Sunday, April 12, 2009

Finally, France!

It's been a very busy week, one made more difficult by the fact that jet lag kicked my ass much worse than I thought it would! But now, things have slowed down, sleep has been caught up on and I've finally had time to sift through some of my favorite pics from France. Enjoy!

A self portrait from the river cruise boat. Don't let the sunshine fool you, it was freakin' freezing in Paris! In fact, the night we went to the to the top of the Eiffel Tower, it was snowing! Pretty neat to see, but really cold! The stained glass windows in the Sainte-Chappelle Cathedral. They were the most beautiful windows I've ever seen. It's this little cathedral 2 blocks from the Notre Dame. On your next trip, this is a must. Plus there is no line. Below is a street pic I snapped just two blocks from our apartment in the Saint Germaine neighborhood. It was the perfect place to stay! The neighborhood was very lively and full of quaint shops, bakeries, tasty restaurants and walking distance from all the major sites! I'll be staying there again!

This block in Montmart was filled with artists....very inspirational to see! Below is the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. We took a 1/2 day trip out there and it was quite the palace. It was too early for the gardens to bloom, so I guess I'll have to go back.

This is the courtyard in our little hotel in Arles, the Hotel du Musee. It was the cutest little place I've ever stayed. Arles was a great town, full of beautiful old buildings, Roman ruins and great people. We were lucky enough to be there before their big tourist season hit. We were able to chat with shop owners, they told us where they liked eat in town and what they loved to do in the area. If you go to the South of France, you must stay in Arles at the Hotel du Musee. Below is a picture from inside the big Roman Amphitheater. They still have bull fights there. Easter weekend is their big fighting tournament.


Above is a picture of an Arles courtyard where they were growing their own lemon trees. Below if the Mediterranean coast in Nice. The day we went down there, it was nearly 70 and people were frolicking in the water! I even saw one lady knitting on the beach!
The sister's self portrait series was snapped throughout France, her we are on the rocky beach of Nice - it was so nice!
This was only the tip of the iceburg of pictures. Tomorrow, I'll be posting many of the pics of French food! It was that tasty so it deserves its own blog post!

5 comments:

Jen said...

The pictures are amazing!! I am so glad you were able to share this trip with your mom and sister.

Holli said...

Oh, Meg! Lovely! So glad you had such a perfect time.

heather jane said...

It's almost too hard to look.I have such a longing to travel again. Love that courtyard in Arles. So quaint.

Shannon said...

Wow! Gorgeous!

You saw some amazing things, and that picture of you and Lindsay on the beach is so cute. Can't wait to see the food pics!

Sara K. said...

Tres Bon! Tres Bon! Tres Bon! OMG! It looks like you had a great time. I loved that I was able to tell right where you were in many of the pictures. I love living vicariously through you!!!! -S