August 31, 2009: Paris, Day 2

hey.
this hostel definitely has the best breakfasts in the world. and it's free. we were served (literally served) chocolate croissants, baguettes, orange juice, and coffee. all for free. amazing. definitely a great way to get energized for a long day of being a tourist. we set off to the louvre. THE LOUVRE. the one that contains the mona lisa. the one mentioned in the book "the da vinci code" by dan brown. yeah, THAT louvre. i think the louvre is probably my favorite museum so far. it was just awesome. we were greeted by the statue of nike, which was just the beginning of the famous works of art we saw that we recognized from the slides we learned about in art history classes. we followed the signs (and the people) towards the mona lisa. we actually got to see it pretty quickly without any waiting in line (to my extreme pleasure). it was neat to see, but it was small and almost unimpressive compared to the huge paintings hanging near it. i'm glad i saw it, and i have to say, the mona lisa looks much happier in person then she does in the replicas. seriously. ask anyone. we made our way through some of the wings of the museum trying to see as much as we possibly could. i think my favorite paintings to see were the ones by jacques louis david. the sheer size of them was amazing as well as the fact that i was able to piece together stories about the actual paintings themselves. after exiting the louvre through the great glass pyramid, we made our way to notre dame. we of course had to stop for a lunch of crepes on the way. chorizo and cheese. perfect. notre dame. it was impressive as well. the architecture was very intricate and the whole thing was just breathtaking. i decided that i want to watch the movie hunchback of notre dame again. just out of curiousity. inside the cathedral it was nice to just to sit and take in the massive cathedral, with all of its stained glass windows and arches. the number of people walking around and exploring the cathedral was also a bit impressive. people were everywhere, but even so, notre dame had a sort of calming effect. it was nice. next we found paradise. no seriously, we found a piece of paradise, also known as the jardin du luxembourg. it made me want to move to paris immediately. no joke. i have a completely serious face as i type this. there were palm trees. and greenery. and people lounging. and green space. and actual PALM TREES. not to mention huge fountains. just like the parisians, we sat on the edge of a large fountain and dipped our toes in the water. we just sat there and people watched. and soaked up the sunshine. and watched mini motorized boats sail through the water. and watched the fish swim around our toes. paradise.
we had an early flight for rome the next morning, so we attempted to stay up most of the night. some of us succeeded, some of us did not. okay, i didn't succeed. i took a short nap. but it was worth it.
next stop, rome.

at the louvre.

the pyramids at the louvre.

mona lisa 1

mona lisa 2

mona lisa 3

mona lisa 4

mona lisa 5

nike

ying and the easter island statue. solid.

the giant pyramid at the louvre.

stained glass window at notre dame.

us at notre dame. (i know, very creative caption)

paradise. aka jardin du luxembourg.