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After a few starts and stops this morning (ie not being able to figure out where we were and where we needed to go), we finally found the tourist office to meet our guide for the Louvre. (What really stinks is that we were right next to their office and walked about two miles out of our way since we didn't see it!!) The tour guide, Anne,was very informative and had a lot of fun
things to tell us about the history of the building that the Louvre is housed in.
She led us underground to begin our tour and showed us the remains of what used to be an enormous fortress that had been torn down. When the pyramid part of the Louvre was being constructed, the workers found the stones and what used to be a moat. This was probably my favorite part of the tour since I've been to the Louvre several times before but never knew about the whole underground exhibit.
We got to view the major collections, all of which were amazing as always. We enjoyed a quick lunch in the museum café to try to recharge our batteries. After spending a few more hours there after lunch, we headed to see the Arc de Triomphe.
By the time we got there, it was very cold and windy even though the sun was shining. The top of the Arc was closed, so we looked around the base until I couldn't stand the wind any longer.
We left there and started walking down Champs Élysées which is very decorated with Christmas lights. We stopped at Laduree for macaroons and hot chocolate and scored a seat by the window, which enabled us to watch the lights come alive as it started getting dark. The neat thing about the French is once you've got a seat, it's yours until you are ready to move on--they don't pressure you to buy anything else, don't bug you at all. So we really enjoyed ourselves people watching and the ambiance of the place.
My arthritis has kicked in on my left knee, which has progressively gotten worse...we stopped at a pharmacy and bought an Ace bandage, which I'm hoping will enable me to walk pain free tomorrow.
We wanted to stop off for a pizza at a neighborhood place but they weren't open. We can't read French menus and didn't feel adventurous so we ended up having another dinner of cheese, baguettes, and wine. And Jeanne's dessert of the day, which was FABULOUS! All in all a great day!
things to tell us about the history of the building that the Louvre is housed in.
She led us underground to begin our tour and showed us the remains of what used to be an enormous fortress that had been torn down. When the pyramid part of the Louvre was being constructed, the workers found the stones and what used to be a moat. This was probably my favorite part of the tour since I've been to the Louvre several times before but never knew about the whole underground exhibit.
We got to view the major collections, all of which were amazing as always. We enjoyed a quick lunch in the museum café to try to recharge our batteries. After spending a few more hours there after lunch, we headed to see the Arc de Triomphe.
By the time we got there, it was very cold and windy even though the sun was shining. The top of the Arc was closed, so we looked around the base until I couldn't stand the wind any longer.
We left there and started walking down Champs Élysées which is very decorated with Christmas lights. We stopped at Laduree for macaroons and hot chocolate and scored a seat by the window, which enabled us to watch the lights come alive as it started getting dark. The neat thing about the French is once you've got a seat, it's yours until you are ready to move on--they don't pressure you to buy anything else, don't bug you at all. So we really enjoyed ourselves people watching and the ambiance of the place.
My arthritis has kicked in on my left knee, which has progressively gotten worse...we stopped at a pharmacy and bought an Ace bandage, which I'm hoping will enable me to walk pain free tomorrow.
We wanted to stop off for a pizza at a neighborhood place but they weren't open. We can't read French menus and didn't feel adventurous so we ended up having another dinner of cheese, baguettes, and wine. And Jeanne's dessert of the day, which was FABULOUS! All in all a great day!
- comments
Traci Glad yall are having fun-- so jealous you got to see the Champs Elysees lit up with Christmas lights!! You are making me crave brie and baguette too haha. XOXO Traci
Kit I loved the Louvre the one time I have been there and have to go back. There is so much to see it can't be done in a single day. Looks like you are having a fabulous time. Hope your knee holds up. The cold can't be helping.