Our last day in Paris

Today was our last day in Paris... we're going home tomorrow.  Jim and I have had such a wonderful time both in London and Paris, there is no way to describe our time here.  I am so blessed to have the husband I have and we are thankful for the wonderful relationship we have. 

Today we started off with our usual breakfast.  Fabulous as always... we went back the the other place. 

We wanted to go back to the Louvre and see some of the parts we missed.  We went to the Richelieu Wing and toured the French sculptures, decorative arts and Nepoleon III apartments.

A view out the window of the Denon wing.

Another view out of the window in the Richelieu wing.

Napoleon III Dining Room. 

After leaving there we wanted to see the Statue of Liberty which was given to the city in 1885 and faces west, toward New York.

  

Then we headed back to the apartment for some rest and to get ready for the trip home tomorrow.  On the way to the Metro we came across this couple. 

It was cute.... getting wedding pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Then there is this cute couple.... married 32 years.  We've had a wonderful trip, the trip of a lifetime and to places I've always wanted to go and never thought I would.  There's a big beautiful world out there to see and we've just seen a piece.  I'm tired and ready to go home though.  There's no place like home!

Thank you Jim for a wonderful trip.  I love you more and more each day!

Paris... Day 3

This morning we tried the bakery across the street.... not as good. We're spoiled with the bakery around the corner so tomorrow it's back there we go.  As we were leaving our apartment this morning we happened on a neighborhood market.  Oh my what beautiful vegetables, flowers and fish, as well as shoes, clothing and purses.  A shoppers paradise.

We really enjoyed walking around there and seeing all the fresh food.

Our next stop was Montmartre a small neighborhood on a hill overlooking Paris.  Kimberlee recommended that we go there and we had a wonderful time.

Our first stop was the church (Sacre'-Coeur) high up on the hilltop and guess what..... more stairs!!   

So climb we did and the view of Paris is fantastic.  Once we toured inside the church we then decided to climb to the dome... more stairs.... 300 more to be exact!  What were we thinking?!?  The view was fantastic though.

After our climb and decent, we wandered into town.  Montmartre has been associated with artists for 200 years and we wandered around looking at all the beautiful art.  We purchased two pieces for our home and then ate a crepe' sandwich of ham and cheese and some gelato....wonderful! 

A wonderful ham and cheese crepe'.

Jim's gelato

We wandered down the hill and got on the Metro and headed to Sainte-Chapelle, which has 15 magnificant stained-glass windows.  They were beautiful, however they are working on renovating many of them so we didn't get to see them all.  The ones that were not covered were beautiful.

One of the last things on our 'to do' list was a trip down the Seine.  We walked across the river and down the bank to the boat dock.  It was fun and we got some beautiful pictures.

Jim took these fantastic pictures from the boat of the sun setting behind the Eiffel Tower.

We got off at the Eiffel Tower and took a few more pictures there... I wouldn't even want to count the number of pictures we have of the Eiffel Tower.... it's hard not to keep taking pictures of it.

We stopped for dinner near the Eiffel Tower then wandered back to see the light show that's done on the hour.  We didn't have to wait long and it was beautiful.

That ends another day in Paris.  This is a fantastic city and we've got one more day here.

Until tomorrow...

Paris.... day two

Ohhhhh and the day started off with the croissant and mini quiche and of course those wonderful little cream puff pastry things with the sugar on top.  Yummy.... I could really start every day that way. 

We headed off to ride the double decker tour bus and got off at the Eiffel Tower.  There are so many guys selling trinkets there on little scarves on the groung and hanging on big rings.  Anyway we decided to climb the first two levels... that's 720 steps folks, yes I said 720 stairs.

This is how far it is from the Eiffel Tower to DC

This is for my son-in-law, Nicholas.

I really loved the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

After the climb and taking the elevator down, we got some lunch and ate it on a bench under the Eiffel Tower. 

All these guys selling trinkets.

Trinkets on a scarf.

We got back on the bus and rode around to the Musee d'Orsay to see some Impressionism.  We really loved the paintings there.

We walked across the Seine and saw the Eiffel Tower as the sun was setting....

How beautiful is that!!

We stopped for dinner at a place our eye doctor recommended and had a great meal.

It was a beautiful day in Paris today.

See you tomorrow.



First full day in Paris...

We started our day walking past a bakery.... oohhh la la.. we had to stop.  People were walking out with baguettes and just taking piece off and eating it right away.  So we had to stop in, we picked up a yummy croissant for Jim and a wonderful individual ham and cheese quiche for me.  Oh my it was so good.  We also picked up some little other puffs of something with sugar on top.  Oh my...... it was fabulous.  Puff type pastry with sugar.  We were in the Louvre when we started eating them and I was taking pictures and Jim was encouraging to me take as many as I wanted.... little did I know that he wanted me to continue to he could continue to eat these wonderfully delightful treats.  I caught on just in time.  Here's a picture of Jim enjoying them.    By the way.... we're going back tomorrow for sure!

 This was when we were still sharing.

See what I mean.... just eating away.

