Paris - 6/8

“We’ll always have Paris.” Well, it certainly helps when you have 70 degree weather and full sunshine. I actually started the day with a leisurely walk through Vitre’s Japanese Garden located on their Ile de Versailles. We then took the TVG to Paris to arrive on a spectacular day. Our hotel is actually just a doorway between two cafes. Our rooms are micro rooms that could compete those in Tokyo. But, the location is amazing: in the Marias, 13 minutes from Notre Dame. We had time for a nice lunch and to settle in before a very special evening.

Our evening was spectacular with a concert at Saint Chapelle. I’ve done this three times, and it’s always a treat. The concert alone is very special with five musicians and an opera singer. The prime event is Saint Chapelle at sunset. I have studied Romanesque and Gothic architecture quite a bit (enjoying Brittany’s mixed combos) but Saint Chapelle embodies everything Gothic architecture aspires to but almost never achieves: light, light arches and immense panels of stained glass. Walking into Saint Chapelle is like walking into a Faberge egg.

After, we had a perfect, traditionally French dinner at the Brasserie du Louvre.Read more