We got up early this morning so that we would be in the front of the line to go into Notre Dame. we had previously seen how long the lines tend to get and decided an early arrival would work out best. Our plan worked out better than we planned. We were able to get ushered into Notre Dame before it officially opened to the public. What a great way to start the day. After visiting Notre Dame and the Archaeological Crypt Of Notre Dame, we headed off to the Ile de la Cite area. The Ile de la Cite is one of the last 2 remaining natural islands in the Seine River. We spent quite a bit of time walking around this area making a stop at Berties CupCakery we headed towards the Hotel de Ville which is in the 4th arrondissement. This building houses the cities local administration. From there we meandered into Le Marais area..which is in the 3rd and 4th arrondissement and is the historical district of Paris. Le Marais has long been the aristocratic district in Paris and has many outstanding building of historic and architectural importance. Le Marais has quite a bit of cultural and ethnic diversity along with being the hub of Paris''gay community. After lots of walking our night ended with a night time cruise on the Seine River. It was a very long but fun filled day. This being part #1 of our 7th day, below are photos taken at and in Notre Dame and the start of our visit to the Ile de la Cite area and Berties CupCakery.
The interior of Notre Dame. I experimented with different styles of editing on some of these photos
Exterior photos of Notre Dame
Below is a form of a gargoyle. Architects often used multiple gargoyles to divert rainwater away from the sides of a building thus preventing damage to the structure. A trough is cut in the back of the gargoyle and the rainwater exits through the open mouth of the gargoyle
Multiple gargoyles
Pedi-cab anyone?
A street performer who was rather good
Now for a special treat for you Veronica...filmed in black and white for that nostalgic touch. Close your eyes and let the music take you there...it's a magical place
A Citroen
Views of the Seine River
Keeping an eye on the neighborhood
A pedi-cab tour group coming
And going
Coming up to Berties Cakery
This wraps up Part #1 of our 7th day in Paris. Stay tuned for part #2 in the near future