J'adore Paris! Pt. 2

Our second day in Paris was equally as eventful as the first. We woke up early in the morning so that we could be at the Louvre Museum as soon as it opened. We were pleased to find the main courtyard relatively empty when we arrived, perfect for enjoying the views and taking pictures. The lines weren't long when we were ready to go inside the museum but they did pick up fairly quickly afterward, so I highly recommend getting there either before or right when the museum opens, especially if you need to buy your tickets when you get there. I also recommend looking into The Paris Pass if you're planning on visiting multiple museums while you're in Paris. The Paris Pass gives you a discounted pass to many of the museums and sights around the city (minus the Eiffel Tower) so you don't have to wait in long lines to buy tickets. It might seem a little expensive, but you definitely get what you pay for.

The picture below was taken from inside the museum, but it is my favorite picture that I took of the glass pyramid!

I did quite a bit of research on what I wanted to see before we went to the Louvre so we could spend our time as quickly and efficiently as possible. There were lots of tour groups that would congregate in hallways and jam doorways, so navigating the museum was sometimes a struggle. I highly recommend preparing yourself in advance by picking out what you want to see before you go, just to make the whole process a little less overwhelming. 

We saw so much at the Louvre that it would probably be boring to share every detail with you, so I'll just detail mine and Nate's favorites. We started our tour of the museum with the ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian artifacts. Nate loves that kind of thing, so we spent quite a bit of time enjoying things like the Code of Hammurabi, a piece of history that we both studied in high school.  

I wish I could tell you where I found everything I saw and loved and the Louvre, but the place is just so massive that I can't remember where anything was located. At some point we came across the Venus de Milo which wasn't on our list, but we were pleasantly surprised when it was suddenly in front of us. It seems like everywhere we went in the Louvre, some famous masterpiece was right around the corner.

At the top of my list was a piece that I studied and loved in an art history course I took in college. Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss is a favorite of mine because of the tenderness and passion it depicts between the two lovers. The pictures I took don't do it justice, so just go and see it sometime (easy enough, right?).

Another thing I loved about the Louvre was the architecture and design inside the building. Everywhere you look there were moldings, detailing, you-name-it-they've-got-it lining the walls and ceilings, masterpieces in-and-of themselves. 

My second must-see in the Louvre was the Napoleon III Apartments. Once again, my pictures don't do the apartments any justice in the least because the lighting wasn't optimal, but I couldn't resist sharing some of my favorite photos with you. I hate to admit it but I tend to enjoy the ostentatious, so the Napoleon Apartments were right up my alley!

You'll notice that our list didn't include the famous Mona Lisa. Nate and I decided that we simply didn't care enough to see the piece because we had recently been to an exhibit on Leonardo da Vinci and felt like we had seen enough of it in the exhibit to justify skipping it on this trip. We also heard that the Mona Lisa is always crowded, so we decided to spend our time on lesser-known pieces that we would enjoy more.

Once we were done basking in the majesty of the Napoleon III Apartments it was time to go, so we hopped on a city tour bus (included in the Paris Pass) to rest our feet and enjoy more views of the city. After a few minutes we found ourselves driving down the Champs-Élysées headed toward the Arc de Triomphe. We got off the bus and enjoyed this incredible memorial to those who fought and died in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The French Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is also underneath the Arc, so it is sort of a reverent place despite the hundreds of cars zipping by and tourists wandering around snapping pictures.

As you can see from the pictures, the Arc was under construction when we visited, but it was a wonder to behold all the same. As with any french landmark, no detail was left out in the design of this memorial. The Arc de Triomphe is definitely not to be missed.  

Once we had seen enough of the Arc, we wandered down the Champs-Élysées, enjoying some shopping (but not buying, because I swear everything on the Champs-Élysées is a bit more expensive!). The last part of our day in Paris was spent getting lost (sometimes on purpose, sometimes not on purpose) around the city. Nate and I made some of our favorite memories wandering the side streets just off of the main road by the Notre Dame Cathedral. We ate kebabs and frites for dinner and then wandered along the shops, stopping for our last dose of deliciously authentic French macarons and meringue. 

It was a wonderful end to a perfect few days in Paris. I look forward to going back soon and seeing more of the city that I have been infatuated with for so long, and still have seen so little of. 

Special thanks to myself for bringing: A Camera! Nate was mostly in charge of taking pictures all throughout our trip because I usually forget to take pictures, but as soon as we got to France it was my turn! I'm also glad that we brought our lock and key for the "Lover's Bridge" experience. I will never forget that!

Biggest regret: I regret not going to Versailles. I have only heard beautiful things about the palace and I know that I will love it, so we'll make that a priority on our next trip. Nate was also pretty disappointed that we didn't get to tour the Basilica of St Denis, so we've already got a to-do list for our next trip to Paris. 

To see next time: There is so much to see in the Louvre and so little time that we didn't get to see it all. Next time we go back we will definitely check out Winged Victory of Samothrace and maybe the Mona Lisa... maybe. I also hope to go back just Nate and me, so we can enjoy one of the most romantic cities in the world as a couple! 

Have you ever been to Paris? What was your favorite thing there? If you haven't been, what would your number one thing to see be?