Flachau, Austria

This past weekend Matt went skiing in Austria.  The skiing was great and the views incredible. Here are some of the pictures.

The town we stayed in.

Paris, France

Early on the morning of the 1st we got up and drove to Munich to catch our hour and a half flight to Paris.  We spent the next several days visiting all the sites.  Paris is a very neat city and so much to do and see.  We have already decided that we are going to try to make it back in the summer when its a little warmer.  So far in our travels Paris has been our favorite destination.  Below are some of the pictures we took on our trip.

It snowed in Munich the morning of our flight, but we didn't have any problems flying out.

The metro is how we traveled around the city.  Very convenient.

This is the group of friends that we went with.

   

 

The day we got there we saw the Notre Dame Cathedral.

This was on the outside of the cathedral.

Inside Notre Dame

Inside

Outside the cathedral was this marker signifying the center of Paris, or where all other directions are measured.

The following day we went to royal palace at Versailles, about a 45 min train ride out side of the city.  It was built by King Louis XIV and cost half of Frances yearly gross income.  King Louis XIV moved here from his previous residence the Louvre (which is now the famous art gallery).   This is also the location that the official treaty that ended World War One was signed.

The front of the palace.

The gate in front of the palace.

Inside the palace.

This is the Hall of Mirrors and the room that the treaty of Versailles was signed to end World War One

A lot of the rooms were still intricately decorated.

One of the ceilings at the palace.

The palace grounds were impressive even in the winter.  Can't imagine them in the spring with the flowers in full bloom.

That night we went over to the former royal palace, the Louvre.  This is one of the entrances.

Inside the Louvre and one of the inverted glass pyramids.

And of course the Louvres most famous painting, The Mona Lisa.

The crowds around her were crazy.  If you look close you can see the painting on the back wall.

The famous Venus de Milo is an ancient greek statue believed to have been created between 130 and 100 BC.

This crown contains a 140 K diamond on the front.

Picture depicting David and Goliath.  We liked how the picture seemed to capture the appearance of David (with exception to the hat)

Arc de Triomphe

It was commissioned to be built by Napoleon in 1806

At night Paris seemed to be covered with lights

Sainte-Chapelle Cathedral

This was the Orsay Museum.  We enjoyed this one much more than the Louvre.  It was a lot less crowded.

Van Gogh

Van Gogh

Monet

No shopping for Shanan

The food was outstanding.

And so was the coffee.

What would Paris be with out the Eiffel Tower.