5am cab ride to catch the Eurostar out of King's Cross / St. Pancras station. We were excited despite the early hour.
Waiting in line for the Eurostar.
Sloane slept most of the 2 hour and 20 minute ride to Paris.
Lance even got some sleep, but the seats were a little small for him.
We checked out Notre Dame Cathedral.
Super tall and dark.
Very impressive.
Some freaky styley gargoyles jutted off the sides of this building. Plenty of them also had their heads lopped off.
We then walked over to Sainte-Chapelle, which is in a government compound.
The line to get into this chapel was absurdly long.
But it was worth it for some of the best stained-glass that we had even seen. This is the upper level of the Cathedral. It used to be that only the King could come in to this room, but it has long been open to the public. This building is badness--way better than Notre Dame, or even anything in London.
It is totally soothing just standing around and looking at the stained-glass in this place. Forget Notre Dame, just go to Sainte-Chapelle.
Rose window.
This is the lower level of the chapel.
Paris is cold
Outside the Sainte-Chapelle. This chapel has a very creative name.
Sloane's first meal in a French restaurant--she looks excited.
Some salad and crepe mixte (jambon et fromage).
Looking toward Pont Neuf, which crosses the Seine at the western point of the Ile de la Cite.
The Jardin des Tuileries. That is the Louvre in the background. It is closed on Tuesdays so we took some pictures and caught the train to Bussy-Saint-Georges. The gardens are pretty disappointing in winter. The French idea of a garden is to spread some gravel out over some dirt, then put a pond in the middle where the pigeons can congregate and the guano can accumulate.
The Louvre.
Sloane and Grace were soldiers and followed Lance through a bunch of museums.
The big, ugly glass pyramid entrance to the Louvre. 
Sun shining on the Eiffel Tower.
Another badness French meal. They go a little heavy on the emmental cheese, though. 
But Sloane likes the cheese. 
Sloane in the Louis Vuitton shop on the Champs-Elysees. She'll like her first purchase from this place. 
Checking out the new products. 
The Arc de Triomphe in the background. We stopped traffic to get this picture. 
They charge something like $15 to go the top of this thing. We thought pictures from the ground were good enough. 
The Musee d'Orsay. It is in this renovated train station. This is probably the best museum in the entire world, except for maybe the National Museum in Taipei--I suppose it depends on one's interests. This building houses much of the work done by many, if not all, of the most important Impressionists. Also, it is much more seeable than the Louvre because it is not as ambitious in scope. If you like van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Gaughin, Degas, Sisley, Cassatt, or anyone else who produced art like these people did, then go to this museum. If you are into sculpture, then go to the Musee Renoir, which is cheaper and also badness. 
Monet. 
Monet and Sloane. 
