Last Day in Paris... (*sigh)

Day 30

Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Luxembourg Gardens, and Duck.

Today was a surprise visit to the Pere Lachaise Cemetery.  It was incredible!  It is the largest cemetery in Paris.  I was in awe at the architecture, the design, and especially the inspiration that can be found here.  As weird as that sounds for a Cemetery.  This was one of my favorite places to visit.

A bit more on the eery side.  Neat though.

Lots of gorgeous photography opportunities.

Beautiful stained glass.

Overall view.

On a lighter note... The bakery items are unbeatable in Paris.  We got multiple eclairs, but these purple eclairs Dani and I found at a nearby bakery were the best thing I have ever eaten.  They were vanilla... but magical.  They had vanilla custard type stuff inside, and the icing was.... oh man.  They tasted like purple... ya know, like how purple would taste, not grape or anything, just heavenly, delicious, melt in your mouth, eat 20 at a time, savor every last bite... yummy goodness.  If only I could take enough home to last me a life time.  I'm definitely going back for these!

For dinner I tried duck!  It was actually pretty tasty.  And the chips (little fries) were yum too.  Oh, and the restaurant was well decorated also. :)

Versailles!

 Day 29

Well, talk about crowded!!  Nevertheless, Versailles is gorgeous!  We began by touring around the gardens, which seem to go on for miles.  I was most impressed by the cottages.  They are monuments in themselves, with gorgeous thatched roofs, and impressive spiral staircases.  They are deteriorating but they are amazing. We spent time sketching, taking lots of pictures and really just taking it all in.  Versailles is incredible!

The golden gates.

The view from the back.

The group walking to the gardens.

Marie Antoinette's retreat, The Petit Trianon.  

One of the cottages.  I loved this area!

The little tower by the lake, set amongst the many cottages.

Group shot outside The Grand Trianon.

The gorgeous Hall of Mirrors.  This was where the crowds were the most intense.

The courtyard, looking up at the Palace.

Sacre Coeur

Day 28

Today we visited the Sacre Coeur.

On our way there we stopped by the Moulin Rouge.  Te he... It's just what you'd think it would be.  I do love the movie based on it though!

The graffiti in the area was very creative.  Watch out for the time bombs!

The Sacre Coeur (The Basilica of the Sacred Heart) is incredible!  It's the highest point in Paris, so of course I climbed 300 stairs to the dome to see the fantastic view of Paris!  And it was gorgeous!  The area around is amazing as well.  There are cute little boutiques and a square filled with artists who paint and draw views of Paris or even a quick caricature. I loved the area, it felt like what I pictured Paris to be. 

The dome of the Sacre Coeur.

 Stephanie, Dani, Griffin, and I finished the day perfectly with a picnic beneath the Eiffel Tower!  To top it off, there was a lady playing her cello nearby.  It was fantastic!

Free Day 3! The Paris Opera House and The Grande Arche

Day 27

If you've seen the movie version of the Phantom of the Opera, than I can tell you that the Paris Opéra, also known as Palais Garnier (the Paris Opera House) is just as glamorous and fantastic as you may think it is!  In fact I was more than impressed.  You just have to see the pictures to know! It was designed by Charles Garnier in the Neo-Baroque style.

There were lots of people outside, even a group of break dancers surrounded by tourists, and some ice cream!

On the magnificent staircase!

I got a sneak peek of the theatre. 

Incredible huh??!?

The Grande Arche is about 3 miles on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées from L'arc du Triomphe.  It is actually just outside the city limits, and we walked to it from the Louvre, which is just a little way away from the Paris Opera House. It was about a 5 and 1/2 mile walk.  The Avenue des Champs-Élysées has some fantastic, but expensive shopping.  It was fun to take in everything.  It is also interesting to take in the stark contrast between the neoclassical style of the L'arc du Triomphe and the extreme modern style of the Grande Arche.  Incredible!

Almost there!

Dani and Griffin holding The Arche up!

Looking back on it's neoclassical counterpart.  Lots of walking, but what a fantastic day! 

Free Day 2! The Market, Notre Dame, and The Eiffel Tower!

Day 26

The market we went to is supposed to be one of the biggest market in the world, or something. It was huge.  They have so many things.  There was a street of antique furniture.  They had a bunch of "black market" things, like Adidas, Converse, and designer jeans.  I got a leather purse, and a lot of questions like, "Where are you from?" or "What language do you speak?"  We got guesses like Texas? Australia? Dutch?! hahahaha, it was awesome.  Do I look like I'm from Texas?

After the market, we headed over to the Zaha Hadid exhibition at the Arab Institute. 

We saw this cool staircase on the way.

And this neat guy.

And we got a little lost...

But we did find Notre Dame!

And finally!  The exhibit.  Which was closed, but it was amazing to see Zaha Hadid's work in person!  It was incredibly unique.  Lots of smooth shapes, and interesting angles.  Very good for great photographs as well!

Neat reflection stuff going on!

Oh, we also found the locks of love.  Too bad I don't have a lock, or a lover... haha

To top off an already great day, we decided to visit the top of the Eiffel Tour.

Stacie, me, Dani, and Steph.  Gorgeous views.  I can't even imagine that at one point they considered tearing this monument down.  That would have been such a great loss.  It is an incredible structure, and so iconic of Paris these days.  I loved it!  The unique elevators, the steel, the views, everything!

All of us!  Look at the cool laser going on too.

Free day! Arc de Triomphe and Water for Elephants

Day 25

We didn't have too much going on today, so we decided to visit the Arc de Triomphe.  We climbed the stairs to the top and took in the fabulous views of Paris.  I can't believe how huge this monument is.  The traffic around it is crazy. I'm surprised there aren't accidents every few minutes!  Make sure you cross underground if you go.  We made the mistake of crossing above on the street!  Crazy!

Me!

Madi, Dani, Stacie, and Steph at the top!

Paris Bakery treats... mmmmmm Incredible! Gorgeous too!

I love that the streets radiate out from the Arc de Triomphe

This marks one of many spiral staircases we've experienced.  They almost go on forever!

Fontainebleau and Vaux Le Vicomte

Day 24

Get ready for some amazing French architecture and design today!  We visited the Palace of Fontainebleu and Vaux Le Vicomte.

Fontainebleau was built on an older chateau in the 16th century.  

The furnishings and draperies were incredible!

The long gallery.

Beautiful natural light.

And some great gelato to top it off!

We had a picnic at a pavilion by Vaux le Vicomte before visiting the chateau.  Today was Griffin's birthday as well!  So he got an eclair with candles!  Happy Birthday Griffin!

Vaux le Vicomte!

The gardens were beautiful!  As well as the chateau itself!  Lots of history.

We got to stay until after the sun went down....

And a perfect day ended with fireworks!!