Day 2 was our only full day in Paris, and the one we had been waiting for. We had booked a Segway tour through
FatTire. It was so completely fabulous, I highly recommend you doing one too. Getting used to riding the Segway took a few minutes, but once you got your balance, it was so easy to move around. There were about 10 people in our group and we spent about 3 hours tooling around Paris, with our American guide telling us Parisian facts. We had so much fun, and everywhere we went people took our picture as we drove by. I felt a little like a celebrity, without the eating disorder and paranoia. NICE.
One thing we noticed, were bullet holes from WWII on many of the buildings. Here you can see them above and then below in the closeup.
The
Dome Church of Les Invalides (the military hospital) has a great story. Louis XIV had it built. In his old age he couldn't move his neck enough to gaze up at the dome. So to fix that, he order a fake dome built at a lower height. So, the dome you see in this picture is not the dome you look up at inside. The difference in the two domes created a crawl space that the French Resistance used during World War II. When Hitler arrived in Paris, he visited the Church to see his hero, Napoleon's resting place. He wanted a few moments alone with his idol, and ordered the rest of his entourage out of the church. Hitler didn't know the French Resistance was just above him, and the French Resistance didn't know Hitler was just below. Imagine what might have happened if they did! It wasn't until the end of the war that the events were placed together.
After the Segway tour we ate lunch and then headed to Notre Dame. It was so beautiful.
We climbed the stairs to the top and got an amazing view of the city below.
I love this picture of the gargoyle. He almost looks real.
When we made our way back down, we discovered mass was just starting. M is Catholic, so we stayed for it. It was in French, and my French is in such a state of disuse that I only caught some of it. But attending mass at Notre Dame was a pretty amazing experience. M also gave confession while we were there. Instead of a wooden confessional, it was just a glass room. She faced the priest and the walls of the church, he faced her and the inside of the church. While she was giving confession, tourists were walking by snapping photos of it. I couldn't believe it, have some manners people! After that we made our way back to the area around our hotel for a yummy dinner. What a fantastic day in Paris.
Day 2 was our only full day in Paris, and the one we had been waiting for. We had booked a Segway tour through FatTire. It was so completely fabulous, I highly recommend you doing one too. Getting used to riding the Segway took a few minutes, but once you got your balance, it was so easy to move around. There were about 10 people in our group and we spent about 3 hours tooling around Paris, with our American guide telling us Parisian facts. We had so much fun, and everywhere we went people took our picture as we drove by. I felt a little like a celebrity, without the eating disorder and paranoia. NICE.
One thing we noticed, were bullet holes from WWII on many of the buildings. Here you can see them above and then below in the closeup.
The Dome Church of Les Invalides (the military hospital) has a great story. Louis XIV had it built. In his old age he couldn't move his neck enough to gaze up at the dome. So to fix that, he order a fake dome built at a lower height. So, the dome you see in this picture is not the dome you look up at inside. The difference in the two domes created a crawl space that the French Resistance used during World War II. When Hitler arrived in Paris, he visited the Church to see his hero, Napoleon's resting place. He wanted a few moments alone with his idol, and ordered the rest of his entourage out of the church. Hitler didn't know the French Resistance was just above him, and the French Resistance didn't know Hitler was just below. Imagine what might have happened if they did! It wasn't until the end of the war that the events were placed together.
After the Segway tour we ate lunch and then headed to Notre Dame. It was so beautiful.
We climbed the stairs to the top and got an amazing view of the city below.
I love this picture of the gargoyle. He almost looks real.
When we made our way back down, we discovered mass was just starting. M is Catholic, so we stayed for it. It was in French, and my French is in such a state of disuse that I only caught some of it. But attending mass at Notre Dame was a pretty amazing experience. M also gave confession while we were there. Instead of a wooden confessional, it was just a glass room. She faced the priest and the walls of the church, he faced her and the inside of the church. While she was giving confession, tourists were walking by snapping photos of it. I couldn't believe it, have some manners people! After that we made our way back to the area around our hotel for a yummy dinner. What a fantastic day in Paris.
4 comments:
Paris! Has it also got the key to your heart ;)? That sounds like a great way to get around the city! Were you able to eat baguette sandwiches and get some pastries too? I hope so!
Yes, we ate baguettes, croissants, all sorts of yummy goodness.
What a sucky life you have....
Aw, the memories. What a fun weekend and I love hearing the tour guides information. We didn't get that side of things when we were there.
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