Obama Family Paris Photos: First Family Tours Pompidou Center, Ladies Go Shopping

TEXT FROM AP... SLIDESHOW COMPILED BY HUFFINGTON POST

President Barack Obama spent a few hours as a tourist this weekend, seeing Paris with his wife and two young girls after his trip to the Middle East, Germany and the beaches of Normandy.

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The Obamas tour the Pompidou Centre modern art museum on Sunday in Paris. (MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images)

Obama on Sunday was wrapping up a six-day trip abroad that took him to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Germany and France. The tour included a speech to Muslims on Thursday and a trip to a Nazi concentration camp a day later. On Saturday, he marked the 65th anniversary of the Allied invasion at Normandy.

After the D-Day ceremonies at Omaha Beach, Obama returned to Paris with wife Michelle. They stayed at the U.S. ambassador's residence and spent time as tourists with their daughters.

The Obama family was up early on a cool and overcast Sunday morning. Shortly after 9 a.m., they arrived at the Pompidou Center, a modern art museum constructed of color-coded ducts that has become a famous landmark since it opened in 1977.

Obama and his family went to the top of the Pompidou Center, which has one of the best views of the whole city. Daughter Sasha was celebrating her eighth birthday in Paris as well.

Crowds lined the streets in patches, with gawkers taking pictures of the motorcade.

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The whirlwind tour of Paris began early Saturday evening at the 12th century Notre Dame cathedral, where Obama lit a candle and listened to a children's choir. Thousands of tourists lined the streets.

Then, the first couple went out for dinner near the Eiffel Tower.

It was precisely the type of sightseeing the French and Germans wanted to see. During stops in both countries, local reporters asked the U.S. president why he wasn't spending more time in their countries.

Obama grumbled about his busy schedule on Saturday in Caen, France.

"I would love nothing more than to have a leisurely week in Paris, stroll down the Seine, take my wife out to a nice meal, have a picnic in Luxembourg Gardens. Those days are over, for the moment," Obama said to laughter.

Obama called French President Nicholas Sarkozy a friend and said the pair can pick up the phone and chat anytime.

"I think you guys are reading too much into my schedule," Obama said.

As for Sunday, the White House was not releasing a schedule, other than to say Obama would fly back to the United States.

Comments

[1lauralei]

Lee Andrew and Kuuba, Ioved the smackdowns.Where can I find a breakdown of the timelines of gb's vacation times and trips? I just know the he could not last for 100 days without a day off.
He advised the Pres Obama spend his first day in office relaxing. Instead, Mr Obama was taking care of business on the same day he was inaugurated.
As for his meals in Europe, we recently heard criticisms of him and VP Biden 'trying to act like regular guys' by ordering hamburgers. Maybe denny should tell us what presidential meal plan would satisfy him?

[OverIt]

I have never seen a 5'8" ten year-old before! Adorable Malia must have grown almost a full foot in the last 2 years. If it weren't for this adorable picture showing her toothless 6 year-old grin back in Nov. 2004, I would be hard pressed to believe her age.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/images/0116-04.jpg

I would pay $$$ to see her standing next to Nicolas Sarkozy!!!! Ha!

[Bitsko]

Love our President, hate the Pompidou Center! What a pretentious and uninteresting pile of merde.

[walk0nwalls]

I cannot believe I missed the Centre Moderne when I was in Paris.

I mean, CMON!!

[Haitiana4Obama]

What an amazing way to expose the children to European culture while conducting the people's work? The Obama's a extremely astute when it comes to multi-tasking and time management. It's also heartwarming to see how this U.S. President is recieved overseas in comparison to the last one. The First Lady looks amazing as usual, very refreshed and those two girls are promising to be beauties.

[PoliSci2008]

Yes, it is nice to see that the taxpayers funds were prudently used during these hard economic times!

[LovesMusicLikesToSing]

Yes, and the prudent and careful way our tax dollars were spent under the last administration was just beyond reproach. Oh, please . . .

Stop whining.

[Hoverman]

Remember when Bush was Pres. and when he went out of the country they would have to lock down the city he was in with riot police for his safety.Compare that to Pres. Obama were people love him, it seems even more so outside of the U.S.

[Bafun]

well, be real. Everything was locked down in Paris where they were going, Tour Eiffel after hours, Notre-Dame, Centre Pompidou. Even a taster tested his food before he ate. Unfortunately, also if you are a beloved President, you cannot take the risk of an idiot.

[danusgram]

oooh whose the hot secret service agent in the black suit in the foreground? Is he single?

[htowncarrie]

I dated a secret service agent. Believe me, you don't want to go there! :)

[gopSTEALSyourTAXmoney]

I can't get my mind off the Cuban spies.
Geesh....who would I sleep with without
those gorgeous Cuban spies.?

[jrfunkenstein]

'It is refreshing to know that we can all look back and be happy that people in other countries smiled and took pictures of the Obamas while we are trying to dig ourselves out of the financial crisis Obama is putting our county in.'

Yah, who does Obama think he is, after his disastrous 8 year reign of economic and moral disintegra­tion.....o­h.....wait­......that was YOUR guy.....

[NCYvonne]

In 2008, we were losing jobs and in a recession. Bush went to Paris for the 60th anniversary of the Marshall plan. Laura came later ON A SEPARATE PLANE. Nobody said a word about the cost. Wonder why?

