Friday 4 November 2011

Paris report....


We were greeted by sun shining on the top of the Opera House when we arrived in Paris and this little old pug sitting patiently on the pavement waiting for its trip home.
Madame was busy sorting her transport out...then off they went, her on the bike cutting a dash in her white pants and boots, little pug inside the bag.




I wonder how many years have they been doing the same routine?

A boat trip the next day (as promised for my Mum) was a great way to see the sights of Paris....


Lots of bridges....





Ile de la Cite and Notre Dame Cathedral....



Old department store, La Samaritaine, soon to have a new lease of life as a hotel/apartments/offices.


Then it started to rain....


No umberellas or waterproof coats with us of course, so with rain lashing down, we thought a trip underground to visit the Paris Sewers ("Les Egouts de Paris") nearby would be a smart move....nice and warm and dry...

My goodness...warm, dry but not exactly fragrant!



I'm sure you can imagine the smelI...... probably made worse by the storm water off the roads agitating the effluent...

A fascinating insight into what happens below the streets, but I take my hat off to the sewermen who work the 2,000m of tunnels with these little critters for company.....


Onwards to Notre Dame with purchases of cheap unberellas that turned inside out at the slightest breeze..


With its fabulous Treasury of Reliquaries.....


Oh to find some of these on my travels..... not sure about the bones in the caskets though...



The Pantheon  next day was spectacular with its grand dome and portico....surrounded by beautiful buildings in the Latin Quarter,


Inside, the wonderful domed ceiling,


And the amazing Foucault's pendulum which was installed in the mid 19th century to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth...quite mesmerizing with its steady back and forth motion suspended on a thin wire from the "eye" of the dome.


The Crypt was equally fascinating....


Housing the final resting places of famous men and women...Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Pierre and Marie Curie etc.



Once again another jam packed few days in Paris....blisters for Mum unfortunately, but lovely memories too for Grandma and Granddaughter....


Julie x



8 comments:

  1. Hello Julie:
    What wonderful photographs of your time in Paris. In spite of the weather you clearly had a marvellous time and saw so much [with the blisters to prove it!] Such a good idea to take a boat trip as it gives a perfect overview of this lovely city.

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  2. Lovely photographs Julie, especially love the one of the old Pug.
    Jo xx

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  3. phew- I'm exhausted and I've only looked at the pics and read your comments...you must be worn out!

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  4. Thank you for a fascinating tour...really enjoyed it. x

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  5. Wonderful photos.....might come and join you!!
    xxxx

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  6. My goodness Julie, all that sightseeing....
    no wonder your Mother had blisters!
    Great post! Abby xx

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  7. Makes me want to visit-Im ashamed to say Iv never been and REALY want to!! Txx

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  8. Looks like you really made the most of your trip. So special for all 3 generations to be there together. Your photos are great. Would quite like to move in to the crypt, but they will have to take the bodies out! How cute was that little chubby Pug? Love Linda x

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