Paris part deux

 Yes, we finally, after a week of being in Paris, went to the Louvre,

See!  Here we are!

  aka the largest and most impressive art museum of the western world (their words, not mine).  Home to more paintings, sculptures, and tour groups than you can shake a stick at.  Turns out it's very easy to get "museumed out," no matter how inspiring the art.  And some of it is very inspiring.

I wanted to start another revolution myself, and I'm not even French!

  Most of our visit can be summed up in the following pictures:

Yep, there it is, but I'm too exhausted to be impressed

This is what you go through to see it.

I've been there several times before, and it turns out that it's usually not that much more impressive to stand in front of a great painting than it is to google "Mona Lisa," for example, and look at it for a while from the comfort of your own couch.  Just my opinion.  That's not to say that you can't have some fun while there and see some great things:

The Crown Jewels, for example

They wouldn't let me try it on, no matter how nicely I asked (in French, even!).

A child-sized crown.  Awwwww

At last!  Art!  I like the look of that fellow on the end...

Ah ahm soooooo French!

Ah finally, great art that I can relate to!  Weird looking kids have always existed, and even weirder parents have always dressed them up.

Not all art is great art, some is just pictures of fish.

I think we're thinking the same thing...

Cardinal Richlieu, a la Three Musketeers!  We were shocked to discover he actually looked like this.

The Code of Hammurabi

Of all the things in the Louvre, I think the Code of Hammurabi is the least appreciated.  It is one of the earliest known works of law, laying the groundwork for the idea of justice, government, constitutions..."An eye for an eye," anyone?  It is really cool to see something so influential in the development of mankind just hanging around.  Again, the Louvre is exhausting, and I felt like this by the end:

OK, you win, just don't hit me again, Louvre!

After the Louvre, we went to the Eiffel Tower, and this time, we were victorious in making it to the top. We've been trying almost every day to do it, but this time we succeeded!  The view from the top is awesome!

There's nothing else even close to being as tall at the tower, so the view is the best in all of Paris.  We were thankful that we didn't have to climb the steps, for sure!

I know it's in metric, but it's tall, trust me!

This was taken with my arm out over the edge.  Yikes!

The Eiffel Tower is 178 Brannan's tall.  And yes that is a standard unit of measurement.

Well, a great, touristy day overall, more to come, including the Rodin museum, and two arches (one by accident).  Stay tuned!