Paris, part One

Paris was wonderful. So much to see and do, so far to walk. Up the stairs to the Metro and down again, up and down the wide staircases of the Louvre.

I used my French to ask a Gendarme about the padlocks we saw glittering in the sun. You have to love the story of this bridge. It's a footbridge across the Seine, near the Louvre. Couple come and add a padlock, with their names on it, to the wire of the bridge. The key is then thrown into the Seine, to seal their love forever. How romantic is that? No wonder Paris is the City of Love.

The basilica of Sacre Coeur is near Montmartre. You have to climb the 300 steps to the top of the hill to reach it. there is a funicular, but we didn't spot that till we were up! From the top, you get a view right across Paris. The church was not far from where we were staying and we walked there, then up the hill. At the bottom of the hill were many discount stores, along with a raft of fabric stores. Interesting how similar stores cluster together. We scanned the fabric stores, but resisted buying much, as we had to watch our luggage weight and fabric is heavy!

The artists who populate Montmartre were out in the square, doing portraits for people in many mediums. We sat in the middle of the square, enjoying some divine soup and wine and watching the passing scene.