Partinage sur le Tour Eiffel

This past friday I went ice skating on the Eiffel Tower... which was awesome! There is only an ice skating rink there for about 6 weeks in the winter. However to get there i had to walk up ... 

stairs... well about 400 to get the first level, where the ice skating rink is. Below is a view from the stairs up to the top. There is an elevator for those who don't want to walk up all the stairs. But for those of us who eat our body weight in bread each day. The stairs were it. 

Ice skating was fun though! The rink was tiny, and the skates were pretty loose on my feet but it was worth it. I mean how many people can say that they ice skated on top of the Eiffel Tower? 

 This is a friend who was using the adorable little penguin to help herself skate.

 After ice skating we walked up the rest of the stairs (to the full 669) to see a wonderful view of Paris laid out before us.

And below us. It was a very successful day. That ended with some delicious hot chocolate from a cafe on the first level of the tower!

It's all in the details... Chateau du Versailles

When you visit somewhere as extravagant as Versailles its slightly overwhelming. Me and two friends spent over 2 hours in the chateau and saw about 2/3 of the inside, none of the gardens or other buildings. But since it was all so overwhelming i tried to look at the details that made it so overwhelming. The place was the epitome of extravagance and luxury during the reigns of Louis XIV-Louis XVI. It was slightly hard to comprehend that ppl lived and worked here. They traveled the same halls we were walking through. Marie Antoinette slept in the bed that I saw and had tea and did day to day things in this place. It was awesome, and made me want to go back and reread a whole bunch of history books about her!

 the golden gate

 through the gate

 the fabric walls!

 stair case, which was very slippy because of where it is wearing down

 a ceiling!

 wall bordering

 marble corners and statues

 the door

 chandelier

 the kings bed!!

 part of the wall

 queens bed!!

The Chateau of Versailles is just marvelous! I can't wait to go back in the spring to visit the gardens!!

le basilique du Sacre-Coeur

On Wednesday the 19th I went to go visit Montmartre and more specifically Sacre-Coeur! It is one of my favorite places in the city! I walked up to the top of the Butte in a round about way so that i could see more. Started at Moulin Rouge:

then walked up the hill a while, winding past shops and restaurants. Attempted to find Victor Hugo's house, which i missed completely but kept going. Then up to where there are two remaining windmills from a long time ago. Almost missed them because I didn't look up but instead was trying to figure out which way to turn and then saw it:

then walked past a little square where there is a very interesting little statue of a man running through the wall. which is based off the marcel ayme's short story about a man who can walk through walls:

then found a cute little park with crazy trees and crazy saint (?):

then onwards to a little vineyard, that is till producing wine, which is auctioned off in october:

then to the musee de montmartre, which i didn't go in but it is supposed to be the oldest building in montmartre:

then saw the watertower:

and then you go up the little hill to le basilique du Sacre-Coeur. Which is just stunning!!! And beware these photos have been taken with a wide-angle lens (10mm-20mm) and so they will look a little distorted but it shows how huge this basilique is!!

there was this awesome musician on the side of the church. His music was absolutely wonderful and fit the mood so well. It was very classic and airy. Made it feel like there was a theme song going on!

unfortunately however, you can not take pictures inside of the church. there are always ppl praying in there and it is still an active church. But it was BEAUTIFUL!!!! so pretty!! but here is the entrance way:

i was very excited to be there!

there is a good view from right outside the church looking over the city:

then i went up into the dome of the church, well not in the dome but around the outside of the dome.

you have to climb about 260 steps to get to the top, which are spiraling and very tight. which made me a little bit claustrophobic. especially on the way back down.
but the 360 view from the top was worth it!!

the lighting was just perfect. with strips of light coming through the clouds!! there were also some pretty intense looking gargoyles!

after that hike up to the dome i went to la place de tertres, which is the square where artists go to paint. but since it was cold and not tourist season there were not many artists there. most of them wanted to draw your portrait. i did find one lady who allowed me to take here picture after a long conversation about asking first. she uses oils and a spatula and doesn't sell her work:

then took the little tram thing down to the bottom. here is the last view of sacre coeur before going to the metro