Paris-Part 1

On Friday afternoon Meghan and I landed at the Charles De' Galle airport in Paris, France. We managed to follow a series of trains and subways to make our way into the city to meet up with our friend Michael and his parents, Tom and Jean. That first night we took the Metro to see the Eiffle Tower at night.  It was spectacular!  My camera didn't capture it very well but here's the best shot.  At 10pm the Eiffle Tower displayed sparkling lights for 5 minutes, it was amazing!



On Saturday morning we woke up early in hopes to beat the tourist crowds to the Palace of Versailles. Long story short, King Louis the III was a ruler of France and used half of the country's budget to build his "hunting lodge". It became the home of the French government and court. King Louis the XVI was the last to live there with his wife Marie Antoinette. 

The inside of Versailles was ridiculous.  I have endless pictures of painted and gold encrusted ceilings.  We were able to see both King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette's bed chambers, the dining hall, and the chaple (picutred below).

The garden behind Versailles was amazing!

Next we made our way to the Arc de Triomphe.  It's a war memorial.  All victorious French generals have their name inscribed on the inside of this monument.  

We climbed up what seemed like an endless spiral staircase to go to the top!

Next we walked down Champs Elyesees, the most famous street in France.  It's lined with expensive restaurants, designer stores, and the most expensive real estate in the world. This is also the road where the Tour de France ends!

Our busy day wasn't over quite yet. Next we went to The Louve, the most visited art museum in the world! It is huge.

There were endless rooms of roman sculptures and paintings.  If you had an eye for art you could be in there all day.  Meghan, the Lyle's, and I decided on an express route to see Venus...

...and of course Mona Lisa!

After a long day of tourism.  We walked over the Seine River to The Great Canadian Pub and had a few drinks and played cards.  



We ended the night at one of Jean's favorite restaurants in Paris.  We toasted to an accomplished day with our Belgian beer, Chimay.