We stood in the quasi line that snaked its way into the front of Notre Dame and basked in the cool, moist air inside. The church met all expectations: airy, light, bigger than life, and jam-packed with people from Kentucky. We sat, reflected on the existence of a higher power and the overarching meaning of life, then walked into the corner of the cathedral, dropped two euro into a vending machine, and retrieved our commemorative Notre Dame medallions. God bless corporate religious branding.Our feet took us along the adjacent Seine at sunset and traipsed by the Hotel de Ville. Hungry and needing a respite, we found an out of the way cafe and dined on salmon, pate, awesome potatoes, and topped it off with Parisien coffee and a good dose of people-watching.
Dinner that night wasn't a letdown either. At Bistro du 7eme (in the 7th district), we had a decadent 20 euro, 3-course dinner that was divine. In bad need of some cardio following our meal, we walked out of the 7th and walked towards the Louvre pyramids along the Tuilleries and saw why they call it the city of lights.
The next day, we braved the crowds and headed for the Louvre. For 30 seconds, we were face-to-face with the Mona Lisa and no one else. We wandered through French paintings, the sculpture gardens, Egyptian relics, Napoleon the IIIs apartment and saw a handful of impressionists (although we would later find out that a majority of impressionists sit in the Musée d'Orsay). Museumed-out, we bailed out after four hours.
The end of the day found us sitting on the curb on a street off of St. Michele in the 6th district and eating gelato (not the best, that would be in Italy - watch for this post). We picked through the used book stores and headshops that lined the street and caught our breath under the shade of a few trees in the courtyard of a church.
After boarding the train home to Geneva, we reflected on our trip and were amazed that the service was so ridiculously good (and bilingual) - everywhere we went. I already miss it.
Flickr set from Paris is here. Thanks to my forgetfulness, digital camera batteries died on day 1. Remainder of pics are from disposable which are being developed.
Soundtrack of the Day:
- Fibre De Verre, Paris Combo
- Je M'Suis Fait Tout Petit, Georges Brassens
- On N'a Pas Besoin, Paris Combo
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