How Some Window Shopping...

Is it a crime if you are interested more in shop windows then the the artwork kept in the Louvre? Hope not! There was a street with a couple of department stores, one called Galeries Lafayette and all the windows were so decorated. I wasn't sure if it was for Christmas or just because, but here are a few of them...

I expect the Christmas table to be decorated in this fashion, ha, just kidding.

Christmas season has arrived!

Even the ceilings were ornate here too!!

Mona Lisa Anyone?

The home of Mona Lisa and tons of other art and surprisingly pictures were allowed inside. The architecture was almost as great as all the artwork through the out the Musee de Louvre.

This is a sign to for Louvre but its hard to tell with it all in glass!

Outside the Louvre, you entered underground through the pyramid!

View from the inside window looking out, you can see the Eiffel Tower in the distance!

Yup, here it is Mona Lisa, and that is as close as we could get. I'm quite surprised we were even allowed to take pictures!

The ceilings were so ornate all the way through, but especially in the King Louis XIV room!

Crown Jewels of King Louis XIV

No its Not High at All....

You could see everything from the top, words can't explain well nor can pictures but I tried...

View from the first landing

The distance well still had till the top

Now at the top of the Tower!

Paris is so small, isn't it!?

Tour De Eiffel by Day and Night...

The first glimpse of the Eiffel Tour was disappointing, well we were standing really far away so it looked really small. Once getting right up to it though it was great, and well like a said before 9/10ths of my pictures are of the Eiffel Tower, but here are a few.
By Day...






By Night...

When we were walking away these lights came on it was great!

Next, to the top!

Off to Paris!

In Paris I took 405 photos, and I could not decide which ones to pick so I posted them all so sit down and enjoy...okay just kidding! I couldn't believe I took that many photos, it was great. Probably about 300 of them were of the Eiffel Tower. The trip to Paris was smooth sailing, no one missed their flight and got their baggage searched, the only request was that I was never allowed to book the hotel/hostel ever again. I searched for the cheapest it even had decent reviews, but for some reason Collin and Shannon did not approve of the two random roommates, one key between six people, luggage unattended, not allowed in the rooms between 9.00-3.00, the bunk beds with plastic so you could ever move someone made, and well the world's dirtiest shower. But hey seriously we were never in the room, we were to busy walking the city.

The trip was great and well tiring with attempting to sleep in the airport and basically walking the city from one end to the other. Contrary to popular belief the city did not seem that dirty at all, the dirtiest was our hostel bathroom.Arc de Triomphe

Place de la Concorde, its actually the oldest structure in Paris given by the Egyptians.

Notre-Dame Cathedral

The Moulin Rouge!!!

Place de la Bastille, prisoners were kept here, well underground.

The street performers posing, glad they did it for free, that would have not been the case in Milan!

Yup, that is the Eiffel Tower behind us!

Toasting at the Piano Bar! This one was for you Mrs. Craven!

Locked Up in the London Tower

Finally, four weeks left and made in it the London Tower! You know the place that Anne Boleyn was beheaded, and Bloody Mary kept prisoners, like her half sister Queen Elizabeth...that place. To my surprise its not a tower its a castle with walls and used to have a moat. It also is the home of the crown jewels, no pictures allowed. They were amazing, to bad it wasn't the hands on part of the museum. The Tower was built in the 1078 by William the Conqueror. It has been used for everything from prisoners to the royal families home. Its located on the Thames River next to the Tower Bridge which is mistaken usually for the London Bridge.

Trying to get it all in one shot.

Setup of the King's bedroom way back when.

Stairway, so old!

White Tower

The Crown Jewels were in there!

King Henry VIII's suite of armor! Can you tell he really wanted a boy?