International Destination: Paris, France (Part 2)

And now, Part 2 of our trip to Paris!

Day 4:  Musée National d'Art Moderne at Centre Pompidou, L'epicerie, Napolean's Tomb and Musée de l'Armée, Arc de Triomphe and my first taste of Beef Bourguignon.

All of the bakeries have such a great spread, it's difficult to choose.  I also got yelled at for taking a picture inside...

After all these decadent pastries, I realized I haven't had a croissant yet.

A delicious apricot bread. 

We took the train to Centre Pompidou, which houses the Musée National d'Art Moderne, the national museum of modern art.

Yaacov Agam's Antichambre, commissioned by President Pompidou in 1971. 

Andy Warhol's Ten Lizes, 1963.

Verner Panton's Living Sculpture sofa, 1972.

There was also a Roy Lichtenstein special exhibit, but there was so much to see in the general collections that we skipped it.  

One of my friends from home recommended this place, and it did not disappoint.

Spice box inlaid tables.

A wonderful confit de canard salad.

After lunch, we headed to Les Invalides, a complex of buildings containing museums and monuments all related to France's military history. 

Inside Invalides, the royal chapel, which was built between 1677 and 1706.

The emblem of the Dôme des Invalides, the Dome Church.

The interior decorations produced at that time glorify Louis XIV, the monarchy and his armies.

There also resides a burial site of some of France's war heroes.  Pictured above is Napoloen's tomb.

A tribute to the Swiss Guard that defended the French during the revolution, similar to the Lion in Lucerne.  Afterwards, we also went to the military history museum , which was fascinating and a nice change of pace from our prior days of fine art.

Afterwards, we hopped on the train to head across the city to Arc de Triomphe!

The Arc de Triomphe honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.  Beneath the vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.

We entered the Arc and walked up many stairs to get to the top.

Lady Liberty and me looking fierce and determined, to win!

On top of the Arc!

Of course, on the way out, they make you pass by the gift shop.  Nothing says Parisian food like pasta in the shapes of the Eiffel tower, Arc de Triomphe and Notre Dame.

And dinner at La Varangue, a cozy family owned restaurant recommend by Rick Steves!

A creamy lobster bisque.

We didn't get enough duck in our salad, so a second, meatier helping of confit de canard.

Beef Bourguignon!  My first time trying and it was delicious!

Apple pie.

Rich chocolate cake.

Day 5:  Chateau de Versailles.


We woke up early on Saturday to catch the train from Paris to Versailles.  We had bought tickets in advance online to avoid the long lines...or so we thought.

Despite arriving just as the Palace opened (9AM), you can see that there was already a LONG security line to enter.  Not even rain and cold weather would deter these visitors.  Thankfully, we were able to avoid the separate ticket line, which was just as long.

Frolicking along in Versailles!

Versailles was the center of political power in France until 1682 until the French Revolution forced the royal family to move back in Paris in 1789.

Incredibly ornate, to the point of excess.  Also, very crowded!

The Hall of Mirrors!

The second copy of "The Coronation of Napoleon."  The first one was seen at the Louvre.

Pausing for a quick lunch break after we left the Palace.  We had to check in our bags (including our food) before entering.

Next up, exploring the grounds of Versailles:

Here is the Bosquet des Sources - La Colonnade.  The center statue depicts the abduction of Persephone.

The Apollo Fountain, showing the Sun god riding his chariot.

The Dragon Fountain.

Walking to Marie-Antoinette's house (a good 2 km/1.2 mile walk away from the Palace!)

Marie-Antoinette's estate, a haven of privacy to escape from the rigors of court.

Much less ornate than the Palace, but still beautiful.

Blown away by her estate!

Not only did Marie-Antoinette have an estate to retire to, she had another "rustic" retreat, Hameau de la Reine (the Queen's Hamlet) .

Designed by her favorite architect, Richard Mique, the place resembles a fairy-tale village.

The Moulin, a watermill cottage built just for Marie Antoinette.

Standing demurely by the Marlborough Tower.

Not even bad weather could stop us from enjoying this splendor.

Even the train back to Paris resembled the ceilings of Versailles.

Saturday night is typically a very busy night for restaurants, so reservations are highly recommended.  Many of the recommended places were fully booked.  Fortunately, there was an open Indian restaurant that was quite good.

Even though it wasn't French food, it was such a treat to have Indian food, since we have yet to find good Indian food in Zurich.

I feel like the French do all breads well, including naan.

Random Fact:  The Swiss Ms and I had our first date at an Indian restaurant.  Happy one year anniversary!

Day 6:  Breakfast and strolling around.

Since we were leaving Paris in the afternoon, we decided to take it easy and eat a leisurely brunch at Cafe du Marche on Rue Cler.

  

What a beautiful day!  Too bad the weather wasn't this great yesterday when we were at Versailles!  Lines were incredibly long to go up the Eiffel tower, so we decided to skip it and stroll the park instead.

Back at the train station to go back home to Zurich.

We hoped you enjoyed reading about our trip to Paris!

-Herr Cervelat