I Louvre You

Bonjour! Yesterday afternoon we checked out the Eiffel Tower. We walked up 2/3 by stairs (made it to the top gasping for air ;-) then took the elevator to the very tip top. The views were out of this world!
That's 700 stairs! The last one...
This morning we woke up and headed to the Louvre. So, so awesome.
My favorite piece of sculpture, Winged Nike.
Even the ceilings are a work of art.

And... behold, the Mona Lisa. The guidebooks are totally wrong about her. First of all, it was way BIGGER than everyone implied (probably the size of a nice picture you'd hang in your house) and it's sooo worth seeing. The greens and blues are so much more stunning in real life.


Check out the crowds to see her... despite the people, it was actually very easy to move your way to the front and see her up close.

Another one of my favorites.Joe with Sphinx.
They also have an exhibit that includes the furniture and decor from Napoleon's home. This guy had extravagant taste!


Then we grabbed a quick snack and headed for Saint Chappel.

I saw this church in one of my textbooks before we even planned this trip and knew I *had* to see it in real life. It's French Gothic, which I love.