The sights of Paris through the kids' eyes

Courtney and I have been to Paris before. We've seen most of the big sights. This visit is different--instead of just the two of us discovering this wonderful city, we've got the kids with us. And each of them has their own list of things they've heard about that they just have to see. For Hal it was the d'Orsay and Pere Lachase cemetery, and for Anna it was the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. It's been fun to show them around the city while rediscovering some of our favority parts.

While the French were celebrating Bastille Day we went museuming. First the d'Orsay, home of some of the worlds most famous impressionist art. Monet, Manet, Sisely, Van Gogh--they've got them all. This museum is a managable size and a beautiful setting, occupying a former train station roofed with translucent skylights filling the whole building with natural light.

Next it was on to the Pompidou Center, Paris' modern art museum. This building is a major contrast to the d'Orsay and shocked and angered Parisians when it opened in the seventies. The building is supported by an exoskeleton of erector set pieces. Brightly colored heading and ventilation piping is prominently displayed on the outside--a huge contrast to the 18th century buildings that surround it.

Inside some of the permanent exhibits are no less shocking. A whole floor is dedicated to "is that really art" kind of stuff. Some of it is inspiring other pieces leave you wondering if the museum really paid for it.

Another floor, however, is full of "classic" modern art--if there is such a thing. Picassos, Kandinskys, Dalis, etc. This exhibit walked the visitor through the development of art in the 20th century--pretty cool stuff.

After an afternoon rest at our comfy hotel, we headed out to the Rue Cler neighborhood for some dinner. Unfortunately, the whole of Paris had the same idea. The Bastille Day fireworks in the nearby Champs du Mars/Eiffel Tower area meant that we had to wait a bit for dinner, but no big deal.

After a tasty meal we headed over to find a spot to watch the fireworks. Mob scene. There must have been a million people in a one square mile area with the same idea. By this time it was about 11 p.m. so we decided to get a jump on the crowds by trying to find a place to catch the action from a distance--and where we could be the first to jump on the metro back to our hotel before 1M others jammed up the trains. In the end, we caught some of the show and were very happy to be back in our hotel by midnight.

This tourist stuff is hard work. The kids love this place.