Paris was truly a magical time and the energy was absolutely amazing! We stayed right near the Seine River close to Notre Dame in the Saint Germain district. It was walking distance to all the tourist sites and a great place to stay for a first timer. The first day we went to Luxembourg Gardens then walked up along the river past the Pont Alexander III bridge with its golden columns and the Olympic village. It was a madhouse because there was a Olympic soccer game playing that we were able to see later lit up from up on the Eiffel Tower.
The next day I went around sunrise to Notre Dame and Sainte Chappelle church. Of course Notre Dame is still under reconstruction as you will see in the photos. But Saint Chappelle was open and I was absolutely amazed by the stained glass windows that tell the story of man from Creation to the end of time. Afterwards, I met Eric for breakfast at the famous Les Deux Magots where legends like Hemingway and Fitzgerald used to hang out. We had the Hemingway special and then I walked over to Saint Germain Des Pres church first built in 558 as a Benedictine monastery.
After that we crossed the Seine and made our way over to the Napoleon Courtyard at the Louvre to begin our walk up through the Historic Axis of Paris. We passed through the Arch of the Triumph of the Carousel that has replicas of the Four Horses of St. Marks from Venice on top. You could see the Olympic cauldron through the arch blazing with light and water to appear as a flame. The first time actual fire was not used! We made our way up and stopped at the Madeleine Church, the Grand Palace, and the Egyptian Obelisk from the Luxor Temple in Egypt. There were so many people and diversions because the heart of the Olympics were taking place there. Finally, we made it to the Arch of Triumph that connects twelve main roads of Paris. It is the site of the fallen soldiers of the revolution and WWI and II and the eternal flame. After that we were pooped and took the metro back to our hotel!
The next day was my birthday and I took the train out to the Palace of Versailles. I share a birthday with King Louis XIV who created Versailles! It was like a homecoming and the palace chapel was my absolute favorite spot. I also enjoyed the king and queen’s chamber which I took photos of. Then I toured the gardens and made my way to the Queen’s Hamlet which is like a little provincial French village. I was there for five hours and did not even make a dent in the gardens. I look forward to returning one day. The next morning Eric and I walked to the look out of Paris where the Basilica of the Sacred Heart is located. It was amazing! The energy was so pure. It is the site of a perpetual adoration of Christ that has been going on for over 1.22 million hours now…and you could feel it!!
Finally, the last day we made our way to the Orsay Museum because my favorite art is Impressionism and this museum is an Impressionist gold mine! I literally fell into tears standing in front of some of these paintings. Especially Alfred Sisley and Monet. There is something very magical about how these men were able to capture the space between the form and formless that melts my heart. I took photos of the ones that moved me and also a few things from the Louvre. I had COVID the last two days so we did not do too much. We walked over 60 miles while we were there and were able to experience the magic of Paris by day and night. Night time along the Seine was splendid with different groups of people playing music and dancing, people picnicking, and just really enjoying life.
The entire trip was amazing and I am eternally grateful for the experience. I will definitely return to Paris again and again because the energy there is fabulous. I know why it is called the City of Lights!!
