44 PARIS PICTURES!! And an update on today!

Bonjour and ciao! So here are 44 (yes, I said 44) pictures of Paris. And I'm not even talking about Disneyland. I didn't even have the time yet to go through my Disneyland pictures from October 21. So, these are all pictures from Amy's and my experience in Paris on our birthday (the 20th)! I'll so the usual picture formatting, and then I'll spill my plan for Disneyland pictures, etc, at the bottom of this blog.

We started our day off at the Eiffel Tower. We went all the way to the top, where it was probably 20 degrees Fahrenheit or so. This picture is taken on the second deck of the Eiffel Tower (maybe just less than halfway up the Tower). In the background is Paris and a piece of the Palais De Chaillot.

A view from the top of the Tower, looking onto the Palais De Chaillot.

A shot of the Eiffel Tower from the Parc Du Champ De Mars.

The Eiffel Tower in all her glory.

A shot of the fountain and statues in front of the Palais De Chaillot.

Me, looking rather uptight (cold, maybe??) in front of the famed Arc De Triomph. A funny story: the rotary behind Amy and I must be the equivalent to 6 lanes wide or so. In order to get to the Arc, there is an underground walkway... an underground walkway that Amy and I didn't know about. so, there we were... dodging traffic, trying to run into the grounds of the Arc De Triomph, wondering why none of the other tourists were having this problem.

Amy looking dapper in front of the Arc.

France's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, housed underneath the Arc De Triomph.

A really incredible detail of the statues embedded within the walls of the Arc.

This speedboat was in a race around the world, and was touring some European ports. It just happened to be in Paris the day we were there. That could've also had something to do with the Rugby World Cup finals being the same night we were there as well... tourists mean money on tours of the boat. Either way, it's quite the cool design for a speedboat... half catamaran, half cigarette boat. South Africa won the World Cup by the way.

The Seine, with views of the Eiffel Tower and that great bridge.

Amy and I in front of the Seine.

Gorgeous bridge on a gorgeous day.

A panoramic I stitched up using Amy's photos of the Louvre.

A shot of the famed pyramid and its surroundings at the entrance to the Louvre.

I like this shot of the fountains, the pyramid, and part of the Louvre's facade.

Louis the 14th hanging out in front of the museum.

These pigeons in the Tuileries (the park in front of the Louvre) were overly friendly. They would actually climb up the legs of people to nab their food.

A fountain out in front of the Tuileries.

That same fountain.

Amy and I relaxing in the Tuileries about to continue our insane amounts of walking on this fine birthday!

Some statues and lawn in the Tuileries.

Because it was so cold in Paris, Amy and I were forced to buy hats. This is me trying on the one I eventually bought... a play on the Ferrari logo with the Eiffel Tower in its place. An excellent face.

Notre Dame. Words can't describe it... just amazing!

Amy and I in front of Notre Dame.

A side shot of Notre Dame from a bridge spanning the Seine.

Amy and I thought it would be appropriate to light candles inside Notre Dame and thank the proper authorities for the opportunity we were given.

Amy following suit... bundled up in her Paris scarf she found for 2 Euro... deal of the day!

On the streets of Paris... while shopping... we find this. NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT! Ridiculous!

An amazing lunch place recommended to us by my cousin, Johanna. Liquified chocolate bars constitute their hot chocolate.. I can still taste it!

These toilets are amazing... every time someone uses them (for free, nonetheless), they clean and disinfect themselves completely. This one may have leaked a little disinfectant (as seen on the street and sidewalk), but still, for porto-potties, these things went over and beyond the call of duty!

You can rent these automatic transmission bikes using an outdoor computer by the hour. A good way to get around the city... but Amy and I opted out, as we instead wanted to torture our feet some more.

A 1:1 scale replica of the Statue of Liberty's flame. Residents of Paris have since turned this into a remembrance site for Princess Diana.

Sunset at the Luxembourg Gardens.

The Centre Pompidou... an unbelievably gaudy project done by architect Renzo Piano. All of the building's infrastructure is color-coded and on the exterior of the building. Crazy to see! This is a museum, by the way, but the exterior of the building steals the show.

Centre Pompidou 2

Me in front of this "beaut" of a building.

