Andrew's being the thinking gargoyle, in case you were wondering...We started today with a trip up the bell tower of Notre Dame. En route to the tower, we crossed a bridge with a bunch of locks attached to the railing, like shoes in a shoe tree on the way up north. Upon closer inspection, each heart had the name of a couple in love and a date - locked together forever in the city of love.
The view from the top was worth the climb. Andrew lost count after 213. It's advertised as something like 300+. The bell tower has an interior wooden frame, to absorb the vibrations from the bells so the stone won't crack.
Next stop: Montmartre and Basilique Sacre-Coeur. It is magnificent - only dedicated in 1919 or so, the ceiling mosaics are done in exquisite detail. I liked it better than Notre Dame because of the mosaics. We wandered Montmartre and found a spot for lunch. The last time I was there, it was warmer -14 juillet, Bastille day 1989, the year of the bicentennaire. Elizabeth thought the whole place was dodgy probably because every street artist approached us and wanted to sketch her.
After that, we split from M&D. They went to the Grand Palais to see the Bulgari exhibit and we returned to the Champs Elysees then found our way to Blvd St Michel to hunt around for a spot for dinner. The St Michel voisinage looked the way I'd remembered - narrow streets crammed with restaurants. Lots of slabs of meat waiting to be turned into gyros.
Thank you to the French woman who helped us find the right train at les Invalides. We appreciated your kindness, asking us where we were trying to go, then leading us there so we wouldn't get lost.
Demain, c'est le jour de shopping! Elizabeth is very excited. The girls will start out hunting for Chanel on rue de Cambon, then head to Printemps and Galleries Lafayette, while the boys will do the Tour Eiffel and je ne sais pas quoi d'autres.
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