I must point out that I am no photographer - the experts amongst you will probably have noted that already! I have tinted this photo, the sky wasn't actually this colour....
Jardins du Luxembourg
The beautiful golden dome of Les Invalides
L'eglise de la Madeleine....
(part of) The Louvre....
Notre Dame Cathredral
Sacre Coeur
I have written about Paris before here ....and my visit there this week-end left me feeling just the same - it is one of the most wonderful and stunningly beautiful cities in the world to visit but I could not imagine it as my home. It feels like a private almost magical city, happy enough to see you but keeping you all the time at arm's length.
We were lucky enough to have bright blue skies and sunshine right up until the minute we left and as I sat on the top deck of the open-topped tour bus which took us on "Le Grand Tour" around the city (best idea ever with two young children!), I was really able to marvel at how just how amazing the architecture and the views really are. The wide boulevards, the view from the Louvre right up to the Arc de Triomphe, the vast space that is the Place de la Concorde - just breathtaking.
Rodin's "The Thinker"....
We did a lot in the time we were there
....went to the 2nd level of the Eiffel Tower....
....walked up to Sacre Coeur and meandered down again via Montmartre....
...stood underneath the Arc de Triomphe and marvelled not only at the sheer size of it but also at the sculptures on it which are just amazing....
....walked from the Louvre through the Tuilerie Gardens to Place de la Concorde....
....walked through the Jardins du Luxembourg....
The Champs Elysee is a home to a huge Sephora, full of every make-up and skincare product imaginable and the most beautiful shop assistants ever.
It must have been the sight of me attempting to shop while my son tested every single aftershave they appeared to have, happily spraying the tester sticks, my daughter hungrily eyed the huge displays of nail varnishes and lipsticks and my husband started browsing the male grooming products (clearly the Paris effect!)......that made a stunning shop assistant approach me and ask if I would be interested in a particular skincare range while simultaneously lifting and pulling quite vigorously at her face!! She was so lovely that I couldn't possibly be offended, even if I was possibly old enough to be her mother....France does have some of the best skincare products in the world and every Frenchwomen has an arsenal of products.
Finally, no visit to Paris would be complete without some wonderful food....we ate delicious escargots, yummy crepes, had lunch at the beautifully named Bread and Roses and experienced without doubt the most delicious hot chocolate ever at Cafe de Flore in the very chi-chi St Germain des Pres. The highlight though was our dinner at La Coupole, the oldest brasserie in Paris (seating 450 people) which was once the haunt of Hemingway, Dali, Picasso, Fitzgerald. It is a fabulous place to people-watch, the waiters are quite something, it has a great atmosphere, amazing food and is quite simply a unique experience - their seafood has to be seen to be believed, we loved it!
via Bread and Roses....
For my day 3 Giveaway, it seems appropriate to have something suitably French so I am offering a choice of
To enter, be a follower of my blog and leave a comment. I will draw the winner on Friday :)
Happy Wednesday!
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