On our first day in Paris, we went to the Louvre Museum, the Jardin de Tuilleries, and walked down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomph.  Here we are on one of the bridges across the Seine River.  The French Institute is in the background. Here's a view of the Seine River, with the Isle of the City in the background.  Paris originated on that island and gradually spread outward.
On our way to the Louvre Museum's entrance.  The Louvre is enormous.  Formerly the palace of the Kings of France, it is over 800 years old.   It forms a large courtyard.  To get in, you go down through this odd glass pyramid and come back up in the wings of the building.

To the left and right are some sculptures John was interested in.
Here we are inside the Louvre.   (left) Herodias, presumably, with the head of John the Baptist.

 

 

(right) Life imitating art...

 
(Left) Yup, her eyes really do follow you around.  Surprisingly, photos were allowed in the Louvre.  

 

(right) The famous Venus de Milo, a statue of  Venus, aka Aphrodite.  Notice the rippling abs.
The Jardin de Tuilleries, on our way to the Arc de Triomph.  Too bad the weather was overcast.  It was a nice walk in a very well groomed garden.
This is where the guillotine once stood during the French Revolution (Ever played the card game "Guillotine"?).  Now the space is occupied by an Egyptian obelisk, given by Egypt to France.   The Arc de Triomphe.  It dates back to 1806, when Napoleon commissioned an arch to memorialize the glory of the French Army. It was not finished until 1836. The Arc de Triomphe is built on the model of ancient Triumphal Arches, but is much bigger:  50 meters tall and 45 meters wide (164 by 148 feet).
Earlier in the afternoon, we stopped into a Paris sidewalk cafe in the Latin Quarter. This is where we had dinner.  Ming had steak tartar, an unusual dish because it's a fillet of raw beef.  It was very, very good!  Mmmmm....

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