Ah, Bonjour! Day 3

 Paris, Je t'aime

This morning, we took a shore excursion which was a bus tour of Paris.

In the past, I've eschewed such get on the bus and be herded around, everybody do the same thing, see the same thing at the same time activities.  But a couple years ago, while visiting NYC with my grade school girlfriends, we decided to do the hop on, hop off bus, which took us out of the part of Manhattan we usually spent time in.  My friend who lived there crowed, "I've seen parts of the city I haven't seen in all the time I've lived here!" and I began rethinking my bias against the bus tour.  So today's ride around was quite nice for me passing through parts of the city I wouldn't have seen otherwise and then saying hello again to some landmarks I was very much looking forward to seeing.  This included Notre Dame, where active construction works to restore the cathedral.  I fell in love with the gargoyles on my first visit and that hasn't changed.  

Cranes and scaffolding everywhere.  Bleachers are set up so people can sit and watch the work, and all around the perimeter is information about the fire itself and how the work is being conducted.
My friends, the gargoyles

Look at these gargoyles!  Aren't they just the coolest?  If we were ever to build a house, I would want gargoyles for my gutters.
Our intrepid travelers on one of the 37 bridges spanning the Seine in Paris.


These drinking fountain stations can be found throughout the city.
Apartment buildings on the bank of the River Seine.
The bus conveniently stopped for a photo op in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Driving around the Arc de Triomphe and then down the Champs Elysees confirmed the benefit of being on a bus where someone else was navigating the traffic.

Another national treasure I hoped to re-see was Sainte-Chapelle, as I remember the stained glass there to be exceptional.  So after lunch Dan, Joe and I took the Metro to the church and again, memory served correct.  What an amazing edifice!
The Rose Window.  70% of the stained glass is original from the 14th Century.

Look, another gargoyle!  This one on a door going into the courtyard at 
Sainte-Chapelle.





Paris has many fountains; this one is a tribute to Michael the Archangel.

As I'm finishing up this blog, the ship has literally sailed and we are passing under our first bridge.  I'm ready to spend some time sailing with my feet up on the sun deck.  

A domain (until tomorrow)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What a Difference a Year Makes

Image
  A year ago, we had sold our Minnetonka home and were awaiting closing. We were wintering in Florida.  We were hoping to find a new home (single level living) before we returned to Minnesota. Alas, the hope was misplaced, given the lack of inventory.  During the past year, I learned that:    About 14 million mortgage borrowers refinanced their homes between 2020 and 2021. Rates were at all-time lows during the pandemic, sinking as low as 2.65%. Given that mortgage rates are now in the high 6 to high 7 percent, more owners, even those who had an interest in moving, were hesitant to give up their historically low (probably never to be seen again) rates.  To whit: lack of inventory. I've previously chronicled how emotionally difficult the move ended up being, far surpassing what I anticipated and hanging on longer than I bargained for. We moved into an apartment, and I'll admit that this past summer, it felt pretty good.  Our entire family, grandchildren...
Read more

Wrap It Up and Put A Bow On It

Image
  A few of the local trees are beginning to show the first inklings of fall, leaves fading from green to early shades of yellow.  And it smells like late summer--a distinctive smell I recall from childhood, a scent that followed me home from school on those first few weeks when you raced home in a hurry to change out of the Catholic School uniform into shorts because it was still warm and light enough to play outside until dinner.  The shadows on our deck are growing longer.  The squirrels scamper around with nuts tucked between their jaws.   Yep, it's time to wrap summer up and put a bow on it. We had such a blissful summer, leisurely hours spent with those we love, wedding celebrations for family and friends, reunions and reconnections, time spent on the road and in the air.  Primarily for myself, but also for your reading pleasure, I thought I'd recap May through August. Following our return drive from Florida April 28, we flew to Chicago for the we...
Read more

Cro-A-Ti-A Day 7

Image
                                                                             The Final Kastela Yesterday My Friend Jeanie, bonus grands Eleanor and MaggieRose, McB and John and I started at Kastel Gomilice, then headed out down what, for the other 6 Kastelas, is a seaside path to Kastel Sucurac. It was not meant to be. Turns out past Kastel Gomilice there is a large harbor area so that the path ends and it's up to the busy street to make your way to Sucurac.  A hot, not so shady, very unscenic busy street.   Proof that we found Sucurac. Bonus Grand Eleanor, me, My Friend Jeanie, Bonus Grand/Goddaughter MaggieRose We looked, in vain, for a street that would lead away from said street back to the seaside.  When we finally found what appeared t...
Read more