Paris is always a good idea. -Audrey Hepburn

Paris, the City of Lights, the City of Love, the City of Haute Couture….whatever you call it, it has earned its reputation as one of the most magnificent cities in the world.

The train ride from London to Paris on the EuroStar took just a little over two and a half hours, with the train clocking up to 165 mph….wow!!!! We pull into Gare du Nord around mid-day, grabbed a taxi to our hotel in the Saint Germain des Prés area and headed out to our first destination….Museé d’Orsay. Paris is such a walkable city, and if it is too far the Metro is excellent and easy to navigate. We walked the few blocks to the museum and spent the next few hours mesmerized by the amazing collection of art.

The Museé d’Orsay was originally built as a train station for the World’s Fair in 1900. The exterior of the train station was covered with white limestone to match the buildings in the neighbourhood and the nearby Lourve Palace (now also a museum). But by 1939, the station closed as it could no longer accommodate the larger, more modern trains. It fell into disrepair until the 1970’s when a movement arose to save this historic building and in 1978 it was designated as a historic monument. The brilliant idea of turning this abandoned train station into a museum came to fruition in 1986….and today it is home to many priceless masterpieces.

The Impressionists are definitely on display here at Museé d’Orsay…Monet, Manet, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Cézanne…so many others. I was in heaven!!!!!

So many masterpieces here

And one last Van Gogh

I have always had the dream, that if Heidi and I ever made it to Paris, that we would walk hand in hand along the River Seine…and that is what we did next. Hand in hand along this famous river and then a quick bite to eat and a little French wine.

So my cold has pretty much gone away. My stubbed toe is still killing me. And now, it seems I have caught a case of conjunctivitis, PINK EYE !!!! What next?????

Well, next we spent some time just walking about different neighbourhoods, grabbed a nice dinner at a Michelin Starred restaurant, and then home to our hotel to rest up for another day of exploring to come.

Today we are going to walk around Montmartre, but first I go in search of a pharmacy. A kindly pharmacist has pity on me and gives me some drops for my eyes…I will be wearing my sunglasses today!! And to make matters worse, Heidi has come down with my cold….but we power on.

We had planned to visit the Louvre this morning, but neither of us feel up to it, so Mona Lisa will need to wait for another visit. Instead we sleep in, grabbed a delicious Croque Monsiur for breakfast and then visit the nearby Church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. So plain on the outside, but inside the gothic church really shines.

A quick metro ride and we get out at Abbesses Station, the deepest of all the metro stations, climb the 460 steps in the claustrophobic spiral stairway and exit out to the heart of Montmarte. Sick or not, we plan of walking all about this lovely part of Paris. Right behind the Metro Station is the Wall of Love on which the phrase “I love you” is featured 311 times in 250 languages.

We wandered all around Montmartre, once home to many a budding artist like Picasso, Van Gogh, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas, and many more. Montmartre is full of charm and allure…from little cobblestone streets, windmills, and grape vineyards to cabarets, basilicas, and stunning architecture. Walk till your hearts content and let your mind and heart be filled with the wonder of this hill area of the 18th arrondissement.

Near the end of our walk, we visited the famous Basilique du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre. Standing proud at the top of the hill, commanding a panoramic view of Paris, is Sacre-Coeur Basilica. Built between 1875 and 1914 (opened in 1923), it is built from travertine limestone. Whenever it rains, this limestone emits calcite that in essence cleans the stone enabling it to keep the beautiful white color. The interior is highlighted by one of the largest mosaic in all of the world, the Risen Christ.

And right next door to Sacre Coeur is the infamous “sinking house”

Ate that night at Pink Mammas.

Today we had tickets to visit Versailles, but we both were under the weather so we slept in again, adjusted our plans and decided to just walk about. We LOVE the Parisian Parks. Compared to other European capitals like Vienna, Madrid or London, Paris isn’t particularly green, but with over 480 parks to choose from, you are bound to find a spot for a picnic or a shady bench to finish that book you are reading.

And cafes are so quaint and sometimes all decked out with flowers and ornamentals. Little stools and chairs set RIGHT next to each other, hardly room to breathe. And you can nurse that un café and nibble on that croissant for as long as you want while you people watch to heart’s content.

Walking is always the best way to see a city. And we just love walking, and even though we weren’t feeling the best, we wound up walking almost 15 miles today. Cafes, markets, beautiful architecture, parks, bridges, so many wonders we discovered here in Paris. We also took a river cruise to see everything from a different perspective. Fun Day!!!

Last full day in Paris before we venture out to the countryside.

Today we are going for another walk, this time around the Latin Quarters. Our first stop is to Sainte-Chapelle, a church with probably the most impressive stained-windows anywhere in the world. Like St. Germain, the exterior is not much to look at, but inside the windows tower above you. Each window tells the story of a different book in the Bible. The details are amazing, the light that filters in simply mesmerizing.

We wandered by the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, but due to reconstruction efforts to repair the fire damage, we were not allowed to go inside. As a true independent bookstore lover, we next went in search of probably the most famous bookstore in the entire world, Shakespeare and Company.

The likes of Langston Hughes, Henry Miller, Allen Ginsberg, Anaïs Nin, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti (who went on to co-found City Light Books in San Francisco) all came here, to write, to share a drink, to stock the shelves, and some even slept on the couch. The walls of this bookstore are dripping with history. Oh what a store!!!

Just around the corner is Rue du Chat-qui-Pêche, the narrowest street in all of Paris. I could stretch out my arms and touch the walls on either side.

Right in this neighborhood was also the oldest tree in all of Paris, lots of shopping, and several lovely churches including St. Séverin. We visited all the churches.

After about three hours of wandering, including exploring Luxembourg Gardens, we ended up at the Pantheon. It is here that many notable French men and women are interned. A magnificient building, we toured main floor and felt very tiny standing below the towering dome, we climbed the 276 steps to the top to get a 360 degree view of Paris, and we braved the cypts below where among others lie Marie and Pierre Curie, Voltaire, Victor Hugo and Rousseau. We tend to get a little creeped out walking about burial spots.

We ended the evening with a nice dinner and then to a cabaret, Paradis Latin. We chose Paradis Latin as it is the oldest cabaret in Paris and is housed in a building designed by Eiffel himself. Good show with a bottle of champagne, didn’t need to know the language to understand everything.

For our last day here, we take an express train to Vernon, rent a pair of bicycles, and then peddle to Giverny and the home of Claude Monet. This was our favorite day, while we love visiting cities and seeing all they have to offer, we much prefer to be in the countryside. The bike trail was practically empty, flat all the way, and we only made one wrong turn. We went along the River Seine, past fields of wheat and corn, poppies growing wild, and wound up at the parking lot by Monet’s home. Monet was one of those rare painters who actually sold his work and was pretty well-to-do. He bought this home in Giverny and made magic of the garden. The pond, Japanese bridge, and waterlilies were the subject of some of his most prized paintings. Touring the home was fun, but the gardens were stunning.

So tomorrow we taxi to Charles De Gualle Airport to catch a plane to Athens. It is time to say Au Revoir to Paris, for we must return as there is still much to see, much to taste, much to experience. And hopefully next time we will be in better health. Thank you, Paris, for such a grand experience.