My Birthday Weekend in Paris - Sunday

When we woke up on Sunday, I was a bit concerned about our sightseeing options for the day. The weather was predicted to be rainy, and on top of that, it was the first Sunday of the month. On the first Sunday of the month in Paris, many museums are free. This sounds like a good thing, but when I lived there, I avoided museums like the plague on this day, because they'd be extra crowded. (I also had a pass that let me get in free most of the time) Luckily, Alyssa didn't want to go to the Louvre or the Musee d'Orsay, where I've heard you can wait in line for hours on the first Sunday of the month. I'd rather pay the admission fee than wait in line for hours. Instead, we decided to do some lesser known monuments and I resigned myself to short lines. Instead, we didn't have to wait in line at all! It was awesome! Alyssa and I believe in the magic of Paris. The whole weekend it was like the spirit of Paris herself was welcoming us and making everything go right!

Our first stop was the Chateau de Vincennes, a medieval castle just on the edge of Paris. It's a relatively long metro ride, but when you emerge from the metro, you're steps away from the castle, so it's not hard to find.

After the Chateau, we did a quick stop at the Hotel de Ville, Paris's city hall, where they used to execute people. I kept gleefully telling Alyssa, "this is where they used to kill people" before I realized this is Paris, they killed people all over the city! You could have an entire walking tour of the places where people have been killed in Paris. Place de Bastille, Place de la Concorde, Montmartre, Hotel de Ville, etc. 

An Ice Rink in front of the Hotel de Ville

Then we headed to the Pompidou Centre, where I actually spent some time looking at modern art. Usually I just ride the escalators and then leave, but once I realized I could take pictures, I enjoyed the museum. I still don't get most modern art. I like the pieces that require technical proficiency. My standard is, if Quinn could make it, it probably doesn't belong in a museum! 

Outside the museum I saw this sculpture and recognized it as an Alexander Calder. This made me happy, because I love seeing his work all around the world. My dad is a fan of his work, and I like it, but I'm liking it more and more now that I've seen his work on my travels.

If this is modern art, my apartment is decorated with modern art. 

I wish my apartment had a couch like this!

Another view of the Calder sculpture

Then we headed back to the Ile de la Cite where I gloomily predicted we'd find a long line to get into the Sainte-Chapelle. It's a church inside the Palais de Justice, so the security line usually takes ages, but there was no line at all! I'm telling you, Paris is magical! Sainte-Chapelle is a pretty small church, but the stained glass is beautiful, and the painted walls and pillars are really cool.

We had an amazing weekend in Paris!!