The Eiffel Tower is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.
Wikipedia Link
It's no wonder that the first "sight" we'd see after landing in Paris and being dropped off at our hotel would be the most iconic attractions of them all.
We did not get up close to the tower until our second day in Paris, but we
caught a few glimpses from the Esplanade du Trocadéro. The attraction was
not so much the tower, which we never climbed, but the lines to do so and
the street vendors en masse selling to the tourists miniature reproductions
of the tower both blinking with LED light and without.
Le Bon Marché is a department store in Paris. Founded in 1838 and revamped almost completely by Aristide Boucicaut in 1852, it was one of the first modern department stores.
Wikipedia Link
It was not on my list of things to see in Paris. It was the ladies who wanted to check out the deals in Paris. I wouldn't have given this a tab on this page if not for the fact the time spent here was probably more than time spent as
the Eiffel Tower. I would not buy any souvenirs or anything of value during the course of our trip. Instead, I gave my allotted amount to Marlene to spend on such fashionable items like wallets from the LV Store.
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur, is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Paris, France.
Wikipedia Link
My first impression after climbing the stairs of the metro to get to this place followed by the uphill climb to get to the foot of this place and then the steps that followed...."sacré bleu"
[been waiting a real long time for the right opportunity to
use that phrase]. Took my breath away. Immediately treated myself to a frozen "Icee"
drink upon reaching the top of the hill.
Didn't go inside the church as we didn't want to wait in line. Took in some sights (like a very famous restaurant, a vegetable garden and a windmill propped up on top of another famous restaurant on the way down the hill.
The Jardin du Luxembourg, also known in English as the Luxembourg Gardens, is located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was created beginning in 1612 by Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henry IV of France, for a new residence she constructed, the Luxembourg Palace.
Wikipedia Link
I've come to learn after this trip that a "jardin" is simply more than just its translation, "garden". For me it seemed more like an elaborate park (maybe the French considers this to be the same thing).
The jardin was multi-leveled, had a government building with police armed
with assault rifles, fountains and statues. One noticeable feature was
a main fountain which contained miniature sailboats sporting the colors of
different countries. They were all powered by the wind and were freed
up from the edge of the fountain by sticks held by children....it was a
children's activity. There was one who brought into the mix a radio
controlled boat, but it was overshadowed by the wind powered boats. A
nice way to simply sit back and rest our feet.
Notre-Dame de Paris, referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral is consecrated to the Virgin Mary and considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture.
Wikipedia Link
We never made it inside the church, but the mere sight of it from the outside still beats seeing it in a Youtube video.
Yes, it was still under construction when we got there. You could see
the massive amounts of scaffolding where the damaged section was.
Michael commented that the trees blocking a certain view of the church was
not as obstructive when he and Nina were there the last time....five year
before.