Minnesota goes to Paris

Our little foursome went to Paris right after the semester ended the second week of May. Lo and Meg took the train up on a Thursday, and Em and I followed on Saturday. We had a really great time! There is so much to do in that city, and we didn't try to cram everything into our five days there... we picked a few big things to see, and the rest of the time we walked along the river and ate good food or drank expensive coffee. So, um, without further ado, here are a few pictures:

The view from the balcony of the apartment where we stayed. We have amazing friends from Aix who have an apartment in Paris but haven't moved in yet, and they let us trespass there for a few days in exchange for bringing some of their luggage up for them! It was such a blessing.

We spent an entire day at the Louvre. Good thing, too... saying there is a lot to see in the Louvre is like saying there is a lot of water in the Pacific Ocean. 

Yes, we saw the Mona Lisa while we were there. No, we did not take a picture of it.

Hercules. 

I forget the name of this hall, but it was stunning. 

Caravaggio! 

Part of the Louvre as seen through the grand pyramid entrance. 

At lunchtime we went in search of a boulangerie, and found one which sold delicious sandwiches and marvelous pastries, and we selected a number of things which we ate by a nice fountain within sight of the Louvre. My last few days in France made me kind of antsy and I spent more money in boulangeries than anywhere else. 

  

People react in different ways to lunch. 

 

Second from right is our good friend Sher, who popped up to Paris with us.

Back to the Louvre after lunch... this is a ceiling. These things are everywhere in the Louvre.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Marcus Aurelius. 

Hadrian! Yep, the one who built the wall. I love Roman sculpture.

Inconsiderate people kept messing up the backgrounds of my pictures.

Albrecht Durer 

This ancient Egyptian man has a mustache. 

Thutmoses IV - the bust dates from between 1401 and 1391 years before Christ. This is old. 

Walking to the metro after leaving the Louvre. That's the opera house in the background.

We also visited the Musée d'Orsay while in Paris, and for free, too! There is a lot of great newer art there from the likes of Degas and Renoir and Van Gogh and Monet. 

Paris as seen from the very top of La Tour Eiffel. 

The bridge of Alexander III - they just don't make 'em like they used to.

If you've ever read the book Eloise in Paris, you know this fountain was exciting to see. 

   La Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre. We spent the night in the guest housing provided by the nuns at the Basilica on our last night in Paris. It just cost 5 euros for bedding, and an hour of prayer in the sanctuary. It was really nice to be there without hordes of tourists flocking around; to sit quietly in the pews, while dozens of candles burned in the semi-darkness. 

These two were playing duets on a street near the Basilica. They were good, too.

Yes. 

A lovely little church in Montmartre. Near this place we found some of the best baguettes ever. 

And then we left Paris... but now we are in Italy, so nobody is complaining.