BRUCE: The breakfasts at our hotel are truly filling with cereals, croissants, fruit, scrambled eggs, coffee, and juices. We took a very long walk on the left bank of the Seine River to see the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Many people were out, it was quite festive. People were selling their paintings along the way, there were tour boats in the Seine River and couples and families everywhere. Truly a postcard.
The Cathedral from the outside was imposing and extraordinary in it's architecture and size. Great statue of Charlemagne outside, looking like Don Quixote. Waited in a long line, because the entrance in the main cathedral was free, so our passes were not necessary. Once we stepped inside the Cathedral, the views were spectacular, ranging from bas relief of the life of Christ, to stations of the cross, medieval confessionals, and both contemporary and ancient altars. Many people we observed were quite moved because they have such a strong attachment to their Catholic faith. We saw ancient sculptures,tapestries, the famous Rose windows, the enormous pipe organ and the beautiful arched ceilings. Our museum passes could have allowed us upstairs so we could climb the towers and see where the Hunchback of Notre Dame rang the bell, but we did not want to wait in the long line, which stretched around the block. Later we saw people walking on the top of Notre Dame.
After leaving the Cathedral we went through the Latin Quarter, where we saw interesting shops and cafes. Mari had water and a snack of Vietnamese barbecued chicken on a stick. We proceeded to the famous Orsay Museum. Our museum pass allowed us to skirt huge lines. While waiting in the smaller line we had a nice conversation with some women from Sacramento. They said Arnold couldn't make it. One of them took our picture. Inside the museum, there were floors as well as multiple rooms of original paintings and scultures from artists including, Monet, Degas, Gaughin, Rodin, Manet, Renoir and Van Gogh.
Finished a long walk home drinking in the sights and sounds of a very marvelous city. When we got back, Mari went out to a local boulangerie (bakery) and brought home sandwiches and pastries for dinner.
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