Here are some highlights of my trip to Paris including Notre Dame.
There are so many things about Paris that I love that I don’t know where to begin but in this post I’m going to share some of my highlights from Paris from my last trip. I can’t believe it’s been three years now! After hearing the devastating news that Notre Dame was on fire, I couldn’t help but look at my photos again and I’m happy to share them with you.
After spending a week in the Dordogne countryside of France for the photography workshop I went to, I met Aaron in Bordeaux for a few days then we took a train to Paris. Aaron had been before so we got to see the typical tourist sights and I could see them again and again.
We stayed in a hotel near Les Invalides, Napoleon’s army museum and where he is buried. It’s a convenient spot to walk to many of the tourist areas in Paris and the museum itself is amazing.
It’s about a 10 minute walk to the Eiffel tower.
My favorite museum is the Museum d’Orsay that used to be a gorgeous train station.
It has some of my favorite impressionist paintings and the building itself is a piece of art. It’s also not as overwhelming as the Louvre.
Across from the museum d’Orsay is the bridge where you can put your lock of love on it. Once the bridge gets full of locks, they remove them as they get too heavy and people start adding them to another bridge so I’m not sure if this bridge will have all the locks on it again but at least I got plenty of photos of it!
Can you see our lock? AQ + JL
There was even a little trio playing on the bridge that day in traditional Paris music that you imagine in your dreams (or maybe just my dreams).
Visiting the louvre museum is so beautiful even if you don’t go to the museum (it’s like going to Disneyland, you need a full three days to visit!).
Aaron couldn’t wait to go the louvre that we spent nine hours there one day. Nine hours! My feet nearly fell off after the end of the day.
The tuileries around the museum are beautiful and so relaxing and great for taking photos.
You could take a photo of everything in Paris (and I think I did!). Even their distribution trucks are pretty!
But I certainly wouldn’t want to drive in Paris.
Here is the beautiful arc de triomphe…
And the six lanes that circle it!
Luckily this is why there is underground access to the arc so tourists don’t need to cross the street.
The views from the top are breathtaking.
Of course the views on top of the Eiffel tower are nothing short of amazing!
Notre Dame cathedral is a sight to behold. It breaks my heart to watch images of this ancient beauty engulfed with flames yesterday.
When we visited it last time, there was a food fair in front of it so the crowds were busier than their normal crazy-busy.
There was a 3-hour wait to climb the stairs and view the top of the building but we decided against it. Something we both regret now.
We did get plenty of photos of it. These photos are from behind.
Then we crossed the bridge over the seine and took more photos of it.
There is beauty in every.little.detail in Paris. It’s boggling for the brain to think how all of this was built.
I can’t wait to go back and I can’t wait to bring my kids to see it and appreciate it.
When are we going back, Aaron? I have a long wish list of other places I need to see in France!
If you’d like to see a post of must see things to see and do in Paris, please let me know in a comment below! I’d be happy to share.
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Practicing Photography in Perigueux
I watched in horror…I had actually heard a brief news piece on CBC radio and pulled off to the nearest Indigo/Starbucks to access their WIFI to make sure that what I was hearing was the truth. I was in Paris in 1978 briefly just before Christmas on the way to spending Christmas with my Grandmother. I had won a scholarship to study shoe design at a course in Milan for 6 months after finishing Fashion Design at Ryerson in Toronto and was really looking forward to going home…long before the internet made the world shrink. It was the time of snail mail and a brief call home to welcome a nephew into the world. We stayed in an apartment just down from the L’Arc de Triomphe. We were at the Eiffel Tower but I do not think that we went to Notre Dame…for sure we didn’t go inside…I think we were a little sick of cathedrals having done a number of them in Italy…Duomo in Milan many times. I wish I could tell my twenty-something how much I would regret that! At that time, red meat was not readily available in Italy…lots of chicken and liver and things like that so by the time we got to Paris, the first thing that we wanted was a HAMBURGER….went to the McDonald’s on the Champs d’Elysees!!!! Boy that Grand Mac and Pommes Frites sure tasted great!!!!
