July 31, 2007

Montparnasse

On Tuesday, we decided to try the Eiffel Tower again. When we arrived, we found out that the top level was closed, so we decided not to wait in the very long lines. We did take this cool picture from directly underneath the center of the tower.

Eiffel Tower from the ground

We had a fun lunch at a steak restaurant called Hippopotamus. Our "Paris with Kids" guidebook recommended it because it is family friendly. The kids got crayons and coloring books. Scott had a wonderful steak with Roquefort dressing and Tiffany had a chicken shish kabob.

Since we couldn't go to the Eiffel Tower, we went to the Montparnasse Tower. Parisians say that the top of the tower is the prettiest spot in Paris. They say this because it is the only spot where you can't see the Montparnasse Tower.

The carpet had images of Paris. Tyler's right foot is on our apartment building. Note that he is holding a balloon from the restaurant. He and Brooke were arguing a few minutes later, the string broke and he lost the balloon.

Tyler standing on our apartment

The observation deck had windows all the way around, so we could see all of Paris. Tyler, of course, wanted his picture taken in front of the Eiffel Tower. On the interior walls there were historical photos of the city. We also watched a short film about the monuments in Paris.

Tyler and the Eiffel Tower

Here is a zoomed-in shot of the Eiffel Tower.

Eiffel Tower from Montparnasse

Scott put together this panorama out the windows of the Montparnasse observation deck. If you look closely, you can see the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Les Invalides, and the Louvre.

Montparnasse panorama

From the observation deck, we climbed three flights of stairs to the roof were we could see in all directions outside.

Once we returned to ground level, we went to the Montparnasse train station so that Tyler could get his picture taken with a TGV, something we forgot to do on our trip to Lyon.

Tyler and a TGV

We had a snack at the park which is on top of the train station, called the Jardin Atlantique. Here is a picture from the park looking towards the Montparnasse Tower.

Jardin Atlantique

Posted by sjbowden at July 31, 2007 10:20 PM