Plus de Paris

Tongues in the Marais

 Outside the Centre Pompidou, the modern art museum--very cool fountain.

 Patisserie treats--we didn't go in for a piggy (we split a tarte au poirs instead), but we guessed Liam and Reid might have preferred sharing a pink-frosting snout.

 

One of Paris' classic Guimard metro arches with a beautifully dressed Parisian woman--I love how much more multi-ethnic the city appears to have become.

 Great double-sided benches. We did some quick research in this park on kids and play (and their parents).  Though I loved reading Bringing Up Bebe and will still recommend it, we saw a lot of parents actively playing with their kids. Musketeer outfits are in with 4 year-olds and 2-year olds are proficient with those little no-pedal bikes.

 Mom at the Musee du Louvre--it's amazing how stunning architecture just keeps popping up in this city.

 We liked the shadows. This was after 8 p.m.--France appears to be well-located (west) in its time zone.

 Mom inside the Louvre's square courtyard with its wonderful mix of classic buildings,  modern glass pyramid and reflecting pools.

 Only with despotism can you get this kind of symmetry across a city--the Arc de Triomphe in the distance, then the Place de la Concorde's obelisque, and finally Napoleon's own little Arc de Triomphe (the Louvre is right behind this). And on top of this architecture, now the French have socialism, the lucky dogs!