Sunny Monday

30 avril

Any day it's not raining here is a happy day this past week.  Life is so perfect right now.  I love having all day every day to explore this beautiful city.  I love having enough time to thoroughly enjoy and look at things rather than rushing through.  

Notre Dame--still my favorite.  This is a view from the back.

Another locked love bridge

We found a cute flower market area that apparently also sells birds on Sundays.

The Justice Hall---or something like that.

Another beautiful Pont

This is inside the Conciergerie which was a prison during the French Revolution.  

Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and their family were held in this prison at the Conciergerie preceding their death by guillotine.  The jail is now home to a petit chapel that honors and remembers the royal family that was killed.  Here is a picture of Marie Antoinette.

Her initials in a window--MA

To the memory of Louis XVI, King of France

The actual cell where they were held.  I do feel bad for the royal family.  Their lavish life is the only one they knew and they were just in the wrong position in the wrong time.

This is the Montparnasse Tower and I hate it.  It ruins the beautiful Paris skyline with all of its old, cute buildings.  Then there is this very out of place tower.  In most other cities, I would like this building, but not in Paris.  

Statue of Alfred Dreyfus

People told me before I came that Paris is beautiful in the spring--and it has turned out to me so true!

So May 1 in France is labor day, but is also May Day.  It is the tradition to give flowers to people to bring them good luck and happiness.  These white flowers are the traditional May 1st flowers to give, but other flowers are sold and given as well.  These flowers were being sold all over.  

We found a delicious Gelato place!! Soo good.  I got a rich chocolate along with strawberry.  Highlight of the day!

Sweet shoes.

Gelato place

I visited the Luxembourg Gardens again because they are my favorite.  There is an area with a bunch of beehives.  This sign says don't walk on the lawn--Danger Bees

The beehives

There are lots of areas for people to play Petanque which is a popular French game.  To begin the game, one tosses  a small ball out into the playing field.  Then players take turns seeing how close they can toss their balls to that original marker ball.  There were lots of cute old men playing and arguing about it.  

I  just love all the flowers in these gardens as well as the generally happy and peaceful that is there.  

This is called the Orangerie and they grow orange trees here during the winter months and then replant them back outside during spring.  

Pigeon sipping water from a puddle.

Moving orange trees out.

Putting the orange trees out in the gardens for the spring/summer.

The senate meets here at the Luxembourg palace.

There were a bunch of old men playing chess in one area! Such a cool and versatile park.

Kids playing soccer.

I went to the puppet show at the Luxembourg Gardens! It was so fun.  There were so many cute little children.  The French was easy to understand for me since it was for a kid audience which was nice.  It was the story of the 3 little pigs.  So fun! I think I still like little kid things just because I'm always used to traveling and being with my younger siblings, so it's funny that I still naturally do and enjoy these kind of things.  It was a fun cultural experience.  

Carousel! They gave  the kids sticks/whips to ride with.

A sign that I found.  It says An unknown person fell here for France on August 21 1944

The bread here is so beautiful and tastes as good as it looks.

This is one of the most famous macaron shops in the world! It looked like a jewelry store inside and was super fancy. 

I snuck this picture of some of the goodies before I was told to not take pictures.

The macarons I bought! So so so good.  I got a chocolate one, a fruity one, and a rose one.  It's really interesting because they have lots of flavors that are scents such as lavendar or rose...and they taste really good and smell good.

The macaron menu

Ajouter une légende

The famous center line

Yves St. Laurent.  There are so many chique, high-end boutiques all over Paris

Church of St. Germain-des-Près

Creative advertising

I have an obsession with church ceilings and church organs.

I got into Notre Dame right before it closed in order to avoid the massive line.  It's as gorgeous as I remember it being and I will definitely go again.

Joan of Arc statue

That night we had FHE with the Institute people.  They fed us dinner and then we played some games and had a lesson.  I enjoyed talking to the missionaries and the young adults that live in Paris.  Our BYU group made up about 3/4ths of the people there though :)