the city. of lights.

Bonjour from Paris, the city of lights!! My oh my we have so much to tell!! Let the weekend begin.

Our exciting journey began on Friday afternoon with a plane ride from Pisa to Paris. Our airline, Ryan Air, is an extreeemely cheap airline which caters to European travels. They do things quite differently.. after all, we did pay around 80 euro for round trip so we can't complain. Ryan Air has many rules. First off, one bag. This means your purse, computer, and carry on all go into one small bag which must meet airline restrictions. Next, there are NO assigned seats. This means everyone on your flight is crammed into your gate trying to be the first to board. Needless to say, it gets a little cozy in the waiting area. And last but not least, this airline has found a way to make their money by operating much like QVC. Perfumes, calling cards, snacks, and drinks are just a few of the items up for grabs on Ryan Air.

We made our way to Paris after an hour and a half bus ride from the airport. Jennifer's parents met us at the bus station and within a short time we had checked into our hotel located a block off from the Champs-Elysees and around the corner from the Arc de Triomphe. A night stroll along the Champs-Elysees and with the Eiffel Tower setting the backdrop... life couldn't get much better. We called it a semi-early night and headed to bed.

Bright and early, we woke up to the sound of the local bars across the street. Parisians party a little differently than those in the States. 10 a.m. and they were still hanging around? That's just straight mind boddeling. Our first stop of the day was the Notre Dame Cathedral, known for its splendid gothic architecture. Flying Buttresses and gargoyles defined the exterior while rose windows illuminated the interior of the cathedral. After Notre Dame we headed over to Conciergerie (the prison where Marie Antoinette was held captive) and Saint Chapelle (the palatine chapel built to house the precious relics of Christ's Crown of Thorns). The afternoon consisted of a visit to the Louvre. And like all other tourists in the world, we headed straight to the Mona Lisa. After a 5 million dollar renovation, the Mona Lisa rests on a wall all by itself protected by a glaring glass. It's rather small and dark, but thanks to our friends, we had anticipated this. The pic shows our personal view of Da Vinci's most famous artwork, we apologize for the poor quality. The night finished with a climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, providing us with a spectacular view of the area we were staying in.

Sunday was beyond busy, including much anticipated museum hopping. We began with the Orsay, which houses some of the most famous impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces including the works of Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, and Renoir. Hands down, the highlight of our trip. We had been looking forward to seeing these works for quite some time and because of this, we decided to purchase the 5 euro audioguides (Perhaps the best 5 euro we have spent on this trip). After spending almost three hours studying these works we decided to head over to the Orangerie which houses Claude Monet's water lilies. The building was recently renovated in 2006, and designed specifically to house Monet's collection known as the Nympheas. Oval rooms reveal his artworks stretched from wall to wall and illustrate the view of these water lilies from sun up till sun down. Extraordinary architecture and extraordinary artwork... we were both in awe. Final stop of the afternoon before the Eiffel Tower... the cemetery. And no, this is not just your typical cemetery. It is now home to the late Jim Morrison, Chopin, Oscar Wilde and Victor Noir to name a few. Over 3,000 individuals are buried in the Pere Lachaise, which is covered by beautiful greenery and sculpture masterpieces. Our final stop for the day was, yes you guessed it, the Eiffel Tower. Constructed in 1889 and designed by Gustave Eiffel, the tower is the single most visited paid monument in the world (thanks to our contribution :) ). Two quick elevator rides up and there we were, 1,000 feet in the air and surrounded by the city of lights. Our view, stretching 37 miles out, is one beyond description... Perhaps the pictures can give you some ideas. The combination of the height and the windchill took our breathe away. What a perfect way to end our evening in Paris.

As tradition goes, we'd like to continue sharing with you all the things Italians do quite differently in this country. For starters..

- Fresh produce. Italians take a lot of pride in their produce display. When shopping for these fruits and vegetables, do NOT, I repeat do NOT touch these with your bare hands. If you dare, you will be scorned by an old lady at the least or perhaps shooed away.

- Mopeds, Vespas, Bikes, Scooters.. these are all common forms of transportation. With the medieval city layout, roads are narrow and parking is hard to come by. These devices allow the Italians to travel from place to place with much ease and little gas. We would loooove to have one of our own. Just think of the extraordinary gas mileage on these things...

More excerpts from our journals:
" We've been from yes to si to oui within this past month. Unbelievable." (Jaclyn in reference to our many languages between America, Italy, and France).

" Look at the flock of idiots who came to see this one painting, oh wait... I am one of them." (Reaction to the Louvre and the Mona Lisa. Don't let us kid you, we truly did enjoy Da Vinci's masterpiece.)

Today we had our last lecture for Collier's class and ended the evening by cooking for Jennifer's parents. Somehow we managed to NOT burn the apartment down, mission complete! We leave for Venice in the morning, 8:30 to be exact. We are hoping to get acquainted with the gondoliers, wish us luck :) Until our next blog..

Molto Amare,

Jack and Jenn

CIAO!!!

p.s. We just want to send a special shout out to Marsha, our biggest fan. Without your comments, we would think no one read our blog.... merci!!!