Final Posting, Farewell France!

Our trip has come to an end, and we couldn't be happier with the memories and stories we collected. We were devoted to our Rick Steves Guide to Paris 2007. We ate fine French baguettes and wonderfully stinky cheese, crepes filled with all sorts of tantalizing things, and the best croissants in the world. We hit most of the big sites, walked many miles every day, and really got a great feel for this incredible city. Our trip to Switzerland was also delightful, and it was so special to see my cousins who live so far away.

Lest you think an excess of French wine blew a few too many brain cells and caused us to miss THE museum in Europe, never fear: on our last day in Paris, we went to the Louvre! This time we actually were able to get up early to beat the crowds, and we only had to wait 10 minutes until the museum opened at 9:00. The museum is so huge, easy to get lost in, and overwhelming -- but gorgeous.

Just a glimpse of the grandeur from the outside, since it could never fit in one photo.

The Louvre was originally the palace of the Kings of France until Louis XIV built Versailles. The architecture is just as grand and eye-popping, and can sometimes steal focus from the works of art! We focused our tour today on Ancient Greek art, Medieval French and Italian art, and French Renaissance and Romantic art. We hit all the famous paintings, including the Mona Lisa -- and yes, it's a lot smaller in real life. Some of the cool things we saw were: Statue of Winged Victory; statue of Venus di Milo; "The Raft of the Medusa" by Gericault; "Liberty Leading the People" by Delacroix; works by DaVinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo; and the largest canvas at the Louvre, "The Coronation" -- of Napoleon, that is -- by Jacques-Louis David. Unlike plenty of tourists around us, we were good citizens and obeyed the posted signs forbidding photos or videos. So we have fewer photos, but a strong desire to go back and see more!

Le Pyramide

An afternoon of packing, cleaning, and just plain relaxing has led to bedtime... we have a 7:00am flight so we need to turn in early and get up before the crack of dawn (although the sun doesn't really rise here until almost 9:00 ANYWAY, so one wouldn't be able to tell the difference at 5:00 when we leave!!) I myself am looking forward to getting back to Jerusalem and the regular pace of life. Josh starts school on the 10th, and I'm sure we'll both have plenty of news to share.

Happy trails........