Paris: Day 2

The sun might not have been shining, but that didn't mean today was a bust. Hardly.

Insert quick flashback to Saturday night...

Me: "Mom, shouldn't you set an alarm?"
Mom a.k.a. the woman who has never slept past 7:00 a.m. in her life: "Haha!"
Me: "You sure? You're going to be jet lagged and might oversleep."
Mom: "Haha... I'll wake up."

So, naturally, we woke up late.

Me this morning as we were frantically running around the room trying to get ready for our 9:45 pick up: "Haha!"

We made it with just 1 minute to spare. Lido (strange name, I know) picked us up for our city tour, and we were off in his van to see ALL the city sites. Literally, ALL of them. We were in his van for three hours (with stops to get out and take pictures/walk around), but we saw the Petit Palais, Grand Palais, the obelisk in Concord Square, Invalides military hospital, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Ecole Militarie, Parliament, Louvre, Tuileries, Place Vendome, and more things I have surely forgotten. Lido was an excellent guide, delivering all the historical information (soon to come-- well what I can remember-- with the photos) while answering our questions.

After the tour, he dropped us off at Musee D'Orsay as per our request, as today was offically Museum Day as ordained by the fact that all the museums in Paris are free, yes free, the first Sunday of every month. This may mean they are more crowded, but as none of us are art experts, we figured "Why not?" (the gray sky which periodically spat droplets our way also helped seal the deal).

Musee D'Orsay is famous for its Pre-Impressionist/Impressionist/Post-Impressionist collection. Painters the likes of Monet, Sisley, Van Gogh, and Cezanne all have many, many works here. The museum is a restored train station, and the open-air feeling this gives is something I appreciated throughout my browsing. As I often find with museums, I tire out and the paintings begin to blur together before I am ready to stop exploring. After checking out the big Van Gogh room as a final hooray, Lindell, my mom and I left for a quick lunch, then our next feat.

The Louvre in one word: overwhelming.

So, so much to see, but with 17 kilometers of galaries-- it literally is not possible, especially in an afternoon. We decided to hit the big ones: Winged Victory, Mona Lisa, and Venus de Milo and catch interesting extras along the way. Of the Louvre's big three, I have to say the Winged Victory is by far the most impressive. She stands so strong and proud upon the rock, and the stone is carved with a supple touch that truly makes the statue luminous. The fact that her head is missing is almost better, as it allows you to imagine what could have been there.

Another highlight was Napoleon's III chambers. Incredibly opulent. Throughout the Louvre, you can't imagine anyone actually living there (as it was originally a palace) and walking down the marble halls as they are so, so, so big. But Napleon's III chambers-- wow. Lush carpeting and enormous chandeliers. I could definitely live there, no problem.

Now, we are back at the hotel, preparing for an evening cruise of the Seine and nighttime views of the Eiffel tower and the sparkling city at night. What a day, and its hardly finished.