The Hodgkinsons Ben, Kristy, Eliza & Reese

Our last day in Paris we tried to get the rest of our stops in. We got on the bus thinking it would take us to Notre Dame but it didn’t take us as far as we thought. It worked out because we got to see parts of Paris we hadn’t yet. We went to the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore. It was a gathering place for aspiring writers like Ernest Hemingway. It’s still open and sells new and used books. You can go in and read. Aspiring writers can stay there in exchange for their help around the store. It is an absolute delight to walk through. I felt like I was transported back in time. I bought the girls each a cute little book with an official Shakespeare and Company stamp.

Next we went to Saint Chapelle. Saint Chapelle is a royal chapel in the Gothic style. It is considered one of the highest achievements of Gothic architecture. The most famous feature of the chapel is the stained glass windows. Fifteen huge windows fill the space. Pictures do not do it justice. They are giant and intricate and amazing.

I was so excited to see Notre Dame. My parents went to pick up Josh from his mission in Belgium and went to Paris. My Mom got to ring the bell in the tower and I wanted to do ring it too. A lot has changed since then. It cost quite a bit to go up and was really busy so we decided against it. It was surreal being there! The cathedral is one of the most widely recognized symbols in Paris. Notre Dame means Our Lady of Paris. It is a medieval Catholic cathedral known for having one of the world’s largest organs and huge church bells. Notre Dame became famous after Victor Hugo’s novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

After Notre Dame we did a hop on hop off bus tour. We went along the famous Champs-Élysées and went to the Arc de Triomphe. The arch is in honor of those who fought for France fought during the Napoleonic Wars. Beneath the Arc is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. It has the first eternal flame that burns in memory of the dead who were never identified. After climbing 284 steps of a spiral staircase the view was amazing!

We hopped back on the bus that drove us by the Grand Palais, Petit Palais, and some of the sights we had already seen but got to see from a different view. We also got to see some new views of the Eiffel Tower. And of course, more crepes!

We walked through the Tuileries Garden and Place de la Concorde to the Musee de l’Orangerie. Musee de l’Orangerie is an art gallery most famous as the permanent home of eight large Water Lilies murals by Monet. They are huge and amazing! The museum is small but had so many amazing pieces of art. I loved it there. After the museum we walked around, got more macarons from Laduree and Pierre Herme. We at dinner at another cute little café and went back to the hotel to get ready for London.

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