Paris France Oct 6–13, 2015

We arrived in Paris to join Keith and Sarah for the first day our holiday! We spent the day at my personal favorite, the Musée d’Orsay. This former railway station welcomed travellers to the World Fair in 1900 before it was transformed to become a museum at the turn of the 20th century. The Museum’s glass roof allows for lots of natural light and the large railway clock reminds visitors of the building’s historic past. After taking in the sculptures on the main floor, we made our way to the impressionist gallery to see the works of Monet, Degas, Renoir 20151007_2_Orsayand Van Gough. Although we could have spent several more hours padding around the museum, we called it a day, stopped for crepes from a street vendor, and made our way back to the room. After Keith and Sarah gathered their gear, we enjoyed a bite to eat at a nearby café, before saying our farewells.

On this vacation we took in more guided tours than usual. One of the highlights of these walking tours was our tour on the history on the 800 year old Notre Dame20151011_1_notre_dame Cathedral. This gothic building is covered with story telling statues at its entrances and gargoyles that peer out from all angles of its bell towers watching out over the city. We did not climb the bell tower on this trip however we did pay special attention to the status of Saint Denis holding his head at the entrance of the Cathedral. During our week long stay we did attend a couple of church services to hear the sounds of the Cathedral’s medieval organ and listen to the children’s choir sing.

A friend suggested we take in the rooftop view from Les 20151009_2_galleries_lafayetteGalleries Lafayette. We had shopped here in the past, but we hadn’t fully appreciated its rooftop view or the grand glass dome that soars above all the wares available for sale in this popular department store. One wonders how is it that a dome of this size has stayed intact for the last 100 years?

20151009_8_Artists_marketWe spent an afternoon touring Montmartre, known as home to many artists who make a living selling their works along the cobble stoned streets in this bohemian area of the city. The area was bustling with tourists as there was a festival on and many 20151009_3_Cheese_Shopmerchants were hawking their wine and cheese. While in the area we tracked down one of our favourite shops to pick up some chocolate treats for ourselves and also stopped in one of the city’s popular cheese shops.

After touring Montmartre, we 20151009_5_sacre_courheaded to Sacré-Cœur Basilica. Perched at one of the highest points in the city, you can see the landscape of the city of Paris from this spectacular vantage point. By Parisian standards the building is relatively new, having been consecrated after World War 1 and dedicated to those who fought in the war. The Basilica, made of travertine stone, manages to keep its pristine condition despite the pollution of the city beneath it.

One of our tours took us through the theatre district where 20151009_4_windmillwe came across the popular Moulin Rouge. This theatre is popular for its rooftop windmill --- said to be a nod to its nostalgic past when the neighbourhood was dotted with windmills. While only a handful of windmills are left standing, we came across this one which happens to be on the grounds of a Paris vineyard and restaurant!

Near the end of our week long visit to Paris, we visited the Maison de Victor 20151012_2_victor_hugoHugo. This is the location when Victor Hugo lived after The Hunchback of Notre Dame was published. This property with it’s impressive entrance, is now a museum dedicated to his life and overlooks an elegant square where tourists and locals mingle.

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