I can't stop raving about how picturesque some parts of the city are. We started the day off with a visit to Ile de la Cite ("cradle of the city") where Paris was born. On this tiny island, we got a chance to see Cathedrale du Notre Dame. There is so much history behind this epitome of French Gothic architecture; construction took nearly 200 years to finish, and the cathedral itself is over 650 years old. To be walking around and inside an icon centuries old was indeed interesting. The interior is ornate with stained-glass windows, mosaic work on some of the ceiling, and of course, artwork.
Nothing beats the walk around the cathedral (each entrance to the building looks different) and across Pont Neuf - the oldest standing bridge across the Seine. On the left bank are street-side artists, booksellers, caricaturists, vendors, all in the backdrop of the Notre Dame.
After grabbing a bite to eat, we headed towards the Tour Eiffel. We decided not to see it from the top today as the weather was a bit cloudy - and rain was on the charts for the evening; we figured that the best view would be when it's sunny out - so we'll try back tomorrow. Instead, we used the time to take a cruise up the Seine river. The boat ride offered some of the most beautiful views of Notre Dame, Tour Eiffel, Assemblee Nationale, Musee du Louvre, and Musee D'Orsay. After about an hour, we got off a the Tour Eiffel and had a chance to click some snaps around it. Bang opposite the Tour Eiffel is Ecole Militaire, which is a military training house. We ate dinner (pommes frites and vegetable sandwich on a French baguette) near Tour Eiffel in a cutesy cafe and headed back to the hotel for some much-needed rest for the feet.
It was a heavenly day altogether. Looking forward to a visit to Musee du Louvre and Tour Eiffel tomorrow. Au Revoir!
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