All around Paris

I hadn’t been to Paris for over a decade before our visit this summer, so really wanted to revisit some of the classics – Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower – and some places I’d never gone before, like Sainte Chapelle.  Let’s explore:

On our first afternoon, we walked along the Seine – a good way to get oriented – and crossed the Pont Alexandre III, an ornate Beaux Arts bridge lined with gilded sculptures that affords some scenic views.

One of the things I fondly remembered from an earlier trip was seeing the gargoyles and chimera atop Notre Dame.  It’s important to know that there’s now an app (jefile, aka duck the line in English) that you must use to reserve a time slot.  Note that you don’t pay until you get to the first landing inside.

The climb is fairly long and somewhat dizzying in that you go in a spiral around… and around… and around in the same direction for quite a while.  (I found the descent worse due to my slight vertigo.)  But once you step out onto the narrow ramparts, you see the panorama of Paris before you – and all sorts of creatures closer at hand.

Of course, it’s a must to get that iconic photo of the chimera overlooking the Eiffel Tower.  Since my last visit, fine wire fencing has been added that makes a clear shot challenging.

This is probably the second most famous Notre Dame chimera.  I wonder what he thinks of all he’s seen over the years…

After a short walk across the Île de la Cité, you reach the royal chapel, Sainte Chapelle.  It’s known for magnificent stained glass that dates – incredibly – to the thirteenth century.

Each window represents part of the Bible, and you could spend quite a while looking at each one along with the helpful laminated guides explaining the stories.  D studied them while I just looked up and took it all in.

Even the floor is interesting!

On the lower level, there’s another chapel (for the non-royal palace inhabitants).  Its windows are nowhere near as grand as those for the king, but it’s all still beautifully ornate.

We made two visits to the Louvre, which is so massive that we didn’t get anywhere close to seeing it all.  For part of the time, we just wandered and got lost amongst the art, stumbling upon fascinating things like a collection of bejeweled snuffboxes.  We also had a few must-sees that we looked for – the Mona Lisa, Greek and Roman statuary, the French crown jewels, and the Ancient Egyptian and Assyrian collections.

Even the ceilings are worthy of a close look – this one, for example, was appropriately themed for the Egyptian section:

Near the Louvre, handy for a quick sugar fix, is the Angelina tea room.  I remember going here as a girl to drink the famous hot chocolate, chocolat chaud à l’ancienne dit « l’Africain».  One small jug is too rich and dark for me to finish.  There’s also iced chocolate (chocolat à l’ancienne frappé), which is a delight on a hot day.  Over our time in Paris I tried both, while D stuck to sparkling mineral water.

Ouf!  Tourist to-do list complete!