The Rest of the Girls' Weekend in Paris

Sorry I haven't posted again until now, sometimes real life just gets in the way of blogging :)

On Sunday Becky and I got up bright and early and went to the Eiffel Tower. We waited in line for about 45 minutes and went to the top to check out Paris from the vantage of the Tour Eiffel!

Becky checking out Paris.

Southeast view down the Champ des Mars towards the Ecole Militaire and the Montparnesse Tower in the distance.

Northwest view towards the Palais de Chaillot and the modern business district of Paris in the distance.

After going to the top of the Eiffel Tower, we headed over to the Musée d'Orsay, home of many impressionist masterpieces.

When we first walked up to the museum, there was a 2 hour + line to get in! We didn't understand what was going on until we read that the first Sunday of the month is free admission for the museums in Paris (great for them, not so great for the uninformed tourists!) So that was a bummer... we went to a little restaurant and had a glass of wine and decided we may as well go back and wait since it was closed on Monday and we just didn't want to miss it. We came back to a much shorter line. We waited about an hour to get in, and it was totally worth it!

outside the Musée d'Orsay

Inside the Musée d'Orsay, which was a former train station, the Gare d'Orsay, built around 1900.

This was Becky's favorite museum so she had camera in hand at all times!

Amazing model of the Paris Opera House.

Following are some of my favorite paintings.

Once again, it was wonderful to be able to stroll through the museum and take in the art work without worrying about the boys running around or getting tired and whining. It was so relaxing and amazing to see all the art first hand!

The clocks from the period of the Gare d'Orsay.

After the Musée d'Orsay, we took a Sunday afternoon stroll back across the river and through the Jardin des Tuileries, the large gardens that are between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde, leading to the Arc de Triomphe at the end of the Champs-Élysées.

Becky in the Tuileries Garden - you can see the Place de la Concorde and Arc de Triomphe in the background.

Enjoying sitting by a fountain in the Garden. Who are you calling, Becky?

View across the fountain...

Happy girl ;) Beautiful girl!

One last view of the Tuileries Garden.

We headed back across the Seine to the 'Latin Quarter' where there are lots of cute Parisian shops and dining options.

This was where we ate dinner Sunday evening, a charming Parisian restaurant with typical French food and drink.

After dinner, we were feeling energetic and decided it was the night to check out the evening views of the city.

First, we went to the Arc de Triomphe.

out in the middle of the street again...

I love this picture!

Then we headed over to the Eiffel Tower.

I like this angle, looks like a cross at the top...

Just as we walked up, the tower lit up with white lights that sparkled - it was beautiful!

Great night shot!

Another picture of the tower sparkling with the white lights.

Becky and the sparkling Eiffel Tower.

So that was our weekend in Paris! On Monday we spent the day shopping and I didn't take any pictures (hard to believe, really) and I left in the evening and took a train back home.

I had such an incredibly wonderful time! Thanks, Becky, for making the trip and spending a weekend in Paris with me - great memories for a lifetime!