Sunday in Paris

November 10, Sunday:  this is the last Sunday of my 2013 European trip - tomorrow I leave Paris and return to Macon.  But today we have time to do a few more things...we headed to Sainte Sulpice Church - another beautiful church that was mentioned in The DaVinci Code - the book was fiction but the places are real.

           

   After lunch across the street, we walked over to Jardin du Luxembourg for a nice walk in the park - we saw children playing, families enjoying the park, bee hives, and men playing a game of boules.

   

 

   The bee hives - some stored for the winter.  There are many bee hives in Paris on both private and public property.

   

          

  

   Luxembourg Garden is the garden of the French Senate  which is housed in the Luxembourg Palace.

   Afterwards we went to the Musee Rodin to see the outdoor sculpture.  There were a lot of visitors at the Rodin Gardens and Museum.  It is a long holiday weekend in France celebrating Armistice Day when we celebrate Veterens Day.  There are fewer tourists and more Parisians out and about.  Although it is cool and windy, it is a beautiful day.

   

           

           

 

    Another beautiful day in Paris!

Normandy!

November 9, Saturday:  We were up early to be picked up at 6:30 am, at our apartment, for a trip to the Normandy Beaches and the Memorial de Caen Museum in Caen.  We went to Pointe du Hoc, and Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword Beaches along the Normandy coastline.  We also visited the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.  

    

    Today, November 9, is also the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 -

   

    The day was long - we didn't get back until about 6:30 pm tonight - but so very interesting and worth every minute!

   

Les Grands Magasins

November 8, Friday:  We once again took the metro to our destination - the big department stores downtown, Galeries Lafayette and Printemps. Our main objective was to do a lot of looking :-)  Both of these department stores had windows already decorated for Christmas - beautiful!  Galeries Lafayette also had a huge Christmas tree set up inside the store.  

             

 

 

             

 Pictures of the Opera Garnier, Paris' first opera house, from 6th floor terrace at Galeries Lafayette -

  After lunch at the BHV/Marais buffet restaurant, then on to Notre Dame. This year is the celebration of 850 years for the cathedral.  

 

              

    

              

   A temporary structure (part of the anniversary celebration) is set up in front of Notre Dame Cathedral.

   We continued with a walk over to the flower market of Ile de la Cite and after looking around we decided to have a coffee around the corner opposite Sainte-Chapelle.

   Then home to the apartment to rest and get ready for tomorrow's adventure!

Pere-Lachaise Cemetary

November 7, Thursday:  Today we visited Pere Lachaise Cemetary.  It is the largest cemetary in the city of Paris and one of the first garden cemeteries in the world.  It is an amazing place -

  

   

               

    Including Jim Morrison's grave -

   

    Then a walk through the Rue Cler neighborhood and an early dinner at Cafe Du Marche and taking home a little pastry from the shop across the street for later - 

 We walked over to the Eiffel Tower to see the tower all lit up with the twinkling lights. There was a misty shower and some fog - and it looked wonderful!

           

               

   Afterwards, we took the metro back to our neighborhood.  We've really used our Navigo passes on both the metro and bus today!

Chartres Cathedral

 Novenber 6, Wednesday:  We set out on our planned excursion to Chartres to see the Chartes Cathedral via regional train about one hour southwest of Paris.

   The spires of Chartres Cathedral are visible, and very recognizable, from a long distance as you approach. The cathedral dates from about the 4th century with a Gallo-Roman wall and continuing through the centuries.  In 1194, a fire destroyed most of the cathedral after which the cathedral was rebuilt in one generation, on the remains of previous buildings (the crypts).

   

            

   Labyrinth on cathedral floor - 

              

     After our time in the cathedral, we explored the town a bit and had lunch before heading back to Paris in late afternoon.

    

              

    Just in time to plan another day in Paris!

    

Settling in - Paris

November 5, Tuesday:  We are settling in the Paris apartment where Ginny and Robert will house-and-cat sit for the next several weeks - but I will only be staying for a week.  It is a lovely apartment that faces a courtyard in a wonderful old building -

    A walk in Parc Monceau - people exercising in the park -

    And bee hives in the park -

   

   Exploring the neighborhood -

   

   And on to the grocery store before settling in at the apartment to plan our outing for tomorrow!