Saturday August 14, 2010

We had another great breakfast at the hotel and off we were again walking to see more Paris. As we rounded one corner, we noticed an elegant looking building at the end of the street. After investigating, we had come across the Pantheon. Many greats are buried there and continue to be buried there as petitions to the French President are granted. A fabulous stone structure. We toured the first floor and the crypt on the lower level. We waited and did the tour to the top of the dome – 206 steps! It was well worth the climb when we got to the top!

We also stumbled upon the Luxemburg Gardens where the flowers, fountains and landscaping were magnificent.

It started to rain as we joined the river cruise – fortunately the boat had a glass top. We enjoyed the one hour cruise up and down the Seine River passing many of the most popular attractions in Paris. We passed the Louvre which is absolutely huge and decided that it would have to wait for another trip to Paris.

We then headed to the Notre Dame Cathedral. The line to get in was long but moved very fast. It was one of the largest most beautiful cathedrals I have ever been in. I lit a candle in memory of my best friend – Mindy – and thought about how much I missed her and how much she would have enjoyed this trip. I was overcome with emotions – and sensed that she was with me in some way at that moment.

After completing the tour of Notre Dame, we checked the mass schedule and decided to come back for the 6:30 mass later that day.

We decided we were hungry, and started looking for a sidewalk café to eat and rest in. We sat down in a small one near Notre Dame and Kathryn asked the waitress for a menu. The waitress said in broken English and kind of a smirk on her face “we have no menu”. It was about 4:30 p.m. Kathryn thought she had misunderstood and again asked for a menu – the waitress again smirked and said “We don’t have one”. Kathryn gave her one of her famous looks - that translated into “What do you mean you don’t have a menu, you dumb bimbo, this is a restaurant isn’t it?” The waitress in total control then smirked again and said “We don’t serve food until 7:30!” ha

We then went across the street to a small Lebanese restaurant “When in Paris, eat Lebanese food”! Go Figure! The sandwiches and cheese spread and pita bread were wonderful!

We had been walking all day so we decided to take a cab to the Arc de Triomphe. The Arch sits on a beautiful boulevard and is magnificent. Major streets and boulevards lead to and from it.

We took a cab back to the Nortre Dame Cathederal for mass. When we got there (about 5 minutes early) there were about 5,000 other people with the same idea. Standing room only took on a whole new definition. It was shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip and lots of other parts! There were at least 40 priests involved in the procession. We were standing about half way back in the Cathederal in an aisle. People kept trying to push past us, I don’t know where they thought they were going!

After the second reading, which was about a half hour into the mass, I broke first and told Kathryn that I was going to try to find some place to sit along the large side aisles in the cathederal. Kathryn got a big smile on her face at that decision. We found a place near the front, on the side, where we could kind of see what was happening, hear and sit.

Teta, do not read this part. We left right after communion (two hours into the mass) and found a little café across the street from the Cathederal where we could watch the long procession come out and down the street. It was also a good place for a beer and a glass of wine.

We decided on crepes for dinner and found a crepes restaurant we had noticed earlier in the day. The wheat crepes were excellent.

We caught a beautiful view of the Pantheon with the setting sun basking it in light on the same street as the crepe restaurant. We walked the rest of the way to the hotel – very tired!