Oct 17 - La Madeleine

We then went to the Galleries Lafayette, an upmarket French department store. Apparently, it caters to all budgets, but we seemed to see only the really, really expensive sections. The Gucci section had a velvet rope across the entry and two ladies controlling the number of shoppers inside. The architecture of the store is art nouveau, with a remarkable dome. It was worth navigating the hordes of people to see it. But best of all, there is a free panoramic view of Paris from the 6th floor. It pays to go on guided tours - it was Nicholas who gave us the tip. Fabulous views on, dare I say it, a dry, almost sunny day!

We found a little sandwich shop and had a late lunch. My entertainment was watching two young people canoodling at the table in the front window. I sure hoped the guy wasn’t going to propose in a sandwich shop. He didn’t. Hope they went straight home - things were getting hot.

Next stop - the flower market by La Madeleine. Parisians love their flowers. If I lived here, I’d probably have fresh flowers very frequently.

La Madeleine is a Roman Catholic church occupies a commanding position - from its front doors, you can see Place de la Concorde. The church was designed in its present form as a temple to the glory of Napoleon's army. It is surrounded by 52 Corinthian columns. In the peak of the front facade is a sculpture of the Last Supper. The bronze doors of the church display the Ten Commandments. Inside, above the high altar, stands a statue by Charles Marochetti depicting St Mary Magdalene being lifted up by angels during her daily prayers. The half-dome above the altar is fresco entitled The History of Christianity, showing the key figures in the Christian religion with — a sign of its Second Empire date — Napoleon occupying centre stage.

On the way home, we stopped at street art exhibit at the Petit Palais and Grand Palais museums. There were lots of food trucks and funky exhibits.

We strolled home and enjoyed the sunshine to enjoy some downtime with the windows open showcasing the blue sky and the Eiffel Tower.Read more