If Rome is From Mars, Paris is From Venus

Paris. A place I have wanted to go to for as long as I can remember. The city of Lights. But that doesn’t begin to do it justice. Paris is more like a lady: feminine, grand, charming, elegant, artistic. From her decadent outskirts, Versailles. To her heart, the masterpiece that is the Eiffel tower. This is why people come here. Don’t believe the anti-hype for a second. Paris will exceed your expectations at every turn.
My first view of the Eiffel tower was as were walking to the train for Versailles. I was crossing the Seine and then…..Whoa. There it was. Breathtaking. It was early in the morning on a Saturday and we had the view to ourselves. It is a moment I will never forget. But let’s get back to Versailles, shall we? We arrived early and managed to miss the queues. To say they lived extravagantly here is an understatement. You have never seen such grandeur. It makes the Hermitage in Russia look like a cozy little apartment. But the palace is just the beginning because once you see the gardens any expectation you did have is pretty much blown out of the water. Fountains, gardens, flowers, castles, fountains, statues, flowers, gardens, mazes, fountains….There is a lot to see here. Our sore feet were proof.
Unfortunately they didn’t get much of a break the following day as we hit up the only free day of the month at the Louvre. Surprisingly, not very busy. There was of course the crowd to see Ms. Lisa. Which was the only thing I felt was slightly overrated in the city of Paris. We split up a day later to see other museums as well. I went to the Musee D’Orsay (art) and Jeff to the Hotel Invalides (military). So we both came home happy that day. Together we went to the Rodin (sculpture) and L’Orangerie (art-really big Monets). Both were fantastic and even though much of our time here was fuelled by running around like mad trying to see so much it was amazing and all ready look forward to coming back.
Our gracious and incredible local host, Bruno, probably all ready has the plans to Normandy worked out. We were so lucky to stay with such a wonderful and knowledgeable person. While our days were filled with rushing about our evenings were spent on our new friend’s patio drinking wine and eating long dinners we took turns preparing. Bruno also gave us a special trip to the center of Paris at night, out to VanGogh’s home town (and grave) and an evening sojourn to Montmarte. I’m still not sure which I like best. But with any luck we will back to see Bruno again.