Paris

We arrived in France and discovered that the sun was not as warm nor shining like it was in Italy. Our first stop in France was Paris. We only planned a few days in Paris before we go south to Provence. We had planned to fit in as much as we possibly could in a short amount of time. 

Dana, Bree, Super Nel and I stayed in an apartment that we rented through airbnb. Airbnb is very similar to other vacation rental companies. We've booked through this company numerous times and have been very happy with the results. Our Paris rental was no exception. It was located very close to the metro and from the metro stop it's only a few stops to all the major monuments and museums. Also, the neighborhood is amazing. When we arrived the neighborhood was full of people shopping and sitting in cafes eating. It's a walking neighborhood and hardly any cars drive down the street. We couldn't wait to explore this area. Our apartment is in this fabulous building that has a courtyard and interior is best described as modern-rustic. Really cool combo. Also, Josef, Shane and Pedro were staying two blocks away.  

We dropped off our bags and went straight to the Louvre museum. I knew we couldn't do this museum justice since we'd only be there for a short period of time. But I really wanted to see the Mona Lisa and see what kind of artwork France has in residence. 

The carousel outside Lourve. 

I loved this female warrior sitting on top of the platform. She looks strong like a warrior. 

Josef touches the tip of the pyramid at the Lourve. 

I pretend to be so hangry that I'm eating the pyramid. 

The entire Lourve complex is HUGE. By far one of the biggest museums I've ever seen. 

We decided to get inside before those clouds started to rain. 

We had purchased the Paris Museum Pass. It cost us €42 but is good for 2 consecutive days and allows you entrance to more than 50 attractions. We would only use it for the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe and Versailles. The entrance fees to all three attractions cost more than the pass so we'd save about €3. However, with this pass you get to skip waiting in line at most places. When I saw the line at the Lourve I thought it was worth €42 just to skip that one line. 

We gave ourselves about 3 hours at the Lourve. This museum is so big that in 3 hours you can barely scratch the surface in terms of seeing the artwork. We purchased the audioguide but it did not help us as much as we expected. After the amazing experience we had with the app at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam we were really disappointed with the audioguide. It didn't give you a good map or create itineraries for you. Also, the actual map of the Lourve wasn't user friendly. And since it's Spring Break the museum was VERY crowded. We were able to see the Mona Lisa. As you can imagine she is a popular girl. Her room was probably the busiest. Getting to the front of the Mona Lisa exhibit was like trying to get through the mosh pit of arock concert to the front of the stage. I was patient and determined and finally made it to the front. I was rewarded with a great view of Mona. I couldn't get past her smirk/smile. I used my imagination to pretend the room was empty and that she and I were the only two people in the room. I envisioned asking her why she is smirking. I don't know the answer but if I had to guess I think she is smirking at the hundreds of thousands of people who spend half an hour doing their hair and makeup and taking the perfect selfie with her painting (this happened). Or maybe she's smiling because she knows that's she's fabulous. 

Mona and I at the Lourve. 

This is Mona Lisa's view almost everyday during business hours. 

It was really hot in the Mona Lisa exhibit area and I was very thirsty after saying good bye to Mona. It was impossible to find a drinking fountain and all the cafes had long lines. The one time I don't have any water is the one time I really need it. We tried to distract ourselves from the thirst by going to see the marble and bronze statue exhibits. 

This headless statue looked like an angel with wings. She was located at the top of a giant staircase and it helped make her look majestic. 

A great statue of Julius Ceasar. The marble work is so well done it makes the statues look lifelike. 

This statue is called "The Warrior." He was originally found in peices and the museum curators worked to put him back together. You almost can't tell that he had to be Humpty Dumptied. 

This urn was more than likely used in a garden many centuries ago. 

There were marble signs that were representations of the type of physical fitness that was done. One had images of gymnastics and this one is of boxing (my personal favorite). 

At this point we found a small beverage stand and we were so thirsty I think we each bought two water bottles or a water and an orangina. By this time we only had a handful of minutes left. I chose to use every minute to look at some artwork. If you don't already know, I LOVE Egyptian art and history so I made it over to see the Spinx. 

I'd never seen one before in real life and I was really excited to see her up close. 

Our time in the Lourve had ended. I couldn't get over how many people were inside this building. On one hand it made me happy to know that so many people wanted to learn about the art but on the other hand it made it hard to enjoy the arrwork because everything was so overwhelming. Super Nel said he liked the Lourve but he disliked how unorganized things were. I still think we'll come back again to see more of it. 

Trying to catch up on blog posts. Paris is so wonderful and I want to share all of it with anyone reading.