A Little Update from Paris

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I'm sorry if you have been anxiously awaiting news of adventures on this blog but it truly is a matter of so much to see and so little time. We have a little internet cafe across from our apartment but most nights my legs are so tired I haven't had the energy to get there. Larissa has been across a few times and added some photos to her facebook tagging me so you can view some of her photos there.

So what have we been up to?

Day 1 - we caught the metro into the Eiffel Tower. We took the lift to the second level and although the day was cloudy, the view was amazing and we had to take a moment to "pinch ourselves" - yes, we were in Paris. On our 'sortie' (exit) from the tower we were hassled by hawkers trying to sell us plastic models of the tower, 5 for 1 euro. They were everywhere and we spent the rest of the time there constantly shaking our heads with a firm no. From there we crossed over to Trocadero and had lunch Parisian style in a street side cafe. We then walked to the Arc de Triomphe and took the lift to the viewing platform on top. My limpy right leg wasn't going to make the 2 flights of stairs to the top, but this another view I wasn't going to miss out on....we then took a little stroll down the Champs Elysee before taking our weary legs back to our apartment.

Day 2 - saw us once again master the train system. We were rather proud of ourselves, being such country bumpkins (we don't even know how to use the train/tram system in Melbourne), but today we got ourselves to Versailles. WOW! The estate is massive and possibly the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen (inside and out). I think you need days here to fully take it all in. The Hall of Mirrors is impressive, but as Stacey commented it is hard to pick a favourite area or room, it is all magnificent. Sadly the rain set in and we didn't get to explore the gardens, but Rob and Rissa made a dash out with their umbrellas to get a few photos. Later in the afternoon we paid a visit to the Louvre (it's open late on a Wednesday). This made me very emotional, I truly couldn't believe I was there and all my art history lessons came flooding back. Yes, the Mona Lisa was a must see and although I knew it was a small painting, it was much bigger than I thought. The Venus de Milo on the other hand was smaller than I imagined. Again, the Louvre is massive and you need days to truly appreciate it. I was also surprised that you could photograph all the works of art as long as there was no flash photography - so of course, we took many photos! The building is stunningly beautiful and art work all very open, not barricaded off with impeding views as it is in our galleries. You can get so close to the artworks here and walking in and around sculptures felt strange.

I'm running out of time tonight so I will have to update you on Day 3 and 4 adventures later on.

Au Revoir ! :-)

Chris

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Photos

Eiffel Tower
A family pic - yes we were there!!

Eiffel Tower Visit
Thankyou Daddy for taking us to Paris!!!

Crepe Stand
...morning tea was a chocolate crepe under the Eiffel Tower - yummo!

Le Depart
This sculpture on the Arc De Triomphe is called "The Departure of the Volunteers"

Champs Elysee
our view from the top of the Arc De Triomphe

Chateau De Versailles
The girls outside the opulent gold gates leading into the Palace of Versailles

Sculpture at Versailles
The detail on the buildings is beautiful it really is an impressive sight.

Versailles Clock Detail
Amazing!!!

Hall of Mirrors/The Grand Gallery
yes this is me - one of those rare occasions when I am in front of the camera and not behind - how beautiful is this room??!!
The Grand Gallery (La Grande Galerie in French), as it was called in the 17th century, was used daily by courtiers and visitors for passing through, waiting and for meeting people. It was only used for ceremonies on exceptional occasions, when sovereigns wanted to lend splendour to diplomatic receptions, or distractions (balls or games) on the occasion of princely weddings.

Ceiling inside the Louvre
it is not just the art work here that is beautiful - the architecture inside and out is stunning

Mona Lisa
....no visit to the Louvre is without a looky at Miss Lisa!! - and as you can see we got very close to her.

Interior of the Louvre
looking up as we walked through the passageways of the Louvre

Painting by Murillo
seeing photos were allowed ( as long as you weren't using a flash ) we decided to snap away at the art work that caught our eye like this piece by Spanish artist - Bartolomé Esteban Murillo,one of the most important figures in Baroque painting in Spain

Botticelli
a little painting from Renaissance period by Alessandro Filipepe BOTTICELLI this one was painted in Florence in 1510 a lot later than his famous "Birth of Venus"