Two Days In Paris (Day 1)

Having already been enjoying the little country of Luxembourg, it was easy to catch a train and head to Paris for a couple of days. It was our first time and we were anxious to see what we could in the short amount of time we had. My best friend had already been researching Paris as she was heading there with her Mother this coming summer as well. She suggested we buy the Paris Pass which gets you into tons of attractions for one price. You can choose 2, 4 or 6 days and includes a Big Bus Hop On Hop Off double decker bus tour.
https://www.parispass.com/?aid=266&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5J_mBRDVARIsAGqGLZArFk96b9cYV-MB8iRQQqbCb02R10XAhlVIJUoBJuuPE-qyPV7hc4IaAr53EALw_wcB

I had always fantasized about going to the Louvre, so obviously that was our first stop. After figuring out where to go inside to see what we thought were the most important (with my bad leg I know I have limited time and energy before I poop out) items and on which floor, we headed through the beautiful rooms of hand carved sculptures. I am not ashamed to say that I had tears in my eyes, I was so moved by the beauty that surrounded us. The level of talent is beyond my comprehension.

Next we perused the halls of paintings. Equally as stunning in their beauty and history. Some very surprisingly small such as the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci which is a mere 20 x 30 inches! And some that were the entire size of a wall which must have been painted on large ladders and scaffolding. Here are some of my favorites.

It’s one thing to study art history and see these works in a glossy book but there is no comparison to seeing it up close and personal. Such beauty and color and rich history. What really kind of surprised me was how dark and moody most of it is. It makes sense, after all these artists were portraying life as they saw it. There was so much sadness, so many bloody battles, pain, anguish and loss. I often wonder if there were many happy times for them?

After the glorious trip through the most beautiful art museum in the world, we decided we still had enough energy to trek on over to the Eiffel Tower. First we strolled through the famous Tuileries Gardens of the Louvre. It was chilly but sunny with the buds bursting forth on the trees and the colorful tulips and daffodils already blooming.

As we walked along the Seine we marveled at the beautiful bridges over the water. 37 bridges span the river, most of them works of art in their own way. The oldest bridge being Pont Neuf which was built in the 1500’s.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_Neuf. There are some stunning bridges but our favorite (mine anyway) is the Pont Alexandre III with its ornate golden Pegasus sculptures, nymphs, cherubs and flowers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_Alexandre_III

Two and a half miles later we finally spy the most recognized and most visited monument in the world, the Eiffel Tower. What a sight it is too, an amazing structure which was criticized by by many who didn’t think it possible to build a freestanding structure that high (1,063 feet tall). The tower was finished in 1889 in time for the 1889 World’s Fair.

Exhausted and now not able to walk another step, we ate lunch at a cramped little cafe and hailed an Uber to take us back to our hotel which by the way was in the village of Clichy on the north side of Paris, about 4 miles from the Tower but about a 30 minute drive with crazy Paris traffic. After relaxing for a bit we headed down the road for dinner at a little Asian restaurant, came back home and passed out. Being a tourist is exhausting!