Paris Highlights: Sights

This year we went to Paris for two whole weeks. We invited my childhood best friend Leigh to join us for the first week. Because she's never been to Paris, we planned a packed first week, with lots of sites and delectable food. But I don't want to go through every step of the trip so I've divided it into sections: Sights (this post), Food, Fashion & Style, The City, Chartres (our one day trip), and Lanvin (an exceptional temporary exhibit I went to). Mostly I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

As soon as we got to Paris, we headed over to the flower market which becomes both a flower and a bird market on Sundays.

Yes, he was crowing.

I went on two different days--once in the sun, once in the rain.

Later we attended an Organ recital at St Eustache.

The first couple of days were great:

The Louvre, Places des Vosges, Sainte Chapelle, Notre Dame, Shakespeare & Co., Pont de l'Archevêché (with all the love locks), the Tuileries.

Sketching in the Louvre

This is what happens when it's warm in Paris and the pelouse is not "en repos."

Gazing upward in Sainte Chapelle

Blossoms at Notre Dame

Inside Notre Dame

Sparkling love locks

And then, in the Musee d'Orsay, I sprained my ankle...badly. (I'm still healing, almost 3 months later.)

It definitely interfered with what I had had planned. I could only go out for half days and even maneuvering my camera became difficult. I got a compression sock, saw a French doctor, and I bought a nice, floral cane--like the ones I saw French grandmas using. Fortunately, I have spent plenty of time in Paris. So while Leigh went to see Pere Lachaise and the Arc de Triomphe on her own, I wasn't actually missing anything--except her company.

It still boggles my mind that it even happened. I've never been injured before in my life! And the first time happens in a museum in Paris. Cobblestones weren't even involved. Quoi?!

We also were fortunate to have a wonderful apartment. This was our view:

We were right on Place de l'Hotel de Ville

We managed to visit Jardin du Luxembourg both the first week and the second week.

There were boats...

and ducklings!

During the second week, we visited a number of sights we'd never seen before: Eglise St Sulpice, Musee Canavalet, Musee de Cluny, and the Bon Marche.

Eglise St Sulpice

Inside Eglise St Sulpice

Musee de Cluny is most famous for The Lady and the Unicorn, but it is also home to these giant heads. 

Inside Le Bon Marché