Next we began our walk toward Notre Dame de Paris, a twenty minutes hike from the apartment. Our steps took us in front of the beautiful Fontaine St-Michel.
The Fontaine Saint-Michel (French pronunciation: [fɔ̃.tɛn sɛ̃.mi.ʃɛl]) is a monumental fountain located in Place Saint-Michel in the 5th arrondissement in Paris. It was constructed in 1858–1860 during the French Second Empire by the architect Gabriel Davioud.
Notre-Dame de Paris is just a few hundred meters North of the fountain. There's something majestic about this cathedral as it stands tall on l"Ile de la Cité. When I saw it I remembered the movie Amélie, when her gets killed by a Canadian tourist who jumped from the top. When we were watching the movie our friend Gen yelled "That's my aunt!" It would appear her aunt was the Canadian tourist that decided to jump down.
Notre Dame is imposing, a gorgeous monument that yells Paris as much as the Eiffel Tower does.
Notre-Dame de Paris (IPA: [nɔtʁə dam də paʁi]; French for "Our Lady of Paris"), also known as Notre-Dame Cathedral or simply Notre-Dame, is a historic Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France.[2] The cathedral is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architectureand among the largest and most well-known church buildings in the world. The naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass are in contrast with earlier Romanesque architecture.
As the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Paris, Notre-Dame is the parish that contains thecathedra, or official chair, of the archbishop of Paris, currently Cardinal André Vingt-Trois.[3]The cathedral treasury is notable for its reliquary which houses some of Catholicism's most important first-class relics including the purported Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross, and one of the Holy Nails.
The inside is simply beautiful. It's one of those places you have to see to understand. I'm not into religion but I was still awestruck by the sense of history that permeated the church.
What do you do after visiting the inside? You go up. Suzanne and I climbed the 300 winding steps (that's five times the steps at our apartment.) Doesn't seem like it but at one point all you feel like is that you're turning and turning and turning... And when we got on top, we were greeted by a rain storm. I could barely see the Eiffel Tower. But it was magnificent.
It's high, and Suzanne didn't like the fact that there's no much separating you from the wall to the abyss. That said the fence is totally safe (they wised up after Gen's aunt's antics) and there's no way to fall, even in the blasting wind that were blowing when we were there. The gargoyles are amazingly beautiful.
In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque,[1] with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between. Architects often used multiple gargoyles on buildings to divide the flow of rainwater off the roof to minimize the potential damage from a rainstorm. A trough is cut in the back of the gargoyle and rainwater typically exits through the open mouth. Gargoyles are usually an elongated fantastic animal because the length of the gargoyle determines how far water is thrown from the wall. When Gothic flying buttresses were used, aqueducts were sometimes cut into the buttress to divert water over the aisle walls.
I can't wait to visit it with Sabrina and Mathieu. We left the Cathedral and walked around l"Ile de la Cité for a while. We came to a bridge call Pont de l'Archevêché full of padlocks, or Love Locks.
A love lock or love padlock is a padlock which sweethearts lock to a bridge, fence, gate, or similar public fixture to symbolize their love.[1] Typically the sweethearts' names or initials are inscribed on the padlock, and its key is thrown away to symbolise unbreakable love. Since the 2000s, love locks have proliferated at an increasing number of locations worldwide. They are often treated by municipal authorities as litter or vandalism, and are costly to remove
On the West side of the island is a park, and at the end of the island a weeping willow. I stood at the edge. We cross the bridge to the North shore looking for somewhere to eat. We passed little shops on the way.
Next stop: food. We stopped at this little café for some wine and food. I think I had the best quiche I've ever had.
After the lunch we went to sit in a little park at La Tour Saint-Jacques. It can be seen from far as it stands 150 feet high, yet it's only a monument that can't be entered. Still quite impressive.
On our way to Le Louvre we encountered yet another bridge full of Love Locks. There's a lot of love in Paris :)
Next stop: food. We stopped at this little café for some wine and food. I think I had the best quiche I've ever had.
