44 PARIS PICTURES!! And an update on today!

Bonjour and ciao! So here are 44 (yes, I said 44) pictures of Paris. And I'm not even talking about Disneyland. I didn't even have the time yet to go through my Disneyland pictures from October 21. So, these are all pictures from Amy's and my experience in Paris on our birthday (the 20th)! I'll so the usual picture formatting, and then I'll spill my plan for Disneyland pictures, etc, at the bottom of this blog.

We started our day off at the Eiffel Tower. We went all the way to the top, where it was probably 20 degrees Fahrenheit or so. This picture is taken on the second deck of the Eiffel Tower (maybe just less than halfway up the Tower). In the background is Paris and a piece of the Palais De Chaillot.

A view from the top of the Tower, looking onto the Palais De Chaillot.

A shot of the Eiffel Tower from the Parc Du Champ De Mars.

The Eiffel Tower in all her glory.

A shot of the fountain and statues in front of the Palais De Chaillot.

Me, looking rather uptight (cold, maybe??) in front of the famed Arc De Triomph. A funny story: the rotary behind Amy and I must be the equivalent to 6 lanes wide or so. In order to get to the Arc, there is an underground walkway... an underground walkway that Amy and I didn't know about. so, there we were... dodging traffic, trying to run into the grounds of the Arc De Triomph, wondering why none of the other tourists were having this problem.

Amy looking dapper in front of the Arc.

France's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, housed underneath the Arc De Triomph.

A really incredible detail of the statues embedded within the walls of the Arc.

This speedboat was in a race around the world, and was touring some European ports. It just happened to be in Paris the day we were there. That could've also had something to do with the Rugby World Cup finals being the same night we were there as well... tourists mean money on tours of the boat. Either way, it's quite the cool design for a speedboat... half catamaran, half cigarette boat. South Africa won the World Cup by the way.

The Seine, with views of the Eiffel Tower and that great bridge.

Amy and I in front of the Seine.

Gorgeous bridge on a gorgeous day.

A panoramic I stitched up using Amy's photos of the Louvre.

A shot of the famed pyramid and its surroundings at the entrance to the Louvre.

I like this shot of the fountains, the pyramid, and part of the Louvre's facade.

Louis the 14th hanging out in front of the museum.

These pigeons in the Tuileries (the park in front of the Louvre) were overly friendly. They would actually climb up the legs of people to nab their food.

A fountain out in front of the Tuileries.

That same fountain.

Amy and I relaxing in the Tuileries about to continue our insane amounts of walking on this fine birthday!

Some statues and lawn in the Tuileries.

Because it was so cold in Paris, Amy and I were forced to buy hats. This is me trying on the one I eventually bought... a play on the Ferrari logo with the Eiffel Tower in its place. An excellent face.

Notre Dame. Words can't describe it... just amazing!

Amy and I in front of Notre Dame.

A side shot of Notre Dame from a bridge spanning the Seine.

Amy and I thought it would be appropriate to light candles inside Notre Dame and thank the proper authorities for the opportunity we were given.

Amy following suit... bundled up in her Paris scarf she found for 2 Euro... deal of the day!

On the streets of Paris... while shopping... we find this. NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT! Ridiculous!

An amazing lunch place recommended to us by my cousin, Johanna. Liquified chocolate bars constitute their hot chocolate.. I can still taste it!

These toilets are amazing... every time someone uses them (for free, nonetheless), they clean and disinfect themselves completely. This one may have leaked a little disinfectant (as seen on the street and sidewalk), but still, for porto-potties, these things went over and beyond the call of duty!

You can rent these automatic transmission bikes using an outdoor computer by the hour. A good way to get around the city... but Amy and I opted out, as we instead wanted to torture our feet some more.

A 1:1 scale replica of the Statue of Liberty's flame. Residents of Paris have since turned this into a remembrance site for Princess Diana.

Sunset at the Luxembourg Gardens.

The Centre Pompidou... an unbelievably gaudy project done by architect Renzo Piano. All of the building's infrastructure is color-coded and on the exterior of the building. Crazy to see! This is a museum, by the way, but the exterior of the building steals the show.

Centre Pompidou 2

Me in front of this "beaut" of a building.

The last of the Centre. The fake flower planter is actually just a "curtain" for the HVAC intake for the building.

Paris' Pantheon near sunset.

Sacre Courer, a basilica on top of Montmarte. Beautiful setting to welcome in the Parisian night-time. This place was absolutely enormous and stunning to see!

Sacre Courer 2

Sacre Courer 3, from just below the peak of Montmarte.

This is where we ate dinner within the Montmarte section of town. A pretty good restaurant, though not up to Parisian fanciness or tastiness standards.

Amy inside La Boheme.

That about does it for my Paris trip. And by Paris, I mean the trip not including Disneyland. I'll post those pictures tomorrow.

Today, I went to the Roman Baths (which were unfortunately closed; but I still got a good look), and to Circus Maximus. I'll get those pictures up tomorrow... I also have a funny apartment story to tell for tomorrow.

Tomorrow, instead of going to Siena (which I will now do on Thursday), I am going to the Catacombs (I didn't go today because I woke up too late after an insane-o weekend), the Trevi Fountain to actually throw coins in this time with Amy, the Medici house, and the National Museum of Rome. Then of course, the soccer game is at Olympic Stadium tomorrow night. I'm buying a jersey to support the team tomorrow during the day as well.

That'll do it. I'm exhausted. Talk to you all tomorrow! Enjoy the pictures!