The last of the Centre. The fake flower planter is actually just a "curtain" for the HVAC intake for the building.

Paris' Pantheon near sunset.

Sacre Courer, a basilica on top of Montmarte. Beautiful setting to welcome in the Parisian night-time. This place was absolutely enormous and stunning to see!

Sacre Courer 2

Sacre Courer 3, from just below the peak of Montmarte.

This is where we ate dinner within the Montmarte section of town. A pretty good restaurant, though not up to Parisian fanciness or tastiness standards.

Amy inside La Boheme.

That about does it for my Paris trip. And by Paris, I mean the trip not including Disneyland. I'll post those pictures tomorrow.

Today, I went to the Roman Baths (which were unfortunately closed; but I still got a good look), and to Circus Maximus. I'll get those pictures up tomorrow... I also have a funny apartment story to tell for tomorrow.

Tomorrow, instead of going to Siena (which I will now do on Thursday), I am going to the Catacombs (I didn't go today because I woke up too late after an insane-o weekend), the Trevi Fountain to actually throw coins in this time with Amy, the Medici house, and the National Museum of Rome. Then of course, the soccer game is at Olympic Stadium tomorrow night. I'm buying a jersey to support the team tomorrow during the day as well.

That'll do it. I'm exhausted. Talk to you all tomorrow! Enjoy the pictures!

The Wrap-Up on Paris, etc

So, I'm back in Rome now. Paris was absolutely 100% nothing short of amazing! And my surprise for Amy is now out of the bag and over... it was Disneyland Paris! We spent our day today (Sunday, 10/21) at Disneyland, and had an unbelievable time. We went on a handful of rides: Space Mountain, Rock 'n Roller Coaster, Star Tours, and Haunted Mansion (which they call "Phantom Manor"). We also went shopping, had lunch there, walked around the entirety of both parks, and just had a phenomenal time! I have to give credit to my parents for helping me come up with the idea for going to the park, and for paying for the tickets as a gift to us both. We both definitely appreciated it to no end.

I have approximately 815 pictures from this weekend to go through, and I'll probably pick the top 30 or so to post here. So give me at least a day to do that, please. I was yet again going to go to Cinque Terre tomorrow, but after so much walking these past few days, I am absolutely drained (not to mention it's 2 AM, and I would have to wake up at 5 to make the train). So, instead, my revised plan looks like Siena on Tuesday during the day, and Florence on Wednesday as planned. Cinque Terre will remain on my life's "to-do" list, which is fine; you always need a reason to come back! Tuesday night I'm going to a Lazio (the state Rome is in) SOCCER GAME at their Olympic Stadium! It is going to be absolutely amazing, and I cannot wait! I already have the tickets in hand!

The flight back from Paris was a bit delayed (Alitalia - they don't need a reason for being late... they're Italians), but it was smooth and I was able to get some shut-eye. I'm in studio now alongside Amy who has some work to do to catch up on her time out this weekend, but things are looking good for her as well.

I'll end the text here. Again, expect pictures sometime tomorrow evening (my time) to be posted. After that, things will go back to normal with my days' events being paired with their pictures immediately. Tomorrow I believe I'll be hitting the Catacombs and probably something else; maybe Circus Maximus, maybe something else... you shall soon see. Until my next post, au revoir... or, arrivaderci... or, good-bye... Oh man, I don't even know what language is the right one anymore!

PARIS FOR MY BIRTHDAY!!!! (And Amy's!!!)

Bonjour everybody! Paris was amazing today and I AM SHOT! Amy and I woke up at 6:30 this morning, and it is now 1 AM... we were in Paris from 9 AM until 12:15, and we were walking and going non-stop, but we saw so much! I took an unreal amount of pictures, which I will filter through and post a large amount on this blog. For tonight though, I'm just spent, so I'll just list all or most of the places we went today.

Eiffel Tower (took it to the top)
Parc Du Champ De Mars (Gardens Bordering the Eiffel)
Palais De Chaillot (Palace across from Eiffel)
Arc De Triomph
McDonald's (haha) on Champ Elysees (where I ordered "due McChickens and un Evian")
Champ Elysees Shopping
Walking Along the Seine River with Amy Girl
Louvre
Tuileries (Gardens alongside Louvre)
Angelina (a great restaurant near the Louvre with God-sent hot chocolate)
Centre Pompidou
Notre Dame
Pantheon (Paris' version)
Jardin Du Luxembourg
Palais Du Luxembourg
Shoe Shopping/Browsing Along Rue De Cherche-Midi
Basilica Sacre Courer
Dinner @ Montmarte

ALL IN ONE DAY!