I love this story, Wendi. I’ve been to that same McD’s on the Champs d’Elysses! What are the chances? lol And I also know that feeling all too well when you are so tired of looking at so much art and greatness that you become overwhelmed. So many wonderful things to see and always so little time.
Hugs, Jamie
I am leaving for Paris on Monday. I am devastated that I will not be able to tour this beautiful church! As a Catholic and next week being Easter week, it makes it worse. Cried looking at the photos- especially for those who actually have this as their home parish during this glorious time.
I know there are so many other things to see, but the church is an icon. Told hubby it’s been there for 800 years and then it burns a week to the day from when I’m coming. I’d love to see a post about your tips for France. Can you do it before Monday? 🙂
Thank you for your kind words ! It is indeed a drama.
Your pics are so beautiful ! They will help you to remember.
Who knows maybe can you accompany your children after the reconstruction of Notre-Dame … I wish you!
Lovely photos of Paris! I don’t know what it is, but there is something so special about Paris. Just a totally different feeling than around here in North America. I was devastated yesterday about Notre Dame. So sad. And you are right…around every corner there is a picture perfect moment. I felt the same way when we were in Rome as well. I guess because everything is so old and there is so much history attached to everything. When you’re in Europe, you find out how “young” Canada truly is. Thanks for sharing your pics!
It’s so true, Colleen. Canada is soooo young by comparison. All we had were trees here when the rest of the world was being built! lol
Hugs, Jamie
Thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures. Lovely… Yesterday seems like a very bad dream. Very surreal. How lucky you were to have seen Nortre Dame before.
Hi, I would love to know what we must see in Paris. We are going in late July. Now that the Notre Dame is most likely going to be closed. So sad….
Going to Paris in June! My husband, daughter, son in law and granddaughter will meet us. We’re staying in the 16th, Trocadero with a view of Eiffel!
Would love some recommendations!
These pictures are beautiful! Thanks so much. I am heartbroken about this tragedy since I’ll be leaving for my first trip to Paris in a few weeks. I know there is so much more to see, but the church was on top of my “must see” list. I would LOVE to hear your suggestions for a trip to Paris whenever you have the time. THANKS!
Thanks a lot for these beautiful photos of Notre Dame.
What happened is heart-breaking.
Thanks for posting this today. I have been in a fog since the fire. We also took the opportunity to pull down our printed photo albums and look through them from our recent trips. Score another one for having your photos organized!
We are set to leave for Paris in less than three weeks. I could not believe my eyes when I saw that Notre Dame was urning. So very disappointed but relieved to hear that it was not terror related. I would be very interested in whatever advice you have about Paris. We are doing a tour but there is a lot of “free” time so I’m trying to make abit of a plan. Thank you for sharing your pics. The two of you make a very handsome couple!
Looks like there are several of your readers including myself that have upcoming trips to Paris. We leave in less than 2 weeks and are so excited. We’ve had several friends suggest a dinner cruise on the Seine the first night so that we can see lots of sights and relax after the long plane ride.
Any suggestions based on your trips would be so appreciated.
I also feel fortunate to have visited Notre Dame before the fire and my favorite museum is also the D’Orsay. After my first, very brief visit to Paris with my husband on one of his business trips, I told him if I could only go back to Paris again for one day, I’d go just to visit the D’Orsay. Well, last spring, we had the opportunity to take a transatlantic cruise that had a one day excursion to Paris. So, we got on that boat, got on a bus in France, traveled hours to Paris, had lunch at the museum’s restaurant (OMG) and then had to run through the Impressionist rooms and back to our bus. Totally worth it.
But, I have to laugh at Wendy Yate’s comment about not wanting to see another cathedral after visiting Italy. My husband worked in Italy for months and I visited during my vacations. I got to the point where I’d walk into a museum’s room, look around and say, “More John the Baptist’s head on a platter, let’s move on!” If any country can over-art a person, Italy can and Milan’s duomo is stunning.
It was lovely to view your photos of Paris. It is a beautiful city and my heart goes out to the Parisians.