Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv is a modern city right on the Mediterranean. The first panorama is our view from our hotel balcony. I'm guessing it was just the time of year, but the Mediterranean was very active with waves constantly crashing the shores.

More From Paris

I was supposed to move onto Tel Aviv today but as I'm now finally getting a chance to go through my pictures and here are a few from the Louvre that I wanted to share. Besides the art on the walls, the Louvre is a magnificent building. Even the pillars and ceiling are art that I couldn't pass without snapping a shot.

The next two are the most well-known pieces on display. The Winged Victory of Samothrace dates from around 190 BC. The detail in the way the wind is blowing her robe is incredible in person.

The Mona Lisa is pretty good too - if you can get close enough to see a view of her that doesn't include camera viewfinders...

First Up: Paris

Marta and I just got home from a 13 day trip to Paris, Tel Aviv, Galilee, and Jerusalem. It felt so good to sleep in our own bed last night! Over the next few days I will add some photos from the different legs of our trip.

Here's how our trip was broken up:

• Paris - 1 day;


• Tel Aviv/Mediterranean coast - 1 day;


• Galilee area - 4 days;


• Jerusalem and area - 5 days;

So here is the first installment - Paris. We were only here for a day, but it was great to get a feel for the city and and how to get around to see the city (our next trip will be all Metro). We spent the morning in the Louvre and then took a city bus tour. There was a light rain falling for most of the day, but it made for a cool, foggy effect in the night pictures and looking back these are the ones that I liked best.

I was pretty surprised by the size of Paris. To some degree I guess I thought it would be like San Francisco. When you see a postcard of San Francisco you see the same 5 row houses with the city skyline in the background. I've seen pictures of the white stone buildings with cafes on the first floor and apartments above, and so I figured that was the picturesque Paris scene - but the whole city feels like that as you move down the Seine river. It is an incredibly beautiful city and despite the rain this was a great time to see it. The trees were blooming and, except for the Salle des Etats, it wasn't too crowded.