Retired Life, travel

Back on the Road…in the City of Lights

For those of you who have followed us on previous trips, we did take a hiatus.

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Our Beautiful New Grand Child McKenna

Following our fabulous experience in Lucca, Italy, Blockley, England, Dublin Ireland, we returned home just in time to welcome our beautiful grandchild into the world. Well we had to stay home for awhile to bond with our sweet baby! But we are off again and hope you will enjoy the next segment in the beautiful city of lights-Paris.

 

Paris… I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles… well, it is grey, but the early spring flowers are starting to bloom, the trees beginning to bud and the gardens filling with parents and children, tourists and locals. While some of the Parisians we have met have downplayed how lovely it is, a grey day in Paris is still a magical experience.

We arrived early at the Orly airport.  After stumbling around a little we found our way to the Orlybus, purchased our first weeklong pass and settled in to make our way to our apartment.  That overnight flight fatigue settling in a little counter acted by the excitement and anxiousness of a new location, we nested in for the ride. The family with three young children also nestled in and the excitement of arriving soon gave way to three little ones sprawled asleep on the bus.

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Notre Dame…just a minute walk from our apartment

We barely found the apartment when we set off to check in on the state of Notre Dame.  We have heard the indefinite updates on the restoration progress. The sacred Cathedral appears strong from the front facade from a distance. Up close, a staging area obscures the square in front of the church changing the icon approach.  Steel scaffolding surrounds the side and back.  The charred timbers and the once glorious steeple have been removed.  The buttresses have been reinforced with new wooden beams.  The spire and Cathedral roof are gone along with the beautiful stained glass windows. Where the spire once heralded the city, a large crane hovers high above the gargoyles. An impermeable sheet is stretched across the roof to keep the rain and cold out. Notre Dame is the heart ( and soul) of Paris. It is alive in religion, literature, culture, and civilization. No word on when no it may reopen, but work is busily going on.  While Parisians are devastated by this tragedy, they remain hopeful. cathedrals of this size took generations to build. The Parisians hope that is will be rebuilt and reopened sooner with modern technology on their side.

Dining Area
Small Kitchen with Courtyard Window
Living Room
One Bedroom Apartment
Bathroom with Clothes Washer

 

Well  Paris is the home of superb wine,strong pungent cheese, delectable croissants and pastries, however, we are never long here before visiting  Le Maison de Gyros! Yes, nothing says Paris like an Kebab in the Latin Quarter.

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Our balcony view of the Paris Pantheon
The fatigue drains away, our energy returns… we shop for essentials at the Monoprix and stroll our new neighborhood to get our bearings!… in the words of Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina…. Paris is always a good idea.img_1727
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Maureen and David Pearson

14 thoughts on “Back on the Road…in the City of Lights”

  1. Glad you are settling in nicely. We loved our visits to Paris when we lived in Germany. I’m sure your adventure will include many of the places we visited and we’ll enjoy reading your reflections of the places we visited. Hope the weather cooperates, but if you gotta be some place that is cold, grey and drizzly, Paris is a good choice 😀 Cheers – Steve

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  3. Maureen! So great to get another blog post from you two! Your granddaughter is precious – how adorable…congrats! And now you’re in the city of lights! So many reasons to use so many exclamation marks! Ha ha ha. Love hearing about your excursions and stops…and the apartment looks lovely (nice view). Don’t forget to smother us with the details. The highlight of my day was the copier wasn’t jammed! Ha ha ha. Love living vicariously through your journeys! ~ Terri

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  4. Awesome!! Looking forward to read all your beautiful posts!! 😃Paris!! That is the only place Raquel is really interested to go.

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  5. Awesome!! Looking forward to read all your beautiful posts!! 😃Paris!! That is the only place Raquel is really interested to go.

    Your granddaughter is so lovely!!

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