Posts Tagged ‘Victor Hugo’
Notre Dame Cathedral
Posted on: December 1, 2018
- In: History | Travel
- 60 Comments
Notre Dame de Paris – Our Lady of Paris
I love visiting cathedrals, especially those full of history. They each have stories to tell and represent the culture of the area. A fascinating cathedral is Notre Dame de Paris and I was delighted to see it, inside and out, during our visit in May. The Notre Dame Cathedral, with its fine sculptures and stained glass windows, was one of the very first Gothic cathedrals and is 800 years old. It has been through so much, including being plundered during the French Revolution and used as a storage facility. If those walls could talk.
Amazing sculptures adorning the exterior. Note the intricate detail.
The rib vaults of the nave
One of many gorgeous stained glass windows
It is breathtakingly beautiful inside. I was fortunate to hear the choir singing during mass while I was there. The hordes of tourists made it difficult to get pictures inside but I managed to take a short video to give you an idea of the magnificence of the place.
The next day we returned to the area and our friends took us to a quaint pastry shop, La Maison ODETTE, where we enjoyed a perfect cup of tea and melt in your mouth choux a la cremes on the top floor. The shutters were opened and we had a perfect view of the cathedral!! A quintessential French experience I will never forget.
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Our view of Notre Dame from the top floor of Odette
Odette is located opposite the charming Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre church, one of the oldest in Paris.
Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre Church (Church of Saint Julian the Poor)
I did not see the hunchback, but I certainly understand how Victor Hugo was inspired. My dream of visiting Notre Dame Cathedral was fulfilled.
Vive la France!
Posted on: May 28, 2018
- In: Travel
- 61 Comments
We are back from our wonderful time in France. It was a driving holiday and Dot came along. She proved to be an excellent little traveller and was happy to see her Spaniel friend in France. The French countryside was lovely and I finally got to see Paris! It was everything I dreamt of and more. So much history, culture and great food. Our friends were the perfect hosts and tour guides. They made sure we saw everything possible in the time we had. More dreams came true for me. Here are just a few of our special memories.
Our first view of the Eiffel Tower. Loved that families picnicked on the lawns.
Even someone having a nap by the tower.
The impressive Arc de Triomphe at the end of the Champs-Élysées
The Famous Opera House (no phantom in sight)
The Seine and one of the many bridges to Île de la Cité
The Louvre, Palace Royal
The Louvre Pyramid
Musician at the Louvre
The Seine with Notre Dame Cathedral in the background
Notre Dame Cathedral (no hunchback either)
Napolean in front of the Miltary Museum
The Dôme des Invalides which houses the tomb of Napolean
Place des Vosges, a palace built by Henri IV in 1605, now a trendy shopping area with cafes and art galleries
Victor Hugo resided at Place de Vosges, a fashionable square to live in during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Shakespeare and Company, a well-known bookstore featured in a few movies, at Kilometer Zero, the point at which all French roads begin.
Of course, I bought a book!
Place Colette, a typical Paris street scene
Many wonderful cafes and restaurants. I think I found the hunchback!
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity on all the government buildings.
The other Statue of Liberty
There was so much more, like the Musée d’Orsay, the Ceramics Museum, Monet’s house and garden and the Palace of Versailles. But they will have to wait for another post or two!
“He who contemplates the depths of Paris is seized with vertigo.
Nothing is more fantastic. Nothing is more tragic.
Nothing is more sublime.”
― Victor Hugo
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