Day 2 in Paris

Day 2 in Paris began with a hearty breakfast in our hotel. I have to say that the hotel we stayed in was very nice. It was clean, modern, and seemed to cater to a higher income traveler. Larry found out later that rooms at that hotel ran around $400 a night. Our first stop was at the Eiffel Tower. We had gone to the top of the tower the day before and this time we stopped along the backside of it and looked at a monument that was near the base.


Off we went on the bus to our next stop which was the Invalides. The Invalides was begun in 1671 and is most famous for being the burial place of Napolean. His body was returned to Paris 19 years after his death and is buried in a crypt below the golden dome.

Our next stop was the Assemblee Nationale where we viewed statues in front of it. It was interesting that the statues in front of the building are all surrounded by little spikes to keep people from defacing the statues.

Next up was Notre Dame Cathedral. Notre Dame was very beautiful. Especially beautiful were the 3 Rose windows. The South Rose window (pictured) is dedicated to the New Testament and was a gift from King Saint Louis. "It has eighty-four panes divided into four circles. The first one has twelve medallions and the second has twenty-four. A third circle is made up of quadrilobes, and the fourth circle has twenty-four trilobes medallions. This window features the symbolic number four, along with its multiples, twelve and twenty-four." Being in the cathedral was such a beautiful experience. The only thing that marred the visit was all of the warnings we received prior to visiting it about the abundance of pickpockets there. Luckily we didn't encounter this.


We spent about 2 hours exploring Notre Dame and then boarded the bus to head to Versailles. This last picture is the back of the Louvre which we would be visiting another day. We also went by the square where Marie Antoinette was beheaded.

Up next, our visit to Versailles and how irritated we all were because the French workers decided to go on strike that day. Apparently it happens all the time during the tourist season.

Day 1 in Paris

Up at the horrible time of 4:00 am this morning to catch the ferry to Calais. There was some confusion with the tour operator about the time and there were many sleepy people in the lobby waiting around. The bus didn't leave the hotel until 6:30 am for the drive to Dover and the ferry. It was pretty to see the White Cliffs of Dover (and yes they were white).

Thanks to our bus driver, we were able to skirt around the immigration check, however, it irritated us that we didn't get our passports stamped. So, we have been to France, but our passports don't indicate this. Anyways, the ferry was huge and we were able to have a very nice breakfast on board (Casey wasn't feeling all that great so she didn't enjoy it - probably being up so early didn't help). All in all it was only about a 90 minute ferry ride to Calais. Upon arrival, we boarded another bus and headed to Paris. This was a lot longer of a ride (3 hours), but we saw some beautiful countryside and had a chance to catch up on some sleep.

Our first stop was the Eiffel Tower. We took the elevator to the second level and realized that it was FREEZING up there. The views were incredible from every side of the tower, but boy was it COLD. After much walking around the 2nd level (way near the top) we headed down. Not on the elevator, but rather walking down the flights of steps. Did I mention it was cold? Not only was it cold, but it was sleeting on us as we walked and walked and walked and walked. I really didn't mind the walk because we just sat on a bus for 3 hours and the walking felt good.

The next stop was our hotel (Novatel - the red building in the picture). It was near the Eiffel Tower and very clean. The rooms were fairly small, but we could see the Seine River from our window.

After a short rest, we decided to walk around Paris. We walked across the Seine and viewed the Eiffel Tower from the other bank. We walked up Kleber Avenue and saw the Arc de Triumphe at night. There was traffic everywhere and lots of scooters and smart cars. We strolled down the Champs de Elysse and had a light dinner at a restaurant near the Eiffel Tower. The food was very good and the atmosphere quite enjoyable. Finally we headed to the hotel walking past the Eiffel Tower all lit up at night. We were exhausted from a long, long day and lots of walking. But it felt good and we all slept soundly that night.