Blogs from France, Europe - page 1601

We woke up at 7:00 to another chilly day in Paris. We stopped at our boulangerie for another chausson des pommes and chocolat chaude. With full stomachs we were off to the metro station to buy our "Carte Orange" to give us unlimited subway use for the rest of our trip (this is definitely the way to get around and cheaper than the tourist metro passes). We had a bit of a time with the picture machine but finally got the right size pic and then picked up our passes. First stop today...the Louvre. Well I have to say I am not much of an "artsy" person...or at least I wasn't. My main intention was to see the Mona Lisa (to say I've seen it) but once I got there I was hooked. It begins outside ... read more

This morning we woke up at 7:30 feeling alot more refreshed and ready to go exploring. We stopped on the way to the Metro at a little "Boulangerie" for breakfast and I had a scrumptious "chausson des pommes" (apple turnover) and a "chocolat chaude" (hot chocolate). Then if was off to the City of Lights...first stop, the Eiffel Tower of course! We took the subway in and when we came up to the street there it was...the Eiffel Tower. It is a huge, brown metal structure standing over the city next to the river. I got goosebumps when I saw it and they weren't from the 5 C temperatures we were in. Since it was fairly cool there weren't really that many people and we only waited in the different lines to get to the top ... read more

An hour and a half train ride out of Paris one finds a skeletal stone and glass monument (900 years old) rising out of the rolling fields of Chartres. I felt a visit to Chartres Cathedral was a mandatory must do while in Paris. One can study the French gothic in school and pretend to know what you’re talking about or you can experience this ecclesiastical architecture in the first person. The chilling weather followed me to Chartres. The towers were closed due to snow and ice. The Englishman that Rick Steves speaks so highly of cancelled his tour. The stone masonry of the cathedral absorbed what little bit of heat there was leaving the air stingingly sharp to the face and exposed skin. In one of the transepts I found a metal grill in the ... read more

I’ve got months and months of photos to get through and have decided to let the photos do most of the talking. If you have a specific question about a location drop me a line. I made it to the Louvre and spent the full day (the museums late closing day) walking, looking, pondering and hoping that I’d get a chance to come back. Yes, I did see the Monna Lisa. While I was impressed there was so many more great works within a minutes walk of the painting that were going ignored I decided to spend my time with them. So many people were taking flash photos of the Monna I’d be surprised if any of the photos came out halfway clear - go buy a postcard! Yes, the museum is immense. No one person ... read more

No Damsel in distress just an extra large woman stuck in the spiral stair. Plenty has been said about Notre Dame - Paris. I spent many an hour here over the two week period (nearly as much time as I spent in the Pantheon - Rome). Enjoy the photos!... read more