Paris, Day 1, Part II

I remember seeing pictures of Paris Metro stops in my Art History text book. A classic example of Art Nouveau, this is the first Metro stop I saw in Paris and incidentally the way to our hosts' place. Not a bad way to travel. For more on the best Metro stops of Paris, go here. I am taking notes and ready for my next trip!

After some chocolate cake and tea, our hosts set off to show us the sights.

"What do you want to do while you're here?"

"Uh... I really want to go to the Eiffel Tower," I relplied sheepishly. I am such a tourist. I don't think I mentioned in my previous post that this is my first time in the City of Lights, and

I

A M

E S T A T I C !

So we went for a walk at the Place de la Concorde.

Sensationnel!

[Speechless.]

La Grande Roue

With the smell of crêpes wafting through the air, suddenly I was hit with a pang of unnecessary hunger that only hits you in France.

Les crêpes de jour.

mmmmmmmmmmmmm

Ham and cheese. Delicious (that's French for delicious.)

Another Parisian landmark, almost as iconic as the Eiffel Tower itself. La plus belle avenue du monde. (More on this later.)

Les Avenue des Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe.

Another sight from my Art History books:

Le Obélisque de Louxor

I don't know why, but this piece really sticks in my head.

It was stolen, er... moved from Egypt.

A few parting shots from Mr. Wonderful's Paris Flickr Set:

A view of the Place de la Concorde with one of the the two Fontaines de la Concorde.

Detail:

Qu'est-ce qu'un magnifique fontaine!

More gold and ornate detail from the walk:

I like how two people can experience the same place, and capture different views. Check out that scale:

Est très grand!

Getting closer...

Around the corner from ET (le Eiffel Tower), is the Musée du quai Branly designed by the Pritzker Prize winning French architect Jean Nouvel.

We hit a wall:

It's a gorgeous wall, but if you aren't looking for it, you'll miss it. Especially with ET in such close proximity.

A 90° view...

It looks like a forest, doesn't it?

If you look closely, you can see the felt pockets that the greenery is growing out of.
Another view:
Read and view more photos, including interior and larger exterior views of Patrick Blanc's Vertical Gardens.

And now for some happy Paris shots in a red coat!

Crossing 8 lanes of traffic in a round-about.

Scared for my life, but willing to die in Paris!

Why did the girl in the red coat cross the Seine?

To get to the other side.