Paris & Versailles Trip Nov 7-11, 2008

I'm back, folks and I really had a LVoely time! The sights, the sounds, the art and most especially the people made our short trip all worthwhile. So sit back and relax and I hope you enjoy my homage in pictures to this beautiful city! Catty-corner from our hotel, Jeff and I were amazed and pleasantly surprised to find the Arc de Triomphe looming before us. First stop, the Apparition Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. This small convent church is close to my heart and so no trip to Paris would be complete without paying homage to the Madame. Next on the itinerary: the Musée d'Orsay. They had an interesting mask exhibit but what impressed me more was the architectural details of the place. I was excited to see this in the Musée d'Orsay because it reminded me so much of the Vuitton flowers. I LVoe clocks and we were at a crosswalk when I took this. We then proceeded to the Louvre which thankfully was open until 9:45 pm that Friday. This photo is of the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Ah, La Jaconde! I have in my home a 5 foot facsimile of this famous or infamous painting and before moving in with Jeff, it served as the headboard for my bed. I always see pics of the Venus de Milo anteriorly so I decided to take a shot of her derrier. I just LVoe this headdress! The Louvre Pyramid from underneath. Night scene of the Arc. Pastries at the McCafe in Versailles. The splendor of Versailles as seen on this side gate. The Sun King's Chapel Of course, no trip to Versailles would be complete without walking through the Hall of Mirrors. Posing beneath my namesake. The gardens of the palace. Too bad, that Fall had arrived. I could only imagine how Spring would look like. The Sun King's symbol guarding one of his many gates. I have been to Paris before but this is the first time that I caught a glimpse of the Maison through the eyes of LVoe. Desperately wanting to capture this momentous occasion, I settled for a silhouette. Notre-Dame de Paris with its imposing facade at night. Pont Saint-Michel, a very vibrant area. The cafes, bars and souvenir shops will always remind me of Paris. Hotel de Ville with its blue cast. Our hotel balcony. I wish we have city apartments like this in the US. Need I write about this?! It's ten in the morning so Champs-Elysees was virtually empty. View of Montmarte Le Sacre Coeur as it towers over the city. Devotion to the Sacred Heart started in France, you know. Musee d'art et d'histoire du Judaisme Tour Eiffel Owing to France's six-month presidency of the European Union, the tower is lighted in blue with the EU's twelve stars in the center. Pretty cool, huh?! Me at the top! Saint-Chapelle, another masterpiece in religious art. Another stop at McCafe. Iron works mounted on Notre-Dame's door. Conciergerie, where Marie-Antoinette was imprisoned among other noted figures in French history. Ahhh...at a real sidewalk cafe. I think I drank more coffee in France than I did in the past month. The only Filipino artifact that I could find in the Louvre: a bulol figure dating from the 15th century. L'Orangerie with Les Nymphéas as my backdrop. This museum is solely devoted to Impressionist art. My last photo of Paris in Charles de Gaulle airport. Forgive me for the orange bag.