SPRINGTIME '03 IN PARIS

About the only thing that needs explanation in this shot is Stanley (in my shirt pocket), who was visiting with us thanks to Emily in Maryland.

Our hotel room was tiny but the location was great, as was the price.

One of the many sculpture exhibits at the Louvre.

The other side of the Notre Dame cathedral was being renovated but this view across the Seine was still beautiful.

Donna outside the Rodin Museum.

One of Rodin's most famous works - "The Thinker".

This is the garden at the Rodin Museum. It's quite a bit bigger than it appears here and is filled with lots of his larger works. We had lunch at a small restaurant on the premises just behind the row of trees on the right. We highly recommend this museum, even if you aren't that familiar with his work.

The day we went to visit Montmartre the weather was perfect - sunny, clear, and not too cool.

These are our wonderful friends Lionel and Aude. They took us out to dinner one night at a small restaurant on the Siene outside of Paris near the town where they live. We had such a fabulous time that night! We took this picture outside the restaurant at about 1:00 AM after we finished dinner (we didn't get back to the hotel until around 2:00, and then of course they had to drive all the way back home - ugh!). Merci!!!

Lionel also helped us get a lunch reservation at quite possibly the best restaurant in all of Paris - Pierre Gagnaire. Words can't begin to describe it. After 4 and a half hours, a bottle and a half of wine, and course after course of the most amazing tastes, presentations, and service (the sheer volume of plates, bowls, and silverware that the two of us used would easily fill 2 standard dishwashers) we left in a state of gustatory bewilderment and bliss. Hmm...if this was lunch, I wonder what dinner is like?

This is Donna inside one of the great halls at the Palace at Versailles. The whole place is absolutely staggering in it's scale and opulence. The size of this room alone is amazing, and you can see part of the beautiful painting that covers the entire curved ceiling above. This is a must-see if you go to Paris (it's about an hour by train outside of Paris).

The day we chose to visit Versailles the weather was positively stunning! It made for the perfect picnic on the grounds behind the palace, and we spent hours walking through the gardens afterwards.

After spending the whole day walking all around the palace, gardens, and town of Versailles we were completely exhausted (this was also several days into our trip) by the time we caught the train back to Paris. Still, it was well worth it and we'd do it all over again if we could.