For those of you following my recent adventures you will have seen that Boo and I took a trip to France for Halloween.

After having a night at Disney, we spend the day in Paris with the highlight being a trip to the summit of the Eiffel Tower.

However we had spent the whole day in Paris and as I had taken a lot of photographs of our day, I thought I would share them with you all.

We got up and popped on the RER from Marne Le Vallee direct to Paris at around 10am. We had the intention of walking/bussing around Paris until 4pm which is when our ascent up the Eiffel Tower was booked for.

Ready for a day in Paris

We arrived at the Metro Station near to Notre Dame (St-Michel Notre-Dame) and walked out into a bright sunny Autumn day.

St-Michel

To one side was the River Seine and there in front of us was the impressive towers of Notre Dame Cathedral.

Notre Dame

Rising high into the skyline, the beautiful decorative stonework and sculptures literally took my breath away.

Beautiful Stonework

Getting out my “proper” camera I took lots of shots of the edifice. It was just so beautiful.

St Denis, Beheaded

Boo asked if I wanted to go inside, which I really did. So we joined a relatively small queue to get inside. Whilst waiting Boo regaled me with historical facts about Notre Dame which I never knew.

Just Glorious

During October 1973, around the time of the French Revolution, a mob had gone on the rampage and using ropes had pulled down 28 statues and actually beheaded them with a guillotine! The statues then disappeared with no-one knowing of their fate. The oldest ones dated from around 1200.

Stained Glass

In the late 1930’s several of the decapitated statues were found under an old Parisian market place.Then fast foward 184 years to 1977. The renovation of a local bank unearthed 21 of the original heads of the Saints and Kings. It was a significant find and most are on show in French museums now.

Notre Dame Selfie

We queued up to go inside the Cathedral and hit it at the right time. It only took around five minutes to get inside, yet when we eventually came outside afterwards, the queued stretched around the block!

The Rose Window

On walking inside the Cathedral there were signs everywhere telling us to be silent as a service was in progress.

Of course!

The day after Halloween is All Saint’s Day, an important Bank Holiday in France and so a full Church service was in flow.

Notre Dame

We walked around the whole building looking inside all the little alcoves dedicated to different Saints, such as St Denis (the patron Saint of Paris) Joan of Arc and even Mary of Guadalupe. The statues and artwork were just sublime.

Joan of Arc

I tried to move around noiselessly as I took non-intrusive photographs. As there was a full service going on, worshippers filled the seats. I didn’t feel it was right to take photographs of the service. It felt both disrespectful and almost sacrilegious. That didn’t stop a lot of people though, who took photo’s of the Bishop and also the congregation!

Carved wooden screen

I stood for a few moments as the sermon and prayers were said. I felt blessed to hear them in such a revered place, and believe that even the most atheist of persons would have been moved by the location and its beauty.

So beautiful

I lit a candle whilst there, in memory of those I have lost and also for those friends and loved ones that need a few prayers right now.

In remembrance and In hope

Eventually we left the Cathedral to make our way to some of the other iconic sights.

Oh and before we did that we had a to have a mid morning snack and try some of the local food.

Well being a big fan, I had a Croque Monsieur from a small cafe near to the St Michel station and Boo had a hotdog!

Croque Monsieur

Once our tummies were happy, we went back towards Notre Dame to get a day ticket for the Big Bus company. We have used this company in our adventures to Prague, Warsaw and Budapest so know it is a great way of seeing lots of sights whilst covering a lot of distance.

On the bus Selfie

Paris was a lot more expensive than the other Cities we have been to, at around €35 for the hop on/hop off all day ticket. But even this was worth it.

Notre Dame and Me

The bus route takes in all the sights that Paris has to offer and is a great way to get around. Plus you get a commentary (I think it comes in 8-10 languages) telling you all about the local area, the sights and interesting historical facts.

Some of the Sights

We sat on the top deck of the bus so we could get a good look at everything. The Arc de Triomphe, The Louvre, The Seine, The Eiffel Tower, Galeries Lafayette and the famed Champs Elysees.

Parisian Panorama

Cleopatra’s Needle

Arc de Triomphe

Champs Elysees

La Seine

Stunning

Of course I took hundred of photographs of EVERYTHING!

The Louvre

The Louvre

Eventually we had completed the full tour and it was around 2pm.

La Tour Eiffel

Stunning Scenery

Beautiful Architecture

Time for Crepes!

We both went for a hot cinnamon sugar crepe and it was delicious. Totally full we hopped on the Metro to take us up towards the Eiffel Tower where the next part of the day was to come.

Making Crepes

You can see a full post on my Eiffel Tower adventure here! 

Yum!

After the Tower Sparkle we headed back on the RER to Marne Le Vallee. Tired and hungry .

Long Island Ice Tea

A quick visit to the Rainforest Cafe in Disney Village with some cocktails finished the day off perfectly. A Long Island Ice Tea was the drink of choice, along with a meat filled platter that really filled a hole.

The Rainforest Cafe

We packed our suitcases once we got home as we were due to check out the following morning before making our way back to England.

Another trip away successfully completed!