We flew in to Orly Airport and took the bus into town.
Our first stop was a corner pastry shop.
After checking into our hotel, we had Thai food for lunch.
St-Germain des Prés Church.
The weather was great and the outdoor cafes were bustling.
A very mellow, Seine-side pooch.
Pont Neuf.
With the great weather, all picnic spots were popular.
Notre Dame.
Detail above the entry.
Looking up toward the gargoyles.
The soaring nave.
Votives all around.
The big Seine-side window.
One of the more unique stained glass windows.
Looking back from just across the river, on the left bank.
Back on Pont Neuf, with the Louve behind, looking pretty good for having woken at 4am to catch our flight.
Our first view of the Eiffel Tower.
One of the many grand ceilings in the Louvre.
A few other tourists kept us company.
Winged Victory of Samothrace (c. 190 B.C.)
This section of the Louve brough to you by Canon, Sony, Olympus...
...and the Venus de Milo.
The Apollo Gallery.
Cour Carrée.
Pei's pyramid in the main courtyard.
Looking up at the pyramid...
...and through the pyramid.
Stalls along the Seine.
Tea time in the hotel room.
Heading to the ballet.
Not as many cyclists as in Amsterdam, but still quite a few.
Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel near the Louvre.
We stumbled onto great sushi for dinner on the Rue des Pyramides.
The ballet was held in the Palais Garnier Opéra--the old opera house of Phantom fame.
It's a beautiful building on the outside...
...and astoundingly beautiful on the inside.
The grand staircase.
Our "serious portrait" mirror tradition continues (see England and Amsterdam for other examples).
The spectacular dining/reception area.
The view down Avenue de l'Opéra from the balcony.
Each box on the loge levels had its own entrance.
A view of the stage (with pre-show video projection Versaille's Apollo Basin).
Marc Chagall's ceiling (painted in 1964).
We saw the world premiere of Robyn Orlin's "L'Allegro, il penseroso ed il moderato," an abstract dance-theater piece that prompted a very vocal, very diverse audience response.