European Vacation, Part 2: Paris, France

We spent our second week of Europe in Paris, France. First of all, Paris is really dirty. That's not how it is in the movies. But really, it was a filthy city. But it was still beautiful. And the French aren't as rude as people claim. They just mind their own business. But everyone we talked to was very helpful and tried communicating with us. And can I say how freaking good they make crepes? I'm hungry now.

Lover's Bridge:
One of my favorite memories of Paris, was the night we went to lover's bridge, also known as the lock bridge. See that gold bridge in the picture below? It's actually silver, but it looks gold because it is completely covered in locks. People in love write their names on a lock, lock it to the bridge, and toss the key in the river.

Place de Vosges:
This was just a cute little park we walked through a couple of times. This place made me feel like a real Parisian.

Maison La Roche, 1923-1925, Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret:
This was a house made for a bachelor in the 1920's, but it still represents modern architecture in France.

Versailles:
HUGE is an understatement for Versailles. This place was so enormous, it would be impossible to see it all in one day. I loved seeing Marie Antionette's bedroom and her hidden escape door. She wanted to live like a country farmer so she had these massive gardens built outside of the mansion. When you exit the mansion, the gardens extend as far as you can see. We got lost and rarely saw people as we explored Versailles.

Musee de Louvre:
One of the world's biggest museums. We only had 3 hours here so we didn't see very much. When we go back someday, we need to devote an entire day to the Louvre.

 For some reason, I thought the Mona Lisa was going to be a lot bigger...guess not.

Villa Savoye, 1931, Le Corbusier:

Out of everything we saw, and everywhere we went in France, Villa Savoye was my most favorite. Villa Savoye is located in Poissy, France. It was a house built for the Savoye family between 1928-1931. It amazes me that it still looks modern, but it was built over 80 years ago. The house is open and you can access outdoor space from any room. The yard and surrounding views are beautiful. 

Centre Pompidou:

I wish we had more time at all of the awesome museums. I really liked the Andy Warhol painting. But my favorite exhibit was a room full of these praying women that were shaped from foil. 

Musee du quai Branly:
The outside of this museum was beautiful. It was covered in beautiful green plants, and the large glass piece separates the noisy street from the jungle-like surroundings of the museum. Christian loved the museum itself. It was one of his favorite places. They had a "hair" exhibit that was awesome. It showed the style and transformation of hair throughout the history of man.

 I love costumes!

 Check out the word river. The little kids would chase all the words.

  Everywhere we went, I was eating. 

This was a coffee eclair...mmmmm.

Tour Eiffel:

When you think of Paris, you automatically think of the Eiffel Tower. It was so magical to see it in real life. I also love that everywhere you go in the city, you can spot the Eiffel Tower peeking over everything. Our last night in Paris, we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and watched the sunset. It was so beautiful. Just as the city began to light up, we went back down to the bottom of the tower to see the "twinkle" lights on the tower. It only happens for a couple of minutes on the hour.