Chica & Joey's Travel Blog: Back in Paris

14 - 17 October 2013

14 October... Happy Birthday Joey!

We took a walk to our favorite Italian restaurant - much to our shagrin, it was closed on Mondays. Drat!

So, we took the second choice that turned out to be a wonderful afternoon culinary experience.

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The food was presented in an artistic manner ... And our meal was delicious!

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We have it on good authority that the Rex is a great theater. Much like some of the old theaters in the states, this sign is an indication that there are still some great movie houses left in the world.

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Out to dinner with our new friend Barbara (from St. Petersburg, Florida). We met Barbara while touring Berlin and, ironically, her plans took her to Paris from there. Feeling like Expats from the states, we met forgo dinner at a great Indian restaurant. (Sorry about the color in the pic - night street lighting gave us odd hues.)

Colorful poster inviting all to the restaurant.

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There are quite the number of "Inside Passageways" throughout Paris. In our regular walking around, when we see one, we usually opt to explore the old architectural work preserved from the elements on the unprotected streets. This particular passage is where we found the Indian restaurant.

A student protest just down the street from us at République (Don't worry, we're staying out of harm's way). These students were protesting about the cost of "Student Housing". It was quite the incredible sight to see the numbers of police vehicles and manpower the city deployed to be sure this demonstration didn't get out of hand. (We saw more than 30 police vans - all with numerous officers within the immediate area of the demonstration.)

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Out for a walk to get some fun and picturesque photos in Paris. This fountain is in front of the Hotél des Invalídes.

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The Cathédrale Notre Dame (Our Lady) is the heart of the country. This wonderful Gothic architectural masterpiece had the foundation stone laid in 1163. After approximately 170 years of craftsmanship, Bishop Maurice de Sully's magnificent design was realized. Almost destroyed during the Revolution, the Cathédrale was restored in 1841-64 by architect Eugene Viollet-Le-Duc. It contains France's largest organ.

It is not believed that the "Hunchback" ever rang the 5 bells of Notre Dame; however, the great bell in the South tower was rung, announcing the liberation of Paris from Nazi occupation.

The beautiful, intricate carvings are something magnificent to behold.

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Just to the side of the Cathédrale Notre Dame (between the Cathédrale and the River Seine), there is a beautifully landscaped park with people strolling, taking in the sights and enjoying themselves.

This fellow took bread (probably French bread here) and wadded it up in the ends of his fingers. Check out the birds...

How could we resist?

What a nice guy to share the fun....

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In the Berlin blog, we posted a bit about this trend of lovers engraving their sign of love on a lock and fastening it to the railing of a bridge - and mentioned that we heard it was an older tradition in many other cities throughout Europe. Can you even find the the fence on the bridge over the River Seine?