Last Tango in Paris

Today we were off out early to see the sights of Paris.  Our first stop was the magnificent Notre Dame.  This huge Cathedral is very impressive and here we had the significance of the collage of statues which adorn the front of the building, explained to us…..all very interesting. We then entered the Cathedral and were able to walk around inside, despite a Mass being held at the time.  The numerous stain glassed windows are just lovely…especially the Rose Window which is in the Gothic circular style.  Leaving here, we then proceeded to the Eiffel Tower. Again, what an impressive structure this Tower is and it can be seen from almost anywhere in Paris. We ascended the Tower to the 2^nd level and the views all over Paris from up there are just lovely.

Then it was a drive to the Arc de Triumph for a better look than we had last night. Down the Champs Elyesse to the beautiful Hotel Invalides, now a Museum, but was used to house the war wounded years ago…to the Place de la Concord with its fountains and wide roadways, and past numerous grand old buildings. We had seen The Opera House on the way in from the airport and had hoped to get back there to have a better look.  Thankfully we got that look today…it is just the most magnificent building.  So many lovely statues nestled in the areas in front of the building and way up on top….would loved to have seen inside it.

It is now the next morning (2^nd June), and we are just about to start off on our tour…heading to Normandy today.  Last night’s tour to see Sacre Coeur was very nice. We travelled some of the way there in the coach, then moved into a small train which runs on the cobbled roads, all the way up to the top of the hill.  The Cathedral up there has a beautiful domed ceiling which has murals painted all over it.  There are many attractive stained glass windows with vibrant colours. The Market place up there is an artist’s haven and we saw some really nice paintings and also saw the sketch artist drawing people’s pictures, they are so clever.  Views over the City from up there, spectacular. We then caught the little train back down the hill and rejoined the coach. Then it was off to the Seine River cruise.  This was very nice…there are 38 bridges in Paris and we travelled under 22 of them. At this time of night (9:30 plus) all the lights were coming on and this added to the sightseeing pleasure. As we got back to the base for the boat cruise, the lights on the Eiffel tower were on, and as we stepped off the boat, the lights ‘twinkled’ for 2 minutes. I managed to get a bit of video of that…looked lovely. Then it was back to the Hotel to get organised for today. Another lovely day in the beautiful City.