And Paris!

We spent the second part of our Eid holiday in Paris.  It was only a smooth 2 1/2 hour train trip from London.  We checked into our hotel and headed off for our evening tour. 

 

The tour began with a river cruise on the Seine, starting at the base of the Eiffel tower.

 



 

This is the Musee D' Orsay.  See that big clock?  I will show you the view from the other side of that clock, later on in this post.  

 

Notre Dame!  I just love the color of the sky at this particular time of the evening.

 



One of the many bridges we passed under.

 



This was probably my favorite moment in Paris.  The whole Eiffel Tower was sparkling!  It happens every hour, for a few minutes.  Magical!  This picture does not do it justice.



 





 

We went up to the second platform, not all the way to the very top.  This was the view.

 

 

I couldn't resist inserting this picture of my beautiful mother, Celin.  This picture was taken around 1971, the first time I went to Paris.  I wanted to try to reproduce this pose, but we were there at night.

This is the lobby of our hotel.  It was a darling boutique hotel, so well-decorated.  These white human figures were painted somewhere in each guest room, and along the elevator wall.  But, the rooms were pretty small.  Standard for Paris, so I am told.

 



We only had one full day in Paris, and we wanted to get the most out of it.  Here is Marie, our tour guide, taking us around the Montmarte area.  Marie was pointing to where Van Gogh lived and worked.

 



Marie is showing us an actual painter's studio, close to where Van Gogh's was.  All the big windows were facing north.

 



 

Marie is showing us the actual spot where Renoir painted Bal du Moulin de la Galette.  What was so neat is that we later saw the actual painting in the Musee D' Orsay!

 



 

This is a statue of a character from a very famous children's story.  This character had the ability to walk through walls.  But he was not a good guy, and was punished by being stuck in the wall!  Legend says that if you can free him from this wall, you will receive his powers.  I don't think Joe was yanking hard enough.

 

 

Now isn't this what you imagine Paris to look like?

 



 

This is the Sacre Couer.  As churches go, it is not that old.  But the views from this church are amazing!

 



 

Even in the rain.  This church sits at the top of the hill, and can be seen from all over Paris.

 

 

The Musee D' Orsay.  This museum used to be a train station and parts of the movie Hugo were filmed here.  We saw lots of wonderful Impressionist paintings, including Van Goghs, Renoirs, Monets, ect.  There was also a miniature Statue of Liberty, one of four found in France.

 



 

As I promised-- the other side of the clock!

 

That is actually the Louvre across the Seine.  We just didn't have time for both.

 



 

France just doesn't have enough money to renovate all of its old building.  One way they are raising money is by charging millions of dollars to the right to advertise.  This is one of the biggest billboards I have ever seen.

Oman is everywhere!  We saw the gun at the Tower of London and now this poster for an Oman exhibit in one of the museums.

Now for our tour of Notre Dame.  Construction began in 1066 and took about 120 years.

 



 

Pictures were allowed in Notre Dame.

 



 

A little hard to see, but I was trying to photograph some of the gargoyles on the side of the cathedral.

 



The Arc de Triomphe

 



We climbed up 275 steps, with no stops, to the top. 

 



Just walking around the neighborhood around our hotel.  The weather cleared and it was a beautiful evening.

 



 

We spent the last morning of our vacation at the Luxembourg Gardens.  Another wonderful display of fall colors.

 

So ends our Eid holiday.  Now back to Salalah!