Today we went to Notre Dame. It is in the heart of Paris on an island in the middle of the River Seine. We arrived at about 9:30 for the 10 a.m. opening of the bell tower. They only allow groups of 20 up every 10 minutes so we had to wait about 1 1/2 hours to climb the 400+ steps to the top. It was so worth the wait. It is an incredible view of Paris. While we were up there Tracy actually over heard some dumb american wondering aloud how Quasimodo got up and down the tiny spiral staircases so quickly. HA HA HA! (For those of you who don't know, Notre Dame is the setting for Victor Hugo's novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame.") The inside of the church is beautiful. There are so many people there it is easy to forget that it is a place of worship. It was awe-inspiring none the less.
We also went to L'Orangerie. This is a building that sits on the edge of a beautiful garden (huge gardens) that were originally built for Catherine de Medecci. Inside the building are 8 murals Monet painted of his famous water lillies. They are beautiful.
After that we went to the Lourve. It has to be the single biggest building I have ever been in.
We saw the Mona Lisa, of course, as well as the Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory. We also viewed the original private apartments - with original furnishings- of Napoleon. The opulence and extravagance of these rooms is difficult to describe. For those who don't know, the original Lourve was built as a palace and then as time when by different rulers added on to it and kept adding on to it to make it what it is today. I don't know when I was converted into a museum.
To end the day we went to the Arc d'Triomphe. Napoleon built this to be a tribute to troops returning from war. Guests can climb the steps to the top and have a spectacular view of Paris from a unique location. The Arc sits in the middle of a traffic circle at the intersection of 12 different streets. We didn't stay too long because it was raining. Hopefully we can return tomorrow or the next day during the daylight hours to get some great pictures. Lastly we strolled down the Chapms d'Elysee and stopped at a cafe for dinner. Well, it's now 1:25 a.m. here and I've got to get to bed.
Tomorrow is the Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coure!
This may be pretty sad, but the highlight of my day right now is waiting for your blog post. Just in case you were wondering if anyone is reading them, I AM! So sorry that it rained on you. Hope it didn't dampen your spirits too much (pardon the pun). Christy, I'm glad you got to see some more of your waterlilies. I know they are a favorite. Don't forget to tell me where you are eating. I'm taking notes for next year. Buy some beautiful art in Montmartre. You have a big ole house to fill up with it. So glad you're having fun.
ReplyDeleteSo how did Quasimodo get up and down those stairs? (JUST KIDDING!) Did you read all the good French lit before you left so you could see the settings in "real life"?
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