Paris- Day 3

Have I mentioned that I love Paris? (Probably a few times!) This city is so wonderful! Today we went to the Orsay Museum, the Louvre Museum, climbed the Arc de Triomphe, and had a wonderful French dinner at Le P'tit Troquet. There is still more we wish we had time to do, so I guess we'll just have to come back again sometime!

The Orsay Museum has art from the 19th century. Lots of Realism, Impressionism, and other types of styles. The Orsay used to be an old train station. I loved this museum. Out of all the art museums we have been to, this one was my favorite. It's intimate and not very crowded. Plus, I enjoy art from this time period.

The museum...

Here are a few pieces we saw...

Work by Millet...

Monet...

Degas...

Van Gough...

Renoir...

I took SO many pictures! There were so many wonderful paintings in this museum! I also came across this picture (see below)... I had no idea it was in the Orsay! It depicts the apostles Peter and John after they have seen the resurrected Christ. It's by Eugene Bernand. I saw this painting years ago and loved it so it was a fun surprise to see it today!

After the Orsay, we are a quick lunch and then headed for the Louvre. The Louvre is gigantic! (And crowded!) There is so much to see in this museum (more than you could see in one visit). We listened to Rick Steves audio tour so we could see the "biggies." This museum holds art from ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyption times up until the 19th century (where the Orsay Museum takes over). I'm glad we followed Rick Steves guide, otherwise this museum would have been overwhelming!

The museum...

I really enjoyed both museums, even though the Orsay was my favorite. Jaren enjoyed both museums as well. Preparing for this trip and our experiences here in Europe have increased my understanding and appreciation for art and history.

After touring the Louvre, we walked to the Arc de Triomphe (a huge arch that honors those who fought and died during the French Revolution and the Napoleon Wars). There is a road directly from the Louvre to the Arc called the Champs Élysées. This road has a bunch of fun stores so we did some shopping!

Arc de Triomphe...

When we arrived at the Arc we climbed to the top! At the top is a windy, beautiful view of Paris! I loved looking out at the city with Jaren.

We loved this view of the Eiffel Tower!

Champs Élysées road...

For dinner we ate a delicious French 3-course meal. It was truly scrumptious! Everything tasted fresh and my favorite part was, of course, the dessert... Creme Brûlée!

Tonight the Eiffel Tower was silver!

Tomorrow we head back to Germany for one last stop to Rothenburg before we head home. We loved Paris! 

Paris!

*For some reason this didn't post a couple of nights ago. This was our first day in Paris! Our second day is described in the post just after this one!*

We rode the train from Frankfurt to Paris this morning. It was nice to just sit back, relax, and let the train take us where we need to go. The train went around 200 miles per hour, and we arrived in Paris in just under 4 hours.

Paris is lovely! The city is very clean and our apartment (through Air B&B) is right by the Eiffel Tower. We love Paris!

Today we saw St. Chappelle and Notre Dame. I love the "gothic" and "neo-gothic" styles of these churches! St Chappelle was built in the 12th century and Notre Dame was completed in the 14th century- these churches are archaic!  The stained glass in St Chapelle was amazing, and I LOVE the exterior of Notre Dame!

St. Chappelle...

Notre Dame...

Afterward, we took a tour of the Eiffel Tower. It was interesting and we both really enjoyed it! We went all the way to the top level (3rd floor)! The tower glowed pink for breast cancer awareness.

View from top level of the tower...

View from our apartment window (the tower always sparkles for 5 minutes at the top of every hour)...

Versailles

Every place Jaren and I have visited in Europe we have loved, and as we leave we always wish we could spend more time there! Well, in Paris... I REALLY wish we had more time! I. Love. Paris!!!!! 3 days here just isn't enough. I've decided Jaren and I will be back in Paris at some point!

Today we went to Versailles. Versailles is enormously gigantic! I did not realize how big it was until today... The gardens go on and on and on! People who have been to Paris before told us to spend a full day here, and I'm so glad we did! 

The chateau (palace) was built by Louis XIV who considered himself the "Sun King." He felt that because of his power and kingship, he was like the sun and therefore warmed his subjects. He made Versailles his residence instead of the Louvre, and Versailles became the place of his government. Afterward, Versailles was the cultural center of Europe and set all the trends! All the kings in Europe wanted to reign with complete power like Louis XIV and live in a magnificent palace like him! Everything was decorated in the elaborate, over-the-top baroque and rococo styles, along with some of the neo-classical style.

The chateau's exterior (so big I couldn't fit it in one picture, so this is just a part of it)...

The interior...

The chapel...

The chapel ceiling...

Various rooms...

The famous "Hall of Mirrors" (crowded!)...

The gardens go on and on and on! Seriously, the gardens were like a city of their own, they go on for miles! They are beautiful!

It's like a huge maze!...

The orangerie... Louis XIV impressed everyone by growing oranges in Versailles.

Louis XIV had several man-made lakes and ponds! One of the lakes, the "grand-canal" is a mile long and people can take canoes out.

We loved the musical fountains, they were impressive!...

We ate lunch in a cafe located inside the gardens (there are several restaurants). It was delicious, and so fun because the restaurants are tucked away in the walls of the gardens. Also, French food is the absolute winner in my book! Everything is so good!

My crepe...

Jaren's upside-down caramelized apple pie...

After lunch we visited the Grand Trianon. Louis XIV built a "mini-Versailles" and would stay there a few nights a week. It was a place of escape, where he could get away from the pressures of palace life. I loved the Grand Trianon! I liked it better than the main chateau. It's also huge, but small compared to the other palace.

It's pink! (It is also a huge building and this is just a small part of it...)

I loved how the Grand Trianon was decorated on the inside (softer colors than the main chateau)...

The mini "Hall of Mirrors"...

Even further into the gardens is the Petit-Trianon. Louis XV (1715-1774) built this for his mistress. It was an escape from his escape. When Louis XVI became king (1774-1792), he gave it to his new bride, Marie Antoinette. It's an even smaller, tinier version of the chateau (but still big compared to everyday homes).

Inside...

Even further into the gardens is Marie Antoinette's Hamlet. This was my favorite place of Versailles. This is a fairytale world where Marie Antoinette would escape palace life and pretend live the life of a peasant. Not like the hard-working, hungry peasants that were everywhere in France but a simple fairytale country peasant. Her Hamlet was an actual working farm back then, and still has vegetables growing and animals today!

There are lots of animals there! We saw pigs, bunnies, goats, hens, roosters, and a dog!

We saw other places in the gardens too! Including Marie-Antoinette's Theater, the French Pavillion, and the Temple of Love.

As you can tell, the royalty withdrew further and further into their own, happy fantasy worlds of luxury while their subjects starved. The French subjects didn't like that very much. The revolution happened. Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were overthrown. And... now we get to see these palaces!

Jaren and I had a great time wandering around and exploring the gardens today. The weather was sunny, and everything was just beautiful! Versailles is one of my favorite places we have toured.

Before we left Versailles, we ate an Angelina macaroon!

Coming home tonight we saw the Eiffel Tower sparkle. I just love it! Paris is such a fun city!