Day 8

Another day on the move canvassing the remaining areas of Paris we haven`t seen yet. Amy really wanted to see the Picasso Museum so we agreed that would be our first stop. After the Metro ride we headed toward the museum but then realized we needed food to proceed. We stopped at a little corner cafe called Cafe Sevigny. The food was pretty good and a little pricey, but we had to get an official French crepe before we left town. We opted for the butter and sugar crepe (because we both thought it would taste most like lefse) and it was really awesome. It definitely hit the spot for some morning urban exploration.

When we eventually found our way to the Picasso Museum, we found that it was closed for renovations until 2012. Rick Steves failed to mention that in his guidebook. Suprisingly enough, this actually turned out to be a good thing because it gave us more time to visit the Centre Pompidou which is one of, if not the most, exclusive modern art museums in the world. It contains work done by Picasso, Dali, Matisse, Pollack, Warhol, and a whole lot of other freaky artwork I had a difficult time grasping.

The building itself was really cool. It was built about 30 years ago and Parisians hated it thinking it was disgraceful to the other architecture around the city, but apparently they`ve grown to love it. It looks like it was built inside-out. Amy and I both thought the elevator to the top offered the best view of the city, even better than the view from the Eiffel Tower itself.

Since we had tickets to the Coldplay concert later in the night, we wanted to make sure we were rested beforehand so we headed back to the apartment for a siesta. We drank a bottle of Riesling (yum) and ate a French frozen pizza (meh) before we left for the show. The concert was at the Parc des Princes "football" stadium where the team Paris Saint-Germain plays. 

We were really excited to see one of the opening acts, the Flaming Lips. The crowd didn`t respond well to them, not sure if it was because they weren`t familiar with them or because the sound sucked but the crowd was really lame. Amy and I both really like the show they put on.

A total transformation occured when Coldplay hit the stage. The crowd went nuts, the sound was great, and they played an awesome show. We started right up front but our bladders told us we needed to find the port-o-potties toward the back of the field only a few minutes into their set. Another blessing in disguise for us as the guys in the band left the stage to play only a few feet in front of us! The best part about it was when they played "Green Eyes" which was Amy and my first dance song at our wedding. We have a video of it so hopefully everyone can check it out.

My glass of champagne is empty so that tells me it`s time to stop typing and go to bed. Another big day ahead of us... quick flight to Barcelona then kickin it into full-on relaxation mode. Paris- you`ve been painful and lovely, hope to come back soon.

OHH, and we did stop at the louvre for a few photos but didn`t get a chance to see the infamous Mona Lisa. Oh well, we needed to save a few things for our next trip to Paris.