Oui oui!

After a very quick trip by train (from London, it's only a little over a 2 hour journey), we were ready to enjoy our weekend in Paris. Our hotel was conveniently located close to the Eiffel Tower and really within walking distance of most other main attractions as well. We took it easy on Friday night after we got in and took a nice little stroll to see the tower lit up at night, and then called it an early one so we could get a head start on Saturday.

We woke up, had some wonderful quiches for breakfast at a cafe nearby our hotel, and headed straight to the Louvre from there. We probably could've spent all day (or weekend) there, but limited our time to seeing the most famous pieces and then moved on after about 2 1/2 hours or so.

Below: Conrad and I in front of the Louvre Pyramid, and The Wedding Feast at Cana

Below: Venus de Milo, and The Mona Lisa (sorry for the glare; it's encased)



Two warriors (no, Conrad isn't one of them ;)): Athena and Marcus Aurelius



My favorite sculpture there, Winged Victory.

We then headed for a walk down The Seine and to see Sainte Chapelle and Notre Dame. (We also managed to stop off at a cafe along our walk, and had some awesome steak tartare with pomme frites!)

We then spent the rest of the afternoon doing a little bit of window shopping, as we made our way back to our hotel to get ready for dinner at a restaurant that a former co-worker of mine had recommended, L'Ambassade d'Auvergne. I wish we had some pictures of the food we had there because it was all so amazing from the cheese and mash side dish to the spectacular chocolate mousse dessert, but I can leave you with one image instead...

Conrad, the chef, who was so inspired by the mousse we had in Paris that he ran home after work one day this past week to make a batch himself:

We planned to go out to a popular bar, Buddha Bar, after dinner but since we could barely move we just headed straight back to the hotel so we could again get another early start on the day (on Sunday).

Unfortunately we didn't have as clear and sunny of a day on Sunday as we did on Saturday, and this was the day we chose to go to the top of The Eiffel Tower, but I guess in reality it didn't matter too much--everything looks ant size no matter what. I'm really glad we went to Paris this time of year as well because the lines for attractions were not bad at all, ie. we were in line for maybe a total of 15 mins to get all the way to the top of the tower.

We then made our way over to the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees, where we stopped for a nice midday meal (of oysters, champagne, and creme brulee!), as well as some browsing in the HQ Louis Vitton store. :)

With only a few hours left in the day, we headed to N. Paris by taxi up to Montmartre and Sacre Coeur (which are on the highest hilltop in all of Paris) before we had to head back to our hotel to collect our bags.

Below: Centre of Montmartre where artists famouly collect to sketch, and Sacre-Coeur, the Catholic basilica at the top of the hill

Below: View of central Paris from the hilltop, and the famous Moulin Rouge (at the bottom of the hill)

Again, another great trip! I can't wait to go back and go on a riverboat lunch or dinner cruise along The Seine next time, and perhaps spend a few more days there than we did this time (just so my feet don't feel like they're about to fall off the next day!). We're off to Venice for Easter, so come back and visit shortly after that for more pictures and details...au revoir!