Tricia and I left very early for Paris, France. It was on Monday, May 16th and we departed her home about 6:00 am and returned that night around midnight. It was 18 hours in paradise!

Before arriving in England, Tricia made our travel arrangements and she asked me what
I would like to see on that day in Paris. 🙂

I really had no particular ideas but listed a church, the Eiffel Tower, have a good meal, and to see art. Tricia guided me through Paris and together, we checked all the boxes I listed and more. Thank you Tricia for an experience that I will always treasure. ❤

Tricia purchased our Eurostar tickets and we boarded the train in London. We traveled under the English Channel and emerged on the other side in France.  Wonder of wonders!

View of the train station from our window. 🙂

Upon our arrival in Paris, Tricia obtained our local transportation tickets and we made our way to the Notre Dame Cathedral. ❤

The Notre Dame Cathedral behind me.  As you can see, I traveled only with a fanny pack around my waist and kept my hands free during the trip which turned out to be a really good idea.  All photos were taken by my cell phone camera.

 

Places to rest and reflect nearby.

The police department adjacent to the Notre Dame Cathedral.  I was so impressed at the beauty of the architecture and those amazing doors!

Another photo of the police department building from a distance.  We have quite a few law enforcement officers in our family and they really enjoyed seeing these photos. 🙂

 

The River Seine. ❤

We walked along the River and saw this tour boat passing by.  It would be fun to partake of this tour if you had more time to stay in Paris.

We then walked and I took a random photo of the lovely streets and alleys in Paris.

Tricia and I had a fantastic lunch sitting outdoors at a sidewalk café.  There were many choices of restaurants and we selected a good one.  Tricia ordered the food since she speaks French and I do not.   My sandwich was delicious and that is mushrooms that you see peeking out underneath the toppings.  Yummy salad plus French fries of course!

After lunch, we caught a train to see the Eiffel Tower. ❤

Getting closer to the Tower!

So massive!

There were a lot of people touring the Eiffel Tower.  As you can see, the clouds were dark though the rain held off until later when we left and caught a bus.  We were very fortunate not to get wet that day! 🙂

I took several photos from the bus window of Paris street scenes.

The bus was very crowded and I stood for a while which made me glad my hands were free. Look at the amazing architecture! 🙂

Beautiful statue.  This photo is odd, I am not certain why there is a black hashed line and figures too.  I hope you can look past those images.  Interesting though…

We exited the bus and went to the most amazing department store called Galeries Lafayette. Tricia and I stopped to enjoy tea and a pastry and the area we sat in provided this amazing view of the interior of the store.  Remarkable! 🙂

The gorgeous domed ceiling of stained glass.

Another view….what a way to shop! ❤

While there, we made use of the powder room and this is the view from the powder room window!  I could not resist taking a couple of photos!

A Paris view ❤

Our next stop was a very special church…a blessed place called the Sacre Couer Basilica and dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Sacre Couer is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre and is the highest point in Paris. ❤

This is the view standing in the area leading up to Sacre Couer.

Sacre Coeur. ❤

Another view of Paris.

Tricia with a fantastic view of Paris behind her. 🙂

When we entered the Sacre Coeur, the statue of the beloved Saint Therese, the Little Flower, greeted us.  At that point, I experienced what I can only describe as a watershed moment on a spiritual or interior level.  It was so powerful and yet so comforting and I knew in my heart that I was blessed to visit this holy place, Sacre Coeur, God is there. ❤

We were able to attend Mass while there and my feet did not touch the ground. There was no thought of taking photos.  After leaving the Sacre Coeur, Tricia and I walked the adjacent streets nearby and nibbled on a crepe made for us “to go” and we watched the artists drawing portraits of people posed in front of them.  Amazing artistic abilities and so interesting to observe.

We left the Montmartre area by taxi in order to return to the train station on time and catch our train back to London.  Once back in London, we caught a train to Tricia’s house and the robust day of our Paris events came to a happy end. A day like no other! 🙂

p.s.  I have one more post to make of the heavenly time spent in England.  I hope to post it before the Sasha Festival begins.  I will try!  Thank you for visiting! 🙂 xxx