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Published: September 12th 2007
Apart from driving, we didn’t really do that much today. Breakfast was quite early so that we could leave at 7:30am, and be in Paris by 5pm. Jon wanted to get us into the Notre Dame before it closed, and we only just made it!
The Notre Dame was bit of an anti-climax - I think we have seen too many beautiful churches, and this one was not impressive as some of the others. I expected the exterior to be worn and dirty, but it looked brand new, thanks to a recent renovation. The architecture was also not as extravagant as other gothic churches…still, the Notre Dame is the FIRST church of this style, so it does have to be revered.
Inside is another story…the HUGE interior is dimly lit by massive lead-lights, and the ceiling is supported by massive stone arches. There was a service at the time we visited, which is always nice. You can wander the aisles while listening to the hymns. We didn’t see Quasimodo, and didn’t have time to climb the spires, but we were able to get some great photos, and we have, after all, climbed a lot of stairs so far!
The next plan was to grab dinner in the Latin Quarter, and old part of town. This is actually where we’ll be staying after the tour winds up. There are heaps of small alley ways, and tonnes of restaurants to choose from. And, they are so CHEAP! We scored a three course Greek meal, for only 9 Euros! Bargain!
The last event for the night, was a cruise down the famous Seine River. As we arrived the Eiffel Tower lit up, with thousands of strobe lights. They had only planned to use these lights for the millennium ceremony, but they were so stunning, they installed a permanent lighting structure. Imagine being the electrician on that job!
The cruise headed up towards Notre Dame, past the Louvre and the old Royal Palace. It was bloody freezing at the bow of the boat, but we persevered for most of the 1 hour cruise. Paris is actually a lot cooler than we expected - about 13 degrees on this particular night.
After crossing under dozens of bridges, we did a U Turn, and headed upstream towards the Eiffel Tower, which for the second time that night, lit up. Our cruise
was well timed! Noses like icicles, we disembarked from the boat, for a quick city lights tour. This was a great idea, as Paris is known as the City of Lights. Driving down the Des Champs Elysees was like watching millions of green and red rubies heading up towards the Arc de Triumph - which is massive (far bigger than I had expected).
We were all very tired after such a long day, and knew tomorrow would be the last day of the tour. But after this afternoon, I have definitely fallen in love with this amazing city. It is such an impressive place.
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Mum Hall
non-member comment
Hi Guys, I know you are somewhere else at the moment as it is the 13th but it is great to read about the lovely journey you've had. I love seeing photos of you both with big smiles on. Keep up the great entires and photos and enjoy yourselves. Love Mum