This was definitely one of those days that didn't quite go according to plan.  The original idea was to go out to Chateau de Vincennes (on the eastern limits of Paris), explore the palace/castle, meander through Bois de Vincennes on the way to the zoo with a stop along the way for a picnic.  Well, the castle was closed, the weather was dismal, the park was in shambles, and the walk to the zoo wasn't quite as close as it looked on the map (is it ever?)

We took the Metro (Line 1) out to the Chateau de Vincennes stop (the end of the line).  Chateau de Vincennes (av de Paris, 01-48-31-20) is a 15th century castle built by various French Kings and is essentially the medieval version of Versailles.  It's an imposing stone fortress surrounded by a dry moat and a 170-foot keep.  In addition, there is a replica of Ste-Chapelle which was built in the 1400's.  Although part of it is still used by the French military, there are daily tours.  Or so we thought! 

Almost the ENTIRE facility was under renovation on the day we were there.  Both the Keep and the Chapel were in the process of a five-year renovation project (don't worry, it started several years ago!).  I guess this is one of those times when we should look for the silver lining - at least it's being cared for.  I was just disappointed because I prefer the architecture and history of the medieval period, rather than the garishness of the Baroque we experienced the day before.

Not to be so easily dismayed, we decided to stroll through the Bois de Vincennes to the Zoo de Vincennes (53 av de St-Maurice 01-44-75-20-10, 40ff admission) and the Parc Floral De Paris (Rte de la Pyramide, 5ff admission), a 70-acre flower garden.  Well, some little gremlin had other ideas for us, as the entire park was still reeling from the storm that flattened much of Versailles.  I guess the storm cell went at a northwest direction, because it looked exactly the same!  So we decided to "cop a squat" on a park bench and have a picnic of the cheese, fruits, and baguettes we had picked up at shops near our hotel while we figured out what we were going to do.

By now, it was only about 12:30, so we decided to head back into the city and go to the Louvre.  Although my father (who could spend hours in one single gallery) would have conniptions doing this, we decided to only spend the afternoon in the Louvre.  This IS possible to do!  The key to it is to get a plan of what you want to see before you go into the museum, otherwise, you'll be wondering around in there for days and weeks, and still not seeing everything.  Having said that, here's a run-down of what we saw and our impressions:

Greek and Roman antiquities - given our interests in ancient arts, this was a no-brainer.  What kept crossing my mind was "how the heck did they get all of these classic pieces and then get them back here?"  Okay, actually I kept asking myself that a lot, but since this was the first gallery we went into…
Winged Victory of Samothrace - a breathtaking Greek statue that I could have just looked at for hours, thinking about all the things this piece has seen.
Venus de Milo - this was one of those pieces that is so synonymous with ancient art, that everyone should see it just once in their life

Michelangelo's The Dying Slave - In my mind, Michelangelo easily has to be one the two greatest artisans ever (da Vinci being the other).  There are very few people who can make a chunk of rock look like it's going to come alive, even when it isn't finished!
Mona Lisa - Again, one that should be seen by everyone once in life.  Although I was forewarned, it still blew my mind at how small it seemed (and actually was!).  Still, it was an experience to stand there, mere feet away from it!

Liberty Leading The People (by Delacroix) - this was one of my favorite pieces back in high school when taking Mrs. Walberg's Humanities class.  I could always feel the energy and emotion coming from it and was really looking forward to seeing the real thing.  I was BLOWN AWAY!  I always thought the painting itself was no more the 6' X 6'.  I was only off by, oh, I'd say about 20' X 20'!  I just stood there in awe of it. 

Another note to be aware of at the Louvre.  They have some very nice coffee shops in the wings of the museum.  We had a nice café noir while looking down into the courtyard in the middle of the palace.  Nice way to recuperate!

After leaving the palace, we wondered around the Jardin des Tuilleries.  Although it was the middle of the Winter, and all the trees were pretty bare, there were lots of people doing what we were, enjoying the Parisian atmosphere.  We're definitely going to go back during warmer months to experience the Jardin.

We wondered our way back over to the Left Bank to our favorite restaurant, L'Ecluse.  We figured, we were tired and hungry and weren't in the mood to search around for a restaurant, so go with one we knew was good.  Again, Kathie ordered the night's special (LOVED IT!) while I continued to get my fix of French cuisine.  This time I went with something I had never had before and wanted to try - steak tartare.  I figured, if you're going to eat raw meat, you should do it in a place where they know what they're doing.  I wasn't disappointed.  It was paired beautifully with my '95 Pomerol (my mouth is literally watering as I type this!).  I wimped out at dessert, and ordered the gateau au chocolat, despite the fact that I didn't really need it.  Hey! When was I coming back?  I need to experience this while I can.  God, I never thought of myself as a hedonist!

Two hours later, we staggered out and made our way back to the hotel. 

Tomorrow: Le Museé D'Orsay & The Catacombs