The Ile de la Cité has much to see; we walk the quays as suggested by the Michelin Green Guide seeing many barges, both freight and sightseeing. You get good views of Notre Dame, the Palace of Justice, La Conciergerie, La Hôtel de Ville, and much more. At Place St. Michel, with a good view of Notre Dame, is the Rotisserie Perigourdine where we have several good meals of rack of lamb and garlic potatoes. It has shiny wood and brass, a cold maitre d’, but very tasty food.
A day threatening rain is a good time to visit the Louvre. It is also a Wednesday in mid October and admission is free. It may be off the peak tourist season, but there are many many people; we wonder what it is like “in season”. The Mona Lisa impresses us, but the Venus de Milo is a disappointment. We walk and walk and walk; see statues, paintings, the Egyptian area, and crown jewels. We eat in a small expensive tea room, then walk some more. One day is NOT enough to see the Louvre.
Another art museum well worth seeing is the Jeu de Paume, near the Place de la Concorde. It shows impressionist paintings by Monet, Van Gough, Renoir, etc. It is much smaller than the Louvre but is just as crowded. Afterwards we walk by the Opera and to the Galleries Lafayette, a fabulous large department store where we buy some French soup bowls with their smaller top opening that keep the soup from cooling too fast.
A metro ride to Place Pigalle and a funicular brings us to the Sacré-Coeur Basilica high on Montmartre. The gleaming white structure is visible from many vantage points in Paris, and takes its’ place with the Eiffel Tower as a major part of the Paris skyline.
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