Bush had 150,000 troops fighting and giving their lives in Iraq; he took every weekend off and went biking every day for lunch. Nobody said a word. Wonder why?

The Bush twins flitted around the country and down to South America drinking with their fake IDs and government security. Nobody said a word about the cost or appropriateness. Wonder why?

[coco51]

here's another wonder why, the Bush twins have been assigned secret service security for two years even though they never served, I wonder why we are paying for that?

[yasmeen]

coz they're white

[HerbTee]

Hear, hear and amen!!

[Bafun]

and repub.

[1lauralei]

tso rue

[boboyaya]

FYI . Obama paid for his family's trip out of his own pocket.

[angelicious]

Pompidou Center's got to be my favorite place in Paris. I'm glad they took the kids there. That being said, I'm sure Republi-can'ts will soon start b****ing about Michelle shopping in Paris - that's like soooo un-American and especially in a recession...

[Aubreyautumn]

I was in Paris in 1989, and I never really cared for the Pompidou building. I didn't find it aesthetically pleasing. Of course, fine arts and humanities are subjective.

[anghiari]

Well I loved the Pompidou...it is not in as upscale a neighborhood as say the Grand Palais, or some of Paris' other wonderful museums, but it's art is vibrant and fabulous. Perhaps you should have paid more attention to the art and not the building..which I also found absolutely wonderful.

[takeyourballandgohome]

Well, who gives a rat's a$$$$!

[Knowitall]

Maybe its a litte better after 20 years. Ever thought about that??

[ladylove114]

It is refreshing to know that we can all look back and be happy that people in other countries smiled and took pictures of the Obamas while we are trying to dig ourselves out of the financial crisis Obama is putting our county in. Now lets go deeper and pay for everybody's health care no matter what. You can rest assured our income taxes will skyrocket in a couple of years to pay for this. But we can be happy the Europeans love him.

[anghiari]

Republicans out to learn that if you can't take it don't dish..you sound like the insufferable bores you have become in almost every aspect of your political lives. You care nothing about the people suffering, only for the opportunity to remain self indulgent whiners because someone else beat you at the polls and at the ballot box. You are intolerant nay sayers and you earned your way to the margins of the society.

[wanj]

well said!

[Kuuba]

...and I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume you were THRILLED to death with an unjustified war in Iraq that cost us BILLIONS and thousand of soldiers lives?

I'll take health care for all our citizens and pay for it and help keep our nation and its people free of sickness.

[jazabelz]

The cost of the Iraq war is actually in the "trillions" not billions! Guess the Republicans are okay with that because it went to Halliburton (Cheney)! They also didn't complain when Bush took all his trips abroad and to the ranch -- but it's not okay for President Obama who is mending all the relationships with our allies that Bush/Cheney destroyed! How can you possibly say it is wrong for the President of the United States to develop strong relationships with our allies?

[CUL8R]

Wah, wah, wah. Woe is you. As if President Obama caused this economic mess after being in office for a little more than 100 days.

[LiberTLover]

I'm sure if you ask nicely we can arrange to have everyone receive affordable health care except you and all of your family members.

[LB14]

much better to see our President actually admired by many in Paris...groups in the streets taking pictures and smiling instead of protesting...quite a contrast

[Lee Andrew]

Smackdown for H a t e r s:

Bush's 77 vacation trips to Crawford cost us $226,072 per trip. That's $17,407,544 so he could ride his bicycle in the woods and clear brush for the cameras. (That's just the estimated cost of flying Air Force One round trip - about two hours of flight time each way at $56,518 per hour. That doesn't include the entourage cost.)

George W. Bush's vacation time = 1020 or 1/3 of his presidency. He set the record for the most vacation time taken by a President.

487 days at Camp David
490 days at Crawford Ranch
43 days at Kennebunkport Compound

Total: 1020 days, more than 1/3rd of his presidency.

By comparison:

Carter took 79 days in 4 years.

Clinton took 152 days in 8 years.

Reagan took 335 days in 8 years.

Bush Sr. took 543 days in 4 years

[Kuuba]

DC to NYC - 225 miles; DC to Crawford - 1500 miles

DC to NYC - Gulfstream Jet; DC to Crawford - 747

Time in NYC - 8 hours; Time in Crawford - 72 hours

DC to NYC - Once in 16 weeks; DC to Crawford - 10 times in 16 weeks.

Bush's trip to Crawford was 6 times farther, used a plane 5 times bigger, lasted 9 times longer and happened 10 times more often. If Obama's jaunt cost $100K, Bush's 10 trips to Crawford costs at least $25 million.

[CUL8R]

Break it down for them fools!

[denny8844]

Do you really believe these absurds statistics Carter was out taking trips all the time Just as Clinton was Although Clinton didnt need to leave his desk much cause his joy was right there at his desk He got all the pleasure he needed just sitting at his desk

[jazabelz]

Obviously can't deal in numbers and facts -- just lies and innuendo -- typical Republican -- sounds a bit Cheneyesque!

[htowncarrie]

Atta boy, when confronted with the facts, deny, deny, deny...denny.

Oh, and do we really have to remind you that while Newty Bob Gingrinch was pushing for impeachment against Clinton for his alleged indiscretions, he was cheating on his wife and eventually left her for the new woman. Please stop throwing stones--I would hate to see something happen to your purty glass house.

[CompashCat]

Look at the Republican time off compared to Democrat time off! Veerrry Interesting ...