My first real stop was going to be Notre Dame but they were closed for the yearly ordination of priests. So off I went to Saint Chapelle. There really isn't anywhere in the world like it.
After that, I just continued to walk a bit. I was meeting a friend for dinner so I headed down towards the Luxemburg gardens. On my way I passed Saint Sulpice where I discovered a ceramics fair. You just never know what you're going to find in this city.
After a lovely dinner, my friend and I did a little shopping and then decided it was a perfect night for a movie. :-)
The next day was pretty low key as well. Just a little bit of walking around and a lot of resting. In the evening I was lucky enough to be able to attend Jim Haynes' Sunday night dinner again. For those of you who don't know, it a dinner Jim hosts in his apartment for travelers. I met two lovely couples there and we went for a drink at Les Deux Magots after the party. Sitting outside in the Paris evening, beneath the bell tower of the abbey of Saint-Germain des Pres with new friends, is second to none.
The next morning my first stop was the church itself.
While I was in the church I actually bumped into one of the couples I had dinner with the night before. I guess it's not too surprising as I knew they were staying just a few blocks from the church. (As am I)
Then it was time for some art! Off to the Louvre. With my trusty museum pass in hand, I was able to walk past the giant line in front of the pyramid and right into the museum. The photos below show the side of the Louvre and a nice view of the city as I crossed the river.
I had forgotten how bad the crowds can be during the summer. It's pretty impressive how many people they can pack into a gallery. Never the less, I was able to visit some of my favorite works, the winged Nike and the Venus di Milo.
Here are a few others that were great to see.
I did pay my respects to the Mona Lisa, but didn't feel the need to fight the crowd to get close to her. It's really astounding how much attention on little painting gets.
Next it was time for stroll in the Tuileries Garden. Unlike last time I was here, everything was green and fresh. People sprawled everywhere to enjoy the sun and the breeze.
On the far end, I went and saw Monet's giant water lilies at L'Orangerie. Simply breathtaking. They also had a very nice exhibit of Italian Impressionists. It was amazing to feel the the Italian light was about to leap off the canvas. You could practically see the glow from across the room.
I decided I wasn't quite done yet and so I walked to the Grand Palais. I had hoped to get inside and photograph the stunning iron and glass ceiling, but never found the right exhibit. I did go into a modern art exhibit there called Dynamo. Not really to my taste, but very interesting light installations. After that it was time to jump on the metro and head home. Here are two final shots of Paris to enjoy.
I'm sure this slower pace is not what everyone is used to, but do feel free to check the previous Paris blogs for more adventures. For today, I'm off to another late start. I'm headed to grab lunch and maybe do some sightseeing before a meeting this evening. Until the next entry!
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