Date of this adventure: December 22, 2012
Visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre were the top of the list for our second day in Paris! Photo credit: Julie Coppedge.
The rainy weather wasn't exactly conducive to getting great outdoor photos so we quickly hurried inside the Norte Dame de Paris.
Norte Dame de Paris is French for "Our Lady of Paris."
The Notre Dame is considered one of the finest pieces of French Gothic architecture.
Inside the cathedral
The lighting in the cathedral was beautiful.
Those chandeliers!
Exquisite stained glass windows
The grandness of everything made me feel quite small.
The restoration of this chandelier was/is in progress.
After pausing and taking in all that is the Notre Dame, we stopped for a lunch of croque-monsieurs, french onion soup, and savory crepes. We then headed to the world's most visited museum, the Louvre.
The Louvre Palace and courtyard
Completed in 1989, the Louvre Pyramid serves as the main entrance into the Louvre Museum.
The Louvre has more than 8 million visitors every year!
Entering the musee
Tip: If you are under 25 and living in the EU (both of which I am) your admission into the Louvre is free! Thanks, France!
The Nike of Samothrace, "Winged Victory" circa 190 B.C.
Proof that the Mona Lisa is indeed the Louvre's most popular attraction
The painting is shielded by bulletproof glass.
Click here to read information about why the Mona Lisa is so famous.
Posing with Mona
Julie, having visited the Louvre prior to this trip, advised us that we should have a plan of the specific works of art we wanted to see. If we hadn't done this, we likely would have run out of time and been disappointed that we hadn't seen some of the more famous paintings and sculptures.
If you fancy seeing more than a small fraction of what the Louvre has to offer, you certainly need to plan more than one day touring the Louvre. Prepare yourself.
Having received a "You have got to try this" recommendation from my friend Vicki, I was excited to seek out Angelina Tearoom with specific instructions to order the hot chocolate after we finished at the Louvre.
You don't have to tell me twice.
Thick, rich, and delicious!
If you are in Paris, Angelina Tearoom is definitely worth a visit!
Entertaining ourselves on the metro ride home
I also need to give credit to my wonderful mom who planned and booked our entire European adventure. Thanks, mom, for a wonderfully planned trip!
Stay tuned. There's much more to come!
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