After the lunch we went to sit in a little park at La Tour Saint-Jacques. It can be seen from far as it stands 150 feet high, yet it's only a monument that can't be entered. Still quite impressive.
Saint-Jacques Tower (Tour Saint-Jacques) is a monument located in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France, on Rue de Rivoli at Rue Nicolas Flamel. This 52-metre (171 ft) Flamboyant Gothic tower is all that remains of the former 16th-century Church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie ("Saint James of the butchery"), which was leveled shortly after the French Revolution.[1]
On our way to Le Louvre we encountered yet another bridge full of Love Locks. There's a lot of love in Paris :)
A short walk along La Seine and there it was: the greatest museum in the world. It would take three months to visit if we were to examine each piece for only three seconds. We didn't plan on visiting it, but we did enter the pyramid to escape the annoying rain.
Once it tapered off we walked to the Arc de Triomphe by walking through the Jardin des Tuileries. Now, it was raining, and it's November. I just could imagine how beautiful this place is on a bright Summer day.
We then walked Les Champs-Elysées toward l'Arc de Triomphe. It's one of the most famous street in the world. Of note were the Abercrombie & Fitch (an experience) and Louis Vuitton stores.
We finally arrived to the Arc the Triomphe. Another Paris staple, it stands tall and proud in the middle of a very busy roundabout, making me wonder for a while how to actually get to it until I saw the steps to an underground tunnel.
Time for a bite at a bakery. Nothing like a good coffee and a pastry to put you back online.
Eventually it's time to walk back to the apartment, not before passing beside an exact replica of the flame of the Statue of Liberty.
As a group we decide to go have dinner at "Les Quinzes Vins", a known little wine bar. It's unfortunately closed, so we part ways. Suzanne and I have dinner in a small café-resto whose owner is Canadian ice wine lover. We'll walk back home after a very full day.
Once it tapered off we walked to the Arc de Triomphe by walking through the Jardin des Tuileries. Now, it was raining, and it's November. I just could imagine how beautiful this place is on a bright Summer day.
The Tuileries Garden (French: Jardin des Tuileries, IPA: [ʒaʁdɛ̃ de tɥilʁi]) is a public garden located between the Louvre Museum and the Place de la Concorde in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. Created by Catherine de Medicis as the garden of the Tuileries Palace in 1564, it was eventually opened to the public in 1667, and became a public park after the French Revolution. In the 19th and 20th century, it was the place where Parisians celebrated, met, promenaded, and relaxed.[1]
We then walked Les Champs-Elysées toward l'Arc de Triomphe. It's one of the most famous street in the world. Of note were the Abercrombie & Fitch (an experience) and Louis Vuitton stores.
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (French pronunciation: [av(ə).ny de ʃɑ̃.ze.li.ze] ()) is a street inParis, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Champs-Élysées is arguably one of the world's most famous streets, and is one of the most expensive strips of real estate in the world.[1] Several French monuments are also on the street, including the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde. The name is French for Elysian Fields, the place of the blessed dead in Greek mythology. According to a much used description, the Champs-Élysées is la plus belle avenue du monde ("the most beautiful avenue in the world").[2]
We finally arrived to the Arc the Triomphe. Another Paris staple, it stands tall and proud in the middle of a very busy roundabout, making me wonder for a while how to actually get to it until I saw the steps to an underground tunnel.
The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile is one of the most famous monuments in Paris. It stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle (originally named Place de l'Étoile), at the western end of theChamps-Élysées.[3] It should not be confused with a smaller arch, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, which stands west of the Louvre. The Arc de Triomphe (in English: "Triumphal Arch") honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.
Time for a bite at a bakery. Nothing like a good coffee and a pastry to put you back online.
Eventually it's time to walk back to the apartment, not before passing beside an exact replica of the flame of the Statue of Liberty.
As a group we decide to go have dinner at "Les Quinzes Vins", a known little wine bar. It's unfortunately closed, so we part ways. Suzanne and I have dinner in a small café-resto whose owner is Canadian ice wine lover. We'll walk back home after a very full day.
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