Paris- 3 Nights in the City of Lights and Love

What can we say about Paris that hasn't already been said? It’s beautiful, fun, rich with history and full of snooty Parisians. While we only stayed for two days/ three nights, we still packed a lot in: two city walking tours in one day, the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Eiffel tower,  Arc De Triumph, and 3 baguettes (also in one day)  we were pleased with our accomplishments. We did manage to soak up some of Paris street café scene, with frequent stops for espresso & croissants or beer & crepes.   

The fountain of St. Michel

Notre Dame Cathedral 

One of the Rose windows from inside Notre Dame

Sue matching some artwork near the Louvre

View from Gardens of Tuileries

Looking down the Avenue des Champs Élysée at the Arc De Triumph. The Obelisk you can see was a "gift" from Egypt to Napoleon...aka he stole it.

Les Invalides, where some France's most famous are entombed, including Napoleon Bonaparte.

Smooches at the Eiffel

Moulin Rouge. Apparently the worst seat in the house costs about €90, so no, we did not see the show. 

Crepe with two scoops of vanilla ice cream, baked pear and chocolate sauce. Then wash it down with a beer=French health food.

The "invisible" pyramids of the Louvre.

One of the sculpture gardens at the Louvre. The museum was absolutely massive.

The Mona Lisa and her many, many admirers. I did manage to get closer for a better look, but this pic set the scene. The ridiculous part is there are literally thousands of other master pieces hanging everywhere and this was the only one with this sort of crowd. Da Vinci would be proud (maybe)

Sue with a Baguette (the first of the day) from the bakery voted "best Baguette in Paris" in 2010 (2011 winner hadn't been announced yet). It was seriously good and the best one we've ever had....so far.

Baguette and Brie break on the Seine river.

The last vineyard in Paris. Apparently the wine is terrible and expensive, but they keep it around just for the nostalgic history.

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur (sacred heart)

An artist's market where dozen's of live portraits were being done.

Arc De Triumph at sun set.

And of course the tower at night

Weary from our constant walking and picture snapping we boarded a train to Nantes, a quitter town to the west, where we were able to cook some homemade meals, do laundry and finally update the blog. More to come from Bordeaux, capital of French wine country!