Monday, May 12, 2025

Paris One!

                          The glass ceiling in the Hotel Vernet, Paris, was designed by Gustave Eiffel.


 

 

                                   A stroll along the Champs-Elysees and a view of the Arc de Triomphe.



 

                                                                       The Grand Palais

 

                                                  Features of the beautiful Alexandre III bridge.


 

                                    An Eiffel structure a bit more famous than the ceiling in the hotel.




 

          View from the Eiffel: The Dome des Invalides, which contains the tomb of Napolean Bonaparte.

 

                                                                View from the Eiffel: Sunset

 
 
View from the Eiffel: the Champ de Mars, which stretches between the Eiffel Tower and the Ecole Militaire. 

 

                                                       View from the Eiffel: the Sacre Coeur


Paris Two!

One of the most beautiful structures in the world is the St. Chapelle, a royal chapel consecrated in 1248. Below are three photos of the ceiling in the lower chapel.


 

 

                                       The upper chapel contains 7,200 square feet of stained glass.


 

The chapel was built to house two relics: the crown of thorns and a small piece of the cross upon which Christ was crucified. During the French Revolution, the fragment of the cross was given to the Bishop of Paris. The crown of thorns was later transferred to the Cathedral of Notre Dame and, when rescued from the 2019 fire, taken to the Louvre.



 

                                         The famous rose window, dating from the 15th century.




Paris Three!

The Conciergerie, the seat of royal authority before the French court moved to the Louvre. The Hall of Guards impresses even today. During the French Revolution, the Conciergerie became a prison and housed that most famous of prisoners, Marie Antoinette.


Taillevent is viewed as the father of French cuisine and published one of the first cookbooks. His kitchen at the Conciergerie was run with military efficiency.

 

               A view of Notre Dame, with a mammoth crowd and security presence on Easter Sunday.


 

                            Note the extensive scaffolding in place as repairs continue after the 2019 fire.

 

                                                         The ever charming Ile Saint-Louis.


 

I don't often mention restaurants, but the Aux Anysetiers du Roy was terrific. The chef/owner was featured in the Wall Street Journal prior to our trip and posed with a copy of the paper.



 

                                  A small, beautiful, church was the setting for an unexpected Easter concert.


 

          A dinner cruise along the Seine provided some interesting photo ops, despite a driving rainstorm.



Paris Four--Montmartre!

The Sacre-Coeur, a beautiful Roman Catholic basilica, tops Montmartre, the highest elevation in Paris.

 

The basilica, completed in 1914, is dedicated to the sacred heart of Jesus and symbolizes divine love and mercy.
 




 

                                                                   Photo of the exterior.

 

                                                        From the balcony, a view over Paris.

                              Strolling through the lively and extremely touristy Montmartre district.






 

                                                           A famed club, the Lapin Agile.



 

                                                Picasso once lived and worked at this location.


 

At the base of Montmartre, in the Pigalle District, is the iconic Moulin Rouge. Once destroyed by fire, it reopened in 1925 and has been providing dance entertainment ever since.