So we went to the Louvre today...I thought the British Museum was huge... nothing compared to the Louvre.  It is way beyond anything I've ever seen.  You couldn't see everything if you went everyday, all day for a week.  So we made our way to the Mona Lisa.  I wasn't disappointed at the size because I'd heard it was small, so it was bigger than I imagined.  It was a madhouse there though.  People were crazy crowding around to take pictures.. it was mobbed to say the least.  But I did manage to work my way up and snapped a couple.  There were so many beautiful works of art, statues, paintings and on and on.  We spent about four hours there and still didn't see all we wanted.  It just all became overwhelming, so we took off for Notre- Dame. 

 Inside the pyramid

Outside the pyramid.

Our cute little donuts were no longer sustaining us so we stopped at a cafe and had wonderful chicken and mashed potatoes.  Absolutely fabulous.  I don't know what sauce they made for the chicken, but it was so good.  And the mashed potatoes, the best ever.  After fueling up again we headed off to Notre-Dame.

Jim and I found it to be so much more commercial than St. Paul's in London.  St. Paul's is so much more reverant and respectful.  Notre-Dame had many trinkets for sale and machines selling coins and prayer cards etc.  Not people selling in little booths, but machines that lit up and looked more like Las Vegas.  The cathedral itself was beautiful.  All the stained glass, which we were allowed to take pictures of.  Something St. Paul's didn't allow.  The did not have any booklets available in English, they were out.  The only thing I wanted to purchase.  Anyway, it was beautiful.  We couldn't climb to the top as it was too late, but we did take a walk around to see the outside.

All the stained glass was beautiful.



Outside the window

The window from inside.

We then headed back to the Arc de Triomphe for a trip up the stairs to the top, all 284 of them.  When we got up there it was beautiful, but cold and windy.  Fortunately, one of our stops today was to purchase gloves and a hat for me.  It's been colder than either one of us had anticipated.  By the way, whatever medicine I picked up last night at the pharmacy, is working because I feel much better.

The climb.... was a piece of cake compared to St. Paul's in London

Can you tell we're cold!?!

The Eiffel Tower from the top

 Arc de Triomphe with the moon

  

We're back in the apartment now and I think we'll take the bus tour tomorrow. 

We arrived in Paris....

Even with the strikes and gas shortage and terrorist threats.  There is nothing going on where we are and other than many military men with big guns at the Eiffel Tower, there's not much going on.

We took the Eurostar train from London to Paris.  Nice way to go.  Here is the station in London.

When we arrived in Paris we found a driver to take us to our apartment, with a broken handle on our suitcase and the fact that I'm not feeling the greatest, I have a bit of a cold, we decided it was worth the fare.  Upon our arrival we discovered that the code to the apartment building wasn't correct and had to call back to the States to Colorado to get the correct code.  Thankfully, we were able to reach  Antoine and got into the apartment.  And as I mentioned before, a lovely apartment it is.

We decided to take off walking, but I was hungry (and not feeling the greatest) and guess where we went...

Yes we did!!  I was hungry and not quite up to figuring out where or what to eat to Mickey D's it was.  Oh well tomorrow is another day.

Off to the Arc de Triomphe.  Wow.... is all I can say.

Then on to the Eiffel Tower.  Now mind you I don't feel the greatest and we're walking like miles.... it was worth it!

I've always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower, and now I have.  It was cold and windy but beautiful!

We waited until the lights came on and then left.  Stopped by a pharmacy and got some medicine, went to the grocery store and picked up a few things and now we're home. 

More tomorrow.

We're in Paris!!

Haven't blogged for a couple of days... sometimes had a bad connection in London... but now we're in PARIS!!

We have a wonderful apartment here.  The one in London we'll just call, okay and that may be a stretch.  Anyway... a couple of pictures from London then on to Paris!


Saturday Night, October 16th, we went to the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London.  It is the locking up of the Tower of London.  It's free but you have to write for tickets and only about 35 people go a night.  It was great, they lock up the Tower for the night and turn the keys over to the Tower Watch.  It was great, a very moving ceremony.  No cameras or pictures were allowed, but a wonderful memory.

Sunday, October 17th, we went to the British Museum.  Wonderful place, way too much to see, but we saw quite a bit of it.  The Rosetta Stone, mummies, really old dead people and lots of really old bling! 

Then on to the Churchill War Room and Museum.  Very, very interesting.  They closed up the war room and left it and it stayed closed up just like it was for years.  They finally opened it up and it remains like it was, furniture and all.  Really interesting.

We then went to Westminster Abbey for an organ recital.  Wow... how great was that!!

Monday, October 18th, we went to St. Paul's Cathedral and climbed all 528 steps to the top of the dome.  We took a tour with a wonderful lady, Barbara, she loves St. Paul's and was full of wonderful information.  Below is a picture from the top of the dome.   I was glad for all the steps and walking Jim and I have done over the past few months.  The legs were still wobbly at the end.

We went back to the apartment for a rest and then had tickets to see Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.  Great play!!

Now, on to Paris!