Paris, over the Seine and through the metro

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From visiting the museums, to stepping into the oldest churches, we have been making the most of our time in Paris. We've enjoyed being here with Kate. She and Keith work together and this is the first opportunity we have had to travel with her. Knowing that we wanted to see the Orsay Museum, Picasso's, and Rodin's, we purchased the Museum Pass. I would recommend it. Maybe you won't save a lot of money, but we saved time in lines, and as the sun came out and the days warmed up, that was worth it!
Kate suggested getting over to L'Orangerie Museum to see Monet's Water Lilies. It was the highlight of the day. The canvases are wonderful. I swear, people viewing these paintings were more reverent than we had seen in the churches. The colors he used really are wonderful.

I do take alot of pictures, it's been fun to see where we have been and put them together with the text to share. So imagine my dismay when, in the Orsay museum, the camera refused to come on. The three of us mashed the little power button, just knowing that it would respond if only we - did it a different way - or maybe if we held it down a bit longer - or mashed it from the edge - or checked the battery, again, oh no! I can't take photos? I tried my best to be the calm adult and say that it was okay, I only had one and a half days left in beautiful spring time clear sky magical Paris...
'I could do with out the camera'...My act must have been transparent, since Keith and Kate bent over backwards to find a camera store along the busy Champs-Elysees. Kate has been here before, and remembered the stores and basically where to begin searching. Obviously we were successful. I have filled up 4 entries about our trip-thanks to Kate and Keith!

Montmartre

The photo at the top of this entry is of the Sacre Coeur basilica at Montmartre high above Paris.
From the Orsay Museum we could see it in the distance. This hilltop is said to be the highest point in Paris, but I've learned that there is a spot in the 20th arrondissement that is a bit higher (information from a daily photo blog from Paris that I like to read)
We sneek up on the white Sacred Heart Basilica from the park surrounding it's side. It was the only time during the day that we were able to avoid the crowds. To say 'you couldn't stir 'em with a stick', is an understatement! Kate, who has traveled quite a bit of Europe during her stay here, is amused that we think it's crowded! We still have yet to experience summertime here.

We met with Arnaud at our hotel and followed him across the river, north, up to Sacre-Coeur. We passed through the weekly bird market, which is another place I could stay a while. It was so colorful and the birds' chirping seemed to welcome the warm weather.
Our guide is full of details of French history, and once again we are intriqued by our country's intertwined history.

Montmartre was and is an artist colony. Picasso, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Manet, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrecare to name just a few, and now the painters that call to us from the central square, Place du Tertre, eager to show us their canvases. How can one place attract so many talented artists? There must have been something in the water, or wine.

It is fascinating to know that there has been prayers lifted up every hour in the Sacre Coeur since before it opened it's doors. It is a relatively modern basilica, begun in 1875, and completed after WW I. The church does close each day from 11 pm to 6 am, but if you have reservations you may spend the night and join in the relay of prayer! They welcome anyone to be the 'link between Christ and their social sphere'.

The name Montmartre, may come from Martyr's Hill. There is a legend that says the patron Saint of the area, St. Denis, was beheaded on the hill. He then proceeded to pick up his head in his hands and carry it down the hill, to a more suitable burying place! He is portrayed holding his head in the sculputres on the front of Notre Dame. Also there is a fountain at Montmartre with a headless statue of him. The day we saw it someone had placed a cap on his head. Our guide was displeased!
It's amazing how fast time has gone by.
Keith has been here 10 months, I've been here 8. We've seen some wonderful places,
but our thoughts are always with you back home.

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Photos

the mansion that houses Rodin's stuff
he lived and worked here

thinker
in his garden
seen from the upper floor of the museum

door knocker
old and new

favorite meal
cheese and chocolate mousse
we're adult we can eat whatever we want