Paris, Part II

Intense foot pain may be Mandi's most lasting memory from our next section of the trip, but I had a great time!  We saw the Arc du Triomphe erected by Napoleon and then walked down the famous Champs Elysees to the Louvre.  The walk took much longer than expected, especially since we had been walking all day already.  

It was quite windy.

Gateway of the Petit Palais, an exhibition hall built for the World's Fair in 1889.

The Place de la Concorde, where Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI were beheaded.  The palace is in the background.

3500 year old Egyptian obelisk from Luxor

The Louvre

We finally made it to the Louvre, and it was so worth it.  We got in free since we were under 26 and since we came in the evening the lines were minimal.  We had the place almost to ourselves for the most part.  We saw lots of famous pieces and got lost in the Egyptian wing.  We both wished we would have had more time, as the museum was truly amazing.

Entrance to the Louvre

Great thinkers from left to right: Freeman, Plato, Aristotle, Socrates

The Venus de Milo

The Mona Lisa had intense security.

The Raft of the Medusa

Liberty Leading the People

Coronation of Napoleon

Egyptian hieroglyphics

Ancient Akkadian

Babylonian statues

Ancient Babylonian

The Code of Hammurabi, one of the most ancient law codes in the world.  You would not believe the trouble we had trying to find this thing.  Mandi was so tired I had to leave her at the front and go find it myself before the museum closed.

Inscriptions on the Code of Hamurabi

 The Eiffel Tower

The next morning, before heading off to Versailles, we finally got around to seeing the Eiffel Tower.  Originally constructed for the World's Fair in 1889, the Tower is of course the icon of Paris.  But the people hated it when it was first built--they thought it was hideous.  Nowadays, one can't picture Paris without it, but it's funny to think that it's only 123 years old.  What did people think of when they thought of Paris before that, I wonder?