We got back from Paris yesterday afternoon, and we're still trying to recover from the time difference. I think we were just getting used to CEST when we left! We had a decent time in Paris. Unfortunately Liza got a cold just as we were leaving Geneva, and I wore myself completely out being on crutches walking all over the place, but it was definitely fun!

Before we headed to Paris we were able to have a tour of one of the detectors in the Large Hadron Collider. We had a private tour of the CMS detector:

Amazing stuff. I was pretty awed by the engineering and science that goes into a project like this. I'm going to be watching with interest to see the science that is generated when this huge project turns on in June.

After my talk and demo at the CERN workshop, we took the TGV from Geneva to Paris. The first part of the trip was really beautiful. I guess we were going through the Rhône Alps and the Dijon region. I'm not sure of the route exactly, but there were some stunning views. Unfortunately my camera was in the end compartment of the train and I don't suppose shots through the glass would turn out very well. I liked the train ride a lot--it was quiet and peaceful, and not very crowded. It wasn't as fast as I thought it would be until we got within about an hour of Paris, then it really picked up speed. The opposing trains going to same speed next to us were quite startling.

We got to Paris Wednesday night, and found our way down to the RER train and realized that the metro ticket machines wouldn't take my credit card. So I crutched my way back up, and tried to find an ATM. Finally found one outside the train station with the help of a couple of very helpful locals. We got to our stop eventually, and tried to find our hotel. I think we walked by it twice before we spotted it. No big neon marquee for this one! It was a nice little room with a tiny kitchenette. Our hotel was right next to the Arc de Triomphe:

We spent most of Thursday relaxing because Liza had a cold, and I was still tired from CERN. We found a bakery and got some good bread and wine. Friday we met up with Liza's sister who happened to be in Paris at the same time on a school trip, and walked down the Champs-Élysées to the Louvre. We spent about 3 hours there and probably only saw 10% of the collection. Some fantastic art. I didn't take very many pictures inside the museum because I don't generally like the results. Poor lighting for photography, lots of people, too much glass.

The next day we went to the Palace of Versailles. The train ride out was confusing, and we got off too soon, so we had to walk about a mile to the Chateau. Somehow the RER train splits into different branches at the end, and we weren't sure how to tell which branch it would take. We weren't the only confused tourists who got off at that stop, though! On the way back we found the correct station and walked quite a bit less. Much better.

Versailles was big. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been on crutches. Lots of fine artwork and enormous rooms, but I felt like the tour could have had more depth. I would have liked to have seen some of the inner workings of the palace: the servant's quarters, the kitchens, etc. I wanted to see some contrast to the ridiculous opulence of the main areas. I had a hard time imagining the area as it must have been when the royals lived there. I think they could probably do more to recreate that feeling. The entire place seemed to be under construction, too. I'll bet once the renovations are done, it will be a much more enjoyable experience.

Given our short trip, there were about a million things we wanted to see in Paris but didn't have time for. Notre Dame, the Pantheon (which we made it to just after closing time!), Sacre Coeur (which we approached after the Louvre but were too exhausted to get to, and it was raining), the Catacombs (I'll save that for when I'm not on crutches...), Musée d'Orsay, Musée de Cluny, and a million others!

The best part was visiting the little bakeries and shops, and enjoying lots of non-imported French wine!