In December of 1999, I went to France with my friend Melissa and we stayed at her friend's place in the 16th in Paris. We spent most of our time in Paris, with a little side trip to Switzerland.
Two days before New Years (thats what the J-2 says on the Eiffel tower:)
Right before we came in there were some major windstorms and very bad rain. The Seine was quite high on its banks:
Some more storm damage at the Rodin Museum:
The Gates of Hell, one of the masterworks of Rodin. There's actually a copy
of this at the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia:
This guys is in hell:
You know this guy.
The exquisite "Kiss":
No trip to Paris is complete without a trip to Versailles. We were blessed with some great weather.
In Versailles:
Right in front of Versailles:
Unfortunately, the gardens were closed due to the preparations for New Years. But we were able to see them from outside:
After spending some time in Paris (and falling in love with the city), New Years eve came up quite quickly. Our host had a wonderful elegant dinner, and since they lived about 5 minutes from the Eiffel Tower (walking distance), we went out after dinner.
Getting in the mood:
Dinner:
Melissa and I, all dolled up.
We were able to walk up until the Trocadero (the crowd was too much at this point). I had a fantastic view:
After recovering from the evening, we went on a driving trip to Switzerland.
We went to the Jungfrau, the highest point in Switzerland. We took a special cog train to the summit The following is actually a town nestled in the valley.
At the top, we found ourselves QUITE chilly.
We made it to Lucern, Switzerland - probably one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places in the world.
The famous covered bridge in Lucern:
While driving around Switzerland (and Germany) we came across some Wineries in the Alsace region.
AFter coming back to Paris, we hung out for a few more days and had a great time. I also took a tour of the Catacombs. It's kind of an eerie place. Here's a pic:
I made it the Arc De Triomphe on the last day of my trip.
