Wednesday, October 18, 2017

ACTION PACKED: The Arc de Triomphe, Strolling the Champs-Elysées, Traversing the Montmartre District, the Sacré-Cœur, Another Seine River Cruise and the Eiffel Tower at Night


Wednesday, October 18, 2017:

Just when you thought that Paris couldn't get any more magical or iconic . . .

Before remarking on today's adventures, let's take a look at the local neighborhood surrounding our AirBnB accommodations.

We are staying in
Paris' 11th Arrondissement
0n Rue Chanzy

Ay Rue Chanzy 9 to be exact

Our three story apartment that is comfortably housing the 12 of us is well located for our needs.

 About 50 meters to this boulangerie

GREAT croissants in the morning!

And also only 50 meters to
excellent coffee 

The Ferrand Brothers offices
are also nearby if you need
an addition to your domicile

Laurie and I even had time this morning before embarking to do a load of laundry at a nearby laundromat for only 4.50 Euros.

Breakfast behind us, we were off to our Metro Station only 200 meters away for the first stop on today's tour . . .

 The huge round-about that is
Place Charles de Gaulle
more famous for its . . .

. . . Arc de Triomphe
Loren, Sandy and I doing
a typical tourist pose for Laurie

Quite an impressive structure

It was built by Napoleon to commemorate his victory in the 1805 Battle of Austerlitz. It is now a memorial to all who have fought for the tri-colors over the centuries.

 France's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Powerful Symbols

 Sobering

ON TO VICTORY!

After touring the Arc de Triomphe, the logical thing was to take a leisurely stroll down one of the world's greatest boulevards, the Champs-Elysées.

Uh-oh, it is also
one of the world's . . .

. . . HIGHEST end shopping streets 

Look but do not buy

On the other hand,
it would only be 90 Euros

 A GREAT bakery specializing in
delicious macarons

 OH MY!

Macarons GALORE!

We bought a variety of
eight macarons

That would be two apiece if we shared equally among the four of us.

Big if.

 Nope

Having made it down the Champd-Elysées without too much financial damage, we got back aboard the Metro for a quick ride to the artsy and charming hilltop Montmartre district. 

Even the produce was artfully displayed

Bad decision mon ami

Tempting and we were hungry
but "non merci"

Our first glimpse of the
Sacré-Cœur Basilica

Though only 130 years old, it is still both impressive and iconic.

The Sacré-Cœur I'm talking about not Loren.

 A view down some of the
steep Montmartre Steps

We opted for the funicular ride up the hill instead.

Wise choice.

 The view of the Sacré-Cœur
from the top of the Montmartre Steps

Same Montmartre Steps,
turned around to view friends
and all of Paris in the background
  
St. Peter inside the Sacré-Cœur

 Jesus was in the house too

Sacré-Cœur Cupola

The Main Altar in the distance

Lots of amazing mosaics

It wouldn't be a church in Paris
if it didn't have a gargoyle

On to find a lunch/people watching
spot in the Montmartre

 We were having fun

As Laurie's Niçoise salad
attests, we found a good spot

 Happy Diners

After being fully sate and hydrated, we counted to stroll through the surrounding art colony.

 Vibrant Colors

Artist at Work

Colorful Oils

Finished Art Work

Colorful buildings 

Wedding Pictures in the Montmartre
work for me and the blissful couple

 Historic dining spot in
the Montmartre

No, not because of the four of us

Several amazing artists over the many years have used this café as both a dining spot and a place to share ideas with other artists.

Among them were Picasso, Degas, Cezanne, Toulouse-Lautrec, Renoir, Monet and Van Gogh just to name a few.

French Postcards

No, not those type of French postcards.

The Arts were everywhere
the Montmartre

He was TRES MAGNIFIQUE!

Don't you agree?

Field Trip to Montmartre

If Laurie says
"Take a picture of that" . . .

I take a picture of that.

A café closing down for the day

We found our way back onto the Metro once again and headed to . . .

The Place de la Concorde

Serene today,
during the French Revolution
many a nobleman lost their
heads in this huge square . . .

. . . Not us of course

During the Reign of Terror (1793-94) even the Queen of France, Marie-Antoinette was beheaded here.

Obelisks are BIG in Paris

The River Seine

Random Building,
Nice Façade

Yesterday we purchased River Seine boat ride tickets that were good for 24 hours. We were still inside the appropriate time frame so we opted to cruise again.

Truth be told, we all wanted to simply get off of our feet for awhile.

 The Eiffel Tower
loomed in the distance

 Magnificent at night
as our boat got closer

 Up close and personal
once back on terra firma

Another full day in the rear view mirror, we will leave you with one last video.

At night, every hour on the hour, the Eiffel Tower become even more dazzling with the addition of a five minute light show.

ENJOY!

Au revoir mon ami, the adventure continues tomorrow.

Stay tuned . . .

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