Paris, France – February 8 to 12

Because our flight home originated in Paris, France, we made the obvious decision to spend four days there on the way home.  We found a small flat for a short-term rental ½ block south of the Seine River that flows through the middle of Paris and about two blocks from Notre Dame.  This was our second visit to Paris, so we tried to see some of the sites that we missed before.

On Sunday we attended church in the Paris France Ward where we had attended four years before.  In Sacrament Meeting, you can get a head-set and tune in to hear the English translation or to hear the Chinese translation.  Amazingly, Paris is a fertile area for Chinese conversions.  After church, we walked about ½ block to the Pompidou Museum which houses modern art.  Although the museum was very interesting, we came away with the impression that modern art is, on the whole, very dark.  We would love to visit many of the museums in Paris again and again, but one visit to Pompidou is probably enough for us.

Monday was a beautiful, but chilly day.  We took the Metro to the Montmatre area, best known for the Basilica Sacre-Coeur.  We then walked our legs off all 

the way back to our flat.  We saw the places where Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec lived and worked.  We strolled past Moulin Rouge and Pigalle, and visited the famous Paris Opera House where the Phantom of the Opera was supposed to have prowled.  What a beautiful ornate building.  It is truly breathtaking. we’d love to attend an opera there. 

After the Opera House, we walked and walked to the Trocadero, across the Seine River from the Eifel Tower, walked over to the 

tower and then along the Seine back to our flat.

Tuesday, the weather was rainy.  So, we got out of the weather by touring the Catacombs where the bones of six million Parisians are interred.  The bones were disinterred beginning in 1786 in order to relieve congestion and improve sanitation by emptying the Paris cemeteries. Later the bones were arranged in the manner we see today.

After the Catacombs, we took the Metro to the Arc de Triomphe and walked down the Champs-Elysees – perhaps the most famous street in France.  On the way home, we visited the Petit Palais, a beautiful building built in 1900 for the Universal Exhibition.  It is now a museum housing beautiful works of art from sculptures to paintings and historic artifacts.

Paris is a city that deserves to be visited again and again.  Its history is fascinating and its architecture is ever stunning.  The city of lights!

On Wednesday, we flew non-stop to Salt Lake City; an 11 hour flight – this time in the cheap seats!  But, stay tuned, there is more to come.