.

Avior,
Dylan and Melody