Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Pâques in Paris

On our first night, we went down to the Vigile Pascal at Notre Dame (Easter service and bonfire), followed by a quick walk around the Hotel de Ville and the Seine, and a fantastic dinner at Latin-Saint Germain.
Hôtel de Ville at night
Richard and I on the Seine
Shakespeare & Company bookshop (we recently watched Before Sunset again)
The next morning we went to the Champs-Elysees
Arc de Triomphe











Le Metro
Catedral Notre Dame
Easter at the Notre Dame



Pâques

I love the rose windows



Hotel de Ville
Hotel de Ville in the daytime



Le Tour Eiffel

Under the railway bridge




1/4-scale replica of the Statue of Liberty
The plaque says "4 Julliet 1776" just like the American one, but it also says "14 Julliet 1789" for Bastille Day





Another classic Metro stop
We didn't actually go to Starbucks, but we did see a few of them--the last time I was in Paris, they were more unusual. This one was on the Boulevard Saint-Germain (we had dinner every night in the Quartier Latin)
Polidor--absolutely fabulous atmosphere and food! Long queues, but worth it!

Somebody's happy to be here!

Just brilliant--I think the fact it was in Midnight in Paris has increased its popularity, but its reputation is deserved. Our waitress was very nice, the food was amazing, and we were sat next to a lovely older gentleman (we like to think he's a prof at the Sorbonne). The only downside was the "lavabo"--a pit toilet that you have to enter through the courtyard. No wonder the guidebook said that the toilets were "legendary"...

Classic Mini, just the right size to fit down this little alleyway


Tour Eiffel at night

Looking up from underneath the Eiffel Tower


Carousel
We had crepes and watched the light show



The next morning bright and early we went to the Louvre--Richard & the Mona Lisa



My favorite part of the Louvre--Napoleon III's apartments. This is the Grand Salon

I love the chandeliers






Richard's mom took us on a sightseeing cruise on the Seine--here's the Grand Palais

Palais du Louvre
Palais du Louvre

Notre Dame


Chatelet
Musee d'Orsay
Assemble National--there's an election coming up in a couple of weeks!


In the evening we went up to the Sacre-Coeur
There was a lovely service for Easter Monday

The view from the top of the Butte Montmartre
Back at the Louvre, on our walk after dinner
Our hotel had this funny little vending machine--you can get a French-English dictionary, playing cards, adaptors, etc.
En route to the airport this morning--Richard's reading "20 Minutes"--their version of the Metro paper

Au revoir, Paris!

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