Pictures from our last day in Paris

I am sad to say it is our last full day in Paris but at the same time we are looking forward to go home. Philipe, our tour guide from our trip to the Loire Valley, told us to truly enjoy Paris you need to get lost in Paris. We felt we knew enough to not get into too much trouble so we took up the challenge.

One thing we really wanted to do was go into Notre Dame during the day. Because the church is free to go into the lines can be very long. The day started out on the rainy side consequently the line was much smaller.

Maddie and I had gone in one evening but only part of the church was open. Due to the age of the building lighting is very poor. We were very excited to see it during the day.

When you walk into the church you are struck by the stain glass windows. There was a service in progress so it was very quiet. The 2 rose stain glass windows that are the showcase of the space. They are in the middle of the church. As you work your way to the back you are greeted with more stain glass and places for peaceful reflection. We went into an area where some of the church treasures are kept. There were pieces from the alters, garments worn through its 850 year history and ancient bibles.

Next it was time to get lost. We decided to get to know our neighbourhood better. We stayed in the 4th district which is one of the oldest. The streets are barely wide enough to allow one car through. Cars are very small. Smart Cars, Scion IQs and even Peugeot one seaters were the preferred mode of transportation. There were a lot of motorcycles as well. Now let's talk about parking. If there is 10cms between the cars that would be a good day. Not sure how they get in or out of these spaces, but when you look at the bumpers you start to get a clear picture of how it's done.

We spent almost 5 hours walking up and down the streets, meeting some amazing locals and enjoyed a great lunch. To anyone going to Paris I would highly recommend exploring this way.

Now for some fun facts. As you know we couldn't work the shower for the first few days. We couldn't figure out how to dial the phone. Couldn't get dryer portion of the washer/dryer to work until week 2 started and a host of other things. As we were packing up to go home we found a binder with instructions on how to do all of the those things. Live and learn.

The stairs we walked up and down everyday were 400 years old. They were beautiful. We were on the 3rd floor so we got to know every uneven step on them.

This is Maddie's worn out shoe.

Looking down the staircase right outside our door.

Looking up the staircase from our door. 

Just as you enter Notre Dame.

One of the Rose stain glass windows. The other one is on the opposite wall.

Close up of one of the stain glass windows.

For those of you who've known me for a while you know I used to own a Bridal Salon called I Do Bridal. Imagine how cool it was when we were getting lost in Paris and found this shop. My brother-in-law Alan had told me about it but we had no idea where it was. When we got up close and looked inside the back was full of beautiful white gowns.