Day 1- Paris

Finally, here are some pictures of our trip to Europe. We had a wonderful time. After our overnight flight, our first challenge was to pull five suitcases to our hotel in Paris. We each had one medium-sized suitcase, plus Spencer and I carried two soft bags (one each) filled with quilts and other gifts for our friends in Italy. We took the train into Paris, then had to make a couple of metro transfers to get to our hotel. It was morning rush hour in Paris. It must have been an amusing sight to see three tourists, gazing confusedly at metro signs trying to figure out which was to go, and then attempting to finagle five bags through the turnstyles and gates of the metro. We finally made it to our hotel, checked in, and headed back out onto the streets for a walking tour of Paris.

When we walked out of our hotel, we were greeted by a large open-air market where everything was being sold. Notice how these strawberries are arranged all in the same direction, with the pointy end up. We couldn't resist buying some fresh fruit to eat as we walked the streets of Paris.

These are spices of every kind, sitting open in the air. They smelled so good, I wanted to buy some. The young man would scoop some out of the bowls with a long-handled spoon, and place them in a small plastic bag. Then he would measure them on a scale and calculate the price.

We took the metro to to the Eiffel Tower. We did not take the time to go to the top, as it is always so crowded, but we walked around the base, and took pictures. This picture is taken from the Palais de Chaillot.


This carousel was between the Eiffel Towe and the Palais de Chaillot. Notice the trees in blossom. There were white and pink chestnut blossoms, and these purple-blossomed trees. It was beautiful.
From the Eiffel Tower, we walked to the Arc de Triomphe and climbed to the top for a grand view of Paris and the Camps Elysee.


This is the Champs Elysee as seen from the top of the Arc de Triomphe. It runs from the Place de Charles DeGaul (formerly Place de L'Etiole) where the Arc is located, to the Place de La Concorde, barely visible in the distance. Upon descending the Arc de Triomphe, we walked the entire length of the Champs Elysee looking at the many chic shops, and visitng inside a perfume store. We didn't buy, we only smelled. (We didn't smell bad though.)
At the other end of the Champs Elysee is the Place de La Concorde, with this beautiful fountain of naked mermaids holding fish. I could post a close-up, but I don't want to harm the sensitivity of my young grandchildren.

Next we walked across the Pont Neuf (new bridge) across the Seine River to Ile de la Cite, where the Notre Dame Cathedral is located. By now our feet were pretty sore, so we sat for a while, then walked around the inside of the Cathedral, and admired the beautiful stained-glass windows.

This is a close-up picture of the stained glass window in the Notre Dame. Notice the detail of the images.

We ended our day at the Luxemburg Gardens. They are beautiful gardens at the Luxemburg Palace built by Katherine de Medici, and now used as government offices. Most of the flowers had not been planted yet, and it was raining so not many people were there, but the flowers and tulips around the palace itself were stunning.