Day Nine and Ten...Museums

Europe
October 13th 2009

Published: October 13th 2009

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Larryvinson

Starbucks and the Map

Larry drinking Starbucks coffee and trying to read the map.

Day Nine…The Louvre and Other Paris Sights

We have combined days nine and ten, because although we did a lot of sightseeing we thought you would only like the highlights.

Day Nine…The sights we have seen today were unbelievable - The “Arc de Triumph”, The Louvre, and an evening cruise on the Seine (saw the light show at the Eiffel Tower).

We found a Starbucks; it seems at the little cafés you have to pay for each cup of coffee so we added to the small cup during breakfast with a big Starbuck’s coffee.

The “Arc de Triumph” was beautiful the traffic around the circle was a sight to behold. Twelve or more lanes of traffic all going in different directions. The Champs Elysèes was amazing… all kinds of shops and people. It looked like New York. The Louvre was breath taking… We saw the “Mona Lisa”, Winged Victory and “Venus de Milo” to mention just a few. We had a late lunch/early dinner across from our hotel and spoke with two ladies from, you guessed it Georgia. They live in Athens, but one had lived and worked for Newton County Schools. Small World…She knows Judy

A government building.

Part of the National Assembly.

and Tim Buice, can you believe in Paris we met someone from home who knows people who graduated from good ole Cross Keys High.

Later we took the cruise on the Seine at dark. It was a beautiful clear night and we were able to sit outside on the top deck. We passed through 22 of the 37 bridges over the Seine. All the lights of Paris were on display, as well as a lot of young people out with wine and love in their hearts. This is the city of lovers.

Day Ten…Versailles

We got an early start this morning, which is our last full day in Paris. We took the train to Versailles and were surprised by the number of school field trips. I can’t imagine taking any of my classes on a train to such a huge destination. One group was just adorable…probably second graders all in bright red hats.
According to Rick Steves, if you only see one castle…see Versailles. Words cannot do it justice. The main Chateau contains a Hall of Mirrors. It is 250 feet long, with 17 arched mirrors matching 17 windows looking out upon royal garden views. The

Arc de Triomphe

Beautiful, but a crazy traffic circle. The traffic cop has an impossible job, he just blows his whistle.

mirrors-a luxury at the time-reflect an age when beautiful people loved to look at themselves. (Much like today)!
We toured Marie-Antoinette’s house. The home was originally built for Louis XIV’s mistress, but she died before she could move in…his next mistress moved in until he died and then she was kicked out. Finally, Marie-Antoinette the wife of Louis XVI moved in, because she hated the main Chateau, and redecorated the house to resemble her childhood home in Vienna.
You can see the pictures of the man-made lake and fountains. It was such a beautiful fall day that several couples rented row boats to row in the canal. We however, had lunch by the canal, drank wine, and ate. See pictures of Larry’s hotdog…not quite the Varsity!

We took the train back to Paris to begin the sad job of packing our suitcases for our return home. What can we say about this wonderful trip…it was amazing! We saw sights that we had only read about and had hoped to see someday. Now we have! We have had a great time sharing our adventures, (some good, some bad, some amusing, …but all fun) with you through our travel bog and