Paris and Work- Part 1

Hey all! Sorry I didn't blog last week but I was in Paris for work as I think I may have mentioned about 900 times. Anyway, this blog will be a two part piece. The first (this one as per the title) will be about Paris- (ah beautiful Paris!) and the second about working IN Paris.
Okay, here we go.

My company, not shirking away from hefty price tags put us right on the Champs Elyesse. It was beautiful and right in the center of Paris (fyi- it is pretty awesome to have the Arc du Triomphe down the block. I had been to Paris before and so decided to skip the trip up the Eiffel Tower and the Lovre ((although I did walk to see it and walked through the Lovre Gardens)).

After a day of exhausting training, it was usually a good time to break into groups and explore various neighborhoods for dinner. Eating in the Brasseries were best as it offered real French fare at decent prices. I had a plethora of lovely dishes over 2 weeks, including Foie Gras, Duck, Snails and Crepes! I also found a fantastic Sorbet place with my friend Helene (a Parisian) near Hotel De Ville.

Go to the Musee D'Orsay too! The fifth floor has paintings from every influential artist I've ever heard of- from Van Gogh to Monet to Whistler! It was a whirlwind tour of European greats and from the fifth floor there is a fantastic view of Sacre Cuore.

The St Pauls neighborhood is great too- especially with Place des Vosges. But nothing, NOTHING beat a weekend trip to Versailles. We just don't have this kind of history in the states! Not even a bit! Residences as far as the eye can see- then Marie Antoniette's personal farm (where they used to polish the eggs for her in the morning- so she could collect them- but not get dirty). Then the fountains! OHHHH the fountains and the gardens! It seemed that you could spend a whole day just wandering around there- or a whole lifetime. The perfect representation of what royalty should be- or the abuses of power that result in heads rolling...
Paris is beautiful! GO SEE IT!