Art, History, and A Whole Lot More!

You can't visit Paris without seeing at least one museum.  Well actually you can but I don't think you will want to.  There are two very famous museums that most people try to see on their first visit and those two are the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay.  Frankly the Louvre is so big you could spend weeks there and not see everything but generally everyone wants to see the Mona Lisa on their first visit to say they've seen this masterpiece.  The Orsay is full of beautiful impressionist work and it is worth a visit just to have lunch in their beautiful cafe.  

Here are links to both museums.  We definitely can fit in visits to these two museums although a few hours at each is about all one can handle.  It can be overwhelming because ther is so much to see.  The trick is to enjoy museums in small doses and we must have lunch at the Musee d'Orsay - that will be a memorable experience.

The Louvre

A View of Cities - The Louvre

Musee d'Orsay

A Veiw of Cities - Musee d'Orsay


Following are pictures of both museums from past visits.  

Ceiling in the Musee d'Orsay Restaurant

Carol and Cindy having lunch in the Musee 'd Orsay restaurant

The restaurant in Musee d'Orsay

Napoleon's Apartments - The Louvre

Napoleon's Apartments - The Louvre

Morris at the Seine, Carol resting in the Louvre, and Trish and Dave outside the Louvre

Exhibits in the Louvre

The Mona Lisa is small but spectacular

Paris Jardins (Paris Gardens)

Paris has beautiful parks and gardens tucked away throughout the city.  Some are big and some are small but all of them are beautiful.  On this trip we definitely need to visit the Luxembourg Garden or as in French, Jardin du Luxembourg.  It is located in the 6th arrondissement and dates back to 1612 (can you believe that).  It was initiated by the widow of King Henry the IV of France.  Her name was Marie de'Medici and there is a beautiful fountain called the Medici Fountain that we will definitely visit and maybe if the weather is good, we can grab a seat and enjoy some quiet time there.  

These pictures were taken from our trip in 2010.  I discovered the park on my own in 2004 which was our first trip there and it was a rainy day and the park was almost empty.  It is one of my favorite spots in Paris and I think you will like it too!

The picture below is of part of the Senate building which is also part of Luxembourg Gardens. It was originally a palace but is now used for the Senate.   There are beautiful flowers beds although the park.  People sit out and read, visit, or just meditate.  

There is also a big pond in the park.  You may have seen the pond in movies as they have minature sail boats in the water.  

There are other parks as well.  We may have to save those for another trip but this one is a definite "must see"!  Another park that is beautiful and fairly quiet is Park Monceau.  If we get a chance it would be fun to see that again.  

Here are links to both parks.  Luxembourg has a museum as well and I was fortunate enough to see a Henri Matisse exhibit there once.



A View on Cities - Luxembourg Garden

Parc Monceau

Churches of Paris (Églises de Paris)

Paris has so many beautiful and historic churches and it is hard to see them all in one trip.  There are a few that are definite "must see" churches on this upcoming trip and it will not be hard to fit them into the itinerary.

The first is Notre Dame where they have mass every Sunday.  The following link will provide more information about Notre Dame.  It is easy to get too and is located on the Isle de la Cite, really considered the heart of Paris.  Across the river on the Left Bank is the Latin Quarter and on the Right Bank is the Marais.  Within walking distance from Notre Dame is the Isle St. Louis which is a definite must see area of Paris.  Also very close by is Saint Chappelle which has the most stunning stained class windows.  It would be fun to see that church as well.

Close up above doorway of Notre Dame

Night view of Notre Dame - Midnight in Paris

Link:
Notre Dame Paris

Stained Glass in Saint Chappelle

Link:
Sainte Chappelle

Another "must see" church is the Sacre Couer Basilica.  It is set up on a hill in Paris and so the view from the church is stunning and worth walking the stairs to get there!  The church is also right next to the Montmartre which is the famous area where the Impressionist artists lived and painted.  It is a very picturesque place to visit as well.  

Link:
Sacre Coeur Basilica

Saint Eustache is another church that would be good to visit if time permits.  It is the Les Halles area and there is a lot of history there.  I haven't been there for quite some time so I would definitely love to visit.  They also have concerts there so that may be an option.  The link to the page may require that you translate the page from French to English - there should be a dialog box in the right hand corner to give you that option.

Link:
Saint Eustache

A Little Bit about Paris

Paris has an allure that I can't really explain.  I never thought in a million years that I could fall in love with a city, but lo and behold, I did just that.  I have the good fortune to be married to a man who fell in love with Paris exactly the same time I did.  People have asked us why we go there so often as though we are unadventurous because we like going back to this one of a kind city.  My response is usually to ask them how many times have they been to Hawaii, or Disneyland, or whatever there favorite vacation spot is and that usually gives them some insight.  We are comfortable there and enjoy the treasures the city has to offer.  What more can I say?

Part of the allure is that the city is old.  Paris is more than 2,000 years old.  The Gauls of the Parisii tribe settled there between 250 and 200 BC and founded a fishng village on an isaldn in the river that is the present day Ile de la Cite -- the center around which Paris developed.  We will visit this center which is where Notre Dame is as well as the Ile St. Louis, the smaller island connected by a bridge to the Ile de la Cite.  

Paris can be crowded, and although it seems mostly with tourists, the actual population of Paris is over 2.24 million people.  When you include the suburbs, the population increases to over 10 milion people.  

The city of Paris is divided into twenty arrondissements.  I usually use the word districts because as much as I've tried, I cannot properly pronounce the word arrondissements.  The first district is in the center, the following districts spiral outwards in a clock-wise fashion.  Most of the famous tourist attractions can be found in one of the eight central arrondissments.  The arrondissements are encircled by the peripherique, a ring highway.  Outside of the peripherique are the banlieues or suburbs of Paris.  

In October, we will be staying in the 7th arrondissment.   I've stayed in the 7th arrondissement on two previous visits to Paris.  I enjoyed the area which is less touristy, unless you are near the Eiffel Tower.  The 7th is all about narrow yet wealthy residential streets, tree line parks, the banks of the Seine, and of course the famous Eiffel Tower.  It has been described as the area where the civil servants live and so I think it is appropriate for this coming October visit when two retired civil servants will journey to Paris. Rue Cler is a famous food street where as you have your lunch you can see real Parisian's walking their dogs and buying their bagguette.  We will definitely have lunch at the Cafe du Marche and dinner one evening at La Tarasse which are both just walking distance from our flat.

The map below is a map of the 20 arrondissements and includes famous landmarks which can be found in each of the districts.   La Defense is outside the central city but is a must see for anyone visiting Paris.  It is modern, sleek, and beautiful and has a style all its own and well worth a quick 20 minute metro ride to take a peek.  

Paris Once Again

I've resurrected this old blog which never really got fully launched the way I had intended but it has a good structure so I will build on it in anticipation of my trip to Paris this fall.  Since 2010 I have had the pleasure of three more visits to Paris - September 2012, June 2014, and October 2015.  I love Paris - it is obvious - and I hope to capture some of what Paris has to offer in this blog.