Paris! Part II

The next day after our usual breakfast we headed to Versailles. The royal palace in Versailles was the official residence of the Kings of France from 1682-1790. This palace is massive! I'm sure that we missed some rooms when walking through, but it's just so big! It has over 700 rooms, 2,000 windows, 1,250 fireplaces, 67 staircases, and more than 1,800 acres of garden area. We would imagine it would take forever to find anyone or anything! Each room served a different purpose and was decorated with paintings, sculptures, furniture, and more. The ceilings and walls were adorned with elaborate moldings and wallpaper or paintings. One room, the Hall of Mirrors, is especially famous as it was the sight of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles at the end of World War I.

Inside the gates.

Just outside the palace.

A room in the palace.

The Gardens.

Hall of Mirrors.

Room with paintings.

After Versailles, we took the train back into Paris. As we walked towards Sacre Coeur we stumbled by Moulin Rouge. It was nothing spectacular on the outside, but cool to see something that once was and is a place for extravagant shows and attractions.

Moulin Rouge.

After lunch we headed towards Sacre Couer. Sacre Couer is a Roman Catholic Church and minor basilica. It is located on the highest point in Paris and gives you great views of the city.

Our last stop of the day was Arc di Triomphe. We bypassed the line (thank you museum passes!) and were able to climb all the way to the top. Here is where we had spectacular views of the Eiffel Tower and the rest of Paris.

Arc de Triomphe

Arc De Triomphe at night.

The next day we went to the Eiffel Tower. A picturesque day, the Eiffel Tower had the perfect background for viewing. It was simply gorgeous. Located on the Champs de Mars (an incredibly large public green area) the Eiffel Tower is one of the most recognizable structures in the world. It was built in 1889 as an entrance arch into the 1889 World's Fair and was the tallest building in the world until 1930 when the Chrysler Building was built.

We were in awe of its beauty and captivated by its size. Who would have thought that interlaced iron shooting up into the sky would look so magnificent?

Luckily, we had bought our tickets in advance so we skipped the ultra long lines and went right into an elevator. We got off on the second platform (there are three) in order to switch elevators to go to the top. Once we got to the summit we were welcomed with impressive views of the city. Because of the clear day we were able to see for miles. It was fun picking out the places we had already been to. As if we didn't need another reason to love Paris, the Eiffel Tower provided the best views of the city, as well as providing its own beauty to the skyline. Simply amazing!

View from the top

View from the 2nd platform.

Taking the stairs down.