Pompidou
Pompidou is the National Museum of Modern Art. It sticks out from afar because it looks like a big industrial building with colorful pipes spilled inside out. Chloe has a thing with escalators, so she was psyched about going up 6 stories of escalators. The ride up was actually part of the art display -- it was called "Sound Walk" because there is CD playing in the background that sounds like a long chant from monks in a cave. Isaac was intrigued by the music. The view from the top is pretty nice, and we didn't have to even climb any stairs.
I didn't think young kids would get much out modern art, but Chloe surprised me by commenting that an abstract self-portrait of a man was actually "eggs inside eggs". I read the description and she was right! There was also a neat display of a room that looked like a black and white striped cave where kids liked to run and stomp to hear the loud echoes. Another highlight was a giant mushroom like in the Smurfs. Apologies to the artists that I can't recall their names :P
McDonald's
McDonald's is worth honorable mentions because it was the classiest McDonalds we have ever been to. The McCafe inside sells macarons and baked goods that look better than Starbuck's. Down the spiral staircase was a room with cushy booths, classy bar stools, and modern art murals. Happy meal was 4 Euros. I saw some people have fries with mayo, and I got a McCroc.
Notre Dame Cathedral views
There was a previous post about Notre Dame cathedral, so this one is only about the tour (walk up to the top). The views are awesome. The bell that Quasimodo rings is cool. The gargoyles are awesome. It's worth the climb. You can't bypass the huge line up with your museum pass, but you might be able to skip it by showing your cute baby and little girl :) Seriously...
