Off to Paris for the Weekend!

Hi family and friends,

Haven't posted much what with the hectic holiday season and all, but now I'm back in full swing in La France.  I have settled into my new classes at school and otherwise have been relaxing while enjoying being back in Strasbourg with my friends here.  That is, until this past weekend when I went to Paris for a few days to meet up with my aunt Nikki.  We spent most of our time parading around to see as many tourist destinations and to eat at as many French cafés as possible within the weekend.  Below are some pics of the highlights. 

Here's me in front of the Musée d'Orsay,  the prime time modern art hot spot of Paris.  As you can see, I am standing in front of the large replica of Vincent Van Gogh's self-portrait (in fact, one of my favorites).  I saw many original paintings by Van Gogh and other important artists from the turn of the 20th century--->the time period from which modern art was born. 

Here was a delicious, but hard to cut, traditional French dessert we split called a "Mille Feuille."   Miam! as the French like to say.

Here is the large, impressive fountain at Place St. Michel.

Right nearby sits the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral, which means "our lady" in French.  It is the title given by the French Catholic to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Construction first began in 1163, yet the cathedral was completed in 1345.  Actually, many churches have the name Notre Dame throughout France, but this is obviously the most famous one known around the world.

Voilà the Arc de Triomphe (Triumphal Arch), which stands at the western end of Champs-Élysée Avenue in the middle of Place Charles de Gaulle.  This monument honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.

And here is the iconic, glass pyramid, which serves as the entrance to the Louvre art museum.  You enter the pyramid and go beneath ground to buy tickets or see the shops below.  This is the most visited art museum in the world and averages around 15,000 visitors a day.  Over 35,000 works of art are present here, including the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci. 

Oh yeah, and the Eiffel Tower.  Built by Gustave Eiffel in 1889, it is the highest building in Paris (2nd tallest in France) at 1,063 ft tall (or about an 81 story building).  This is the most visited paid monument in the world, as it cost about 8 euros to take an elevator to the top.   It is also nicknamed "la dame de fer" or the "iron lady."

Here is the Moulin Rouge where the can-can dance was first born.  This is an entertainment venue that dates back to 1889 and still provide nightly musical dance shows.

Eiffel Tower at night.  Enough said.

And last, but not least, the Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart) Basilica which sits upon the hill in the Montmartre region of Paris as the highest point in the city.  Just in front of the church there is an amazing view of Paris and its surrounding areas. 

Hope you all have enjoyed this small visual rending of Paris!  Talk soon!