View from my hotel window the first night! Sacre Coeur in the distance!
I'M IN PARIS!
veiw as we climbed montmartre to get to the sacre coeur!
Sacre Coeur! right before i tripped and fell up those stairs...... tres embarassing... But we weren't allowed camera's inside :( but it's AMAZING!
View of Paris from Sacre Coeur which is the highest point in the city! Centre Pompidou is that funny looking blue and red building in the middle.
I had to take a picture of all the OWLS in the shop's window! there were probably a hundred!
Moulin Rouge! we walked all the way through the very creepy part of paris just to take a picture!
the cool metro signs! and d-port!!!!
My first view of l'arc de triomphe!!!! and the eiffle tower too really.
THE TRAFFIC IS INSANE!!!!!
OK. I never fully appreciated how HUGE this is! and the pictures don't do it justice. but it's literally massive!
standing below the arch! I looked all along the sides for a LaCourse with no luck. :(
Tomb of the unknown soldier.... french style!
one side's detail. I'm so frustrated that the pics don't show how HUGE this thing is!
WAY WAY in the distance is La Defense. it looks like a see-through square. and it was built to be directly in line with l'arc de triomphe and an obelisk in the other dirction.
Inside l'arc de triomphe! i bet you didn't even know there was an inside! ok well maybe you did... but i didn't!
Sacre Coeur from atop l'arc de triomphe!!! SUCH A COOL VIEW OF THE CITY!
The Louvre!!! (at the end) and Champs-Elysees takes you there, if my memory is correct right now... the arc has about 10 different roads around it!
EIFFLE TOWER! haha get used to it cause i'm probably going to take about 50 more! haha
You can see the really pretty gold dome in this one. but i can't figure out what it is!
There's La Defense!! it's such a cool building!
it was windy! and we had just climbed l'arc! but LOOK! CHI-O's in PARIS! like d-port's hat?
Ok. this is the best way i could edit this so you can kinda see how many stairs we actually climbed! 284!!!! My legs are going to KILL tomorrow! we climbed to the top of the city at sacre coeur, and then all these stairs all in the same day! ouch!
oh Champs-Elysees!
ok this was an oops! but it's a pretty cool oops!
Trying to get a decent picture out my window at night... but the exposure time was so long i kept messing it up. here's the best one. haha
Outside Sacre Coeur. No pics allowed inside :(
CRAZY PARISIAN DRIVERS! i saw another accident today but decided not to be the tourist freak who took pictures!
VERY WINDED on the inside of l'arc de triomphe
ok.. this one just awkwardly cuts out... but that's kinda my style haha.
The start of our day at Versailles!!!
they're doing renovation on the Opera House. :( but it's still stunningly HUGE!
i'm so awkward! haha but hey you need a pic at Versailles!
A Toute les Gloires de la France!!!
The giant organ and extravagence of the Chapel at Versailles.
The ceiling in the Chapel
Trying to show the detail that covers every square inch of Versailles.
I later found out it was called the Hercules Room.
Hercules Room Ceiling
The fabric on the WALLS! it's one of the prettiest parts of Versailles and a different kind in each room!
I think this is the guest bedroom.... I'm going to start expecting feathers on top of my bed when i visit people.
Apollo Salon/ Throne room that was once the King's Bedroom.
FAMOUS PICTURES AHOY!
Galerie des Glaces!! (aka Hall of Mirrors) we came only like a week after they finished restorations! talk about good timing!?
I insisted on taking pictures of us in the mirrors!
View from the Hall of Mirrors
one of literally like 50 chandeliers in the Galerie des Glaces
Mirrors Side
Windows Side
King's Bedroom!
View out the window of the King's bedroom.
Trying to get a view of where the king actually slept!
Hall of Mirrors again.
Just one of the paintings on the ceiling of Galerie des Glaces
Sucky Job if you ask me.
VERSAILLES!!!!
The Queen's bedroom!! Don't ask me why it's seperate from the king!?! And it's blurry because i couldn't use my flash :( boo
The door that Marie Antoinette and her children escaped Versailles through when the Revolution started! Pretty cool!
Another famous picture! Marie Antoinette.
And another! This one originally had 4 children in it with Marie Antoinette, but when the 4th died, they painted over it with that black cloth.
Cool ceiling!
Court yard at Versailles.
even the exterior was decorated from top to bottom.
The Dauphin's (prince's) bedroom!
