For the past two days we’ve been playing the typical American (tourist) in Paris.  We got a 3 day museum pass on the 8^th, and after the Louvre and Musee d’Orsay, we have now also been to Versailles, the Parliament Museum, the Eiffel Tower, the Arch of Triumph, Sainte Chapelle, and the National Museum of Modern Art in the Centre Pompidou.  So we have covered all the art periods one can think of, and we topped it all off with a Cabaret last night.

 

Now we are back in our tiny hotel room, recovering.  Our room is so small there is no where large enough to open our suitcase.  The shower is so small we have to turn off the water to get soaped up – and we won’t even mention the price!  Last night we ended up in a “bad” neighborhood for dinner.  One restaurant listed appetizers at $75!  We finally found a deli and were able to put together a meal for just $50!  J  But the food is still fabulous!

 

So, for some sage advice from your now seasoned tourists?  If you have only one day to spend in Paris – do the Louvre and skip Versailles.  The Louvre had more really cool architecture and rooms, and they were in better restored condition.  Besides – you get into the entire Louvre for one low price, and Versailles is split up into several smaller sections, some of which are not covered by the museum pass.

 

On the other hand, Jon really liked the Parliament Museum at Versailles.  It was all in French, but we were able to understand at least the basic history of France from 1789.  It is fascinating to realize how much our two countries have dealt with the same issues throughout the past 200 years – slavery, equal rights, abortion, suffrage, labor laws, etc.