Hey, all this stuff really exists!

The Louvre. Today we tackled the biggie. When I first saw this place I felt like the first time I saw the Grand Canyon. Overwhelmed. I actually teared up. This is one of those places you read about in school that everyone talks about as amazing. They describe it with reverence. And, as a high school sophomore, you're thinking...whatever. Just like the Grand Canyon, you just don't get it till you actually see it!

We walked up to the museum and got in the immense line. It was a three hour wait from where we were. We didn't realize that the first Sunday of every month is free admission. Oh, boy.

After standing there for a few minutes a lady came up to me and said, "You speak english right? " I was worried she was some sort of scam artist, so I just kind of nodded and played dumb. She said, "I promised myself when I came out of the museum that the next English person I saw I would tell that there is another entrance from the underground mall with no line!"

Riggghhhhttt. Well, we decided to check it out and not ten minutes later we were in the Louvre. Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas all rolled into one!

The end of the line. Three hours.

Inside, ten minutes after the Line Fairy showed up. Even the staircase is a work of art.

Statues in the first gallery we went into. The lighting and way they were displayed was fantastic.

The hallways as we were walking to see the biggies: Venus de Milo and The Winged Victory of Samothrace.

Real. And Huge. Winged Victory.

The ceiling in the Grand Hall. This is where you walk and see every painting you saw in any art history book having to do with European paintings from the 13th century on. And they really do exist!

That little dark square at the end of the pic is the Mona Lisa. I loved the crowd around it. People were taking pictures like nobody's business. People were so busy photographing and trying to get their pictures with it that I'm not sure they even saw it. I've heard that she can be disappointing. I wasn't. It's the MONA LISA, people.

My absolute favorites. These are two of four by Guiseppe Arcimboldo. I was so excited to see these in person. I've shared these with my students so many times and they always love them. And I saw them in person. So cool.

In a very loooonnnngggg hallway of 'Madonna and child-type' paintings, here was the one we voted ugliest baby. Check out that baby's face. The poor kid looks like he's sixty -five with sideburns. Unfortunate. Kev did like that he was giving the peace sign.

I'm you Venus.

Early book? But, of course.

And, finally, if you get to the louvre you should know a few rules.

If you use flash photography, your camera will explode.
If you you run in the gallery, you will be speared in the head.
If you touch another's boob, your hand will be severed.
If you talk loudly in the gallery, you will be speared in the head.

Just FYI.

A day for play in gay Paris

Our first full day in Paris was crazy in a Lynch sort of way. While most people would have the Louvre or Notre Dame on their itinerary, we took a bit of an unusual turn.

First up, we went for a quick breakfast and stumbled upon some amazing covered alleys(?) filled with old shops and beautiful interiors.

When we got to Luxembourg Gardens it was overwhelming in its size. 60+ acres of beautiful flower beds and a huge-ass palace where the French Senate meets.

We rented these adorable little sail boats that you maneuver with a long pole around a big pond filled with ducks and a fountain in the center. Darbs got Denmark, Kevin got the US(loser) and I got what I like to refer to as the Flying Turtle!

My boat was clearly superior and won all sorts of challenges that Kevin made up. They are clearly little feats of genius- we sailed them for a half hour and they never toppled or stopped moving. (And, they aren't motorized!)

View of the Luxembourg Palace.

Next, it was off to the Gay Pride Parade. We thought it serendipitous that the first poster we saw when we got Paris was advertising the parade...we are big fans of pride in Chicago. Therefore, it was our moral duty to check out and compare the Paris version of pride.

We checked the route and made sure that we got to a cafe a couple hours ahead. We wanted to make sure we had good seats. In Chicago of you're not at the Kit Kat at least three hours in advance, you're out of luck. Not so here in Paris. We waited. And waited. And waited for signs of activity. About 15 minutes before the parade things finally started hopping. And then it went CRAZY!

Darby getting an up-close shot of a drag queen.

That was the bus shelter we started off under but then quickly evacuated as kids started hopping up and dancing. I was worried it was coming down.

At the end of the parade, the police came into the square with full riot gear to clear everyone out. No exceptions. Yikes. Do not mess around with the French police.

Kevin and I dropped off Darby at the apartment...she needed her gmail fix. We headed to the gay bars in our neighborhood. Quite a blast and as crazy as Chicago.

A fun day of play and gay in Paris.

Locked in love.

One of the most charming customs here in Paris is taking your true love and a lock and key and heading to one of the bridges that crosses the Seine. You are supposed to put your names on the lock, lock it to the bridge, throw the key into the river and, of course, your love will last forever. Charming. Sweet. Romantic in the city of romance.

A few of the locks.

Some old, some new. (You can buy them from a street vender right on the bridge. He'll let you use the sharpie of your choice for no extra charge.)

The water is high because there are so many keys in the water.

Wondering if the couple who left this big old lock will be more successful than the couple who locked the tiny blue one?

A fresh lock being attached. Awww.

Very artistic right next to regular joe.

Not sure about sweet Lydia. Her name was all alone- I think she was pretty happy in her singleness.

Funnily, we perused quite a few locks. None of them dated later than 2008. Saw a couple who searched for their lock for quite a long time with no success. The lock was gone but they looked pretty happy. ;)

Hello, Paris.

We arrived in Paris on Friday afternoon. Beautiful and warm. The whole time I was on the train all I could hear in my head was, "riding on the metro-ooo-ooo!"

Hello, Metro.

We got into our apartment, which is in the morais neighborhood. It's a hopping area, with a good mix of grungy, cheap, boutique, hipster. Kind of like the crotch (damen/division/Milwaukee) in Chicago.
The apartment is cute and is has a washing machine. Needless to say that baby has been cranking since we got here.

Bad news...no dryer. Our windows have been looking like a rummage sale display.

The funny thing about our place is the staircase. Darby has fondly titled them the stairs of death. There seems to be a bit of construction going on.

Sturdy, but a bit precarious after a few glasses of fine French wine.

This is the kitchen/dining/ living area all in one compact bundle.

Our bedroom. Darbs is delighted to be on the pullout with like 8 fat comforters.

We decided to walk a bit the first day to get a lay of the land.

Hello, Louvre.

Hello, eiffel tower.

Hello, model doing a jeans photo shoot.

Hello, arc de triumphe.

Hello, lock bridge.

Good night, Paris.