Modern kind of day

After a week of ancient architecture it was time for some modern art! I was even able to talk Al into joining us, although even I agreed that some of the exhibits proved to be a bit out there. The Centre Georges Pompidou houses the Modern Art Museum designed by Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano. Turning the building inside out, all of the mechanical piping is color coded on the outside along with an external escalator which climbs the facade in a plexiglass tube with spectacular views of the entire city. This was definitely one of my favorite places.

Our afternoon was consumed with shopping at Le Bon Marche, Paris's first department store and another scrumptious dinner at L-Epi Dupin.

Bones

If you ever get to Paris you have to check out the Catacombes. After snaking through 500m of underground labyrinth, you're surrounded by the skulls and femurs of some 6 million Parisians, artistically stacked in the 19th century. This place was incredible.

Paulie P and I spent the early afternoon perusing the bird market and enjoying Sunday brunch surrounded by the locals. Chris would never have survived.

The 6 of us spent the evening in Montmarte climbing our way to Sacre-Coeur, the highest point in Paris. The contrast between the white stone and the blue sky was beautiful. The place was jam packed with people and we even got to catch part of mass. We wandered our way back down the hill through the crowded streets stopping here and there for some beverages before taking the metro back to Oberkampf for a delicious dinner at the local L'Estaminet.

Have I mentioned that the sun doesn't begin to set until 10:30pm?!

City of lights

When you sit back and think about it, sometimes it's a little crazy how many historical landmarks you can take in in one day. We started the morning off meeting the infamous Mona. We arrived when the museum opened to insure a front row look. It's true what they say...she's pretty small in the grand scheme of things inside the Louvre.

The Louvre was amazing in the amount of ancient artwork and artifacts it houses, but I have to admit it's a bit overwhelming. We enjoyed the architecture just as much as the exhibits.

Next up were the Invalides, home of Napoleons tomb which rests in the crypt below the golden dome. He rests in an over scaled cocoon of six coffins.

For dinner Ms. Sara suggested we take an evening and spend it eating wine and cheese in a park; enjoy the local atmosphere. Where could be better than the Champ-de-Mars park at the foot of the Eiffel tower, followed by a tour.

Champs-Elysees

I never thought a cemetery would be of interest to me. Trish and Al spend hours exploring them all over the world. We thought we'd see what all the hype is about for ourselves. Cimetiere Du Pere-Lachaise covers 108 acres, contains around 70,000 tombs and has become the resting place of the famous. It turned out to be amazing. Dating back to 1803, you'd never believe no two tombs are identical. The stone designs were incredible and so old.

Next up we checked out the design center. Way cooler than a building with a giant whale painted on it...Philadelphia doesn't hold a candle to this.

We spent the evening on the Champs-Elysees with a fabulous four course dinner before catching Lido and checking out the Arc De Triomphe. Have I mentioned how amazing the food is here, uh and the bread?!

Some architectural history

We found ourselves on a small island on the Seine this afternoon surrounded by some of the oldest and most beautiful architecture we're ever seen.

Cathedrale Notre-Dame

Pantheon

Bastille Day

The French celebrate the conclusion of the French Revolution with Bastille Day, July 14th. The torrential downpours throughout the day gave us little to no hope on seeing the Eiffel fireworks. However after spending a few hours in the Musee d'Orsay the storms broke in time for a spectacular show.

Until next time

The National Portrait Gallery just so happens to be at the end of our street here and is one of my favorite museums. They're currently hosting the BP Portrait Award which claims to be the most prestigious portrait competition in the world. 58 artists are presented and one winner takes home 25,000 pounds. The exhibit was amazing...so many different artistic styles with interesting stories behind each subject. Some portraits looked so realistic it was hard to believe someone actually painted them. The winner was Last Portrait of Mother by Daphne Todd, a portrait of her 100 year old mother who gave her permission to paint her after her death, taking 3 days to finish.

After wandering the gallery, we did the touristy thing and shopped Regents and Oxford streets, followed by some potatoes and beers on Carnaby Street. A quick walk to Buckingham Palace and the Queen Victoria Memorial brought our quick trip to London to an end. Paris bound in the morning.

ps. Have I mentioned how much I love this place

The Eye

It's nice to visit somewhere you're familiar with and just relax...no pressure to see the sites, roam with the locals. We started the day with breakfast in St. James Park on the sunny roof deck of Inn The Park. I've never seen so many diverse groups of people parked on blankets enjoying one another's company for the day. Must be nice. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the streets of Covent Garden, shopping, taking in the street entertainers and stopping here and there for a few brews. I of course found my way to the one and only Orla Kiely flagship store and the infamous Paperchase. At dusk we boarded the London Eye, the world's tallest observation wheel at 443 ft with panoramic views stretching 25 miles...amazing. We closed out the night by catching the end of the World Cup final while dining outside in the center of Leicester Square, just in time to watch hours of chanting Spanish fans parade the streets. This city never sleeps.

Covent Garden

London Eye