We both felt much better after a good nights sleep. We were up and out of the hotel by 9am on the way to our first stop of Notre Dame when I realised that that I left the battery for the camera in the recharger. After a few choice words I ran back to the hotel to get the battery while Fiona went to hunt down some breakfast which turned out to be 3 yummy french pastries to share - a well balanced start to the day!
We got to Notre Dame right on 10am just as the church was opening. It truely is a beautiful and gothic church. Knaves are set back off the main chamber all the way along both sides of the church. It took 45 minutes in line before we got to climb into the bell towers but it is a must to do. A close up of the bells, the famous gargoyles and another elevated view of Paris is your reward.
We left Notre Dame and went a few hundred meters to the church Saint Chappell. There was another wait of 45 minutes in a line which we used to have our lunch. When we got in the church it just took our breath away. There were stain glass windows 10 to 15 meters high that made up the walls of most of the church. Each window had it's own design and was amazing.
We left and took a walk along the Seine to the Musee D'Orsay. I know, another museum! This one had sculptures and painting just like the others too. Oh yeah, some of the artists were famous:
Monet, Manet, Gaugin, Rodin, Van Gough and some more that I forget - to be truthful I started paying more attention to "living art" rather than the paintings on the wall.
We left the D'Orsay and headed north to the Opera House. Enroute, Fiona wanted to sit down in the park for a beer. She ordered a medium beer and me a medium coke. This was the most expensive drink either of us has had at a cool $30! (I must remember to breathe - thank goodness it was Fiona's shout).
Feeling refreshed (you have to enjoy a drink that costs that much) we walked to the Opera House for a quick stop before heading on to the Gallerie Lafayette. This is kind of like an up market David Jones.
Personal Note #1, Carmen: You MUST visit here when you get to Paris, you'll just love it - name brands everywhere!
Personal Note #2, Mick: Under NO circumstances let Carmen into Gallerie Lafayette when you get to Paris!
We spent most of our time in the gourmet food department picking out delectable bits and pieces for our dinner which we ended up having in a park along the Camps Elysees waiting for night o fall. We spent most of the rest of the time in the "Seductive Fashions" (or lingerie) department.
On our way to dinner we came across the Place de Madeline - another beautiful and gigantic church that was surrounded by huge pillars. Mass was being said so we sat for a while to relax before going to have dinner.
After dinner we slowly made our way up the Champs Elysees to the Arc De Triumphe. We climbed to the top and waitied for night to fall and the lights to come on. This didn't happen til about 9:30pm. I had forgotten how far north of the equator we were. When night eventually fell the most impressive sight was the Eiffel tower all lit up.
We walked back to the Eiffel tower to get some close up shots and then needed to get home. Fiona wasn't up for the 3km walk so we got a train back to Montparnasse. This was a little stressful (no idea what station we needed, no change for tickets, the credit card reader not working) but we eventually found our way back to the hotel by about 11:15pm.
Another wonderful day in Paris
Paris Hotels
Send a message
3 votes 
