Day 5b: Sunday: Notre Dame & City Lights Tour

We left the Louvre, where Lloyd encountered one of the street people trying to pull the lost ring scam. Lloyd knew better. As we walked along the Seine, we could see Notre Dame de Paris in the distance. The cathedral (twin towers in the center of the photo) is on an island in the Seine, the Île de la Cité.

We passed by the bookseller stands on the Left Bank and bought some prints of the city.

We stopped for lunch at the Café des Beaux Arts. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal but didn't think to take any photos. I found these two photos on the internet. This outside shot is by Stephen Reese, from his blog, which you can see here.

The interior shot is by Dianne G. The original can be found here.

For some lovely views of Paris as well as the Café des Beaux Arts, click on the restaurant's website, here.

When we resumed our stroll, we passed a water fountain that was beautiful as well as very popular. Folks lined up to refill water bottles.

As we approached Notre Dame, one of the party cruise boats passed by.



The plaza in front of the cathedral was a busy place. There was a long line of folks waiting to tour the cathedral as well as many Parisiens enjoying a sunny Sunday afternoon.

There are signs asking for silence inside, but still there was a lot of distracting chatter.  I have just three photos taken inside to share, a side altar and two shots of a miniature of the cathedral that show off the intricacies of the flying buttresses in this French Gothic cathedral.

We arrived at the cathedral in time to hear an organ concert by Amy Myeong, a graduate of the University of Kansas. The cathedral is the church that contains the cathedra (official chair) of the Archbishop of Paris, currently André Vingt-Trois. We stayed for the weekly mass said by the archbishop, a very moving ceremony.

After mass we went back to the hotel for dinner and prepare for an evening tour: The Lights of Paris. Only a few of the night shots turned out, but the sights were outstanding. Notre Dame takes on a whole different aspect after dark.

We arrived at the Eiffel Tower in time for the sparkling lights, which are turned on for 5 or 10 minutes before each hour.

Oddly enough, one photo that did turn out was one I snapped on a whim ... a chocolate shop for the chocoholic in our group. Unfortunately, we didn't get back here.

And so ended our Sunday.