Mon amour et je profiter de la ville de l'Amour

 Notre-Dame de Paris

Lines, Lines, Lines!!  When Adam and I arrived mid morning the line to get in was already around the cathedral.  Knowing that we wanted to cover a lot of ground we enjoyed the outside of Notre-Dame!  The garden in the back was truly magnificent.  I enjoyed sitting on the benches and taking in the amazing views and people watching.

 La Mémorial des Martyrs de La Déportation

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The Pont de l'Archevêché 

The Memorial to the Martyrs is dedicated to the 160 plus French residents (76,000 were Jewish) that were deported to concentration camps in WWII.  The small room inside that has small white bulbs to represent each deportee who didn't return.  The 

The Memorial was very moving.  We were asked not to speak and they only allow a few people into the Memorial at a time.  We walked down into into the Memorial which is right above the Seine River.

 

The Arch Bishop"s Bridge is the narrowest road bridge in Paris. It was built in 1828 and is now covered in Love Locks.  People that visit many cities in Europe place pad locks to represent the love they share or have for the person they are with in the city they are visiting.  

Adam and I enjoyed our walk down the Seine to the park next to the Eiffle Tower.  We had fun taking pictures in the park, as you can see!  One  of the lifts was broken so the line to go up was 4 hours.  We walked around a took a few more photos and continued our sight seeing.  

The romantic factor of the tower is rather amazing though I must say!!
July 14th is French Independence Day.  Crews were setting up stages and speakers all around the Eiffel Tower for the weekend events that were about to take place.  Under the Eiffel Tower I saw the biggest disco ball I have ever seen.  Really, it was HUGE!!!!  I am sure that was one awesome dance party!!

Montmartre
The Romans called it Mons Mercurii, after erecting a hilltop shrine to their god of commerce.  But the area is probably best known for the many 19th-20th Century painters who made it home. As rents were affordable, its working-class streets were full of struggling artists like Picasso, Modigliani, Renoir, Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Utrillo and Van Gogh. 

We enjoyed seeing the artists painting and showing off the their talents.  One of my favorite artists was simply cutting peoples profiles out of paper in seconds.  Street artists were present as well as beggars.  We found it interesting that the beggars don't speak or make eye contact with people.  They tend to kneel and have their heads bowed.

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur

 Basilica of the Sacred Heart 

Adam and I rode the metro out to the Basilica.  During this particular ride on the Metro I experienced to many smells mixed with the heat of the day.  When we got off the Metro I just started walking down a street.  Adam and I ended up turned around, but to our advantage.  We ran into a great little bakery!!  After eating a few treats we kept walking and finally asked directions to the Sacred Heart.  As you can see from the pictures there is quite a hill.  We ended up walking up the right side of the hill that didn't have any stairs.  When we arrived at the top though it realized it was very much worth the hike we had just endured.  The church was truly amazing on the inside.  The stained glass was gorgeous and I found it interesting which Saints were being prayed to the most.

When we finished seeing the church we noticed that there was a tram going up and down the hill.  We would have loved that information before our hike, but were happy to see it for the ride down!!

 

Salvador Dalí Gallery

I have always enjoyed Salvador Dali's artwork and so having the chance to visit one of his galleries was a real treat.  Adam rented a headset for me to fully enjoy my experience.  My favorite piece wasn't located this gallery but it was fun to see other works of art including his living room furniture that he had made to look like an actress!  

Can you see the bride and groom?  They were outside the gallery having their wedding photos taken with Paris as their backdrop :)

Our last night in Paris seemed like the most fitting time to enjoy our Anniversary over a meal.  We went to Drouant for dinner and were thoroughly pleased with our experience.  Adam and I enjoyed everything from Foie Gras to Basil Ice Cream!!  The staff treated us very well, they even let us create our own dessert sampler.  We picked one item from each of their preset menus!!  Adam thought our readers might be interested in the Zagat rating which we have added below!

Zagat Rating and Review

FOOD23

Chef Antoine Westermann puts a “modern twist on the French classics” at this long-standing favorite near the Opéra Garnier, offering “pricey”, thematically grouped gastronomic declensions alongside more straightforward, “sure-value” plats du jour; the “elegant” but comfortable rooms and the “warm, attentive” staff make it a “first-class” choice “for business”, “couples” or – thanks to the ‘young gastronomes’ menu – “the family.”

The Louvre and Arch at Night

As we finished dinner and started to leave the restaurant we headed towards the Eiffel Tower hoping to see it sparkle!!  We walked by the Louvre on our stroll and couldn't pass up the opportunity to take some amazing photos of the plaza lite up.  There weren't the crowds that you see during the day, it was really an amazing experience to behold.

An amazing end to our day in Paris...We got to see the tower sparkle at midnight!!  We loved getting to stand next to the Serine River and take in the amazing view of the Eiffel Tower sparkle for the final time of the night.  As we knew it was our last night in Paris it truly was an amazing way to in our very full day!