So much to catch up on! Second day in Amsterdam was Rijksmuseum (Rembrandt, Vermeer, etc), the Anne Frank House Museum, and the Floating Flower Market (tulips!).
The second night in Amsterdam...stomach illness!! This then led to a delay in our itinerary as we missed the train to Brussels Tuesday morning as I was in no shape for travelling. Fortunately Courtney was not affected, and fortunately Pharmacies are very helpful in Amsterdam, as we got hold of some medicine and were able to catch a later train to Brussels and catch our original connection to Paris from there. (We had originally planned to spend 5 or so hours in Brussels.)
Got to Paris in time for a late dinner next door to the hotel...AND enjoyed the view OF THE EIFFEL TOWER from our hotel room window!!! (see sideways picture)
First full day in Paris...feeling prety well back to normal...good thing because we planned and executed a very full day! Went to Sacre-Couer in the morning, which is a Catholic church in the area of Montmarte...highest elevation in Paris...beautiful inside and out...no pictures can be taken inside, so I'll have to keep those in my memory. We walked up a 300-step spiral staircase to get to the top of the dome and enjoy even better views of the city. It was neat...they certainly didn't fix it up for tourists...its a narrow, steep staircase that makes you feel like you are in the middle ages and you're a preist having to go up and tend to the bell tower!
Ate lunch in Montmarte area, then hopped on the metro to the Arc de Triomphe to see the tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the views up the famous boulevard, the Champs-Elysees, toward the Louvre. We then walked up Champs-Elysees, past the Grand Palace, the Place de la Concorde, and the Jardin des Tulleries, to the "Little" Arc and the HUMONGOUS Louvre Museum, with its famous glass pyramid outside. I was VERY impressed with the Louvre, its massive collection, and its beauty. We had a night ticket, which allowed us to enjoy the museum from 6-9:45pm. We used the audio guide headphones, with which you were able to choose a theme or an area and the audio told you what you were looking at and everything about it. Saw the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, the Marly Horses, the Winged Victory of Samothrace (Nike), and Napoleon's apartments. Amazing! Like nothing I've ever seen before.
Out to dinner near hotel after that then this post, now off to bed. Versailles tomorrow!
P.S. So many pics to choose from, too tired to edit well, and blogger doesn't let you move anything around after its uploaded, so they are in reverse chonological and one is sideways...I will get better!
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