We Toured It All...Well Almost

Eiffel Tower? Check, including climbing the 670 stairs to the 2nd level observation deck. Sure we could have taken the elevator, but the line for the elevator was ridiculously long. And it was more expensive.

Champs Elysees? Yep walked up and down that twice. It was very busy! Even though the Louis Vitton flagship store is on the Champs, the boys and I preferred touring the car dealership stores that are also on the Champs Elysees...Mercedes, Peugot, we skipped Toyota, but loved Citroen. Citroen has some really funky concept cars.

The passenger sits in a recline position facing the driver and the passenger seat is lined with red velvet.

Conciergerie? Saw that too. It is the place where Marie Antoinette spent the last months of her life before she was sent to the guillotine.

Random picture on bridge outside of the Conciergerie.

Notre Dame? That one took us two visits. One visit for touring the cathedral and then another visit to climb the tower. The line for the tower was too long the first visit, so we went back first thing Friday morning. We were in line about an hour early and still had probably close to 70 people in front of us. But the wait was worth it, and so was climbing the 700+ stairs it takes to get to the top. Katelyn, Carson and my dad made it to the very tippy top, but Dave and I got separated from them and didn't make it before they roped off the tower stairs to change a light bulb. After 20 minutes of waiting after seeing Dad and the kids go back down, Dave and I just bagged going to the top because we still had 3 more museums to try and see.

Anciet Roman (?) ruins under Notre Dame

Peek-a-boo

Hello down there. Mom, how's the book?

On the day we climbed Notre Dame, we also saw the Orsay Museum and the Rodin Museum. At the Orsay we saw the works of Van Gogh, Monet, Manat, and others. For me, the most striking painting was Golgatha. At first glance it might appear as just a landscape with a moving shadow, but upon closer inspection one sees a small corner of light at the bottom of the painting. In that light there are three shadows of three personages on a cross and it becomes apparent that the shadow growing across the landscape is the darkness that enveloped the world after Jesus was crucified. It was heartwrenching.

At the Rodin museum we saw The Thinker and other works by Rodin.

OK this post is becoming too long so tomorrow will be about our visits to the Louvre and Versaille. And then the documentation of the European Vacation will be complete.