The COOLEST globe i've ever seen!
The Dauphine's (princess') bedroom! and my favorite bed at Versailles!
A really pretty armoir.
Chi-O's at Versailles!
View from the back/garden side.
looking out over the gardens. the tracter kind of ruins the effect... but i honestly didn't notice it until i was looking back over my pictures! haha
I love these girls!
Jenny and Lindsay infront of the gardens.
The king's garden.
I'm mad at myself for forgetting the actual name of this place! but it's some sort of greek styled outdoor theater.
Hanging out like the greek goddesses we are.
The colonade. Check out the marble!
One of the coolest fountains i think i've ever seen! sadly... they aren't turned on except 2ce a day because they're so expensive to run.
Not the kind of place dad wants to tomber les pelouses! (aka mow the lawn)
C'est magnafique! non?
ok. i had to take a picture of this. this is one of the funniest statues i've ever seen! and it's at Versailles of all places!
LONGEST WALK EVER! to get to the grand trinion.
Grand Trinion! When i think castle: i think marble and checkerboard floors! this place was really cool!
View of the Grand Trinion and it's gardens. i think this was used as a guest house for important visitors.
Bedroom at the Grand Trinion.
Our Crocs take on Versailles in comfort!
This is what Versailles would have looked like if the Brady Bunch had lived there.
Grand Trinion.
Petite Trinion. (AKA Marie Antoinette's vacation home)
I'm not kidding! Really famous paintings are everywhere at Versailles!
China at the Petite Trinion.
Salon. We're putting bets that Marie Antoinette didn't know how to play that Harp.
Marie Antoinette's bed at the Petite Trinion.
enjoying the gardens at the Petite Trinion where Marie Antoinette hosted her parties. the band went in that building and the guests got to hang out in the garden.
I LOVE these flowers!
The theater/opera house at the Petite trinion.
Another venue Marie Antoinette used to host her parties!
lindsay is perfect size for the sphynx statue.
looking back at the petite trinion
Hanging out like french royalty with abbie and jenny.
The spain girls!!!
The pics i've been waiting for!!!!
there are a lot. brace yourself! haha
standing below
Gustave Eiffel et moi could have been buddies.
the skinny side
Lindsay and i now start taking turns, taking pictures of eachother infront of the eiffle tower.
we get someone to take a picture of nous deux.
it's really difficult to get the whole thing in the picture and still see the person.
We tried it in Sepia.
and then decided to treat ourselves to a good dinner after tackeling Versailles and Eiffle tower in one day!
but after dinner!!!! WE CAME BACK! and it was all lit up!
like 5 seconds before this picture, it started to sparkle! it was probably the coolest moment in france so far!
lindsay is so pretty!!!!
it just awkwardly cuts out... but it's soo cool!
IT SPARKLES!
i'm proud of my photography skills! haha
The light from the Eiffle Tower over paris! the last night in the First Hotel!
Inverse Pyramid at the Louvre
Inside the big Pyramid at the Louvre.
I WENT TO THE LOUVRE!
unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) it was really awful weather.
Louis XIV statue outside the Louvre... being in Paris a few days you kinda get the hint they REALLY liked their Sun King
Ok i tried to line this one up best i could. From the Louvre, there's the little arch for Napolean, the Obelisque, and then even further L'arc de Triomph and behind that which you cant see is the Arc of La Defense! And this is the view directly down Champs Elysees. I'm convinced it's the most beautiful street in the world!
Jenny in this one CRACKS me up everytime!
lalalalalouvre
the fountains.
French Army people! i would join just to get to wear a beret!
HAHA ok When i though i saw the funniest statue at Versaille; i clearly hadn't seen this one! It's Venus and her son Cupid. but Venus looks like she's hitch hiking and i guess cupid is hungry?
coming up the stairs to the Winged Victory!
it's much more impressive than my pictures can show!
WE FOUND DEMETER!!!!! Chi-O party in the Louvre! apparently the dress code was pink!
I really like this sculpture! Rougly translated: it's called Psyche broght back to life by the kiss of Love.
Part of the Parthenon. And as close to Greece as i'm getting this summer! haha
Venus de Milo... Sadly not as impressive as i was expecting... i felt a little let down.
We found a Pomegranite! France may be covered with Fleur de Lys; but the Louvre (aka a collection of the world's greatest works of art) LOVES Chi Omegas!!!
not kidding, this is titled Jeanne d'arc listening to her voices! i think sculptists have a good sense of humor.
