A special treat last Thursday...we took a day trip to Paris! One of the wonderful things about living in Europe is that we can do such things! We took the 8.30 Eurostar under the Channel...and arrived at 11.45...
...we had some business to do first (it wasn't a total indulgence!) but when that was completed we were free....to ride the Metro...
...look at the art installations in the square outside the Hotel de Ville...
...spot the ancient next to the modern...
...which gives Paris its special character, I think...
We stopped in this little traditional 'zinc' bar on the Ile de la Cite late in the day to have a Kir (blackcurrant liqueur mixed with white wine) - yum!
I love the many statues that adorn the various civic buildings...what tales they could tell!
This was the bridge that crosses the Seine to the Ile de la Cite where Notre Dame Cathedral sits in splendour (you can see it peeking out in the middle of the picture above)...
..and here is the divine orange cake (with optional chantilly cream) that we shared, with coffee, in a small cafe mid-afternoon...
This is now part of an hotel, but I am so thrilled that they have preserved the beautiful bakery shopfront...too gorgeous to lose!
We window-shopped the chic Autumn fashions....
...and stopped by one of our favourite restaurants...although we had no time to eat there on this trip...
The patisseries are so tempting...everything arranged in abundant pyramids, just willing you to buy...!
But, alas...all too soon it was time to leave again. We caught the 7.13pm train home...and got the hour back..which meant that we were home with Alice just after 10pm! A long but amazing day! I thought that you might like to hear the bells of Notre Dame...this is how they sounded at 6.30pm last Thursday...and how they have sounded for almost 800 years!
The cafe with the orange awning (if you didn't spot it) is called 'Quasimodo!!
Thanks so much for all your comments and discussion on my last post by the way...'Little House' has touched so many of us...I knew it! If you love it as I do, let me heartily recommend a new book by Melissa Gilbert who played Laura Ingalls in the show. 'My Prairie Cookbook' is so lovely...not only recipes, but stories and photographs from her 10 years starring in this beautiful series. I treated myself to a copy for my birthday and I am savouring it!
Delightful as always, Rachel! Complete with the bells! Made me feel I had been there with you! Such rich cultural experiences of which being on this side of the Pond deprives us, but thankfully for the Internet, almost can be there in person. But we do have Martha's Vineyard and glorious New England!! Have wonderful day! :-) xoxo
Ahh! How wonderful it is to hear the bells of Notre Dame chiming! Thank you for sharing that! I envy how close you live to Paris! It's only a short train ride away! Lucky you! I'm so glad you got to escape for the day. So, so lovely! xoxo
Oh Rachel, I'm so jealous of your trip to Paris! The beautiful bells of Notre Dame made me cry. I'm so sentimental about Paris and most of Europe in general. We must return there one day. Lovely to visit with you today. Have a great weekend! xo ♥
I was in Paris on Monday and Tuesday last week! Coincidence.
ReplyDeleteDelightful as always, Rachel! Complete with the bells! Made me feel I had been there with you! Such rich cultural experiences of which being on this side of the Pond deprives us, but thankfully for the Internet, almost can be there in person. But we do have Martha's Vineyard and glorious New England!! Have wonderful day! :-) xoxo
ReplyDeleteAhh! How wonderful it is to hear the bells of Notre Dame chiming! Thank you for sharing that! I envy how close you live to Paris! It's only a short train ride away! Lucky you! I'm so glad you got to escape for the day. So, so lovely! xoxo
ReplyDeleteOh Rachel, I'm so jealous of your trip to Paris! The beautiful bells of Notre Dame made me cry. I'm so sentimental about Paris and most of Europe in general. We must return there one day. Lovely to visit with you today. Have a great weekend! xo ♥
ReplyDelete