Two and a half days in Paris

Our second stop on the way to kayaking this summer was Paris.  I will admit that two and a half days does not really give enough time to really see Paris, but we jumped right in with our Rick Steves guide book and hit the tourist trail.  We arrived mid morning, found our hotel and then took a river tour of the Seine. I still feel like the river is flowing the wrong direction, but it was a lovely first look at Paris. 

This is the famous footbridge that used to be covered with padlocks.  The temporary siding really isn't as pretty as a bridge full of padlocks.

After the cruise we took our tour of the Eiffel Tower. We had planned to stay touring the tower until the lights came on, but jet lag caught up with us and we had to go to bed.

This was the final day of the French Open and you could see hundreds of people watching it on a giant screen in the park below.

The view from the top

And a selfie that could be anyplace, but was on the top of the Eiffel Tower.

The next morning we got up and had a breakfast of crepes and hot chocolate at a local cafe then made our way to the Louvre.

We each had downloaded a Louvre tour to our phones and then wandered off in our own directions.  These are my highlights, I'm not sure what Calvin saw. I did see the Mona Lisa, but from behind a huge selfie snapping crowd. I liked this Winged Victory mostly because I caught it in a moment between tour groups.

The view from under the glass pyramid.

My favorite picture is the Two Tax Collectors by Marinus van Reymerswaele circa 1540.

And something I would have walked by without a second glance, but took a picture of because it was "important."

The Seated Scribe, and ancient Egyptian antiquity.

We gave up on the Louvre in the late afternoon, and it is possible we missed one our two things there.  We followed it up with a Rick Steves guided walk along the Left Bank.  Still feeling a little jet lagged we called it a night.

The next morning we started our day with a tour of Notre Dame.  After seeing all the guilded cathedrals in Germany and Austria, this one looked a little plain, but still an impressive achievement in its day.

Joan of Arc

An original rosette window

We followed Notre Dame with a visit to St. Chapelle with its amazing stained glass windows.

And the Hall of Justice just next door with its famous Liberty, Equality, Fraternity over the entrance.

Our final stop was to the d'Orsay Museum.  Calvin and I didn't even attempt to stay together on this tour.  We stayed until closing, but I was a little museum weary by the end of the day. 

 I loved this clock, but it appeared impossible to take a picture without a gaggle of tourists in the way.

I enjoyed most the Impressionist collection.

Calvin spent his time admiring the wood furniture and I think it is possible we missed a thing or two in the d'Orsay as well. In fact we might have missed a few things in Paris all together.