David, our FTPE (family trip planner extraordinaire) relinquished his highly detail-oriented tendencies and gave Adrienne and I free reign in trip planning and decision making. This new-found opportunity was not wasted on us as we implemented our spontaneous, flexible, tangential—anything but prescriptive—styles and wrote out a rough itinerary, which we left at home on this desk. No worries though—Adrienne knew exactly which sites she wanted to see and with a bit of input from David and myself, the following sites and scenes were thoroughly enjoyed. Bon voyage!
With Adrienne’s two college level French classes under her belt, we sprinted from Charles De Gaulle Airport to our hotel (near the airport) to embark on a vacances parisiennes.
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Lisa and Adrienne were both searching the skyline for the first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower.
As we walked through the beautiful park by the Seine River next to the Louvre Museum it suddenly appeared into view.
On our first day, we wanted to get the "lay of the land," so we booked a double decker bus tour and got a great orientation of the city. We spent the remaining time visiting the popular sites one at a time..
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| The Louvre inner Co |
It would take a week to do it justice for the average Art fan. We spent a day there and we were exhausted.
We of course made a bee-line for the most popular attraction in the Louvre, The Mona Lisa. You can't tell from looking at the serene woman, but it would seem she can't get a moment's peace, at least not while the museum is open. Is she smiling to tempt a lover? I don't think so, Nat King Cole, at least not if she were aware of the throngs of people staring at her. But if she somehow had a deja vu moment (only seeing her future, rather than past) that might explain her look of intregue.
To say that we drifted slower than teconic plates, is a bit of an exaggeration; but after standing on our feet for hours, it felt like eones before reaching the most popular painting in the world.
We also saw mobs surrounding the Venus di Milo.
Lisa and Adrienne felt a special kinship to a number of paintings, matching poses for the camera and appreciated the patience of onlookers. After this particular pose, several other sets of women were waiting for their turn. As we left, Adrienne remarked, "if you were to have a painter paint your portrait, who would you pick?" Rather than have a painting, why not a sculpture? "Why Michaelangelo, of course!" He could do whichever he prefers. On second thought, he didn't appreciate the female body as a work of art. And he thought the sistine Chapel was painful!
Beginning as a hunting lodge by Louis XIII, Louis XIV chose the site to build the palace we know today, "the symbol of royal absolutism and embodiment of classical French art." http://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover-estate
A tour through the Notre Dame cathedral was very interesting but perhaps a little of a let down after some of the other sites. We were surprised to learn that the cathedral was never well known or recognized until Victor Hugo wrote the story about the loveable Hunchback. The architecture, however, was fascinating! Loaded with gargoyles.
We admired the tower, as did many others, flocking to it at dusk like a Fourth-of-July firework display; only to decide that we'd better head back to the metro and then to the train to catch a shuttle before the last one leaves the airport. Note to those spontaneous travelers who want to see Paris on a whim--choosing a hotel near the airport may be cheaper, but the time spent traveling in and out of the city may limit site-seeing activities. Not to whine (because we feel grateful for even the opportunity to see the tower in day-light) but we suggest choosing a location closer to the city.
Our last day in France was spent on the road. We rented a car and headed over to the coast of Normandy. We visited the American Cementary and Visitor Center on the bluff over Omaha Beach. It was great to see that the beautiful beach was fully recovered and used by families for fun and recreation. The terrible scars of war did not take away from the peace that these brave men and women fought for. It was truly fitting that the beach was again made beautiful.
