Paris Trip - Day 4

Day 4 was spent at the Louvre which is unbelievably huge! You could spend days inside and still not see everything! We arrived right after it opened and headed straight for the Mona Lisa. If you don't get there early to see it, the line gets ridiculously long and you don't get to actually see it up close...or at all. I had been warned that it was a bit underwhelming, and I would concur. It looks exactly like it does in the movies, but it was much smaller than I expected. After fighting the other tourists and selfie sticks for a clear view, we headed to see the Venus de Milo and spent the next several hours exploring all the nooks and crannies of the museum.

After taking a break back at the hotel, we hopped the subway to Luxembourg Gardens and spent the afternoon walking around this huge park. Parks are so different in Paris than in the States. In Europe, the grass is not meant to be walked on. Instead, there are dirt paths and all the grass and other landscaping is barricaded. It takes some getting used to. We enjoyed taking in the loveliness of our surroundings nonetheless.  After a lot of walking, we stopped in a boulangerie for lunch which we enjoyed by the pond. After lunch, we kept walking, did a little shopping and just enjoyed exploring a new neighborhood.

As we were walking, we happened across the Pantheon in the Latin Quarter. We stepped inside for a bit, but there wasn't a whole lot to see so we ended up heading back to our hotel to get ready for dinner at Ellsworth. This meal was, by far, my favorite of our entire trip. It was also, quite possibly, some of the most delicious food I've eaten in my entire life. It was tapas style so we ordered plate after plate of amazing food. The fried chicken was out of this world! Definitely a great way to end our 4th day!

The entrance to the Louvre

Still smiling...still gray and cloudy

It just goes on and on...

Of course, the architecture is amazing!

The Mona Lisa

This was the crowd first thing in the morning.

The Venus de Milo

I loved this open, airy courtyard.

The Senate Building and Luxembourg Gardens

The pond where kids were sailing boats

The Pantheon

A very large pendulum

Ellsworth

The best buttermilk fried chicken in the world!