Category: France, Paris

Tour The River Seine

Right next to the Eiffel Tower is The River Seine.  It is a lively place to walk along or take a boat ride. We took our boat ride at night and found a few nice surprises along the way.  We saw lovers kissing, people dancing, groups partying together and floating bars. All this with the backdrop of famous buildings and homes.  Would you believe this was around midnight?

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Fun Fact:

Every summer tons of sand, along with palm trees, beach chairs with umbrellas and ice cream stands are brought to the pedestrian banks of the Seine in Paris to transform them into beaches, known as Paris Plages.

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Merci de votre visite

 

Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris

Even the rain could not spoil the beauty of Notre Dame.  Notre Dame is a tourist hot spot but shouldn’t be missed on a trip to Paris! 

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Fun Fact:

THE IMPOSTER SAINT

By the mid-19th century Notre Dame was in need of a major facelift, so to save it from ruin architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc was put at the helm of a massive renovation project that would last over two decades. While redesigning the church’s spire he secretly replaced one of its apostle statues with a slightly less biblical figure — himself! Talk about leaving your mark on the world.

To get a glimpse of this party crasher, turn your gaze up toward the green figures standing at the base of the central spire. All of them look out across Paris except one who’s turning in the opposite direction, hand to the forehead, there to admire his handiwork for centuries to come. Which apostle did architect Viollet-le-Duc choose to replace? Saint Thomas the carpenter, of course!

{https://www.localers.com/travel-guide/paris/paris-history-guide/visit-notre-dame}

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Merci de votre visite

 

Bonjour Eiffel Tower!

 

Whether it is on your own or with a tour, the Eiffel Tower is always a site to see!  If you see it during the day, also be sure to see it at night with its diamonds glittering on the hour.

The view is amazing!  These are just a few of my favorite pics I took.  

A useful fact about the men selling souvenirs around the Eiffel:  If you yell, “Policia, Polica!”  they will all scatter very quickly.

Fun fact about the Eiffel Tower:  Six inches – That’s how much the tower grows in the sun. Yes, the Eiffel Tower grows when it gets hot and shrinks in the cold.  

Merci de votre visite

Bonjour Paris!

plane

 

Time to celebrate Mom’s 80th birthday by going to Paris with her girls!

This is our plane landing on French soil.  I am very excited to have wonderful French food after taking one look and passing on the airline gluten free meals during our flight.  Not sure who made up the GF meals but I do not think they are entirely clear about the concept.  Let’s just say there was a lot of rice cakes and fake butter.

Arriving at our hotel was like seeing an old friend again, Relais Bosquet, Mom and I had stayed here over 12 years ago. Here is a cute little picture of our room with my sister, Dana, as the model.

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Yes, very cute and tiny, isn’t it?  Not only is this hotel wonderful but it is close to Rue Cler Paris Market,  The Eiffel Tower and the Metro.

The Rue Cler Paris Market is steps away from the entrance of our hotel. We could not resist a stroll in the market after unpacking.

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Lovely fruit, vegetables, meats, breads and sweets to choose all along Rue Cler Market.

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Don’t forget the beautiful flowers to decorate your room with!

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Mmmmmm…so many new and interesting fruits to try!  

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No, it is not fish eggs.  Can you name this berry?

Fun Fact about Rue Cler Paris Market: While Americans prefer chicken, pork, and beef, the French eat just as much duck, quail, lamb, and rabbit. Horse has gone out of fashion in the last decade. (The meat came from Eastern Europe where safety standards were questionable.)

Merci de votre visite