Paris, France Trip Sectionof Year 2000 TripTravel and Tourism, Vacation Guide
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| April in Paris. Paris in the Spring. |
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I took hundreds of pictures during my four day visit. This was my first visit since I made a student trip 31 years before! The city was everything I remembered and almost everything that I had dreamed about. I visited the great sites but refrained from going places where I had to pay just to see the view. I show the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero and I show the fountains of the Place de la Concorde. There is also a picture of the Arc de Triumph at Place Charles de Gaulle. 
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But the simple pleasure of walking the Paris streets and river banks is what makes Paris truly great. A bit of rain only makes things more photogenic.
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This is the sort of city where McDonald's can coexist between a porn movie house and a classic pastry store. They have a vast army of green suited city employees cleaning up after a vast army of dogs. Perhaps these street sweepers are the true symbol of Paris. 
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My hotel was comfortable, reasonably priced and centrally located. The only small problem was that my room was on the 5th floor with no elevator! At least that gave me nice rooftop pictures. 
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One can receive a complete art education by visiting just this one city and a few museums. The D'Orsay Museum was converted from a magnificent old railway station to hold the best of French art from about 1850 to 1950. It is a beautiful building with a great collection. The highlight is the Impressionist collection. An example from my many photos include these lovely Renoir paintings. The second photo shows a painting from Aristide Maillol. (There were two Maillol artists. I am still confused as to who did what. Almost as confusing as Monet and Manet). 
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Outside the crowds were busy snapping photos and everyone was having a good time in the spring weather. The d'Orsay is just slightly down river from the Louvre palace / museum. This is a view across the Seine to the Louvre. 
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The Louvre covers the remainder of art history. It is vast and all encompassing. I will have to create a general museum art page sometime In the meantime, this is just a peek at the many treasures. I am still awed by the main staircase topped with the Victoire de Samothrace. The second photo shows me and Mona Lisa. This is in a vast room with a big crowd. Mona is hidden behind very thick glass. The museum is so vast though that it is fairly easy to find quiet corners. 
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