Paris, France, Nov, 2013

We just got back from a 2 week European trip. It was a combination land touring and river cruising with Viking Prestige. The tour included a 2 day stay in Paris but John and I decided to extend our stay there for 2 more days so we could explore on our own. My legs are still stiff from walking so much, lol, but we are home now and I am taking a vacation from a vacation. Unfortunately, John had to go back to work so he could not even get some rest.

 

After we strolled the street where our hotel, Le Meridien Etoile was, we went back to the hotel to meet with my nephew and niece who were traveling with us. My sisters, cousin who flew all the way from the Philippines with her hubby and some friends also joined us but not till the 3rd day. We had dinner in a restaurant within a walking distance and had really good mussels, cooked in various ways.

 

The next day, we had dinner at the Eiffel Tower, pictures shown below. The first time I came to Paris, we toured it during the day so this was the first time I saw the tower all lit up and it was truly spectacular!

 

 The food was delicious, some kind of a chicken dish with wine,

 

salad and dessert.

 After dinner, the driver picked us up to take us to the river and we cruised on the River Seine. It was raining so hard but it was still fun although my pictures did not turn out too well due to the wet windows.

 

No matter how far you are, you can spot the tall Eiffel Tower standing majestically.

 It was a hectic evening because right after the cruise, we were taken to Moulin Rouge to watch the show and have more champagne. If you have not been there, you should make it a point to watch because it was really entertaining. The place was packed!

The following day, we went to the Louvre. This place is enormous! There is no way anybody can see it all in a day. I think this is the one that the tour guide said was as big as 7 football fields.
My poor nephew had to walk and climb stairs. He was hoping they would have scooters to rent but nada! I felt so bad for him, he was exhausted!

 These are views from one of the windows. What an incredibly beautiful building!

 Below are just a few representatives of what can be seen inside the building. It kinda reminded me of the Sistine chapel although I think this is so much bigger.

I cannot believe I almost forgot to post the Mona lisa, but here she is with her charming and reserved smile!


On the third day, the rest of the gang arrived and we all took the metro to go to Rue Du Bac.

 John made sure I took a picture of him with Jennifer Lawrence's posters, lol.

 This is where we wanted to go, the chapel of the Miraculous Medal, where the uncorrupt body of St. Catherine Leboure lays.

 Isn't this so amazing? She has been there for centuries and she looks like she is only sleeping. She belonged to the congregation of the daughters or sisters of Charity.

I went to a Catholic school under the direction of the Sisters of Charity so I was most interested in this.

After that, we walked along Champ Elysees. If you like Louis Vuitton bags, you should shop here, it has several floors with lots of collection to pick from.

 

 The city was gearing up for the holidays. Their Christmas Village and shops were scheduled to open on November 15 and we had to  miss it cause we were scheduled to go on the ship in a day or 2.

Arc de Triomphe

 From L to R: friend Mila, cousin Gem, yours truly, niece Lourdes and sister Fe.

 Eiffel Tower at daytime.

 Notre Dame Cathedral. The 2 women with me on the left bottom picture are my sisters, Tessie and Fe.

 Opera House

 Place de la Concorde square was created by architect Jacques-Ange Gabriel in 1772. The obelisk in the background is where Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI  were beheaded in 1793, as well as 1120 more people.

Les Invalides, where Napoleon's tomb is located, right under the dome.

 

Napoleon thought big though he was little, only 5'2 in height.

I think this might be Winston Churchill, but he forgot his cigar.

After taking a tour of Paris. we took a bus to the Flea Market. There was so much to see but so little time so I did not get to buy anything.

On Saturday night, we took a bus again to go to Montmartre to hear mass at the Sacred Heart Basilica. Luckily they had mass at 10 PM or we would have been late after all the very long walk.

What a grand and gorgeous church! It was situated on top of the mountain, looking so pretty with all the lights lit at night.

The view from the church was breathtaking too.

 Thank you so much for your visits. I hope I did not bore you. Sorry for the picture overload. Believe it or not, I took over 4000 pictures throughout the trip and picking what to post isn't that easy. There were so many beautiful places to share.

I would like to link with

 

The Tablescaper's Oh The Places I've Been 

http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Cindy's Show and Tell Friday

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Sky Watch Friday

http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Gemma's Scenic Weekend

http://scenicweekends.blogspot.com.au/

Thank you so much for hosting!