París

Hello!

So it has been a while since I have had time to update my blog as you may have noticed, but I have been trying to take advantage of the little time that remains here.  I picked today to at least update things a little bit because I am exhausted!  Yesterday I went on and 8hr hike in the Sierra Nevada National Park then got home and went out dancing for my friend Celina's birthday.  I did not come home until 6:30am...typical Spanish night I suppose.  But anyway, point being I was up for about 24hrs straight and now need some time to relax before I have to study for exams this week.

So...we will begin with Paris and perhaps in the next few days return to my trip to Barca.  The trip to Paris was actually a very last minute decision.  We booked it and just went to Paris for the weekend!  I don't know any other time in my life that I will ever have an opportunity like that.  In total, we were in Paris for 41hrs (not including travel time), but we did everything we possibly could.  I guess you could say that we got an overview of Paris so that hopefully one day we can return and spend a bit more time on some of the things we had to do so quickly.

Here is a brief photo summary of everything that we got to see:

First we went to see the Eiffel Tower at night :)  It was supposed to be a temporary structure for the World Fair, but somehow it became a permanent monument in Paris.  At first the French hated it because they though that it looked completely unfinished, but I guess they have gotten over it!

Then we climbed up the Eiffel Tower! It was a great view of the city at night and there were very few tourists which was perfect for not having to rush.

Here is Allie, Victoria, and I on the second platform!  Danny...thanks for taking all of the photos!

Allie, Victoria, and Danny in front of Notre Dame!  It was very rainy in Paris the weekend that we went, but that didn't make anything less exciting or interesting.

Inside Notre Dame.  It is actually very lucky that this cathedral is still standing.  At one point all of Paris was reconstructed to make the streets more open and the buildings all the same height.  The architect in charge didn't like the way that the cathedral looked and was planning to tear it down, but thanks the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame the cathedral became famous and no one supported the destruction of it.  This was Victor Hugo's plan when writing the book.  The main character was actually Notre Dame and not the Hunchback!

The Louvre!  The Pyramids were the last construction added to the museum and the French really hate them.  They think they are ugly and pointless...perhaps because they were designed by an American? Ahh well anyway, it was supposed to be an "invisible" structure (made entirely of glass) but the glass could not support itself and therefore metal also had to be used.

Inside the Louvre...this one is for you Mom.  I know how much you love Dan Brown novels so I had to take a picture.  We were also able to get a glimpse of the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo! Pretty awesome experience.

The Egyptian Obelisk in Place de Concorde (the main plaza in Paris).  It was brought here in order to put the past in the past and move on.  This is because this used to be the execution square during the French Revolution (Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette died here).  In fact, during the peak of executions a person was killed almost every 3 to 10 seconds I believe.

The Palace of Versailles!

In front of the gates!

The Hall of Mirrors where the Treaty of Versailles was signed to end WWI

Entering the Marie-Antoinette's palace.

Some of the amazing gardens in Versailles...they stretch so far that you have to take a mini-train around them.

A gorgeous sunset with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

The Eternal Flame that burns under the Arc de Triumph.  It burns for the memory of everyone who has ever died for France.  Two funny stories: One night a drunken soccer fan from Mexico (after his team had lost to France) decided to pee out the flame...he was immediately deported.  Next, two Australians were deported for roasting hot dogs over the flame.

Sacré-Coeur Basillica in the Montmartre District.  It looks this white becasue it is built from limestone and therefore self-cleaning.  After every rainstorm it appears whiter than before.  In general, the Montmartre District is the art district and red light district.  We saw where Picasso was first discovered, where Van Gogh lived and some of his favorite restaurants and brothels.  Also, we saw the last standing windmill in Paris.  It was left there as warning from the Russian Army.  They invaded Paris very easily after Napoleon failed to conquer Russia.

Allie putting her lock on the lock bridge.  You are supposed to have 3 keys...1 for each person you are locking the love away for and 1 to toss into the river.

The bridge was covered!

We finished off our trip by laying out on the lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower.  Who would have ever thought that I would get the opportunity to do all of this?