Day 4: A wet winters day in Paris

Today we were off to the Louvre, for lots more walking no doubt. To make that prospect worse we both woke up with terrible sore backs from the rock hard mattress in our apartment. Honestly it was as if I was a cripple for the first hour this morning. We set off thru the streets of St Germain de Pres. We're really enjoying walking through this area. So many interesting little boutique shops, brasseries and arcades. Today we stumbled across one of the oldest ones on Paris.

We made our way over the Seine via the Pont des Artes bridge and across to the louvre. 

We wandered the streets looking for a bakery for some breakfast. I'm loving the baked goods here. They're all amazing! A pastry and a juice and I'm good for the day. Steering clear of coffee as it's not the best here and it's expensive!

We finally make it to the louvre and my first impression is wow - this place is massive. Entering via IM Pei's glass pyramid is a cool experience. What a great modern intervention into a historical building. 

We make a plan of what we want to see, as it's so big, dnd start off with the Medieval ruins below the old buildings. This was quite cool, set within the foundations of the old palace. We journey around to see the the Venus de Milo (quite larger than the gummi version in the Simpsons) as well as the Mona Lisa. It's funny watching everyone jossle to take a picture of a picture. The louvre to me is like a rock concert; it has a huge back catalogue of stuff but everyone goes just to see the hits. 

We then go see the Appolon room, a decadent gold leaf room with high ceilings and paintings everywhere, as well as the Napolean III apartments, again a rich and lavishly adorned space. No wonder the French had a revolution - the rich and powerful were insane. 

My favourite artwork was this one however. I just love the composition!

But my favourite part of the louvre was the building itself. The sheer scale of spaces in this old palace come gallery is amazing. I love the courtyards too.

We leave the louvre and head up to the old Opera district. 

It's drizzling now and not so nice on the streets. We stop for lunch at a place called 

Known for its hotpots of braised beef and vegetables. It's a delicious, home style cooked meal. Kinda like a deconstructed minestrone casserole. Just what we needed on a wet day. Yummy. 

We then go for some shopping at some more of Paris' well known department stores Le Printemps (where we go to the roof to check out the view) and Galleries La Fayette. 

We try our first macoron in France here too at a little Laduree shop. Very nice!

The roof in Galleries Lafayette is amazing. 

Sim is still on the hint for a handbag and wallet and we wander through all the big name fashion label boutiques. However no luck for sim, however as usual I find myself something, a pair if shoes. I don't mind going shopping with sim, I always find something I like. 

We stroll back down towards the Seine River via the Place Vendome, a large open court flanked by rich hotels and fashion stores, down to the Jardin Des Tuileries. I like this park, it has a formality that echoes the louvre and the champs élysées. 

We stroll back through St a Germain des Pres and home to the hotel, to get ready for a night at the Moulin Rouge. 

We head out back to the louvre to the meeting point for the open top night bus illumination tour. We go via the Pont Neuf, Paris' oldest bridge. It's a pretty view from here. 

Bo

My favourite thing about Paris at night is the revolving searchlight on the Eiffel Tower. It's so cool. Stretching all over the city. It really makes the place seem like one whole place. 

We head out on the bus tour and it's quite informative. Lots of history and information on the different uses of buildings. It's amazing how Paris has adapted and changed over time. From the dominance of the church, to the empires then revolution and war and opportunities like World Fairs and expos. All these events have shaped the place into what it is today.

When we get to the Eiffel Tower on the tour, right on cue, the flickering lights on the structure go off. It's a great spectacle. It really is a remarkable building. 

We make our way to the Moulin Rouge, and it's a much smaller low key place than what I was expecting. We head inside to see a show, with a bottle of champagne included in our ticket, the night is looking good! The show is a bizarre mix of chorus line, leg kicking girls  showing their breasts as well comic acrobats routines, ventriloquists and Yr 10 high school musical. Very weird but nonetheless entertaining. 

It's 11pm when we leave and 11:30 by the time we get back to the hotel. The ticket included a drop off back to the hotel, and the driver was very informative and nice to talk to. So far, I've found Parisians to be polite and very accommodating, most of them speak some English too. 

We head home stopping to get some juice on the way ( sims favourite beenie juice)