Blogs from France, Europe - page 1594

Eiffel Tower Day! Some people don't think that the 900 ft. view over Paris from Eiffel Tower is worth the crowds, hassle, and time and I understand their reasoning. We arrived early and fought our way to the top and then spent the afternoon relaxing and exploring French markets on the nearby Rue Cler. ... read more

Why did we visit the Museé D'Orsay on a Tuesday? The Louvre is closed so everyone is here. Inside the museum, it's all about Impressionism buffered by the Realism, Classism and Naturalism that preceeded it and the Pointilism, Primitivism, and Post-Impressionism that well, proceeded it. It's interesting and pleasing but betwen Seurat print umbrellas and Van Gogh calenders I'm at the point where I think Impressionism is hurting art as now as much as it helped it 90 years ago. We were saved fromthe crowds by some excellent sculpture by Rodin and his muse/pupil/lover Camille Claudet. Looking forward to visiting the Museé Rodin later this week. Between the bread, wine, and cheese alone, the gastro-tourism part of the trip has been fantastic. Today we ate these Egyptian oranges (oooo, ahhhhh... fascinating) that were amazing. We've also ... read more

Well, all is going well, and I'm enjoying myself. But I got off to a rather shaky start here. I arrived in Paris around 2000 hours on Friday and didn't really know where to start. But since I had all my luggage (a very heavy backpack, and a small bag), it definitely seemed best to get a room for the night asap. Common sense prevails. However, this seemingly simple process ran me into a wall, for some reason every single room was filled in every hotel I went into. This got me a little worried, and after 2 hours I was getting sore and tired, and It was getting dark. Luckily around that time (2200) I checked a hotel called the Hotel California, and they had a room available, and by this time price had ceased ... read more

Today, we walked down the Champs-Elyseés from the Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe. It was a great way to see the city but our feet are killing us. We took our time stopping all along the Champs-Elyseés. The cineplexes all had ques for Episode III. I think we'll wait a few days. Peugot and Renault both have showrooms. Check out the photos. Their concept cars are all about versatility, efficiency, and space-management. Cara (Hi Amelia) also wants me to mention that we visited the Louis Vuitton boutique (between the Versace and Hermés, of course :p). It's like Mecca for handbags. The customer service is first class which is as it should be when you sell $1000 handbags. Believe it or not, Hermés is even more expensive. The front door is kept LOCKED! I don't think ... read more

Bonjour! Cara et moi sommes arrivé à Paris. We are staying at 12 rue de la Ferronnerie in the Marais near the Metro Chatelet. Look us up at www.mapquest.fr. Our apartment is expectedly small but it has what we need. Our location is fantastic. The Pompidou Center is less than a 5 minute walk and the Notre Dame is just over 5 minutes. There's a boulangerie, an épicerie, some boucheries, cafés, and other French words right outside our window and at night, the adjacent Rue de St. Denis street is totally party central! Anyway, the last time I had any sleep was in Iceland so take care everyone.... read more