imagine dining in style at Le Caveau de l’isle, a traditional French restaurant, in a 17th century building on Isle de Sainte Louis. Naturally, we behaved like tourists and photographed the beautiful presentation of our entrees. Deanna was almost delirious over the apple tarte. Delicious. The restaurant has a large cave below for jazz until 2 AM nightly.36, rue Saint Louis en l’Isle, in case you are in town.
We headed this morning to Notre Dame which has been a place of worship for almost 2,000 years starting with the Gallic and Roman gods. The Romans are not far away as in the plaza in front of Notre Dame is the Crypte Archeologique. This archeological dig shows the ruins of the underground heating system the Romans used for their thermal baths. Ah, the good life.
Notre Dame began in the 13th century in the mind of the archbishop of Paris, Maurice de Sully. It evolved over time into its present size and shape which a gazillion people visit each year. Listening to the bells is wonderful. Their names are Angelique-Francoise (C sharp), Antoinette-Charlotte (D sharp), Hyacinthe-Jeanne (F) and Denise-David (F sharp). We should all have such cool names and sing on-key. The rose windows are worth the trip. It’s a hard-working church with many services, multi-lingual priests hearing confessions and lots of special events such as organ concerts. I always buy and light a candle for my departed loved ones. Paul Claudel wrote, “Notre Dame is not just a building, but a living person. Looking at it is not enough, we must live with it every day for a long time.” Amen.
Tip: Going to the Eiffel Tower? Buy your ticket online a few months in advance. Doing this means you by-pass VERY long lines. Save your sanity! The process of getting to the top (2 elevators) and then descending (2 elevators unless you want to walk) is slow and challenging but well-worth the views. To see this work of art up close is a thrill. Deanna and I read about its creation in the book, Paris, by Edward Rutherfurd.
Day 4, Deanna arrived from Seattle and we went almost directly to the massive Bois de Bolougne. In the midst of this park is the Louis Vuitton foundation which houses art galleries. The current show is by contemporary Chinese artists. The Really Big Show is the building itself designed by Paul Gehry as a great sailing ship on a river and basin. Must see to believe.
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