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Paris, France: January 25, 2011
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Day 3: The day began with breakfast (croissants and coffee) in our hotel. AD noted that even though this was our third day in Paris, she had yet to see the city during the day time. While I ate, I quickly figured out the metro stops to take us to our first destination for the day: Musee d’Orsay. Berni would end up meeting up with us later in the afternoon, so it was just me and the twin. Fortunately, we did not get too lost on our way to d’Orsay, mainly due to the number of signs pointing us in the right direction.
We arrived early enough to not have to wait in line too long, and the first section we hit was the Impressionism. One word: WOW. At one point, AD said to me, “I can’t believe I’m actually seeing this with my own eyes.” There was Van Gogh, Degas (which turned out to be my favorite), Manet, Monet, and Cezanne…just to name a few. I loved the ballerina paintings by Degas. There were little things that AD (a half-art major in college) pointed out to me, such as the way Degas highlighted the ballerina’s slipper by using color. I loved it. We spent a few hours here, just soaking up the sights around us. Quite a bit of the museum was under renovation and some pieces were even missing because they were donated to other exhibitions around the world. I’m definitely going to have to come back and see everything in its entirety one day. When we were done, we went to the gift store and I ended up buying a few prints of Degas art to hang up at home.
We departed Musee d’Orsay and started walking down Boulevard Saint-Germain to take advantage of the Soldes going on. Soldes is France’s government regulated sales that happen only twice a year. It was very hard for us to even walk a block because we kept stopping in stores, then crossing the street to go in the stores on the other side. We bought some gifts for friends as well as purses and clothes for ourselves. Time seemed to fly when we were shopping! I don’t even think we made it through half a mile of Saint-Germain. For lunch, we stopped at a sidewalk cafe and enjoyed croque monsieurs (AD’s first in Paris). It was yummy, but not the best I’ve had.
Next on our itinerary was Musee Marmottan. We were to meet Berni there at about 2 p.m., and we actually were able to find the place without getting lost! The museum was packed with people, mostly all French. I didn’t know this at the time, but apparently the Marmottan was having a special Monet exhibition, that included every piece of his work that was in its collection. We waited for Berni, but decided to go on without her since her lunch with friends was running late. The Monet pieces were fascinating; the entire bottom floor contained many pieces of his Nympheas, or waterlilies, and a lot of the Weeping Willow pieces. One room was dedicated to his caricature drawings before he was famous. It was literally a Monet heaven of hundreds of his Impressionist work. Sadly, I seemed to unknowingly overlook his famous piece Impression, Sunrise, from which the Impressionist movement took its name. Oh well, I’m just going to have to go back! I ended up getting a poster of this painting, which I will hang in my apartment.
We met Berni at the metro stop next to Palais Garnier, an opera house that shows ballets and operas. We were about 10 minutes too late, so we only got to see the outside of the building. We made our way towards the Madeleine church, which was beautiful inside. We also stopped into La Maison du Chocolat, which, as you can see from the name of the store, is known for their chocolates. We picked up more gifts for some friends and sampled the yummy chocolate. 
We walked along the streets of Paris along the Tuileries, and I made a mental note to come visit it on a separate trip when the flowers are in bloom and the trees are green. We walked into Angelina’s, a restaurant known for its delectable sweets.
After waiting a few minutes for a table, we ordered their famous hot chocolate, known as L’Africain, and a chocolate eclair to split. It tasted heavenly, although it did feel a bit weird eating something so sweet before dinner.
Nevertheless, it was a comforting treat that complemented the cold weather outside perfectly.
A ride on the metro a little later, and we encountered the sparkling Hotel de Ville and the picturesque ice skating rink in front. We did some souvenir shopping and I am now kicking myself for not buying more souvenirs for myself. We passed the Pompidou, and I made another mental note to visit the inside of this building. The Pompidou’s architecture is designed so that it has an exposed skeleton of all the mechanical systems and pipes. So cool!
Our next stop (via the metro) was at the Arc de Triomphe. We made our way through the underground tunnel to the entrance, then climbed the stairs (almost 200!) to the top and admired the spectacular views of the Eiffel, Champs Elysees, and La Defense. We lingered at the top for awhile, taking many pictures.
We were all hungry, so we went in search of dinner on the Champs Elysees and arrived at Leon des Bruxelles, a famous Brussels restaurant known for its moules et frites (mussels and fries). For starters, I ordered a warm goat cheese salad, and we all ordered kir vin blanc to drink. For the main entree, I passed on the mussels and instead ordered Flemmish Carbonnade, a traditional beef dish similar to a beef stew with a beer-base sauce. It was delicious! For dessert, we all ordered waffles. I accidentally poured too much chocolate sauce on it, so I only ate a few bites. As it turns out, there IS a limit to how much chocolate one can eat in one day.
The night ended with another trip on the metro to our hotel, and AD and I patted ourselves on the back for not getting lost once we exited the metro. Hooray!
