Paris: Sacre-Coeur

Date of this adventure: December 23, 2012

Our last day in Paris was spent visiting the Sacre-Coeur.

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris

AKA: Basilique du Sacre-Coeur

Basilique du Sacre-Coeur is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and is located at the summit of Montmartre (a hill in the north part of Paris). The basilica is the highest point in Paris.

As we were excitedly walking into the church, we realized that the church was in service. Oops! Quickly, we turned around and headed back out the doors. We had to settle for pictures of the outside of the church instead.

 

Looking out over Paris from Montmartre

Around the corner from the basilica was a a square packed with many talented artists.

Michael hunted for paintings for his mom. Success!

Dad searched for a painting for his office. Check!

Mom looked for a beautiful souvenir from Paris. Got it!

Mom's artist was, hands down, my favorite. As he hummed and skipped down the street leading us to his shop, i couldn't help but picture a Pixar short film, charming music and all. Think of the short film of the old man playing chess with himself combined with the sweet old man from Up. Yep. He was that cute.

Julie and I enjoyed wandering the winding cobblestone streets and exploring the quaint restaurants and inviting bakeries.

Once we had our fill of art, we headed to explore more Christmas markets on the other side of town.

Julie found more hot dog baguettes!

In the evening, the Eiffel Tower lights up and sparkles for five minutes every hour on the hour.

Goodbye, Paris!

Paris- Notre Dame and the Louvre

Date of this adventure: December 22, 2012

Visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre were the top of the list for our second day in Paris! Photo credit: Julie Coppedge.

The rainy weather wasn't exactly conducive to getting great outdoor photos so we quickly hurried inside the Norte Dame de Paris.

Norte Dame de Paris is French for "Our Lady of Paris."

The Notre Dame is considered one of the finest pieces of French Gothic architecture.

Inside the cathedral

The lighting in the cathedral was beautiful. 

Those chandeliers!

 Exquisite stained glass windows

The grandness of everything made me feel quite small.

The restoration of this chandelier was/is in progress.

After pausing and taking in all that is the Notre Dame, we stopped for a lunch of croque-monsieurs, french onion soup, and savory crepes. We then headed to the world's most visited museum, the Louvre.

The Louvre Palace and courtyard

Completed in 1989, the Louvre Pyramid serves as the main entrance into the Louvre Museum.

The Louvre has more than 8 million visitors every year!

Entering the musee

Tip: If you are under 25 and living in the EU (both of which I am) your admission into the Louvre is free! Thanks, France!

The Nike of Samothrace, "Winged Victory" circa 190 B.C.

Proof that the Mona Lisa is indeed the Louvre's most popular attraction

The painting is shielded by bulletproof glass. 

Click here to read information about why the Mona Lisa is so famous.

Posing with Mona

Julie, having visited the Louvre prior to this trip, advised us that we should have a plan of the specific works of art we wanted to see. If we hadn't done this, we likely would have run out of time and been disappointed that we hadn't seen some of the more famous paintings and sculptures.

If you fancy seeing more than a small fraction of what the Louvre has to offer, you certainly need to plan more than one day touring the Louvre. Prepare yourself.

Having received a "You have got to try this" recommendation from my friend Vicki, I was excited to seek out Angelina Tearoom with specific instructions to order the hot chocolate after we finished at the Louvre.

You don't have to tell me twice.

Thick, rich, and delicious!

If you are in Paris, Angelina Tearoom is definitely worth a visit!

Entertaining ourselves on the metro ride home

I also need to give credit to my wonderful mom who planned and booked our entire European adventure. Thanks, mom, for a wonderfully planned trip!

Stay tuned. There's much more to come!