Someday, my little one...

Today marks the one year anniversary of my day in Paris!  Having travelled two weeks earlier with friends to Nice on the Cote d'Azur, and meeting up with the rest of the tour group, our two week journey through France began, and ended one year ago today in Paris.


The Harbour in Nice

It was a trip of a lifetime!  From Nice, we travelled throughout the south of France, visiting many beautiful towns and villages in Provence...Arles, Avignon, Carcassone, Rennes-le-Chateau, Arques, Montsegur, to name just a few.



Carcassone Castle

 

The 'Old City' of Carcassone

 

The 'Tour de Magdala' at Rennes le Chateau

  

Montsegur

  

Beautiful Provence!

 Near the end of our journey, we spent two days in Chartres, where I got to cross an item off my 'bucket list'...a visit to Chartres Cathedral where I was able to walk the ancient labyrinth. 

Chartres Cathedral

 

Stained Glass of Chartres Cathedral

 

The Chartres Labyrinth!

 

 Each town, each village, held its own magic.  The people were most welcoming and friendly. Even with the language barrier, we somehow managed to 'speak' and understand each other!

The last two days of the trip were spent in Paris.  I needed two weeks!  Arriving in Paris from Chartres, we visited the church of Sainte Sulpice, and then on to the Louvre for the afternoon.

Waiting to enter the Louvre Museum

 

The Louvre Museum

What's a visit to the Louvre...without the Mona Lisa!

 

Or...the Venus de Milo!

 

In the evening, our tour group gathered for one last celebratory meal, as our journey together came to an end.  I had one more day to spend in Paris before journeying on to visit friends in England.  Having met Linda, a lovely fellow traveller from the tour group, we decided to both see Paris together.  A lot was packed in to that day! 

After purchasing bus tickets for the 'hop on, hop off' bus service, our first stop was a visit to the Eiffel Tower.  A short elevator ride up the tower allowed us a wonderful view of Paris as far as the eye could see.

The Trocadaro from the Eiffel Tower

Then it was on to Notre Dame cathedral, built on the Ille de la Cite, followed by lunch at a lovely little sidewalk café.  A visit to the famous 'Shakespear & Company'  book store; a walk through the gardens of the Trocadaro at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, then back on the bus to the Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe.

Notre Dame and the River Seine

 

The Arc de Triomphe from the Champs Elysees

 And of course, I couldn't come home without finding a 'garbage truck' for the little love of my life...!

 

A Paris garbage truck for my little Aidan!

 

As nightfall approached, we returned to the Eiffel Tower and boarded one of the many barges that take visitors up and down the River Seine.  As we boarded the boat, the Eiffel Tower lit up in all its glory in a blaze of flashing white lights, against a magnificent golden backdrop.  Our journey down the Seine showed us why Paris is called the 'City of Light'...every beautiful building and bridge was flooded with light.

The Eiffel Tower at night

 

 

I didn't want the day to end.  But it did.  The next day I had to leave and travel on to England. I used to wonder why people would go on about how amazing Paris was.  I thought it to be 'just another city'.  What was so special, I wondered? Now I know.  Now I 'get it'!  Paris is magical! My heart ached to leave. 

Since coming home, I've spent some time this past year learning all about Paris, and learning (ever so slowly!) how to speak french.  The list is long of the things I want to do upon my return there...the museums, the gardens, the sidewalk cafes, walks along the Seine.  

J'adore Paris!  Je t'aime mon petit Aidan! 

Someday, my little one...Nana will take you to Paris!