Musée d'Orsay

We stopped by the Musée d'Orsay during our last week in Paris.  This museum is in a former train station and the space is really fun to explore.  We both highly enjoyed an exhibition on the Second French Empire in addition to the permanent collection.  We had a late lunch at a nearby tapas bar I've always wanted to try before walking over to the Jardin des Tuileries to soak in a little afternoon sunshine.

Château de Vincennes

We've spent a lot of time on this trip revisiting old favorites (our market, our bakery, etc.), but we've tried to check out a few new places as well.  One thing I always meant to do when we were living in Paris was to go out to the Bois de Vincennes, located just east of the city.  The Bois de Vincennes is a former royal hunting ground turned park that is three times the size of Central Park in New York.  It has a botanical garden, some sports facilities, lakes, walking and riding paths, forest, and a zoo, among other things.

We started our day with the Château de Vincennes.  The château grounds encompass a 14th century keep and the surrounding fortifications, as well as 17th century pavilions built for Louis XIV.

After exploring the château and the contemporary art installation currently occupying its spaces, we took a walk through the forests of the park, stopping at one of the lakes to enjoy a crêpe while people watching.

La Tour Eiffel

I'll never forget the first time I saw the Eiffel Tower.  I had arrived in Paris, checked into my hotel and set off walking across town in the general direction of the tower.  I remember getting my first peek of the tower between a few buildings and snapping a quick picture (which is up on the wall in our home) before continuing on to my goal.  We've visited the tower or spotted it from other points in the city countless times at this point, but I still love seeing it.  My favorite view is from the Place du Trocadéro and we took a quick trip over to that side of town last week to check it out.

Musée du Louvre

One of my recommendations for people visiting Paris is to walk around the courtyards of the Louvre and the Tuileries gardens just west of the museum.  Whether one is interested in tackling the collections in the giant museum or not, the building itself is spectacular.  

L'Arc de Triomphe

We went over to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées to revisit the Arc de Triomphe last week.  It was a beautiful day, and when we saw that there was no line for tickets to the terrace on top we decided to do it.  The lovely views were definitely worth climbing up 284 steps!