Paris, for us, was punctuated by rain and lots of people. Storms seemed to come out of nowhere, and only about half of the time we were prepared with rain jackets and umbrellas. We hoped the rain would wash some of the other tourists away, but it didn't seem to do the trick. Everywhere we went, there were lines, but we remained persistent and as patient as possible and were able to still accomplish everything we hoped to do. 

We arrived on a train from Belgium and immediately located Carly's brother-in-laws' family who live along one of the metro lines in Paris. In the two or so days we spent with Jaden's parents and little brother and sister, we became very close.

The first tourist site we visited was Saint Chapelle, an old church near Notre Dame with over 6,000 square feet of stained glass windows. Even on a cloudy day, the light shined through the glass to create a dazzling effect. After visiting so many cathedrals, this one still stood out. At the recommendation of one of Austin's co-workers, we next took a tram up to an artist neighborhood called Montmartre, where one gets a commanding view out over Paris and selfie sticks proliferate. 

Austin's favorite stop was the palace and gardens at Versailles. Built by a handful of Louis's, it's an architectural masterpiece. Some of its most striking features are the Hall of Mirrors, the Neptune Fountain, and the king's bed, where privileged members of the public could come and watch his majesty wake up and go to sleep every night. Part of the allure of a monarchy is the pomp and circumstance, and the French kings apparently incorporated it into even those most intimate of occasions. Another interesting site at Versailles is the Petite Trianon, a sort of "country house" or smaller palace where Marie Antoinette found solace. To escape from royal pressures and obligations, she had an architect build a small town/lake hamlet from scratch were she could pretend to be free within the walls of her kingly compound. The isolation she felt was almost debilitating. Soon the real outside world, which she tried to imitate in an idealized way, came crashing through the palace gates via the French Revolution and sent both her and her husband to the guillotine. 

Also in Versailles is a gallery that features scenes from all of France's most historic battles from 700 AD to the 1800's. The Battle at Yorktown, where the French intervened against the British to help win American independence is prominently displayed.

After the French disposed of their king and experimented with a type of bloody anarchy, they turned to an equal if not more strong armed leader named Napoleon, whose grave we visited in the Army Museum. Additionally, we toured a small section of the Louvre, where we viewed Greek and Roman statuary along with paintings from the Renaissance, Baroque, and Romantic traditions. The Mona Lisa was small and disappointing. Her mysterious smile is intriguing but so also are the contents of other rooms that show more skin. Just kidding, Grandma.

Finally, we visited the Eiffel Tower, the Arch de Triumph, and the Paris Catacombs. Carly really enjoyed the catacomb tour, where the bones of over six million Parisians are displayed. The tunnels originally served as limestone quarries. Later, they became opportune places to re-bury the dead. During the 18th and early 19th centuries, Paris had a problem with cemetery overcrowding, which posed a public health hazard. A massive effort was therefore undertaken to empty the contents of polluting cemeteries into the quarries underground. And so today, tourists can pay for a 45-minute tour of piles and piles of bones, sorted by type in a dark, wet, and claustrophobic atmosphere...which you would, if you happen to be a Biology nerd who teaches anatomy, find most enjoyable.