Saturday 20 September 2025
It was a fabulous day and a half in Paris. Just enough to whet our appetite for more. Yesterday we left our backpacks at the hotel, laced up our walking shoes and headed out on an explore. First stop was Notre Dame just over a mile away. First view of this magnificent cathedral was of the cranes and scaffolding so essential to the restoration after the devastating fire of 15 April 2019, but there’s great signage on the barriers surrounding the church on the north side with details of the restoration process. It was there in the shadow of Notre Dame that we stopped for Crepes in a little cafe before making our way to the nearby Hop On Hop Off bus stop. With gloriously beautiful weather in our favor we rode the entire circuit seeing the amazing Parisian sites, the Louvre Pyramid, the Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe, and of course the Eiffel Tower. After a stop for gelato we walked back along the Seine to our lodgings. Then this Saturday morning we headed out in the rain. We treated ourselves to an Uber ride to The Louvre for our 10:30 admission time joining the queue and keeping our raincoat hoods up. We approached this museum visit with a very casual attitude. For the first hour walked through a 12th Century moat,notre dame a part of the fortress that became the Louvre then breezed through galleries checking out just one or two displays in each but being utterly wowed by the vastness of the collection. Then we did what we felt we must. We sought out the most visited item in the collection. From the entrance we followed the signs that led us and a throng of other visitors to Salle 711, the gallery that displays The Mona Lisa. Soon we were caught up in a sea of humanity all vying for a glimpse of Leonardo’s masterpiece. Using the telephoto lens on his iPhone set at max Steve was able to get a photo of the painting but his next shot shows the huge crowd between him and the painting. We didn’t try to get any closer, it was what the two of us call a Chuckie & Judy moment. We were able to sidle out of the crowd pausing to view just a few more paintings before seeking the exit. Once outside we sat down and mapped a walking rout the Musee Rodin and booked tickets online then headed to a little cafe for an amazingly delicious lunch. One at Musee Rodin we gazed in wonderment at full sized bronzes of his amazing sculptures such as “The Thinker” or the “Burghers of Calais” but it was standing at gazing and the marble original of “The Kiss” that was an unforgettable moment. The two of us have been fascinated with the work of Rodin since reading David Weiss’s biographical novel Naked Came I. Once again we reached our museum saturation point and decided with was time to move on. We walked out in search of gelato. Then halfway looking for a taxi but really just walking we were heading back in the direction of Notre Dame. We never did get a taxi, we just walked. Just before five we reached the cathedral grounds and managed to find the end of the queue to wait our turn to enter the labyrinth of barriers eventually leading to the great doors of the cathedral. Most folks in line were there to just view the inside of the church but we were there for services so one of the volunteers opened a barrier to admit us into the sanctuary of the church. What an incredible experience. The interior has been restored beautifully. We knew and could see that much of the stained glass still awaits restoration and there’s still work to do on the exterior but it’s glorious to know this 12th Century masterpiece yet survives and inspires. After that amazing experience we walked back along the Seine to our hotel having according to our watches walked ten miles today. It was a glorious and wonderful experience. Tomorrow we’ll don our backpack and walk the short distance to Gare de Lyon train station to embark on a rail journey to Zürich changing trains in Basel.
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