The most famous of the cities of Europe has to be Paris. The Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre-Dame and the Montmartre are names that tickle the imagination with anticipation. I had been to this city on the Seine once as a teenager. Now I was taking my wife to see the sites of the French Capital.Would I like it better 47 years later. Read on.
The view from our small room was spectacular. The Louvre was only a block away and the Eiffel Tower touched the sky in the other direction. Our first afternoon after arriving would be at the most famous of Museums to see the most famous works of art in the world.
You enter the Louvre through a glass pyramid set in the middle of a square which is surrounded by the buildings of the old French palace that houses all the artistic wonders we came to see. The large statute of the Winged Victory sits at the center of a stairway that leads to one of the galleries.This white marble marvel of Ancient Greece is still as I remembered it. The Venus de Milo still has no arms and needs more clothing.The Mona Lisa is much smaller than I remembered and the room was so crowded with gawkers that I could barely grab a photo over their heads. This huge museum cannot be seen in a day maybe not even in two. But it is a must see if you are in Paris.
I took photos of the Eiffel Tower that night from our very small balcony. The metal framework was lit up in a golden light with a white beacon of light from its peak. The next day we would explore the streets and cafe's to get a closer look at this symbol of Paris.
A Cafe au lait at a small cafe just past one the bridges over the Seine began our morning stroll. We ambled past quaint bakeries, cute French boutiques, and outdoor restaurants waiting for their morning customers. We spotted French soldiers congregating on a side street getting ready for a ceremony at nearby at the Les Invalides, the tomb of Napoleon. Paris is a very walk able city and doing so allows you to absorb the ambiance and culture of the place.
The Eiffel Tower is huge. You get glimpses of it around each corner you pass so finding it is easy. Even early in the morning the line to go into the tower was long. We walked beneath it and gazed up at this amazing creation of Gustav Eiffel back in1889 .It is over a thousand feet tall and it takes over 1700 steps to reach the top. It was built as the entrance for the World's Fair of 1889.
The afternoon we decided to visit the Jewish quarter and get a hamburger at the American Cafe. This little place was quaint and the food was good. We wandered thru the old streets back toward the Seine and visited some of the artists along the right bank. We crossed the river to the IIe de la Cite. This island in the Seine is where Paris was founded and the home of the cathedral of Notre-Dame.
The twin towers, flying buttresses, and gargoyles make this cathedral which was built in the 12th century one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. This famous church was where Napoleon was crowned Emperor of the French in 1804. It was also the site of the famous Victor Hugo novel "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame".
The sun was warm and crowds amiable as we headed back toward our hotel. In one of my brief romantic moments I had my wife buy a lock and place it on the Bridge of Locks where lovers placelocks to seal their love.It must be something in the air in Paris.
The next dag saw us on the Champs-Élysées visiting its upscale shops and restaurants with a stop at the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile. This huge stone commemorative of Napoleon's victories dominates the large traffic circle around the center of Place Charles de Gaulle. The history of this city is fascinating. But there was still more I wanted to see. The final locale of our visit would be Montmartre, the artists quarter and its beautiful white church.
The Sacré-Cœur is a beautiful triple domed basilica at the highest point in the city.The top of the hill of Montmartre.The area is known as the artists quarter as over the years famous artists such Renoir, Picasso, Matisse, and Vincent Van Gough lived or worked here. The narrow cobblestone streets has many itinerant artists wandering the area looking for tourists to draw. You can see painters at their craft along the sidewalks or talking in the cafes. I took the portrait of one old artist who was sitting at table of a cafe. I called it "The Frenchman". A small but picturesque cafe named Poulbot caught my eye. I think this was my favorite area of Paris. It just felt French and Parisian.
Our 72 hours in the City of Light ended that afternoon as we boarded our train to continue our exploration of Europe with a river cruise in Germany.I liked Paris better the second time.
