Paris!

Highlights

Louvre: Sharon was busy one evening, so I decided to go to the Louvre by myself. I can't say that was the best decision. Since many of the displays were in French, I didn't exactly know what I was looking at. However, I did make my own scavenger hunt game where I picked a famous piece of artwork and tried to find it in the huge maze of Louvre masterpieces. The Mona Lisa was the easiest to find because they had a lot of signs pointing out the way. I also found the Venus de Milo, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, and The Raft of the Medusa. I have to admit I like the Deutsches Museum better than the Louvre.

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur: It takes some effort to Sacré-Cœur because it's on a hill. The Metro lets you off at the base of the hill, and you get to enjoy a climb to what I think is the highest point of the city of Paris. Once we were at the basilica, we had a beautiful view of the city. Also nearby was a collection of artists displaying their works and drawing portraits of paying tourists. It was fun to see the different displays of Paris in a wide variety of artistic media.

Notre Dame: Our legs got yet another work out when we visited Notre Dame. We climbed the stairwell to the top of one of the towers. Once at the top, we hung out with the gargoyles that surround the building and pretended we were in the novel/movie Hunchback of Notre Dame. This was our opportunity to be a little silly.

Eiffel Tower: This was my highlight of the Paris trip. Even though it was raining when we ascended the tower, I learned a lot about the mechanics and architecture of the Tower. We walked up the stairs to the first and second levels. When we reached the second level, the clouds started to let loose. We had to wait in the souvenir shop for 20 min before we were able to take the elevator to the third level. The advantage of not-so-great weather was that there was no line. The downside was that it was so cold outside that we just ran out to the deck, snapped a few pictures, and ran back inside. Of course it just so happened that as we were walking away from the Eiffel Tower, the skies cleared and the sun started to come out. At least we can look back on good memories of an Eiffel Tower experience in the rain!