This mirror made me literally dizzy to look at. i felt just as upside down as we look!
The Code of Hammurabi
Detail of the Code of Hammurabi.
One of my favorite pictures of the day!!! haha
Didn't i see this exact same bust at Versailles?!?!
King's Appartments in the Louvre (lest we forget that the king lived at the Louvre long before Versailles)
The appartments were just as extravagant as Versailles.
My favorite kind of chair; the kind you can't talk to anyone in.
I'd hate to be cooking for this table! We decided house corps should buy these tables from the Louvre so we can all be on the meal plan!
Just incase he ever forget his name, Napolean put his initials on his throne.
Took this one for my dad because it's the prettiest chess board i've ever seen.... sorry i wont be bringing it home as a gift.
SEE even HOOTIE is at the Louvre!
TOUR DE FRANCE! how cool is it that i got to be in Paris to see the end of it?!
Coming back the other way on Champs-Elysee.
i think that's the guy who won.
Sacre Coeur again. Amelie style.
Emile Zola's Grave. (even though they moved the actual remains to the Pantheon.)
Montmartre Cemetary.
I want to be buried in a tomb!!!
Degas' grave! (ok and the rest of his family...)
This is basically as close as you can get to actually meeting him. haha
Alexandre Dumas.
creepy feet huh? i would want to be wearing shoes... just incase anyone sculpts a me on my grave.
I just thought this one was especially pretty cause it was blue.. BUT! it's got owls on the corners! how cool!
i had to take a picture of this couple's names. how can you NOT laugh at that?!
Van Gogh used to live on the 3rd floor here with his brother.
see!
Le Lapin Agille!
The tiny vinyard in the middle of montmartre.
french grapes :)
From atop Montmartre again! :) its a really nice view of the city if you don't die climbing it.
Water tower... but a cool one. it puts the one outside the detroit zoo to shame.
The Original Bateau Lavoir, where Picasso lived and painted desmoiselles d'avignon
The Bateau Lavoir they rebuilt right next door.
I love paris metro entrences! :)
i ought to look up what this is... but i found it while walking one day, and thought it was so cute that it had heart shaped windows!
Centre Pompidou!
and looking the other way.
St. Sulpice.
The side not under restoration.
So after visiting, i can't tell why Dan Brown used St. Sulpice for DaVinci code, but left out how cool the 3 Delacroix paintings are! (at least i don't remember them being talked about.. but i think i need to re-read it after this trip.)
More Delacroix. decidedly my second favorite artist to Degas.
St. Sulpice... all and all... not all that impressive except the Delecroix paintings.
don't kid yourself, I WENT BACK!
I LOVE MUSEE D'ORSAY!
looking through the clock over Paris twards Montmartre/Sacre Coeur.
Whistler's momma.
My favorite painting i saw here that i'd never seen before! i'm sure it's famous and i've just never seen it... but i was really impressed by it, it looks very life-like. By Caillebotte
it's a WHOLE ROOM of DEGAS!
I HATE PICTURES WITHOUT FLASH!
I'm not kidding, this is my favorite picture of ALL TIME and i was literally BEAMING when i got to actually see it!
it's really just my favorite ever.
and she was there too! it was like every Degas dream i've had come true!
She's much bigger than i expected and not so toad-like like they say.
i really love this painting too.
This would be what i was expecting for Bastille day in France..... monet = let down
more Monet
up close on a Van Gogh because a straight on pic doesn't do it justice.
so you can see literally how thickly he put the paint on.
self portrait. the funny thing about this room is that the paintings show a progression from sane van gogh to crazy as you walk around the room.
up close on a Tolouse Latrec painting. it looked suprisingly unfinished and slapped together...
literally.... different sections of canvas are very poorly stitched together, and a lot of it is left with little to no paint on it.
Pastel Room. nothing turned out very well. but they're STUNNING up close.
THE TUB! i think actually in my list of top 5 favorite pieces of art.
up close. i love how he kind of scribbles with the pastels and it still looks life-like.
the big clock
Rodin's Doors to Hell sculpture. with a mini thinker sitting on top of it all.
Guimard's Metro Signs. it was in the Art Nouveau section.
A smoking couch also designed by Guimard and bearing a striking resemblence to the metro signs.
little girl crying. it was such a sad sculpture. but i really liked it.