Exhausting but well worth it. Off to bed now. I'll get pictures of the chateau in the AM before we leave, but don't expect any picture posts until I'm back in Rome late Sunday night (our time). Until then, au revoir!

Pictures of The Roman Forum, Campidoglio, Pantheon, Il Gesu, and The Spanish Steps... AND Notes on Paris!

So I am in PARIS at the Manoir De Gressy with Amy. It's a beautiful chateau in the metro-Paris area, in a village called Gressy. I'll get some pictures in the daylight tomorrow and post them here. The flight was smooth, the hotel is beautiful, and everything is shaping up as planned. Amy's birthday is in 13 minutes (as of when I'm writing this), and that means MY birthday is in 13 minutes too! Happy birthday to us! Anyway, without further ado, here are the 24 pictures I promised earlier:

An amazingly large arc within the Roman Forum. Amazing how something can be so old and still stay as solid as this. We should learn a thing or two back in the states.

A nice shot of the Temple of Saturn within the Roman Forum.

A shot from under the Temple of Saturn showing its sheer height.

Another temple within the Roman Forum.

One of my favorite shots of the Forum... just a few ruins with the very predictable Roman sun behind it. I tell you, the weather in Roma is something of the Gods.

Another of my famous panoramics. This one is of Michelangelo's Campidoglio. The campidoglio is Italy's version of capital hill, as it literally translates from "Capitoline Hill." Everything within the design of this complex, up to and including the pattern of the pavers along the grounds of the Campidoglio, was intentional and planned by Michelangelo.

One of the fountains outside the modern-day Capitol Building.

The guy on the horse in the middle of the Campidoglio is Marcus Aurelius.

The stairs which lead up to Capitoline Hill (Campidoglio).

The Pantheon... unbelievable. Need I say more?

The oculus within the Pantheon and the dramatic shadow it casts.

The inside of the Pantheon. Beautiful red marble everywhere.

Another shot of the inside of the Pantheon.

Another shot of the dome and oculus within the Pantheon. Absolutely gorgeous. The last of the exteriors of the Pantheon.

The interior of Il Gesu. Il Gesu is the mother church of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). It's facade is known as the first truly baroque facade. This church is absolutely stunning in decoration, and the frescoes, painted by Giovanni Battista Gaulli, are creative and unlike anything else I've ever seen. You'll see in some future pictures that he managed to paint these frescoes in a way that they look like 3D statues emerging from the ceilings. Unreal to see in person.

Another interior of Il Gesu.

The exterior of Il Gesu. Again, credited as the first truly baroque facade. As beautiful as it is, it still doesn't do the interior justice (in my eyes).

A Crucifix scene which they are restoring in one of the chapels of Il Gesu.

The eerily realistic fresco I referred to earlier. Just amazing how Gaulli could create this kind of dynamic at this scale!

Onto the Spanish Steps... this was a visit on the morning of Friday, the 19th, whereas the rest of this entry was from the 18th. This is a fountain in Piazza De Spagna, just in front of the Spanish Steps.

A shot while I was on the steps, eating my lunch while sitting on the handrail and people-watching. Though these steps don't really "get you anywhere," they're still a must-see while in Roma!

A shot through the balustrade while on the Spanish Steps and being harassed by the countless street "vendors."

From the bottom of the steps looking up. Definitely a hot spot in town!

That'll do it. As I warp up this entry, it is now officially my birthday and Amy's birthday. We're 22 and 21, respectively. Very exciting! And we're in Paris for our birthday! Even more exciting! There's not great cell service within the hotel, so if I normally call you, and you don't hear from me at the normal hours, no worries... I'll call while I'm actually in Paris tomorrow. But I will give it a shot from the room, as I'm getting one bar of service flickering in and out. That's enough blabbering. See you all soon! On with my birthday! Keep on checking back, and I'll keep on updating!