Paris Day 11: Views

This morning we wanted to climb the bell towers of Notre Dame and the day couldn't have been more perfect for it. After a cloudy day yesterday we were so excited to see clear blue skies. It was a good thing we arrived 30 minutes before it opened because the line had already begun. We were in the first group to make the ascent, the staircases got smaller and narrower the higher we climbed. When we were here 15 years ago you could not climb the towers because of restoration, so I missed the visits with my friends the gargoyles.

I could have spent longer just soaking up the city views, inspecting the creatures and the surrounding buildings.

As we walked toward what we thought was the exit, we realized there was another level to go.

More tiny steep stairs and we were even higher !! Looking down we could see the long snaking line of people waiting to go into the church itself. Saturdays must be very popular.

A few dozen more photos and we wended our way back down, to the archeological museum under the square.

It was fascinating to see the evolution of Paris as a city and how much recycling there had been of building materials.

We went to this nearby bustling street to find food for a picnic lunch. We found a small park  with great views, again !!

After lunch we parted ways with Genna, she headed off to the modern art museum, the Pompidou Center. Bob decided to join me at the Cluny/Middle Ages Museum. The Cluny has been revamped since our last visit. We enjoyed a slow amble through their variety of exhibits.

Carved ivory boxes

A knight killing a king.

Old Roman ruins.

Roman bird mosaic

Bejeweled bible.

This museum is most famous for its collection of six tapestries: the Lady and Unicorn series.
We delighted that they had just finished renovating this majestic display.

Back to the flat to chill and catch up my blogging.

 

We had discovered a street nearby us that had over two dozen creperies, crepe restaurants. We had one false start when the waiter in one restaurant could not be bothered to explain the various cider sizes and options. Another restaurant  while tiny and busy was much more accommodating.

Cider is served in pitchers and teacups !!

This crepe had ratatouille.

Smoked salmon, for guess who ;-)

My crepe had goat cheese inside and was placed on top of a green salad with walnuts and a drizzle of honey on top. It sounds odd but was really very tasty.

This was the last day of our museum passes and Bob has been wanting to see the Eiffel Tower at night from afar. The Arc de Triomphe at the end of the famous Champs Elysees would be the perfect place. We hopped on the metro.

The arc is quite impressive at night and another 94 steps got us to the top. We were lucky enough to get to the top just at the hour when the Eiffel Tower does its sparkle dance. We spent an enjoyable half hour looking at the view and watching the traffic at the Etoile.