Paris Day 1

We got up early and took on Paris!  We bought tickets to a double decker bus that you could get on and off of all throughout the city.  Some of the buildings I remember what they are and some I don't.  So just know that if I took a picture of it, it must be cool and have some historical significance. 

Notre Dame.

This is the back side of Notre Dame.

Our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower.  I couldn't believe it!

Hayes and Sean listening to the historical facts.

This is Les Invalides.  It is a hospital and retirement home for war veterans.  It is also the burial sight for Napoleon.

This is the Obelisk that was given to France from Egypt.

Madeleine Church.

If I remember right, this is a school for the blind in Paris.

This is the outside of the Musee d'Orsay where Hayes and I went on our solo day.

Our first glimpse of the Arch de Triumph

This was at the Swarovski store on the Champs-Élysées.  I wasn't trying to be a poser, I just thought an entire staircase made out of Swarovski crystals was pretty darn cool!

The Arch and the infamous round-about up close.

Finally there!!  When we first got there it was POURING rain.  We had an umbrella but the street vendors were trying to sell us another one... we were that wet!  It was windy too.  My umbrella even did one of those inside-out things but then the sun came out a little and the rain stopped and we had a really nice time walking around the Eiffel Tower.  It's a very weird feeling, the whole time I was like, "yeah, no big deal, just chillin' at the base of the Eiffel Tower.  No biggie!"  In the above picture, you can see a very tiny Hayes and Sean at the base on the right hand side. 

One of my favorite pictures of the whole trip...

... and another.

This is the Trocadero right across from the Eiffel Tower.

This is the back of the famous sculpture "The Thinker" as in, "Boom, boom fire power!"

The Eiffel Tower at night.

I'm a sucker for sentimental things so when I saw the lock bridge on my solo trip to Paris, I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity.  I bought a lock and a Sharpie at Carrefour in Orleans and put all of our initials it.  I couldn't help myself!

Here's Sean dropping the keys into the Seine. 

This is a view of Pont Neuf from the lock bridge.  It was breathtaking!

This was one of my most favorite nights of the whole trip.  Just right by Notre Dame was a little street that no cars were allowed on.  There were restaurants and vendors and cobblestone streets.  All along the street were little gyro shops and they were huge and good and we were so hungry.  They put the fries right in the gyro, seriously, so good.  The weather was nicer and wasn't as cold and we just had a great time walking around.