If you climb enough stairs you should be able to consume croissants for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We should be right for the year after the number of stairs we’ve climbed this week!
This morning we started at the Louvre. In a stroke of brilliance, we stopped in at a little known museum to collect our 2 day pass – this meant we walked straight into the Louvre. This saved us hours, and meant that our energy was expended on the artwork, not freezing in a queue outside.
In many ways the Louvre is completely overwhelming – so much art, so opulent and absolutely enormous. We made a bee-line for the Mona Lisa which was surrounded by hundreds of people – the crowds were incredible, and rivalled Harrods in the pre-Christmas rush.
We lasted about 3 hours through French and Italian renaissance paintings, through Napolean III apartment and exploring the history of the Louvre. You could literally spend a week here and still not see everything… but I actually think you’d need regular visits over about 6 months to avoid a sensory overload!
After lunch, we decided that an extended ride on the Metro was in order so headed to Montmarte to see Sacre Couer. It’s a striking building on the top of Montemarte with great views to the City, so after a short walk through the church we decided to head up the 300 stairs to the top of the dome. This gave a completely different perspective on the beauty of the building, and magnificent views across Paris.
We headed back to the centre of Paris and to the Orangerie. This is the home of Monet’s Waterlilies, and was our favourite place when Andrew & I visited in 1996. Since then, it’s undergone major renovations and is even more stunning – definitely worth a visit!
The day finished with a fantastic meal at Le Jacobine – a little French restaurant near our apartment. Its high rating on tripadvisor was very well deserved… another great example of how technology is shaping our travel experiences!
We had planned to stop in at Notre Dame on the way home, but my not-even-schoolgirl-french misinterpreted the opening hours… ah well, plenty of time for more steps tomorrow! Still a great opportunity to grab some stunning night photos before climbing the final 64 steps to our apartment!
Love M & theBunch xx
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