Americans in Paris

As our parents departed for home, we continued onto our next destination, Paris. Taking a taxi into the center of the city, we were struck by the classic Parisan architecture and an European vibe we had never experienced before. We quickly began to appreciate the differences Paris provided in setting, culture, language, history, and food. During our first day we explored our cute neighborhood in the fifth district near Saint Germaine and the Latin Quarter, and we visited the Musee d'Orsay, a wonderful museum with one of the best collections of Impressionist art in the world. Let's just say we were in Impressionism heaven! 

Musee d'Orsay

We spent our days visiting the major sites such as Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower, exploring the museums, enjoying the delicious cuisine, and wandering through the beautiful streets of Paris. In order to see the city by both night and day, we climbed the Eiffel Tower twice. When we went in the evening we took a lift to the second level (the top level was closed for the month) and saw the city sparkle with light. The next day, in order to save time and money, we decided to walk up the stairs to the 2nd level, all 670 of them! We're still not sure whether that was a genius idea or not, but we can now say we literally walked up the Eiffel Tower! 

Notre Dame

The Eiffel Tower!

Arc d'Triumphe

Yes, we walked up that many stairs.

To indulge our art history/history selves, we toured many museums, including the Army museum/Napoleon's tomb, Musee Rodin, and the Louvre in addition to Musee d'Orsay. We hit the Louvre at the right time, after 6pm on Wednesday, when it is open late. It was the best decision we made in Paris for we easily walked the rooms of the Louvre without having to fight the crowds. There was actually barely anyone there, and instead of seeing tourists snapping pictures in every room, we watched artists sketching works or small groups of classes talking about a specific work. We could even stand right in front of the Mona Lisa! 

The Louvre

Napoleon's Tomb

The 'Thinker' by Rodin.

Paris Opera House

As a day trip from Paris we enjoyed the pleasures of Versailles, the French palace built by Louis XIV. Although it was a rainy and unpleasant day weather-wise, we could still imagine the luxurious rooms and the vast gardens as they may have been in the 18th century. Our favorite room was the Hall of Mirrors, a room designed to show off the exuberance and power of the French royal family. No picture will ever do it justice! In addition to the main palace, we strolled the gardens and the outer estate, which held Marie Antoinette's private home and hamlet. Her house proved to be her escape as the rebellion was rising in the streets of Paris, and we could sense the comfort and warmth from the smaller home. A little more off the beaten path was her hamlet, a little country village and working farm to remind her of her roots in Austria. This small village seemed to come out of a fairy tale, with whimsical buildings and picturesque scenery. While it proved more difficult to fully appreciate the gardens in the winter, they were still magnificent and impactful. We even found the patch of trees in which grows a tree our grandparents donated to Versailles after a storm. 

We're going to Versailles!

The spectacular Hall of Mirrors.

Marie Antoinette's hamlet.

Enjoying the gardens of Versailles. 

We found Grandma and Grandpa's tree! (It's in there somewhere)

This short experience in Paris reminded us of France's wonderful history and culture. Like all of the previous cities we have visited, we tried to get immersed in the culture as much as we could, even with the obvious language barrier. We both even ventured well out of our comfort zone by trying escargot! 

While we didn't have the opportunity to hit all of the museums and nearby cities we wanted to visit, we think it's only an excuse to come back soon!