PARIS!

For all of our devoted fans, so sorry for the long absence! Jodi and Math now have internet, so there will now be posts galore! And without further ado, here is our condensed (and extremely touristy!) Paris photo collection:

DAY ONE:

First order of business was the Degas exhibit at the Musee d'Orsay. It was the last day of the exhibit, so it was PACKED, but I still loved it - it was an enormous retrospective of Degas' nudes, as well as nudes by artists who either influenced or were influenced by Degas.

What's a blog without at least one photo of food?! Our first meal in Paris - it turns out that traditional French cuisine is ot exactly veggie-friendly, but we still managed to find a delicious grilled aubergine 'burger' with chevre, paired with some delicious white wine :)

The sky was amazing that evening - this is a view from the Louvre courtyard, overlooking the Pyramid.

DAY TWO:

 L'Arc de Triomphe! We went up to the top, and there is no elevator, just a very long, winding staircase! The view was worth it, though!

The view from the top of L'Arc! It was a neat perspective of the city, and a fabulous view of the Eiffel Tower (see below)

We ended up not going up the Eiffel Tower, as the view from the L'Arc de Triomphe was perfect. 

One of the many beautiful bridges over the Seine. 

After a very long day of walking to all the cliche tourist attractions, we deserved a lunch break: falafels from Chez Hana's: billed as the most delicious falafel in the world, they aren't lying! Seriously. They are PACKED, and have deep fried eggplant on top :)

Red Hot Chili Peppers!!! It was at the Stade de France, which is the biggest stadium I've ever been in - it seats 80 000 people! It's also an open air stadium, so it was lovely having the sun set while listening to an amazing concert. Happy early birthday Tom! 

DAY THREE: 

 We made the decision to get up early Sunday morning and beat the crowds at the Louvre, an idea that hundreds of other eager tourists shared! We realized after we got in that it's because entrance was free - the first Sunday of every month is free admission! Yes, we saw the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, the Venus de Milo (Mum, this photo is for you!), battling the Asian tourists for the perfect photo! But once we stepped away from those hotspots, it was like we had the museum to ourselves - we ended up wandering through wings dedicated to Etruscan pottery, Renaissance paintings and tapestries, egyptian sphinxes...it just went on and on! It is a truly incredible building; you could spend days in there and still not see anything!

 After the Notre Dame basilica (a photo of which I forgot to add in!), we found Shakespeare and Co!!!!! An oasis of English language books in Paris, it is a darling little bookstore, with both new and used books. Tom was a sport, and I browsed to my hearts content (and bought a book!)

Enjoying an enormous Hoegaarden on a patio (I needed two hands! - chairs always seem to face outwards, to maximize the people watching opportunities!

Tom finished the first Hunger Games book at my Aunt's house, so caught the last English showing in the Quarter Latin, after eating yet another falafel! It was an adorable, old-time theater. 

A view of the Seine, with Notre Dame in the background.

And then we were off to Lyon....